Here’s the esteemed Mrs. George Balanchine #2, also known as the Continental beauty Vera Zorina — luscious, lovely, and delectable. In this precious video, Zorina dances the Princess Zenobia pas de deux made by Balanchine for the Richard Rodgers musical “On Your Toes” (1936).
Oh my god, I love when toward the end she balances her torso across his calf muscle! How does Balanchine get her there? And once he gets her there, how on earth does he gets her out?!
Shades of “The Prodigal Son” peek through … enjoy!
merci, marcus galante, pour le video.
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Gorgeous! To keep you an honest woman: this is from the 1939 film version of the show. Her partner is Charles Lasky, who also partnered Zorina in two other films “I Was an Adventuress” (1941) and “Lousiana Purchase” (1941). Let’s hear it for the men who lifted, carried and supported those beautiful women, after all, it is Mr. Lasky’s calf that is lovingly collaborating with her mid-section.
I do see the Prodigal references, but there are also echoes of Apollo (the sinking pirouettes, and resting his face on her hand) and Symphony in C (her extended cambre that spirals around him as she lowers) — Balanchine was very much like Petipa in the way he kept borrowing from himself.
Thanks so much for this clip — I don’t get to see this duet very often.
It’s called support in your mid-section, which is a concept entirely foreign to a majority of today’s young dancers. They’ve never heard of a flat back knee hinge. To “lift up” as you plie deeper is a key missing component. And that’s something that is also found everywhere in Jack Cole’s low down but highly lifted movement style.