Ballet Performance Videos

Balanchine Video (D2448) Balanchine DVD
DVD Only - $29.99
Regarded as the “Father of American ballet,” and having created 425 works, George Balanchine is, arguably, the foremost choreographer of the 20th century. Originally produced for the PBS series, DANCE IN AMERICA, Balanchine celebrates his artistry and pays tribute to the themes of his ballets. Through rare archival audio and video footage, interviews, film, and photographs, the program traces Balanchine’s life from his youth at the Maryinsky Theater, through his work for Hollywood and Broadway, to his creation of the New York City Ballet. It also examines his thoughts on dancemaking, using interviews with the choreographer himself, and features selections from many of his ballets, including Chaconne, Agon, Symphony in C, Apollo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Western Symphony, among others. 156 mins. (2004) DVD-All-Region.

Baryshnikov Dances Sinatra Video (D1167)
DVD Only - $29.99
Starring: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Deidre Carberry, Elaine Kudo. Mikhail Baryshnikov performs in three ballets full of human drama, choreographed by Twyla Tharp. In one sense, they all tell the same story-- the vitality, daring, intelligence, and emotional depth that a great dancer possesses, and a brilliant choreographer’s vision of that dancer and of dance itself. As Mikhail Baryshnikov says in the commentary that links the ballets, Twyla Tharp is "classical but in a new way." She has the classical artist’s regard for form and technique and a musicality that some compare to that of George Balanchine, but her approach is always personal, radical and contemporary. 60 mins. (2005) DVD-All-Region.

The Blue Angel Video (1226)
VHS Only - $19.95 On Sale - $6.95
French choreographer Roland Petit’s highly acclaimed ballet “The Blue Angel” comes to home video in a superb stage production. This is the ballet rendition of Heinrich Mann’s dramatic story of the alluring Rosa Frohlich, the dancer at the famous Blue Angel cabaret. The program stars Roland Petit as Professor Unrat, Dominique Khalfouni as Rosa, Jean-Pierre Aviotte as Lohmann and features the company of the Ballet National De Marseille Roland Petit. Choreographer Roland Petit proclaims; The Blue Angel is the most passionate and most dramatic of my ballets. I decided to follow my choreographic inspiration, allowing the dance to be the driving force, which dictated the action to me. Obviously, the author of the novel is not far off, and the legend of the film is very much present, but it is the dance which calls the tune. The result is a completely new “hellish and heavenly” ballet, with the fol-de-rols of the cabaret, with plastic and with feathers.” This program is a visual and musical delight available for the first time in North America. 78 mins. VHS-NTSC format only.

Born to Be Wild Video (D2932)
DVD Only - $19.99
The depth of male dancing at American Ballet Theatre today is unprecedented in the history of American ballet, thanks to the cadre of international talent gathered by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. This performance documentary travels home with Jose Manuel Carreño (Cuba), Angel Corella (Spain), Vladimir Malakhov (Russia), and Ethan Stiefel (USA), exploring the dancers’ personal backgrounds and formal training. The program culminates with a work created especially for the four dancers by acclaimed choreographer Mark Morris, and includes revealing behind-the scenes glimpses of the rehearsal process along the way. 54 mins. (2004) DVD-All-Region.

Carmen Video Carmen (D1264)
DVD Only - $19.99
There’s never been a “Carmen” like this one – there’s never been a Don Jose like Baryshnikov! Ballet superstars Mikhail Baryshnikov and Zizi Jeanmaire sizzle in this erotically charged ballet set to the music and story of “Carmen”. The program highlight is a sexy duet between Baryshnikov and Jeanmaire, in which their characters express their fatal attraction to one another. Famed choreographer Roland Petit created this dance spectacular, set to Georges Bizet’s classic music. This remarkable ballet provides Mikhail Baryshnikov with one of his greatest roles, and proves yet again that he is one of the most charismatic and accomplished performers of our time! 44 mins. (1980) DVD-All-Region.

Carmen - West Australian Ballet Video (D4090)
DVD Only - $29.99 On Sale - $24.99
Starring: Benazir Hussain and Daryl Brandwood. Conductor: Nicolette Fraillon. Choreographer: Ted Brandsen Composer: Georges Bizet. Carmen is a timeless tragedy, never more relevant than today. It is a tale of desire, seduction, jealousy and betrayal. And in this, Ted Brandsen’s minimalist production, the devastating finale is heightened by the complete lack of artifice. Rodion Shchedrin’s fluid and muscular musical adaptation fits this raw and original performance by the West Australian Ballet like Carmen’s red dress – tight, revealing and, like the production, impossible to ignore. 52 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

The Children of Theatre Street Video (D1111)
DVD Only - $19.99
Princess Grace of Monaco is the narrator of this documentary about the Vaganova Choreographic Institute, also known as the Kirov School of Leningrad, where the Soviet Union trains an elite bundle of students who will be the cream of its balletic future. Each year thousands of children, 8 to 13 in age, apply for admission. Twenty are admitted, based on physical conformation, long legs, well-arched feet, and flexible joints. The rejectees cry. Those luck or unlucky enough to make the grade will find themselves separated from their families, isolated from the daily run of Soviet life, and totally immersed in the art to which they are expected to dedicate their lives. It’s a rigorous system, but it works. Graduates of the Kirov School include such greats as Nureyev, Baryshnikov, Nijinsky, Pavlova, and Blanchine. But dance is what “The Children of Theatre Street” is mostly about. The screen pulsates with fresh, supple bodies learning all aspects of their art from the most rudimentary exercise to the finest nuance of a finished performance. “The Children of Theatre Street” is a revealing view of the way the Russians go about continuing their great rendition of classical ballet. No lover of ballet and children will want to miss it. “ ‘Theatre Street’ tells an important story and tells it brilliantly…at the Kirov School there will always be another vintage year, and ‘Theatre Street’ tells why.” – Rudolf Nureyev. “I cried when I saw ‘Theatre Street’ for the first time. It brings back many memories. – Natalia Makarova. “Anyone interested in ballet should see ‘Theatre Street’.” – Anna Kisselgoff, New York Times. 92 mins. (2004) DVD-All-Region.

Cinderella- The Bolshoi Ballet Video (D1269)
DVD Only - $19.99
This is an outstanding ballet of the timeless fairy tale that has captured the hearts of young and old for centuries! Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s classic score, the Bolshoi Ballet performs in this color motion picture from 1961. Filmed with multiple cameras which created long, medium and close-up shots and special effects, this is not simply a “canned” performance, but one in which film, dance and music combine to produce an unforgettable experience. And with Raisa Struchkova in the title role, and a teenaged Yekaterina Maximova in a supporting part, this historic program is a must for ballet lovers everywhere! 82 mins. (2005) DVD Region 1.

Coppelia - Ballet de San Juan Video (D1120)
DVD Only - $19.99
Starring: Fernando Bujones. Coppelia is a love story in three acts. This beloved ballet is regarded as dance’s great comedy with music by Delibes. Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Der Sandmann, the ballet combines the romance between Swanilda and Franz with the story of the doll maker Coppelius, whose greatest desire is to create a doll with a soul. Franz promptly falls in love with Coppelia, whom he thinks alive, but eventually recognizes that she is just a doll and returns to Swanilda, after which the final grand divertissement sees everyone reconciled. With its touch of East European Folklore, the ballet continues to enjoy undiminished worldwide popularity…and is one of the most delightful and best-known ballets. Fernando Bujones, one of the most acclaimed male dancers of our time, gives an extraordinary performance as Franz, the young lover. Taped live in Puerto Rico with the Ballet de San Juan. 110 mins. (2006) DVD Region 1.

Coppelia - The Kirov Ballet Video (D4068)
DVD Only - $29.99
Starring: Irina Shapchits, Mikhail Zavialov, Petr Rusanov, Elvira Tarasova. Conductor: Alexandre Viliumanis. Composer: Leo Delibes. Coppélia is a classical ballet in the true sense, and with its touch of East European folklore, continues to enjoy worldwide popularity. It combines the romance between Swanilda and Franz with the story of the doll-maker Coppelius, whose greatest desire is to create a doll with a soul. Franz immediately falls in love with Coppélia, who he thinks is real, but eventually recognizes is just a doll. He returns to Swanilda, after which the final grand divertissement sees everyone reconciled. 91 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

Creole Giselle Video (D1291)
DVD Only - $29.99
Now, for the first time on home video, the Dance Theatre of Harlem is presented in Creole Giselle, their acclaimed interpretation of the ballet classic. Making only minor changes in the story, music and traditional choreography of the repertory staple, DTH founder Arthur Mitchell has set the ballet in 1841 Louisiana. It was a time when social status among freed blacks was measured by how far removed one’s family was from slavery: the community’s “aristocrats” looked down on those whose immediate family had been enslaved. Thus, in the DTH version, Giselle faces the same social obstacles and heart-breaking rejection by Albert and his family as their classical counterparts. Giselle is danced by Virginia Johnson, hailed as “strong and yet delicate…very moving…remarkable.” Eddie J. Shellman co-stars, and was praised as “an attractive and unusually brash Albert, his solos securely dispatched.” See for your self why Creole Giselle is one of the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s most popular works. 88 mins. (2005) DVD-All-Region.

Denishawn Dances On! Video (D2234)
DVD Only - $19.99
Between 1919 and 1931, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, and their company toured the entire United States, England, Cuba, and the Far East. Within that period, they created some 300 pieces, using their original technique based on classic ballet discipline molded to pliant bodies and bare feet, with emphasis on various ethnic cultures. With this new expression of movement, they became the creators of the choreography from which American Modern Dance evolved. Sadly, little of the rich body of work from that time could be visually preserved. Only over the last twenty years did Barton Munaw, a member of Denishawn in its last year, and Jane Sherman, the last living member of the original Denishawn company, succeed in creating this video-documentary - the largest re-creation of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn's dances in existence, featuring 23 powerful works of the Mother and Father of American Modern Dance. With the issue of this video, their mission to preserve these seminal works from oblivion has been accomplished. 100 mins. (2006) DVD-All-Region.

Denishawn: The Birth of Modern Dance Video (D1301)
DVD Only - $19.99
This historic dance documentary tells the story of one of the least publicized, yet most-influential modern dance companies in America. Founded by Ruth St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn at the turn of the century, Denishawn has become legendary for its unique approach to contemporary dance. Martha Graham, Jack Cole, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman and countless others have built their companies and their work on the foundation established by St. Denis and Shawn. Incorporating elements of Far and Middle Eastern dances to create abstract pieces they called “musical visualizations,” the couple rejected the tradition of basing dances on fairy tales: their dancers played human beings, not sugarplums or swans. Husband-and-wife actors Paul and June Reed portray the Shawns in “interview” segments, and rare film footage of the real St. Denis and Shawn show them at the peak of their creative talents. The current Denishawn Company re-stages some of the founders’ original choreography, which remains as vital and modern today as it was then. 40 mins. (2006) DVD-All-Region.

Don Quixote - Kirov Ballet Video (D1217)
DVD Only - $29.99
The tremendous resources of the Kirov Ballet flash and dash through the four acts of joyous Petipa and Gorsky choreography making Don Quixote a thrilling visual treat. This delightful spectacle features the great Soviet dancers Tatyana Terekhova and Farouk Ruzimatov as the lovers Kitri and Basilio. Don Quixote is performed by Kirov star Vladimir Ponomaryov. The story f Don Quixote tells of the old knight who dreams of chivalry, and his comic squire Sancho Panza. They come to Barcelona where they find Kitri, the daughter of an innkeeper, who is in love with Basilio the local Barber. But her father wishes Kitri to marry the foppish Gamache. How Kitri and Basilio outwit this plan by fleeing from Barcelona, and how Don Quixote tilts at windmills and dreams of fair ladies, and how eventually Kitri and Basilio are united, is the action of this joyous ballet. Don Quixote is staged in the celebrated designs by Golovin and Korovin. This performance by the Kirov has been hailed as one of the greatest large cast ballet productions ever recorded on film. 120 mins. (1988) DVD-All-Region.

Don Quixote Video (D1175)
DVD Only - $29.99
Rudolf Nureyev’s film version of Don Quixote which he co-directed with Sir Robert Helpmann, stars famed dancer Nureyev and Lucette Aldous of the Royal Ballet as the young lovers. Their romance flourishes with the assistance of Helpmann, who portrays the title role. Dancers of the Australian Ballet are featured in this elaborate production which was photographed in lavish color by Academy Award winning cinematographer, Geoffrey Unsworth. The virtuoso pas de deux in the final act of Don Quixote has been until recent years, the only portion of the full length ballet to be seen in this country, a tour de force for major dancers, it is but the tip of the iceberg of a brilliant and colorful production, conceived by the great 19th century choreographer, Marius Petipa. With the filming of Don Quixote, another dimension has been added. New sets and costumes were designed, and advanced camera techniques used to enhance the action in transferring the classic from stage to screen. DVD digitally re-mastered. This lavish production stars Rudolf Nureyev, Robert Helpmann, Lucette Aldous and The Australian Ballet. This spectacular program has been hailed as the finest full-length dance film of all-time. Includes a special feature documentary on the making of the film. 127 mins. DVD-Region 1.

Don Quixote Video (D1366)
DVD Only - $24.99 On Sale - $19.99
Conductor: Aleksandr Sotnikov. Prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili stars in this spectacular new full-length production of one of the world’s favorite ballets Don Quixote with the Russian State Perm Ballet. In this delightful ballet, Nina Ananiashvili and Aledsei Fadeyetchev portray the lovers Kitri and Basilio; Aleksandr Astafiev is featured in the title role as Don Quixote, and Evgeny Katusov is his comic squire Sancho Panza. This joyous new production of composer Leon Minkus’ ballet, which tells the tale of an old knight who dreams of chivalry and tilts at windmills, is a visual treat for dance lovers of all ages. Nina Ananiashvili’s superb technical command is a thrilling dance experience which the viewer will want to enjoy again and again. 120 mins. (2005) DVD-All-Region.

The Dream Video (D2933) The Dream DVD
DVD Only - $29.99
A comical tale of fairies, mismatched lovers, and a mischievous sprite, Sir Frederick Ashton’s enduring one-act ballet, The Dream, has delighted audiences since its premiere in 1964. Set to the ethereal music of Felix Mendelssohn, the ballet is a charming interpretation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “Ashton’s genius soars typically to the heights of poetic metaphor,” boasted The New York Times. “Charm is making a comeback in New York this spring,” enthused The Washington Post. The New York Observer described the ballet as “so fluent, so charged, so natural,” that “you know you’re in the hands of a master.” To celebrate the centennial of Ashton’s birth, DANCE IN AMERICA presents American Ballet Theatre’s acclaimed staging, starring Ethan Stiefel, Alessandra Ferri, and Herman Cornejo. 54 mins. (2004) DVD-All-Region.

Firestone Dances: Ballet Highlights Video (D2414)
DVD Only - $19.99
For more than thirty years, The Voice of Firestone brought the world’s greatest artists into the homes of music lovers. Now, through a special arrangement with the New England Conservatory in Boston, Kultur is proud to make these rare telecasts available. Among the treasures from the Firestone archives are Rudolf Nureyev’s American television solo debut; the legendary team of Jacques D’Amboise and Melissa Hayden; the brilliant Maria Tallchief; Carla Fracci in a rare Pas de quatre set to the music of Pugni; as well as principal dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet and a performance by the Ballet Espanol Ximenes-Vargas. 49 mins. (2008) DVD-All-Region.

Fonteyne and Nureyev: The Perfect Partnership Video (D1151)
DVD Only - $19.99
Margot Fonteyn & Rudolf Nureyev…perhaps the greatest partnership in the history of ballet. For the first time, their most acclaimed performances, which have long thrilled audiences worldwide, have been captured together on one videocassette. The program traces their partnership from its glorious inception in 1962 (in “Giselle” at Covent Garden), to its grand finale some 17 years later. It is unique in that it includes rare, behind-the-scenes footage of both dancers. This special tribute program has now become even more of a treasure due to the passing of both Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. Their legendary partnership was recently hailed by the press as when “…ballet was never more gripping, never more transporting, than when her perfect pose met his ardent theatricality.” Robert Powell narrates and ballet personalities such as dame Ninette de Valois, founder of The Royal Ballet, provide their thoughts and memories on the lives of Fonteyn, Nureyev and their association. The synergy of their partnership was electrifying, and their impact on the world of ballet remains unmatched. This collector’s item is an intriguing visual biography of the greatest ballet partnership of all time. 90 mins. (2005) DVD-All-Region.

Giselle - The Kirov Ballet Video (D4069)
DVD Only - $29.99
Starring: Galina Mezentseva, Konstantin Zaklinsky, Angelina Kabarova. Conductor: Viktor Fedotov. Choreographer: Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot. Composer: Adolphe Adam. The romantic ballet, Giselle, first seen in 1841, was the finest of the ballets staged in Paris during the age of Romanticism. Over the years Giselle disappeared from the repertory outside Russia, and has only survived through the recognition of its quality and the preservation of its traditions by the Kirov Ballet. The role of Giselle has been compared to that of Hamlet. She is a simple peasant girl, driven from joy to madness and death through an unhappy love. She is transformed into a ghost and ordered to help destroy the man who betrayed her, while still seeking to sustain him because of her undying love. 108 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

The Glory of The Bolshoi Video (D2020)
DVD Only - $29.99
During the Bolshoi Ballet’s first tours abroad in the mid-20th century, Western audiences were brought to their feet by the Bolshoi style – thrilling athleticism that never lost the essential beauty of the dance. Five years research in Russia’s archives has unearthed fascinating footage, much of it never before available in the West, of many of the company’s great dancers. Natalia Bessmertnova, Vakhtang Chaboukiani, Ekaterina Geltzer, Musa Gottlieb, Pyotr Gusev, Mikhail Lavrovsky, Olga Lepeshinskaya, Maris Liepa, Ekaterina Maximova, Asaf Messerer, Irek Mukhamedov, Maya Plisetskaya, Marina Semenova, Vasili Tikhomirov, Galina Ulanova, Vladimir Vasiliev. 96 mins. (2005) DVD-Region 1.

Kirov Classics Video (D0086)
DVD Only - $29.99
This production of Les Sylphides is from Agrippina Vaganova’s 1928 restaging under its original name. The dancers include soloists Altynai Asylmuratova and Konstantin Zaklinsky (Mazurka and Valse), Yelena Pankova (second Valse) and Anna Polikarpove (Prelude). Like many spectacular Soviet ballets, Oleg Vinogradov’s Petrushka is a glorious feast of vigorous steps, danced with inexhaustible energy by a large cast. However, it is far removed from Fokine’s original Petrushka about the sad puppet who could not win the love of a heartless ballerina. Instead, this innovative ballet concerns itself with the politics of today and shows a populace intoxicated by propaganda. Barber’s Adagio, set to Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, is an example of Vinogradov’s more lyrical choreography, and is beautifully danced by Yelena Yevteeva and Eldar Aliev. In contrast, the pas de deux from Le Corsaire is a showpiece danced with dazzling virtuosity by Lyubov Kunakova and Faroukh Ruzimatov. The Fairy Doll, staged by Nicolai and Sergei Legat in 1903, is a pantomimic divertissement, charmingly danced by Larissa Lezhnina, Dmitry Gruzdev and Yaroslav Fadayev, and Arthur Saint-Leon’s Markitenka to a lively score by Cesare Pugni is a pas de six of exuberant dancing. Originally a two-act ballet, the Pacquita we know today is essentially the ballet’s glittering core, the Grand Pas, which was choreographed by Petipa in 1881. Inspired by the flamboyance of Ludwig Minkus’ music, Petipa created a stylistic showpiece, flavored with a delectable Spanish air. 147 mins. (1991) DVD-Region 1.

Makarova Returns Video (1297)
VHS Only - $19.95 On Sale - $5.95
“All these years in the West, away from Russia, my country, it never came to my mind that I would ever go back. I never thought I would dance again on my stage – the Kirov…I can write a thousand pages and still not describe what happened in these two weeks. Just two weeks – it’s like a lifetime.” – Natalia Makarova Natalia Makarova is the first artistic exile to be invited to return to the Soviet Union. After nearly twenty years of separation, Makarova is overwhelmingly welcomed back to her native Leningrad, and reunited with her family, friends and colleagues. This unique program includes her triumphant return to the Kirov stage where she began her illustrious career, and features excerpts from her performance in Eugene Onegin, plus her personal reflections on her amazing career. As the Iron Curtain is lifted, Makarova becomes a living example of perestroika. 60 mins VHS-NTSC format only.

Manon - The Australian Ballet Video (D4089)
DVD Only - $29.99 On Sale - $24.99
Conductor: Noel Smith. Choreographer and Composer: Sir Kenneth MacMillan. This highly-rated production of Manon by The Australian Ballet was recorded live at the Adelaide Festival in 1995 and features premier dancers Justine Summers, Steven Heathcote, Nigel Burley, Jonathan Kelly, Lynette Wills and Paul De Masson. In 18th century Paris, Manon, a captivating young woman, falls passionately in love with a penniless student, des Grieux. Manipulated by her avaricious brother, she makes a fatal decision to shun her true love and exploit the pleasures of wealth. Des Grieux, a victim of Manon’s desires and depravity, sacrifices everything to follow her to a tragic end. 110 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

VHS (1489) - $29.95 On Sale - $8.95 (VHS only)
Choreographer: Kenneth MacMillian. Designer: Nicholas Georgiadis. Scenario: Gillian Freeman. Stage Lighting: John B. Read. Staging: Monica Mason. Music: Franz Liszt. Arrangement: John Lanchbery. Conductor: Barry Wordsworth. The Orchestra of The Royal Opera House – Leader: John Brown. Cast: Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary: Irek Mukhamedov. Baroness Mary Vetsera: Viviana Durante. Countess Marie Larisch: Lesley Collier. Mitzi Caspar: Darcey Bussell. Princess Stephanie: Jane Burn. Empress Elisabeth: Nicola Tranah. Bratfisch: Matthew Hart. Mitzi Caspar: Darcey Bussell. Four Hungarian Officers: Stuart Cassidy, Adam Cooper, Errol Pickford, William Trevitt. Artists of The Royal Ballet – Executive Producer: Revel Guest. Producers: Stephany Marks and Jane Pleydell-Bouverie. Director: Derek Bailey. 135 mins. (1994/2002) VHS-NTSC format only/DVD-All-Region.

The Nutcracker Video (D1429)
DVD Only - $29.99
Starring: Lesley Collier, Anthony Dowell, Covent Garden. Fantasy and magic are the essential ingredients of The Nutcracker, and Tchaikovsky’s imaginative score helps bring to life the fantasy world of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s enchanting story of The Nutcracker and The Mouse King. Gennady Rozhdestvensky is the guest conductor who…”drew ravishing playing from this most ravishing of Tchaikovsky’s ballet scores.” (Guardian) Though the original scenario for The Nutcracker was considered to be fatally flawed, this magical work has survived to become one of the firmest favorites in the ballet repertory. This new production by Artistic Director of Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, Peter Wright, with the help of Tchaikovsky ballet expert, Roland John Wiley, attempts to rescue from far-flung archives surviving evidence of the original Ivanov/Sergueyev staging, combined with some captivating modern stage effects. 192 mins. (2003) DVD-Region 1.

Lar Lubovitch's Othello Video (D2812)
DVD Only - $29.99
Modern dance master Lar Lubovitch has created a vibrant new interpretation of Shakespeare's classic tale of passion and jealousy, ambition and betrayal, with his dance in three acts. A compelling synthesis of classical and modern movement, Lubovitch's original choreography is complimented by a powerful score by Academy Award-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal (Frida) heightening the emotional volitility of the central characters as the ballet's tragedy unfolds. Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "a major new chapter in American ballet as well as a spectacular addition to the international repertory," the San Francisco Ballet's production features Desmond Richardson as Othello, Yuan Yuan Tan as Desdemona and Parrish Maynard as the treacherous Iago. 84 mins. (2003) DVD-Region 1.

Rambert Triple Bill Video (0085)
VHS Only - $29.95 On Sale - $8.95
Robert North’s Lonely Town, Lonely Street conveys a passionate and energetic picture of lonely people in a large city, set to a jazzy score by Bill Withers which gives the dancework its title. For his Sergeant Early’s Dream, Christopher Bruce chose a theme based on the emigration from the old world to the new. “Throughout there is a feeling of sadness at leaving the old home and losing touch with old roots. However, people take with them threads of their own culture which will inevitably develop separately. There is a little of this influence as the ballet progresses but most of the numbers recall the folklore of the old world, reenacting life, loves and tragedies of the people of the past.” Christopher Bruce. Lastly, Bruce’s Intimate Pages used Janacek’s String Quartet No. 2, which the composer wrote in the last year of his life when inspired by his love for a woman forty years his junior. The ballet captures Janacek’s great happiness as well as the unbearable anguish of earlier tragedies in his life. 98 mins. VHS-NTSC format only.

VHS (1170) - $19.95 On Sale - $9.95 (VHS only)
This glorious three-act ballet boasts a magical score by Alexander Glazunov, filled with melody, color and grand effects. ACT 1 – Ludmila Semenyaka is magnificent as the youthful, charming Raymonda, niece to the Countess Sybil de Daurice of France. Raymonda is engaged to the gallant knight Jean de Brienne, who is superbly portrayed by Irek Moukhamedov. Because he must immediately depart on a campaign with King Andrei II of Hungary, the youth comes to the castle to bring his fiancée gifts and to bid her farewell. That night as Raymonda muses on her beloved, a statue of the White Lady, patroness of the House of Daurice, appears in a vision. She beckons the girl to the Magic Garden of Dreams, where Jean awaits her. But the apparition suddenly disappears, and in Jean’s place there is an unknown, exotic Eastern knight, who makes a passionate declaration of love to the bewildered Raymonda, when she faints, the knight vanishes. As dawn breaks, Raymonda awakens in the belief that her dream has been a terrible omen of her destiny. ACT II – A celebration is underway at the castle. Among the guests is the Saracen knight Abderakhaman, performed by the electrifying Gedeminas Tarands. In him the terrified Raymonda recognizes the mysterious stranger she saw in her dream. Though he promises to give her riches and power in return for her heart and hand, she rejects. Him. Aberakham tries to abduct Raymonda. Unexpectedly however, Jean and the other knights return from their mission. To resolve the differences between Jean and Abderakham, King Andrei proposes a duel of honor. Aberakhman is defeated and Jean reclaims the overjoyed Raymonda. ACT III – Raymonda and Jean are marries at the court of King Andrei. In honor of the monarch, Hungarian dances are performed during the wedding festivities. 146 mins. (1980) VHS-NTSC format only/DVD-All-Region.

Romeo & Juliet - The Royal Ballet Video (D1183)
DVD Only - $29.99
This film is the fames Royal Ballet production of Romeo and Juliet. This historical performance stars Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev as the quintessential stage lovers. It captures the greatest dance partnership of our century at the peak of their careers. Fonteyn and Nureyev’s performance has been critically hailed as “perfection of movement which epitomizes the freedom that lies beyond technical mastery. It expresses itself as poetic lyricism.” Romeo and Juliet features the music of Serge Prokofiev; a work which has been recognized as the first great full-length ballet score since Tchaikowsky’s classics. The choreography of Kenneth MacMillan is acknowledged as the reason for the ballet’s successful transfer to the film medium. John Lanchbery conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. It is a film for lovers of ballet and romantics alike. 125 mins. (1999) DVD-All-Region.

Romeo & Juliet Video (1173)
VHS Only - $24.95 On Sale - $5.95
The world’s most tragic tale…makes the world’s most magic dance. Romeo and Juliet…a story of love and loss so compelling, it has been adapted by no less than fourteen composers. But none with music so magic as this Romeo and Juliet by the great Sergei Prokofiev. Music that is merged with the dance of the Bolshoi Ballet to make a work of unequalled beauty. Unequalled beauty because it is a ballet of unequalled ambition. For when he wrote it in 1935, Prokofiev knew that a story so complex could not be captured by the light conventions of ballet. And he knew that a story so timeless need not be done as a period piece. The result is a work with a power and resonance that’s distinctly Russian. Perhaps the perfect ballet – in a perfect performance. A performance captured in 1976 on the Bicentennial Anniversary of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Danced as it only could be by the Bolshoi Ballet, undoubtedly the world’s premier ballet company. Featuring two of the Bolshoi’s most outstanding soloists, Natalia Bessmertnova nd Mikhail Lavrovsky. Truly a universal tale, and one never told more beautifully than here. 108 mins. VHS-NTSC format only.

Romeo et Juliette Video (0055)
VHS Only - $29.95 On Sale - $8.95
Angelin Preljocaj’s startling new choreography of Shakespear’s tragic story of the star-crossed lovers of Verona, set to Sergei Prokofiev’s powerful score, is performed by the Lyon National Opera Ballet, widely-acclaimed for their stylish and innovative productions. Preljocaj sets the central conflict which destroys the lovers (between a dominant authority and an underclass) in an imaginary city. Liaisons between the controlling class, to which Juliet belongs, and the dispossessed, exploited underclass, of which Romeo is a member, are outlawed on pain of death. Preljocaj sees love – uncontrollable, destabilizing, foolish – as the power which can overthrow the oppression of the established order. The totalitarian arena of the action is fully realized in the designs of Enki Bilal. The stage world he creates is neither the future nor the past, but has echoes of Orwell’s ‘1984’, of social realism, and of Eastern Europe before the fall of the Wall. The conceptual contrast between the ballet’s cold environment and the heated encounters of the lovers is realized in supple and imaginative duets, danced by Pascale Doyce and Nicolas Dufloux. 170 mins. VHS-NTSC format only.

VHS (2102) - $29.95 On Sale - $7.95 (VHS only)
Ballet in three acts after William Shakespeare. Paris Opera Ballet. Music – Sergei Prokofiev. Juliet: Moniquie Loudieres. Romeo: Manuel Legris. Tybalt: Charles Jude. Mercutio: Lionel Delanoe. Orchestre De L’Opera National De Paris conducted by Vello Pahn. Choreography and Staging: Rudolf Nureyev. Set Design: Ezio Frigerio. Costume Design: Ezio Frigerio and Mauro Pagano. Lighting Design: Vinicio Cheli. Directed by Alexandre Tarta. Produced by Francois Duplat and Damien Mathieu. “One again the Paris Opera Ballet offers one of the most beautiful performances you could ever hope to see…very moving… Shakespeare is well served!” Le Parisien. “…a splendid recreation, totally faithful to Nureyev, this Romeo and Juliet is one of the great events of the year” Le Figaro. 150 mins. (2000) VHS-NTSC format only/DVD-Region 1.

The Sleeping Beauty Video (D4070)
DVD Only - $29.99
Starring: Aurelie Dupont, Manuel Legris, Vincent Cordier, Nathalie Quernet. Conductor: David Coleman. Choreographer: Rudolf Nureyev. Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Sleeping Beauty remains, as Rudolf Nureyev often called it, the ‘ballet of ballets’. It is the most accomplished and the most brilliant, as well as one of the most spectacular of the 19th century, and the most representative of the ‘noble’ style of classical dancing. Rudolf Nureyev's version, which he created for the Opera Ballet in 1989, was recorded at the Opéra Bastille in 1999, in a new production (sets and costumes) created by his faithful collaborators, Ezio Frigerio and Franca Squarciapino, who had already produced Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet and La Bayadère. 148 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

The Sle The Sleeping Beauty eping Beauty - The Royal Ballet Video (D1495)
DVD Only - $29.99
Ballet in a prologue and three acts. Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Choreography: Marius Petipa. Conductor: Barry Wordsworth. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House – Leader: Vasko Vassilev. Producer: Anthony Dowell. Designer: Maria Bjornson. Stage Lighting: Pat Collins. Cast – Princess Aurora: Viviana Durante. Prince Florimund: Zoltan Solymosi. Carabosse: Anthony Dowell. The Lilac Fairy: Benazir Hussein. King Florestan: William Tuckett. The Queen: Elizabeth MCGorian. Court Chamberlain Cattalabutte: David Drew. Artists of the Royal Ballet. Executive Producer: Revel Guest. Producer: Jane Pleydell-Bouverie. Director: Colin Nears. 132 mins. (1997) DVD-All-Region.

The Sleeping Beauty Video (D1122)
DVD Only - $19.99
Fernando Bujones, principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, performs the much beloved “Sleeping Beauty” as the guest artist of the Ballet del Teatro Municipal. The program was recorded during a live performance March 29, 1982, at the 125th anniversary performance of the magnificent Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile. The company of 60 dancers, under the Artistic Direction of Mr. Ivan Nagy, is an impressive classical company of outstanding artistic level. The beautiful sets and costumes were designed by Carlos Carvalho, one of the best contemporary designers. This production recreates as faithfully as possible the version staged by Nicholas Sergeyev for London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, premiered in 1939 by Margot Fonteyn and Robert Helpman. 120 mins. (2006) DVD-Region 1.

Swan Lake - Bolshoi Theatre Video (D1162)
DVD Only - $29.99
The aristocratic beauty of the Bolshoi Ballet brings this acclaimed production of Swan Lake alive with ennobling presence and artistry. Natalia Bessmertnova is soft and lyrical in the dual role of Odette and Odile; her eminently feminine quality makes her the ideal interpreter of this classic. The elegance and magnetism of Siegfried is masterfully portrayed by Alexander Bogatyrev. With exquisitely designed sets, and a dance corps whose skill rivals that of the principal ballerinas. This historic production was choreographed by the critically acclaimed master Yuri Grigorvich, with Tchaikovsky’s timeless score performed by the Moscow Symphonic Orchestra under the baton of Algis Zhuraitis. 117 mins. (2008) DVD-All-Region.