CONTENTS: Cassette 1: Welcoming remarks (approx. 4 min.) by Robert Marx, Madeleine Nichols, and Nancy Lassalle. -- Panel: The cradle: Balanchine's childhood and The nutcracker (approx. 49 min.). Interview of Alexandra Danilova and Edward Bigelow by Holly Brubach. Topics include Russian Christmas traditions; productions of The nutcracker by the Imperial Russian Ballet, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and New York City Ballet; and the place of The nutcracker in Balanchine's aesthetic. -- Cassette 2: Demonstration: The nutcracker children (approx. 40 min.). Presented by Garielle Whittle, children's ballet mistress for the 1992 Nutcracker, with Paulina Barkagan (pianist), and students from the School of American Ballet: Petra Hoerrner (Marie), Andrei Vitoptov (Little prince), Misha Braun (Little prince), Peter Reznick (Fritz), Annie Ostrager, Zoe Zien, Kelley Young, Eve Harrison, Glenn Keenan, Miriam Peterson, Patrick Stewart, Laurent Baud, Alexander Hurt, and Alexander Levine. Photography: Carolyn George d'Amboise. Audiotape: David Richardson. Whittle discusses the role of child dancers in The nutcracker, and the benefits of students gain through performing. The students perform the little prince's pantomime, the grandfather's dance, and the opening of Act I. Slides, accompanied by taped narration by David Richardson, depict auditions, rehearsals, and performances. -- Cassette 3: Panel: Backstage at The nutcracker (approx. 46
min.). Panelists John Braden, Leslie Copeland, Madame Grace, Linda Malloy, and Perry Silvey, who have all been involved in the production of The nutcracker, discuss aspects of the production and share reminiscences of designers Rouben Ter-Arutunian and Barbara Karinska. Ter-Arutunian is heard in two taped interviews, respectively with John Gruen (1976) and Walter Terry (1967). -- Cassette 4: Video: The nutcracker (approx. 23 min.). Excerpts from the CBS-TV Playhouse 90 production, telecast in 1958. Producers: John Houseman and Jack Landau. Director: Ralph Nelson. Narrator: June Lockhart. Perf. by George Balanchine (Herr Drosselmeier), Debbie Paine (Clara), Robert Maiorano (Nutcracker prince), children from the School of American Ballet, and members of New York City Ballet. For a complete recording of this telecast, see: *MGZIA 4-407. -- Panel: Dancing The nutcracker for Balanchine (approx. 23 min.). Interview of Merrill Ashley, Francisco Moncion, and Suki Schorer by Francis Mason. The three panelists recall their experiences dancing various roles in The nutcracker with the New York City Ballet.
Call number
*MGZIDF 2279
Note
Videotaped for the Jerome Robbins Archive of the Recorded Moving Image by Penny Ward at the Bruno Walter Auditorium, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, on December 11, 1992, with the assistance of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts. Part of the Balanchine Symposia, a series of public programs presented by the Dance Collection of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in connection with the exhibition Balanchine. Coordinator for Public Programs for the Dance Collection: Sallie Blumenthal.
Access (note)
Patrons can access streaming video file only at the Library for the Performing Arts.
Funding (note)
Preservation of this video was supported by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Title
Balanchine and The nutcracker [electronic resource]
Imprint
1992.
Restricted access
Patrons can access streaming video file only at the Library for the Performing Arts.
Funding
Preservation of this video was supported by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.