http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/34204036

Marie-Jeanne coaching Concerto barocco with John Taras and Suki Schorer

Students of the School of American Ballet are coached in the original version (1941) of George Balanchine's Concerto barocco by Marie-Jeanne, who created one of the ballet's leading roles at its premiere by American Ballet Caravan ; John Taras, a former ballet master of New York City Ballet ; and Suki Schorer, a former dancer with New York City Ballet who is now an instructor at the School of American Ballet. Merrill Ashley joins the cast in the ballet's second movement. Tempi, phrasing and choreographic details of the 1941 version are compared with today's performances, and the dancers perform alternate versions of various excerpts. Topics discussed in the interview include the changes in tempi and style over the years ; the fashion for jazzed-up musical interpretations of Bach in the 1940s, and the influence of jazz on Balanchine's choreography of the time ; Balanchine's approach to teaching company class ; the physical difficulty and musical complexity of Concerto barocco.

Open All Close All