Product Review

VAI has assembled yet another dazzling collection of rare ballet performances, boasting the talents of Jacques d Amboise, Allegra Kent, Lupe Serrano, Royes Fernandez, Violette Verdy, André Eglevsky, Melissa Hayden, Alicia Alonso, Nora Kaye, Mia Slavenska, and more. All but one of the items here are issued for the first time ever, and all the segments (taken from early 1960s television) are in color. Highlights include the New York City Ballet s production of George Balanchine s innovative ballet Square Dance, featuring the cast of the 1957 premiere and the brilliant square dance caller Elisha Keeler (who also wrote the script); an emotionally powerful pas de deux from Giselle with Serrano and Fernandez; a virtuosic performance of Balanchine s Sylvia pas de deux with Kent and d Amboise in top form; the rarely performed Pas de Quatre with an all-star cast of Alonso, Hayden, Kaye, and Slavenska; a charming extended version of the Rose Adagio from Sleeping Beauty starring Hayden and Eglevsky (choreographed by Eglevsky), and more. Also includes new works created for the Bell Telephone Hour show, including a charming piece called Concerto for Art Lovers, with d Amboise, Kent, Taina Elg, and Gene Nelson (who was also the choreographer).