Beautifully done, once again! My late husband, the dancer/director/choreographer Gene Kelly adored Kenneth MacMillan's work. Interestingly, MacMillan revealed that he was deeply inspired by Gene. So it is especially interesting to learn this background of one of our greatest choreographers and the intricacies of a ballet that is profoundly moving. Thank you Elizabeth Kaye. Like others, I eagerly await more from you!
Ms. Kaye, as always, your narrative is simply enthralling. I happened to find a Ballet Russes program from 1934 that my Grandmother gave me many years ago. The director was Basil at the time. It presents a fascinating look at dance and costume styles. Thank you for all you do for fans of ballet (and a former dancer.)
Watching Behind the Ballet with Elizabeth Kaye helped me appreciate more deeply Kenneth MacMillan’s telling of the love story of the ages--Romeo and Juliet. We learn how European history, social change, and the power of one single play (John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger) prompted MacMillan to craft a new kind of realistic and truthful storytelling in ballet that would propel it through the 20th into the 21st centuries. Kaye then examines R&J in detail, and explains the importance of the four pas de deux in telling and framing the story, and the physical and emotional challenges the dancers face in performing them. Moreover, we are privy to Kaye’s profound reflections on the experience of the art form itself, which tells its stories through music, mime, movement, and of course, the endlessly absorbing contemplation of beauty itself.
Bravo! Beautifully done. I saw this ballet again about 5 years ago with Misty Copeland. Amazing. I so appreciate the history shared with us through this exceptional video.
Elizabeth gives us a a compelling overview of British ballet history, providing a rich context for her description of Kenneth MacMillan’s exquisite “Romeo and Juliet”. Well done Elizabeth and many thanks for your beautiful storytelling!
What an elegant, captivating tale Elizabeth Kaye has told. I don’t know much at all about ballet; only a few names. But the way Ms. Kaye dug into the history, the art form and so many connections was incredibly edifying and compelling. For example, I had no idea about the role such notables as John Maynard Keynes and John Osborne played in the world of ballet. And then, to learn how Romeo & Juliet was performed: fantastic. This is cultural history at its finest.
This heartbreaking story is beautifully shared by Elizabeth Kaye in a way that allows us to travel back to the time of Romeo and Juliet -- we are there as they find joy in each other and the deepest sorrow not long after the joy. Elizabeth's presentation also provides a fascinating glimpse of England's ballet history through two world wars. (I am wiping the tears from my keyboard!)
This is a phenomenal talk...the history of the British ballet is so interesting and...although having seen Romeo and Juliet many, many times...the focus on the four pas de deuxs was an incredible new way of watching the entire ballet...so appreciated...while I loved the Giselle, Swan Lake, Like Water for Chocolate, this talk was truly an amazing experience!
Thank you Debra! It's wonderful to know that the focus on the four pas de deux's has given you a new prism through which you can view this spectacular work!
Elizabeth Kaye, I really appreciated learning about this history. You told this story so eloquently, I hung on to every well-selected word. Thank you for this.
