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The down side included several taped interviews rendering the subject in shadow or silhouetted against strong lights; musical tempi minimized the effectiveness of dancing; some noted Diaghilev ballets were heavily adapted on a stage too shallow and narrow for dancers to take flight. Early clips filmed from the wings were mainly shadows; one or two minutes showed Massine with perhaps Krassovska in Gaite Parisienne, and Middleton procured footage of Marc Platt dancing in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers with Jane Powell.

An introduction by P.J. Ochlon preceded a taped interview with Frederic Franklin, reminiscing about the night de Basil, Massine and George Zoritch attended a Markova-Dolin performance; Zoritch was delegated to deliver Massine’s note backstage. Franklin mentioned his adoration of Danilova and the shock seeing his name on the call board beside Shoura’s for what came to be their signature collaboration in Gaite Parisienne. He responded graciously about the men with whom he danced, Moreno for his politeness, Platt for praising his ability to turn both left and right, and being his roommate in the early months of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

The interviews and intervening pictures moved to George Zoritch, taped against a ballet barre, white sweatshirt adorned by his Adonis-like image in Spectre de la Rose, a role dear to his heart, one he happily mounts for any male dancer remotely interested. He spoke of having several roles created for him by Leonide Massine; the roles, primarily in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo: Bogyatiri; Rouge et Noir; Bacchanale; Labyrinth; The New Yorker, have vanished from the repertoire.

Performance-wise, L’Apres Midi d’un Faune suffered from a sluggish recording and lighting devoid of the mystery remembered from auditoriums like the Opera House where depth enhanced the static tensions of the faun-nymph encounter. The hand positions, the patterns were faithfully reproduced; Jonathan Sharp, intent on picture perfect postures, did not project the faun’s animal urges. As principal nymph, Kristine Gregorian’s eyes conveyed undeniable fear in her initial encounter with the Faun.

Marc Platt’s interview, taped by documentary cinematographer Francesca Roveda, provided most of the evening’s chuckles, from Platt’s mimicing Sergei Grigoriev to his dependence upon Valodia as a Warrior in the Polevetsian Dancers with the infamous pattern described as ‘the cross through,’ where Platt collided with other warriors, sending bows in several directions. Like Zoritch, Platt’s affectionate tribute to Massine as mentor and performer left little doubt regarding Massine’s pervasive influence.

Next was Paul Maure, a handsome white-haired, square-jawed man whose career embraced the Grand Ballet de Monte Carlo in the late ‘40's, moved into the de Cuevas ensemble then various assignments, including the Folies Bergeres. Maure apparently had danced The Golden Slave in Scheherazade because the pas de deux between that doomed creature and Zoebide provided the final number before intermission.

Utilizing the entire lyrical section of Rimsky-Korsakov’s tone poem, Kyudong Kwok and Youngi Lee, principals with the Nevada Ballet Theatre, were Golden Slave and Zobeide. Slim, elegant, the couple bent forward, backward, lept, entwined, displayed unrestrained passion and lust while the familiar melody wended its langorous way, unsupported by the original ballet’s cast of odalesques, fellow slaves, or the eunuch.

The Don Q pas de deux, energetically rendered by Kwok and Lee, opened the second half of the program. When they wobbled, one sensed the stage size was the deterrent plus minimal time to adjust to the limits.

Glen Edgerton, onetime Joffrey Ballet principal,artistic administrator for Nederlans Dance Theatre some fifteen years, introduced Victor Moreno’s film clips, rendered unbelievably dark. Included were early photos of his dancing at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires; images included designer/photographer Richard Finkelstein's stills of Moreno rehearsing Act I of Giselle in New Orleans, 2000 with Krassovska for the presentation at the final lecture-demonstration.
 

Lukash Abrahamyan (Russian Sea Captain) and April Mcleod (Tai Hoa) in the Adagio from The Red Poppy
© Dan Chapman

Andrei Tremaine reminisced on tape about his brief sojourn with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo before his reconstruction of Igor Schwetzoff's version of Gliere's Red Poppy pas de deux was danced by April McLeod and Lukash Abrahamyan, the latter a first rate partner.

The program finished with Michel Fokine’s rousing Polevetzian Dances, with Sergey Kheylik as the principal warrior, originally danced by Adoph Bolm; Tatiana d’Virmond was the Lead Polevetzian Woman, Andee Tims the Captive Princess. Platt’s comments hung in the air. Kheylik, unidentified in the program notes, was a huge presence, despite the missing mystery of the lighting. Alas, only Moses Navarro’s whip as the Tsar-General infused the note of fear and coercion. The warriors were understandably preoccupied staying on course in the narrow space; the maiden’s posturing seem to display their sequined costumes, unremembered in other productions, doubtless absent also in Nicholas Roehrich’s original designs, ethnographic artist that he was.

The five honorees shared the curtain call with the dancers and received pyramid like dustables before the reception where the wine flowed freely, the hors d’eouvres arrived like molasses in January and the honorees signed autographs.