Steps to the Ballet

Series

Series Name

Carrousel Britanico

Issue

Issue No.

3

Date Released

Nov 1963

Length of issue (in feet)

782

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1Jet Speedboat
2. 2Marmalade Parade
3. 3Steps to the Ballet
4. 4Colourful Chichicastenango
5. 5Royal Canadian Mounties

Story

Story No. within this Issue

3 / 5

Summary

COI synopsis: ‘Carrousel Britanico’ goes to the Royal Ballet School in London to watch the training of future ballerinas. Getting young limbs supple, constantly practising to achieve natural grace, learning the principal positions of the body and the basic movements behind all ballet steps are part of the preparations for being a ballet star like Isobel Llull and Vincente Avad of Venezuela, seen here performing a pas de deux. Prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn appears in her brilliant interpretation of Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’.

Researcher Comments

NB: An extract from this story appeared in ‘Roundabout No. 36’

Keywords

Education and training; Music and dance; Performing arts

Written sources

COI Catalogue Cards [BFI National Archive]
COI Microfilm Roll 44 [BFI National Archive]   Used for synopsis

COI Reference

MI 1168/3

Credits:

Production Co.

British Pathe Ltd.

Sponsor

Central Office of Information (COI)

Producer

Frances Cockburn

Producer

Rosanne Brownrigg

This series is held by:

Film Archive

Name

British Film Institute (BFI)

Email

For BFI National Archive enquiries:
nonfictioncurators@bfi.org.uk
For commercial/footage reuse enquiries:
footage.films@bfi.org.uk

Web

http://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web

Phone

020 7255 1444

Fax

020 7580 7503

Address

21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN

Notes

The BFI National Archive also preserves the original nitrate film copies of British Movietone News, British Paramount News, Empire News Bulletin, Gaumont British News, Gaumont Graphic, Gaumont Sound News and Universal News (the World War II years are covered by the Imperial War Museum).

Series held

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