Concertino Pour Trois [1960, Chicago, Civic Opera House]
Identifier
F.2011-05-0019
Date Of Production
1960
Abstract
Concertino Pour Trois was choreographed by Ruth Page in 1961 to a commissioned score by Marius Constant and with costumes designed by André Delfau. The ballet premiered in Rockford, Illinois on January 9, 1961. Sonia Arova, Melissa Hayden, and Maria Tallchief were the three ballerinas used on the 1961 tour. This version, which appears to be an early rehearsal at the Chicago Civic Opera House, was probably filmed in 1960 and features a different cast.
Description
The film opens with a shot of a man in practice clothes alone on stage; he immediately begins a solo. He moves quickly and the camera follows him; it catches a glimpse of Ruth Page modeling the choreography off stage left. After he completes his somewhat lengthy, acrobatic solo, the camera cuts to a female soloist, also in practice clothes, who dances in front of the man while he sits roughly at center. Eventually, she rouses him and they perform a pas de deux of sorts while he remains sitting. Following some sort of conflict, he jumps up and tries to push her away but their pas de deux continues. Then a third person enters, a man, who sandwiches the woman between himself and the other man. They perform a momentary pas de trois, but then the first man exits and the woman more or less stays in place while the newcomer performs his own brief solo. Afterwards, the woman joins him for a playful pas de deux. About three-quarters of the way through the film, the camera cuts to a different rehearsal against a different backdrop and with the woman en pointe, but it continues from the same point in the choreography. The first man soon reenters, seemingly jealous of the couple. The woman seems to suggest that they all dance together so they clasp hands and begin a lighthearted trio dance. The men then kneel and allow the woman to do a quick solo ending in the splits; one of the men follows with his own brief solo before the three come back together for an ensemble dance. Toward the end, the men spin the woman above their head, after which the three bring their pas de trois to the ground, sitting back-to-back in a cluster. For the final pose, they pile atop one another and the camera zooms in for a few frames before the film ends.
Run Time
13 min 10 sec
Format
16mm
Extent
375 feet
Color
B&W
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Language Of Materials
English
Element
Reversal Positives
Genre
Form
Subject
Related Collections
Additional Credits
Page, Ruth (is choreographer)
Constant, Marius (is composer)
Participants And Performers
Klekovic, Patricia (is performer)
Kayan, Orrin (is performer)
Johnson, Kenneth (is performer)
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![Concertino Pour Trois [1960, Chicago, Civic Opera House]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/1/0/65201_ca_object_representations_media_1056_medium.jpg)