Friday, May 22, 2009

Forest of the Amazon Ballet in Recife

The music that Villa-Lobos wrote for MGM's movie The Green Mansions was first adapted for the ballet in 1975, at the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro. The production has been revived for two performances at the Teatro Guararapes in Recife next week (May 26 & 27), with Ana Botofago dancing the role of Rima the bird-girl (played by Audrey Hepburn in the movie).

The picture is from Globo.com

Here's more information on the 1975 production in Rio de Janeiro. The production was designed by Dalal Achar, the choreographer who was born in Rio of Lebanese descent. From this page at the One Fine Art website, we see that Achar co-choreographed Forest of the Amazon with Sir Frederick Ashton. This production was created for the great ballerina Margot Fonteyn, and also featured David Wall, Doreen Wells, Georgina Parkinson, Cynthia Gregory, Desmond Kelly and Ivan Nagy.

From a website about Frederick Ashton comes this description of the Achar/Ashton ballet:
[Floresta Amazónica]
Choreography by Dalal Ashcar and Frederick Ashton
M Heitor Villa-Lobos (Suite from the film Green Mansions, 1958)
C Jose Varona
Pas de deux
D Ela: Margot Fonteyn; O Homen Blanco: David Wall
FP Ballet do Rio de Janeiro, Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro,
6 August 1975

ST Pas de deux only; FP Curitiba, Brazil, 20 August 1975

ST New London Ballet; pas de deux only; D Margot Fonteyn, Ivan Nagy; Teatro Nacional, Madrid, 1 October 1975

ST An Evening with Fonteyn and Nureyev; under the title Final Pas de deux from Amazon Forest; D Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev;
FP Uris Theatre, New York NY, 18 November 1975

ST Royal Ballet: under the title Amazon Forest; D Margot Fonteyn, David Wall; FP Royal Opera House, London, 23 November 1976

ST Gala Ballet Season: D Margot Fonteyn, Stephen Jefferies;
FP Royal Festival Hall, London, 10 August 1978

I will add a record about the Forest of the Amazon ballet to the Villa-Lobos Works database.

1 comment:

  1. Here's a new story from O Globo about the production, with some cool pictures:

    http://pe360graus.globo.com/diversao/diversao/danca/2009/05/27/NWS,491384,2,27,DIVERSAO,884-MESMO-ANA-BOTAFOGO-FLORESTA-AMAZONICA-ENCANTA-PUBLICO.aspx

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