Voice of Firestone: Firestone Dances

Anyone who thrilled to ballet performance on TV during the 1960s is sure to get a jolt viewing the images from this collection from the Firestone archives: to paraphrase a famous '80s cigarette commercial, when it comes to production values, we've come a long way baby! Nine brief segments capture performances by greats in their heyday--notably Maria Tallchief, Rudolf Nureyev, Carla Fracci, Jacques d'Amboise and Melissa Hayden--but the end result is a little like listening to a recording of Enrico Caruso: you hear the genius trying to break through the primitive technology and not quite making it. Plagued by crude lighting (me and my shadow), primitive photography (one stationery camera, with dancers beheaded or disappearing completely) and unsophisticated commentary (“the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux!”), Firestone Dances at the same time offers a tantalizing glimpse of greatness. Dance history collections will want to consider for the primary source material; for others this is not a necessary purchase. Other titles in the Voice of Firestone series include: Jeannette McDonald: Princess of Opera & Operetta, Joan Sutherland: Bel Canto Showcase, George London in Opera & Song, A Verdi Celebration and An Easter Remembrance. Aud: C, P. (J. Reed)