TitleInterview with Robert Lindgren and Sonja Tyven Lindgren
NamesBalanchine, George (Choreographer)Lindgren, Robert (Interviewee)Tyven, Sonja (Interviewee)Garafola, Lynn (Interviewer)Zorina, Vera (Dancer)George Balanchine Foundation (Presenter)
CollectionPopular Balanchine
Dates / OriginDate Created: 2001-08-22
Table of ContentsDisc 1 (107 min.). Robert Lindgren and Sonja Tyven Lindgren speak with Lynn Garafola about performing in the 1954 Broadway revival of On your toes and working with George Balanchine; Lindgren and Tyven speak about their dance backgrounds and careers leading up to this production including performing with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and Ballet Theatre; how they both met Balanchine; remembering and hearing about the original production of On your toes; remembering the rehearsals on the theater stage and Balanchine's expectations; speaking about the final week of rehearsals with Balanchine and being dismissed from rehearsals due to lack of sets/props; Garafola showing Lindgren and Tyven a photograph of the costumes for Slaughter on Tenth Avenue and the so-called watermelon girls; Garafola mentions the contradiction of the Slaughter number originally having only four ballet dancers and asks if the tap dancers were included also; the colors of the costumes; Lindgren tells a story about Jimmy Hammerstein asking him to audition for Bobby Van's understudy and how awful it went; Lindgren speaks about working with Balanchine's tap assistant George Church during Quiet night and On your toes numbers; Balanchine giving direction for Quiet night and Church choreographing it; how Lindgren learned to tap dance; being afraid to wear actual tap shoes in rehearsals until Balanchine brought in his own shoes for Lindgren to wear; watching excerpts from the 1939 movie, On your toes with Vera Zorina, and commenting on the similarities and differences to the 1954 Broadway revival; sections shown include opening with credits, first number which was cut from revival, Scheherazade, Princess Zenobia Ballet, and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue; Balanchine setting movement quickly and almost never changing anything; Balanchine changing sections of choreographic works for different companies which included the hoop dance in Nutcracker; Garafola playing the music for Quiet night while Lindgren and Tyven comment on this music; being given new lyrics and needing to quickly learn for the show. |||| Disc 2 (ca. 91 min.). Lindgren and Tyven speak about the big production number in On your toes including the costumes and breakdown of the tap and ballet competition, and how the scene ended; Garafola reads what Lillian(?) D'Honau remembered about choreography and costumes; quick costume changes for Slaughter number; Paula Lloyd's recollections of tap dancers going around them; Garafola showing two photocopies of photographs with chorus and with Timmy Everett and Paula Lloyd; Tyven speaks about attending dinner party with Anges de Mille; memories of Karinska attending rehearsals; Balanchine showing interest in costumes and shortening Afternoon of a faun skirt for Maria Tallchief and other costume changes he made; seeing how costumes changed from Paris and New York performances for Danses concertantes; salary for On your toes being approx. 90 dollars with half pay for rehearsals, and an extra 5 dollars for speaking lines; Garafola reads a list of performers in the show and Lindgren and Tyven comment on their looks, ballet technique, and memories; performers listed include Lillian and Marilyn D'Honau, Katia Geneznova, Carolyn George, Marilyn Hale, George Churge, Dorene Kilmer, Helen Gramer, Sigyn, Ruth Sobotka, Wendy Winn, Timmy Everett, John Nola, Nicholas Orloff; Tyven and Lindgren speak about their careers working with Balanchine and which of his works they performed; Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein's relationship; thoughts about the revival closing so early and what they did after the show closed including how they left from Ballet Theatre [Ends abruptly].
Library locationsJerome Robbins Dance DivisionShelf locator: *MGZIDVD 5-7314
TopicsBalanchine, GeorgeLindgren, RobertTyven, SonjaChurch, George, 1912-2000Zorina, VeraBallet Russe de Monte CarloBallet Theatre (New York, N.Y.)Rodgers, Richard, 1902-1979. On your toes
GenresInterviews
NotesVenue: Videotaped during an interview at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, N.C., on Aug. 22, 2001.Acquisition: Gift; George Balanchine Foundation. NN-PDContent: Last 2 minutes of reel 1 and last 7 minutes of reel 2 are static
Physical DescriptionVideocassetteExtent: 2 videocassettes (Hi8) (207 min.) sound, color ; 8 mmAudio problems; buzzing.
Type of ResourceMoving image
LanguagesEnglish
IdentifiersNYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19683806Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): eeb570d0-f79a-0130-1375-3c075448cc4b
Rights StatementThe copyright and related rights status of this item has been reviewed by The New York Public Library, but we were unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the item. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
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