Streaming file 1 (approximately 33 minutes). [Sound quality is poor.] Mary Skeaping speaks with Susan Reiner about her childhood and family including her experiences during World War I and the death of her sister; her training in music; auditioning for Anna Pavlova [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 2].
Streaming file 2 (approximately 30 minutes). [Mary Skeaping continues to speak with Susan Reiner about her life and career. However, due to poor sound quality, this streaming file is almost unintelligible.]
Streaming file 3 (approximately 32 minutes) Mary Skeaping speaks with Susan Reiner further about her childhood and family; music as an inspiration including how she uses music in her work; her experience with the Royal Swedish Ballet [Kungliga Baletten]; staging Swan lake [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 4].
Streaming file 4 (approximately 32 minutes). [First approximate 13 minutes are poor sound quality.] Mary Skeaping speaks with Susan Reiner about staging Swan lake; her choreographic methods including examples [from the ballet Atis and Camilla?]; [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 5].
Streaming file 5 (approximately 32 minutes). Mary Skeaping speaks with Susan Reiner further about her choreographic methods including examples [taken from her work Cupid out of his humour?]; the potential for learning as a major factor in determining whether to accept a job [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 6].
Streaming file 6 (approximately 32 minutes). Mary Skeaping speaks with Susan Reiner about the events leading to her work in 18th century theater in Sweden; staging Cupid out of his humour at the Drottningholm Theatre on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Sweden; the importance of becoming an accomplished dancer in order to become a good choreographer, including her comments on John Cranko; ballet length including a tendency toward short ballets in England [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 7].
Streaming file 7 (approximately 33 minutes). Mary Skeaping continues to speak with Susan Reiner about ballet length; Frederick Ashton as a dancer and as a choreographer including his natural musicality; his Cinderella; her long history with the ballet Giselle, including dancing in the ballet herself, with [Anna] Pavlova as Giselle; her memories of Olga Spessivtzeva's Giselle; the score, by Adolphe Adam including how it has been altered over the years; her production of Giselle [after Corelli and Perrot], for the Royal Swedish Ballet; her later productions which were increasingly closer to her original conception; her research on the original production including her discussions with [Tamara] Karsavina about the early Russian versions [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 8].
Streaming file 8 (approximately 33 minutes). Mary Skeaping speaks with Susan Reiner about the production of Giselle she staged for the London Festival Ballet, including her dilemma regarding the solo set to [Ludwig] Minkus' music; the significance of the fugue in Act II; a historical anecdote about Nathalie Fitzjames and Giselle; Act I as a dance-drama, which functions as the basis for Act II; various questions raised by the libretto, including why the hunting party stops at Giselle's cottage [ends abruptly but continues on streaming audio file 9].
Streaming file 9 (approximately 22 minutes). Mary Skeaping speaks with Susan Reiner about her production of Giselle, for the London Festival Ballet; the question as to whether Giselle kills herself including Skeaping's belief that she does not; her conception of the Queen of the Wilis; Swan lake including [Marius] Petipa's later changes to the score; the woooden stage at Covent Garden.