En pointe : the lives and legacies of ballet's Native Americans
Five ballerinas of Native American descent, born in Oklahoma in the 1920s, look back at their childhoods, dance training, and professional careers. Among the companies mentioned in the discussion are the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, the Original Ballet Russe, Ballet Theatre, the variously named companies of the Marquis de Cuevas, New York City Ballet, and the Paris Opéra Ballet. Each dancer discusses significant events and personalities in her life, often illustrated in still photographs and/or film footage. Rosella Hightower recalls her triumphal performance in Paris of John Taras's Piège de lumière (seen on film) ; Maria Tallchief describes the creation of George Balanchine's Firebird. At the end of the program, each dancer's life is brought up to date by a summary of her achievements since her retirement from performing
VHS Video, English, ©2000