Suzanne Farrell - Elusive Muse

Buy This Item Suzanne Farrell - Elusive Muse by Winstar  Available from Amazon  $19.98  on 11-16-2008     Romantic triangles. Unconsummated passion. Jealousy. Revenge. Just another day <I>offstage</I> at the New York City Ballet for ballerina Suzanne Farrell and her mentor, legendary choreographer George Balanchine. <I>Elusive Muse</I> traces the development of Farrell into an extraordinary performer while trying to define her passionate professional and personal relationship with "Mr. B." (Farrell says dancing with Balanchine was "more passionate, more loving" than a sexual relationship would have been.) Relying heavily on interviews with Farrell and her longtime dance partner, Jacques d'Amboise (who calls her a "goddess" and the "last, great muse for Balanchine"), the film follows her evolution from awestruck student to inspiration--Balanchine created some of his most breathtaking ballets for her, and lengthy footage of them, including "Diamonds" and "Mozartiana," is shown. The story is as tortured as ballet's best: Marriage to another dancer causes their banishment from the company and she's forced to dance in Europe to keep her career alive, but she triumphantly reunites (professionally) with her mentor. While performance footage documents her artistry, interviews with other dancers and choreographers testify to her growing talent and help explain how Mr. B worked. "God sent her to me," he is quoted as saying. Here, the rest of us get to glory in his handiwork. <I>--Valerie J. Nelson</I> Reader Reviews There is also a good reason for beautiful and accomplished ballerina Suzanne Farrell's muse status. For the first time (as is documented in this film), Suzanne Farrell came out of her self-imposed silence as far as her relationship with the legendary choreographer, the late George Balanchine (or "Mr. B," as Farrell knew him), as well as other aspects of her personal life, from her formative years at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Balanchine's School of American Ballet up through her years at the New York City Ballet, as a member of the corps de ballet and then, later, as a principal dancer. Farrell was nothing short of a true inspiration for George Balanchine, and there were a couple of significant relationships in Suzanne's life that created a strain between her and Mr. B. Those connections include that with her mother and then with fellow dancer, Paul Mejia, who eventually became her husband. Though, aspects of her personal life are delved into, we also see wonderful footage from some of the most beautiful roles of her career. Farrell has such poise and grace, like no other dancer I have seen. The woman moves like the most graceful angel, fallen to earth. I can see why Mr. Balanchine was so drawn to her, as a dancer, and enjoyed dancing with her so much (some feel a little too much, even). I would definitely reccomend this film because it features great anecdotal footage with numerous dancers who worked with Suzanne Farrell and knew her well, professionally, as well as personally, and also really gives us a better sense of a true American Master in the dance world.

Suzanne Farrell - Elusive Muse Available from Amazon Price: $19.98 Updated on 11-16-2008.

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