DVD/Videos: Une porte et un soupir

[Dance_Scholar_London]

I am looking for this choreography on DVD (if possible European format). Does anybody know where I could get it? I have seen it recently live on stage in London performed by principals of NYCB and would love to see it again

[rg]

to the best of my knowledge, there are no films extant (other than company records) of balanchine's VARIATIONS POUR UNE PORTE ET UN SOUPIR. commercial releases of balanchine's ballets a quite limited. the major ones are those recently issued on DVD of most - tho not all - of the ballets recorded for the US's DANCE IN AMERICA series during the 1970s. otherwise sundry excerpts exist here and there on compilation/biography tapes.

PORTE/SOUPIR is by no means a regularly performed balanchine work and the likelihood of this work's being filmed for commercial release strikes me as extremely slim.

the n.y.public library MIGHT have a copy, if you're especially interested in studying this work, of a fascinating 'home movie' jerome robbins made of balachine as he conducted a rehearsal session of the work the original cast: karin von aroldingen and john clifford. this fascinating record, darkly lit and very amateurly shot, was shown to the public on a program or two honoring robbins.

[Dance_Scholar_London]

There have been some release in 2004. I searched on Amazon but unfortunately it doesnt say the content. I am sure that NYPL has a copy but unfortunately I am based in London

[rg]

i believe all the recent releases of recorded balanchine ballets are re-releases of current filmings once put out on videocassette.

i have no knowledge of any plans at any time to record VARIATIONS/SOUPIR on film for the commercial market. for one thing it isn't performed all that often, after it's initial 1974 run it was not re-staged during balanchine's time. since his death in '83 it was revived once and then put back in rep. for various retrospectives of the ballets to celebrate balanchine's canon. but as noted, this work has played only the smallest part in standard balanchine repertory at nycb.