From The Nutcracker
Ballet Photographic Images Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, Bob Shomler



Swan Lake

Here's how I became aware of and found a great treasure in The Arts and Ballet in particular. When I was in high school I watched quite a bit of PBS mainly their clay court tennis but doing so taught me by their promotionals that an art, Ballet, existed. I watched them in secret many of them live performances of the greats at that time. Swan Lake with Nureyev and Fonteyn among others whether the full production or excerpts. Not a bit of it did I understand but sight with the music said something interesting is being told here in story. It was. Many years later I learned how in Swan Lake the love of an eligible prince is turned into a swan and hidden among real swans that her darkhearted double may pretend to be her, marry the prince, destroy his love, have his fortune, and rule over his lands. With knowledge of the storyline nuances of staging and storytelling became enchanting and when fully produced not boring though Swan Lake can be a long ballet. It can be so good with the character of different dancers, choreographers, and their interpretation that I find myself now thinking to the prince when the dark half of Odette/Odille shows up, the same ballerina dressed in black usually so we'll know the difference, "It's not her!, It's not her!", his true love. Even though with sorcery to blind him it works out and his true love is released back to him from among the swans. I still do not know though what trips up Odille before the marriage that he is being deceived by her but she is discovered.
Nureyev and Fonteyn is my favorite version followed by the Anthony Dowell, Natalia Makarova version of '82.


RECOMMENDED:

pyotr il'yich tchaikovsky
SWAN LAKE
Schwanansee | Le Lac Des Cygnes Op. 20

Ballet In Two Acts

16 January 1998, 7:30PM
Recorded Live A Performance At Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin
Choreography And Staging ... Patrice Bart
After Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Conductor ...................... Daniel Barenboim
Orchestra .................. Staatskapelle Berlin

Running Time ........................ 150 Minutes

______________________________________________________________________
Starring ..............................
Steffi Scherzer ................................ As Odette/Odile
Oliver Matz ................................ As Prince Siegfried
Bettina Thiel ................. As The Queen, Siegfried's Mother
Torsten Haendler ........ As The Queen's Prime Minister, Rotbart
Jens Weber ......................... As Siegfried's Best Friend,
Benno Von Sommerstein


Featuring | Corps de Ballet | Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin
Clearly Understandable, Wonderful To Look At, Spellbinding.

This Swan Lake is truly a special ballet full of every possibility to challenge even the best
dancers. It has love, its' main point for being, suspense, joy, betrayal, tragedy and death.
This ballet is special because it has life in it and it is hard, very hard, to experience it, know its' story and see it told, danced, without it deeply touching you personally. The music of Tchaikovsky choreographed to well lilting and powerful with the emotions displayed is not to be missed.
I regard this version which is new to me danced by Steffi Scherzer and Oliver Matz supported equally as well as they lead to be as I stated Clearly Understandable, Wonderful To Look At, Spellbinding. It is special. No big dance stars as I know but yet on its' own this Swan Lake, Schwanansee, it is in a class to itself and needs no compare to any other Swan Lake interpretation or performance that is legend in ballet.
At 2 hours, 30 minutes you will hardly feel itas you're drawn in as each moment of this story passes.

Available From Bel Air Media,
Or Search The Web For Video With Steffi Scherzer / Oliver Matz.
You may find more outlets with it available in Britain & France but well worth it.
In The U. S. Amazon.Com



The Nutcracker

This ballet too is a classic and has become a Christ time favorite each year. It is the story of a young girls joy with a toy nutcracker, a real boy or man, whom will be returned to normal by the gain of her love. The Nutcracker broken on the same day it is given inspires her to dream induced by her uncle, Drosselmeyer, it completely repaired turned into a handsome prince at war with an evil mouse king and his army of mouse followers for her safety and eventual love.
A little difficult to find but my favorite version is a film of the ballet entitled:
'Nutcracker - The Motion Picture'.
Equally good is 'The Nutcracker Prince' a colorfully done to look at animated version. Done for kids but good for adults it is extremely funny and tells alot of story not often done in the live ballet.

Featuring the voices of:

Megan Follows as Clara
Keifer Sutherland as The Nutcracker Prince
Phyllis Diller as The Mouse Queen
Peter O'toole as Pantaloon
And
Mike McDonald as The Mouse King

By his voice he is both malevolent and extremely funny the perfect foil. Enjoy his antics but yield not to temptation even funny evil is still just that. In God's hands though maybe it is a good man playing the part for Him allowing it to be enjoyed.

Though a secret PBS and it's ballet presentations has exposed me to these arts that I could not afford to attend personally, might feel uncomfortable at and not understand. Several viewings and little by little understanding has given me a joy I am comfortable in now to share some of this art with others and hopefully for The Lord.


RECOMMENDED:

The Royal Ballet with
Rudolf Nureyev and
Margot Fonteyn in

ROMEO AND JULIET
Ballet In Three Acts

The tragic ballet of feud, love, and death.
At 28 and in the most robust and handsome health Rudolf Neryeev partners the acknowledged greatest of female ballerinas, Margot Fonteyn, in Romeo And Juliet. Obviously it was not just talent and a fiery temperament but being nice to look at that also must have been a big part of the appeal of the Nureyev fan base. Miss Fonteyn said rejuvenated in the partnership does not look a 19 year elder but as a youthful equal and dances so in the love tale of the ages.
Tender yet fiery Romeo And Juliet even from this 1966 recording is instructive, entertaining, and converting to a love of ballet.

Available from:
Kultur Video (kulturvideo.com)
Movies Unlimited (moviesunlimited.com) and
Amazon.com