The Dance Film Archive is a non-profit organization devoted to increasing the availability of valuable dance films, videotapes, and DVDs. Acquisition or creation of many of the films in the collection was made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Notes on dance films by John Mueller: information

Symphonie Fantastique

Danced by the Royal Danish Ballet
Choreography: Léonide Massine
Music: Hector Berlioz
Filmed in 1948, 51 minutes

Special features

The ballet is shown in two views, accessible using the angle button on the DVD remote: full stage and a closer view.

Explanatory titles accessible using the subtitle button on the DVD remote.

A gallery of photographs from the Royal Danish Ballet performance.

$25 including shipping within the United States. To order, send a letter or email with a shipping address. We will include a bill with the DVD.

Note: This DVD is burned rather than stamped (or pressed), and may not play well on some  DVD players, particularly older ones. If problems arise, it will be  replaced at no charge. Simply mail the old one  with information about where to send the replacement.

Gaîté Parisienne

Danced by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Choreography: Léonide Massine
Music: Jacques Offenbach
             arranged by Manuel Rosenthal
Book and designs:
            Comte Étienne de Beaumont
Filmed between 1945 and 1955 by Victor Jessen

Glove Seller         Alexandra Danilova
The Peruvian        Leon Danielian
The Baron             Frederic Franklin
The Officer           Robert Lindgren
La Lionne             Shirley Haynes
The Duke              Peter Deign
Dancing Master    Harding Dorn
Can Can soloist    Moscelyne Larkin
                              Gertrude Tyven
Flower Girl          Tatiana Grantzeva
                              Vida Brown
                              Pauline Goddard
                              Gertrude Tyven
                              Sonja Taanila
                              Yvonne Chouteau

"I simply wanted," Victor Jessen once said, "to make a permanent record on film of some of the most important works of the most perfect living art: The Dance." To service this obsession, he mostly abandoned his job as an engineer in Los Angeles to film the great ballet companies of the age in theaters around the country. Over a ten year period beginning in the mid‑1940s, he would enter dressed all in black, his camera hidden in a briefcase and his pockets stuffed with film magazines. His 16mm camera required rewinding every 30 seconds, and so he had to go back repeatedly to fill in gaps. In all, he recorded 24 complete dance works and substantial portions of 9 more. In 1954, in a caper he called "The Ultimate Daring," Jessen lugged a bulky tape recorder into one theater, plugged it into a light socket, and recorded the music from a Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo performance of Léonide Massine's comedy ballet, "Gaîté Parisienne." He then laboriously edited his footage to this recording and created the remarkable film presented on this DVD. It shows the company featured on the brilliant and affecting 2005 documentary, Ballets Russes, in top form, performing one of its most popular ballets with a cast led by the legendary Alexandra Danilova, Frederic Franklin, and Leon Danielian.

Special features

Commentary track by Frederic Franklin
Interview with Frederic Franklin
Explanatory subtitles
Documentary: The Saga of Victor Jessen
List of productions filmed by Victor Jessen

87 minutes
Gaîté Parisienne: 37 minutes
Special features:  50 minutes

$35 including shipping within the United States. To order, send a letter or email with a shipping address. We will include a bill with the DVD.

Loïe Fuller’s Fire Dance

Reconstruction and performance by Jessica Lindberg
Lighting design by Megan Slayter
Music: Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
Camera and editing by Shawn Hove
Produced by John Mueller

Loïe Fuller (1862-1928) was an American actress who soon realized she had a gift for dancing with fabric and colored lights. She took her act to Paris in 1892 where she quickly became a sensation and an icon of the Art Nouveau movement. Her famous Fire Dance, first performed in 1896, was a turning point in Fuller’s career as well as in the development of Modern Dance. It not only advanced her application of technical devices such as electric lights, but also helped expand the idea of dance as abstract or natural movement. The reconstruction of this dance is based on critical reviews, paintings, drawings, lithographs, photographs, motion picture footage, sculptures, and Fuller’s own words with the goal of being as true to the original as possible.

The DVD includes:
Studio performance
Studio performance with audio commentary by Jessica Lindberg and Megan Slayter
Studio performance edited from several camera angles by Shawn Hove
Studio performance accompanied by the notated score by Jessica Lindberg
Live performance recorded from two camera angles accessible using the angle button
Documentaries:  Loïe Fuller: Her life and art
                            Reconstructing Fire Dance
Films of Loïe Fuller and her imitators
                            Loïe Fuller (1905)
                            Ameta (1903)
                            Annabella (1897)
                            Crissie Sheridan (1897)

Not encoded for a specific region; should play well in all countries.

$20 plus $3 shipping and handling in the US; addititional shipping charges for foreign orders. To order, send a letter or email with a shipping address. We will include a bill with the DVD.

Note: This DVD is stamped (or pressed) and should perform well on any DVD player. However, some of the DVDs we distributed earlier were burned, not stamped. They should play well on any DVD player that can handle the DVD-R format, but some of them may exhibit problems on some players. If so, we will replace the DVD with a stamped version at no charge. Simply mail the old one to us (it can go Media Mail) with information about where to send the replacement. Thanks.
 

To order, send a letter or email with a shipping address. We will send a bill with the tape.

TO ORDER RENTALS. Send a letter or email stating film titles and preferred show dates, plus alternate show dates if possible. Include the mailing address(es) for confirmation and billing and the street address for shipping.

SHIPPING AND HANDLING FEE: $5 per film within the United States.

RETURNS: Films must be sent back on the first weekday after the scheduled show date. Late returns are subject to additional charges.

PURCHASE OF PRINTS: Those films with a sale price indicated are available for purchase. Free previews for purchase (not for rental) can be arranged.

TELEPHONE RESERVATIONS. Although the Dance Film Archive has many virtues, it is not geared to accept telephone reservations.

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILMS. Some of the films have been discussed at length in these issues of Dance Magazine: Ballet Adagio 6/75; Baroque Dance 11/78; Day on Earth 2/79; Early Dance Films 2/77; Dune Dance 9/81; Entr'acte 7/77; Eternal Circle 4/77; In a Rehearsal Room 7/76; Junction 8/78; Light 3/77; The Magic of Dance 1-2/82; Mary Wigman 3/76; Miss Julie 4/78; Pas de Deux 6/75; Quarry 11/79; Royal Danish Ballet 7/79; Traitor 12/79 and 5/81; Trio A 3/79; Walkaround Time 6/77; Westbeth 4/78. See Notes on Dance Films by John Mueller.

SECOND CHORUS. 83 min., 1941, b/w. A bouncy comedy set at a college in the swing era. Contains two fine dance numbers: a perky duet with Paulette Goddard and a solo in which Astaire dances while conducting the Artie Shaw band. Rental $55.

THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS. 30 min., 1980, color. The 1946 masterpiece as performed on the PBS "Dance in America" series by the New York City Ballet. Soloists: Bart Cook, Merrill Ashley, Daniel Duell, Adam Luders, Colleen Neary. Music by Paul indemith. Rental $29.

BOLERO. 15 min., 1960s, b/w. A highly theatrical ballet set to the famous Ravel music and danced by Bejart's company. Rental $19.

ROYAL DANISH BALLET 1902-1906. 14 min. b/w. Films from early in the century with the appropriate music carefully synchronized. Sale $220. Rental $21.

DUNE DANCE. 40 min., 1980, color. Dancers (led by Sara Rudner) cavort through sand dunes as the camera artfully explores how the sand affects their movement. Rental $34.

FOR THE SPIDER WOMAN. 16 min., color, silent. Comfort in a short solo repeated at various stages of her pregnancy. Sale $270. Rental $21.

MISS JULIE. 37 min., 1964, b/w. The popular ballet of 1950, based on the Strindberg play, in a fine performance by the Royal Swedish Ballet. Rental $24.

SCHOOL FOR WIVES. 28 min., 1974, color. A delightful retelling in dance terms of the story of the Moliere comedy. Makes imaginative use of chroma-key effects. Danced by the Cullberg Ballet. Sale $395. Rental $24.

WESTBETH. 33 min., 1975, b/w. Cunningham's first videopiece, transferred to film. (Picture quality somewhat poor.) Rental $26.

FEATHERS. 33 min., color. A set of classically oriented solos danced by women of Dunas' company. Rental $26.

THE CACHUCHA. 14 min., 1980, color. The famous solo as reconstructed from Zorn notation by Dr. Ann Hutchinson Guest. Performed twice by Margaret Barbieri of the Sadlers' Wells Royal Ballet. Sale $285. Rental $21.

DYING SWAN. 3 min., 1973, b/w. A set of still photographs of Vera Fokina precisely synchronized with the music according to the published requirements of the choreographer. Rental $16.

MARGOT FONTEYN IN LES SYLPHIDES. 8 min., 1947, b/w. An excerpt from a British feature showing Fonteyn and Michael Somes in portions of the first movement. Rental $17.

SPECTRE OF THE ROSE. 10 min., 1979, color. The complete ballet, performed on the stage of the Monte Carlo Opera House by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Margot Fonteyn. From the "Magic of Dance" series. Rental $21.

ADORATIONS. 15 min., 1976, color. The 1975 work as danced by her Company. From the PBS "Dance in America" series. Rental $17.

APPALACHIAN SPRING--1958. 31 min., 1958, b/w. The 1944 Martha Graham work as danced by Graham, Stuart Hodes, Bertram Ross, Matt Turney, and the Graham Company. Rental $23.

APPALACHIAN SPRING--1976. 33 min., 1976, color. The 1944 work danced by Yuriko Kimura, Tim Wengerd, David Hatch Walker, Janet Eilber, and the Graham Company. From the PBS "Dance in America" series. Rental $23.

BONNIE BIRD DEMONSTRATES GRAHAM TECHNIQUE, 1938-1939. 12 min., 1985, b/w, silent. Demonstrations by the famous Graham dancer and teacher, filmed at the Greek Theatre at Mills College in the late 1930s. Sale $195. Rental $19.

CAVE OF THE HEART--DANCE OF VENGEANCE. 6 min., 1976, color. Medea's solo from the 1946 work, as danced by Takako Asakawa. From the PBS "Dance in America" series. Rental $17.

DIVERSION OF ANGELS. 17 min., 1976, color. The 1948 work, danced by Peggy Lyman, Peter Sparling, Takako Asakawa, David Hatch Walker, Elsa Monte, Tim Wengerd, and the company. From the PBS "Dance in America" series. Rental $21.

FLUTE OF KRISHNA. 10 min., 1926, color, silent. An early group work on Denishawn themes. Graham does not dance in the work herself. Rental $16.

FRONTIER. The 1935 solo danced by Janet Eilber. From the PBS "Dance in America" series. Rental $17.

LAMENTATIONS. The 1930 solo danced by Peggy Lyman. From the PBS "Dance in America" series. Rental $17.

AIR FOR THE G STRING. 7 min., 1934, b/w. Humphrey and group in her beautiful 1928 dance work set to the music of Bach. Rental $16.

DANCE: FOUR PIONEERS. 29 min., 1965. b/w. Features a complete performance of "Passacaglia" (1938) and a documentary on modern dance in Bennington in the 1930s. Rental $21.

DAY ON EARTH. 20 min., 1972, color. The exquisite pastorale is performed by Juilliard dancers including Peter Sparling and Janet Eilber. Sale $298. Rental $23.

HUMPHREY TECHNIQUE. 10 min., 1936, b/w, silent. Demonstrations by Letitia Ide, Beatrice Seckler, Edith Orcutt, and Katherine Manning. Sale $180. Rental $16.

NEW DANCE--RECORD FILM. 30 min., 1972, color. The modern dance classic of affirmation from 1935 is danced by Linda Tarnay, Peter Woodin and group. This is a single, fixed-camera view of the work. Sale $390. Rental $27.

TWO ECSTATIC THEMES. 13 min., 1980, color. The classic solo (1931) is performed twice: by dancers Nina Watt and Carla Maxwell of the Jose Limon Company. Sale $280. Rental $19.

WATER STUDY. 22 min., 1980, color. The famous 1928 work performed in 1980 by a group under the direction of Ernestine Stodelle. The dance is shown twice: first at a distance, then closer. Sale $325. Rental $25.

WITH MY RED FIRES. 30 min., 1972, color. The staggering 1936 dance-drama of possessive and vindictive maternal love in a harshly ritualistic and demagogic society. Cast led by Dalienne Majors, Nina Watt, and Raymond Johnson. Edited from 3 camera perspectives. Sale $390. Rental $27.

WITH MY RED FIRES--RECORD FILM. A single fixed-camera view of the same performance as above. Gives full view of stage at all times. Sale $390. Rental $27.

WITH MY RED FIRES and WITH MY RED FIRES--RECORD FILM. For a full study of this 1936 masterpiece, it is recommended that both film versions be screened. Price for the two films rented together: $44.

THE GREEN TABLE--OPENING SCENE. 3 min., 1979, color. The table scene from the 1933 anti-war ballet. From the "Magic of Dance" series. Rental $13.

ETERNAL CIRCLE. 12 min., 1952, b/w. A solo in which Kreutzberg plays multiple roles: five grimly pathetic characters each destined to succumb to the sardonic figure of Death. Sale $190. Rental $16.

EMPEROR JONES. 26 min., 1972, color. The highly theatrical dance work based on the Eugene O'Neill play, choreographed in 1956, with Clay Taliaferro as Emperor Jones and Edward DeSoto as the White Man. Sale $340. Rental $25.

THE TRAITOR. 19 min., 1955, b/w. A definitive performance by Limon, Lucas Hoving, and the company. A record film with the appropriate music recently synchronized. Sale $285. Rental $22.

GAITE PARISIENNE. 37 min., 1986, b/w. A performance by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo of the popular Leonide Massine ballet, filmed by Victor Jessen between 1944 and 1954. The footage, shot silent, has been synchronized by Mr. Jessen to a sound recording he made at a Ballet Russe performance in 1954. The cast features Alexandra Danilova, Frederic Franklin, and Leon Danielian. Sale $450. Rental $34. Also available: Without Permission ($9), a monograph written by Mr. Jessen describing his film-making adventures.

THE GAY PARISIAN. 20 min., 1941, color. The popular ballet, filmed in Hollywood with rather over-active camera work. Features Massine, Milada Mladova, Frederic Franklin, and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Rental $20.

ST. FRANCIS. 39 min., 1938, b/w. A record film showing an original cast performance, in practice dress. Piano music synchronized under the direction of Frederic Franklin. Cast includes Massine, Franklin, Nini Theilade, and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Rental $29.

SEVENTH SYMPHONY. 32 min., 1938, b/w. A record film showing an original cast performance, in practice dress, of the first three movements of this symphonic ballet set to the music of Beethoven. Piano music synchronized under the direction of Frederic Franklin. Cast includes Igor Youskevitch, Alicia Markova, Franklin and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Rental $27.

SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE. 51 min., 1948, b/w. A record film of the famous symphonic ballet in a version performed by the Royal Danish Ballet in practice dress. Features Niels Bjorn Larsen, Mona Vangsaa, Stanley Williams, Kirsten Ralov, Erik Bruhn. The Liszt piano transcription of the Berlioz music has been carefully synchronized with the picture under the direction of Mr. Larsen. The film is accompanied by extensive program and film notes. Rental $39.

QUARRY. 80 min., 1978, color. The strange and powerful Obie-winning theatre piece, beautifully recorded on film. Depicts a child's half-comprehending vision of war and holocaust. Rental $119 (_$95 classroom).

AFTERNOON OF A FAUN. 11 min., 1973, color. An approximation of Nijinsky's choreography using still photographs and drawings, set to the Debussy music. Sale $195. Rental $19.

TROY GAME--EXCERPT. 4 min., 1979, color. Portions of the athletic ballet, danced by members of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. From the "Magic of Dance" series. Rental $13.

DON QUIXOTE: PAS DE DEUX AND FINALE. 20 min., 1972, color. Rudolph Nureyev, Lucette Aldous, and the Australian Ballet (from the feature film). Rental $21.

BLACK TIGHTS. 120 min., color. A 1962 feature film comprised of four ballets: "The Diamond Cruncher," "Cyrano," "A Merry Mourning," and "Carmen." Performing are Zizi Jeanmaire, Cyd Charisse, Moira Shearer, and Petit. Rental $59.

CARMEN. 37 min., color. The best of the ballets from the 1962 film above. Zizi Jeanmaire is Carmen, Roland Petit is Don Juan, Henning Kronstam is the toreador, Fredbjorn Bjornsson and Hans van Manen are brigands. Rental $34.

TRIO A. 10 min., 1978, b/w, silent. The avant-garde choreographer in her widely discussed "minimal" solo, a dance from 1965 rebelling against spectacle and decoration in dance. Sale $170. Rental $19. Also available for purchase on VHS videotape for $25 (including shipping and handling in the US).

LET'S SCUFFLE. 3 min., 1942, b/w. The legendary Bojangles in a brief tap number. Rental $18.

DANCE OF THE AGES/ON THE SHORE. 6 min., b/w, silent. A "trick" film made by Shawn in 1913 showing various dance styles. Then some luxurious, theatrical posings by St. Denis from the 1930s. Rental $15.

A DAY AT JACOB'S PILLOW. 6 min., color, silent. Informal shots: rehearsal, audience-gathering, and performance (Shawn, St. Denis, La Meri) in 1950. Sale $180. Rental $15.

DENISHAWN. 10 min., b/w. Two newsreel segments: scenes around the Denishawn School in 1915; St. Denis in solo excerpts in 1930 with sound. Rental $16.

INCENSE. 5 min., 1953, color. St. Denis in her sensuous, religious, ecstatic solo. An excerpt from RUTH ST. DENIS BY BARIBAULT. Sale $95. Rental $15. Also available for purchase on VHS videotape for $20 (including shipping and handling in the US).

RUTH ST. DENIS BY BARIBAULT. 24 min., 1940s and 1950s, color. Five numbers beautifully filmed by Phillip Baribault: "White Jade," "Red and Gold Sari," "Gregorian Chant," "Tillers of the Soil" (with Shawn), and "Incense." Sale $325. Rental $26.

LIGHT, PART 5. 22 min., 1976, color. A slow, liquid trio by the avant-garde choreographer. Sale $310. Rental $22.

JUNCTION. 12 min., 1965, color. A quick-paced work "scribbled" to music from the Bach cello suites. Dancers (all in top form) include Taylor, Bettie de Jong, Carolyn Adams, Daniel Williams Grossman, Dan Wagoner, Elizabeth Walton. Sale $300. Rental $22.

SUE'S LEG. 30 min., 1976, color. Tharp and other members of the original cast in her witty, ebullient work, to music of Fats Waller. From the PBS "Dance in America" series. Rental $23.

ATTITUDES IN DANCE. 28 min., 1964, b/w. Four works danced by Lisa Bradley, Lawrence Rhodes, Paul Sutherland, Cora Cahan, Walker. Sale $305. Rental $20.

FLICKERS. 19 min., 1972, color. The zany spoof of silent movie conventions and cliches, choreographed in 1941. Performance directed by Weidman. Sale $275. Rental $24.

MARY WIGMAN: FOUR SOLOS. 10 min., 1929, b/w. An early sound film showing Wigman in "Seraphic Song," "Pastorale," "Dance of Summer," and "Witch Dance." Rental $22.

INVISIBLE DANCE. 12 min., 1981, color. Woodberry and dancers interject dance movement into the crowded streets of New York and cause scarcely a stir. Music by Laurie Spiegel. Rental $19.

BAROQUE DANCE 1675-1725. 23 min., color, 1978. Reconstructions by Shirley Wynne. Includes the minuet. Beautifully costumed and danced. Filmed by Allegra Fuller Snyder. Includes descriptive book. Rental $23.

THE CACHUCHA. 14 min., 1980, color. The famous Fanny Elssler solo as reconstructed from Zorn notation by Dr. Ann Hutchinson Guest. Performed twice by Margaret Barbieri of the Sadlers' Wells Royal Ballet. Sale $285. Rental $21.

DANCING THRU. 33 min., late 1940s, b/w. Whimsical views of international dance styles, especially British ones. Included are Galina Ulanova in a portion of the "Swan Lake" act II adagio, ballroom-tappers Jack Billings and Diana Chase, and acrobatic tapper Chris Gill. Rental $19.

EARLY DANCE FILMS. 12 min., b/w, silent. 11 interesting and/or hilarious short dance films from 1894-1912. Rental $16.

EXOTIC AND ACROBATIC DANCES. 10 min., b/w, silent. Brief dance films from the turn of the century. Includes Spanish exhibition dancing and several contortionists. Rental $17.

SOCIAL AND COMEDY DANCES. 10 min., b/w, silent. Brief dance films from the turn of the century. Includes the cakewalk and forms of "tough" dancing. Rental $17.

FAN AND BUBBLE DANCES. 9 min., 1942, b/w. Features Sally Rand and Faith Bacon. Rated PG. Rental $19.

JITTERING JITTERBUGS. 11 min., 1940s, b/w. A short subject set in a Harlem ballroom. Features exhibition of Big Apple and Jitterbug dancing. Also a brief beauty contest and the shred of a plot. Rental $21.

PARISIAN FOLLIES. 8 min., 1920s, b/w. Various cabaret and nightclub acts from Parisian stages. Includes Josephine Baker. Inappropriate jazz dubbed onto the sound track. Rental $21.

SYNCOPATED MELODIES. 13 min., 1920s, b/w, silent. A view of popular and show dance styles in Britain in the 1920s. Includes W.H. Berry, and lots of Charleston-derived scampering. Rental $14.

BALLET ADAGIO. 10 min., 1971, color. David and Anna Marie Holmes in a slow motion duet filmed by Norman McLaren. Rental $16.

DUNE DANCE. 40 min., 1980, color. Dancers (led by Sara Rudner) cavort through sand dunes as the camera artfully explores how the sand affects their movement. A film by Carolyn Brown. Rental $34.

ENTR'ACTE. 18 min., 1924, b/w, silent. Rene Clair's classic film: zany, dada-inspired. Formed part of a 1924 ballet, "Relache." Rental $14.

ETERNAL CIRCLE. 12 min., 1952, b/w. A Harald Kreutzberg solo in which he plays multiple roles: five grimly pathetic characters each destined to succumb to the sardonic figure of Death. Imaginatively directed by Herbert Seggelke. Sale $190. Rental $16.

IN A REHEARSAL ROOM. 11 min., 1975, color. Cynthia Gregory and Ivan Nagy in a lyrical, rhapsodic duet filmed by David Hahn. Rental $19.

PAS DE DEUX. 14 min., 1968, b/w. The award winning dance film by Norman McLaren featuring a cascade of multiple images. Rental $16.

SCHOOL FOR WIVES. 28 min., 1974, color. A delightful retelling by choreographer Birgit Cullberg of the story of the Moliere comedy. Makes imaginative use of chroma-key effects. Danced by the Cullberg Ballet. Sale $395. Rental $24.

WESTBETH. 33 min., 1975, b/w. Merce Cunningham's first videopiece, transferred to film. (Picture quality somewhat poor.) Rental $26.

BLACK TIGHTS. 120 min., 1962, color. Comprised of four ballets by Roland Petit: "The Diamond Cruncher," "Cyrano," "A Merry Mourning," and "Carmen." Performing are Zizi Jeanmaire, Cyd Charisse, Moira Shearer, and Petit. Rental $59.

SECOND CHORUS. 83 min., 1941, b/w. A bouncy Fred Astaire comedy set at a college in the swing era. Contains two fine dance numbers: a perky duet with Paulette Goddard and a solo in which Astaire dances while conducting the Artie Shaw band. Rental $55.

FESTIVAL OF THE DANCE. 60 min., 1973, color. On the creation of the special professional dance repertory company to perform reconstructed modern dance classics at the American Dance Festival at Connecticut College in 1972. Sale $610. Rental $38.

STRAVINSKY. 52 min., 1966, b/w. A CBS News documentary on the composer. Includes a visit to the site of the famous first performance of "Sacre du printemps." Rental $27.

WORLD'S YOUNG BALLET. 70 min., 1969, b/w. A Soviet-made documentary on the First International Ballet Competition held in Moscow in 1969. Included: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Peter Schaufuss, Ludmilla Semenyaka, Helgi Tomasson, Nina Sorokina, Yuri Vladimirov. Rental $27.

Performances filmed (b/w) in costume in the 1950s in a dance studio with piano or piano and violin accompaniment.

BLUEBIRD PAS DE DEUX. 7 min. Lois Smith and David Adams. Rental $22.

COPPELIA WEDDING PAS DE DEUX. 11 min. Nina Novak and Michael Maule. Rental $22.

SLEEPING BEAUTY PAS DE DEUX. 9 min. Lois Smith and David Adams. Rental $22.

SLEEPING BEAUTY: THREE VARIATIONS. 5 min. Melissa Hayden. Lilac, Silver, "Finger". Rental $22.

SWAN LAKE ACT 2: EXCERPTS. 16 min. Melissa Hayden and Michael Maule. Rental $22.

LES SYLPHIDES: EXCERPTS. 16 min. Lois Smith and David Adams. Waltz, Prelude, Man's variation, Mazurka, Pas de deux. Rental $22.

The reflections of Margot Fonteyn: six films, produced by the BBC, each 52 min., color, 1979. Highly selective and somewhat capriciously organized, these films should not be treated as definitive histories. They do, however, contain useful and interesting material.

THE SCENE CHANGES. Introduction to series. Nostalgic visit to Shanghai, scene of Fonteyn's childhood. Swan Lake Act II adagio danced by Natalia Makarova and Michael Denard. Interview with Fred Astaire on how he choreographs. Excerpt from Roland Petit ballet Fascinatin' Rhythm featuring Luigi Bonino. Sammy Davis Jr. ineptly demonstrates tap dancing. The role of men in dance. Soviet ballet, with a 1954 film excerpt showing Galina Ulanova in Romeo and Juliet. American influence in choreography unfortunately illustrated by The Greatest danced by Virginia Johnson and Eddie Shellman of Dance Theatre of Harlem. Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in Corsaire solos and coda, filmed in 1963. Interview with Nureyev who then performs a solo from Glen Tetley's Pierrot Lunaire (apparently a rare case of a "modern ballet" that is "emotional"). Sleeping Beauty pas de deux danced splendidly by Lynn Seymour and Nureyev but camera often cuts to a long shot at wrong moments. Rental $42.

THE EBB AND FLOW. Discussion of Anna Pavlova with film excerpts. Russian and French training. Excerpt from Mary Skeaping's reconstruction, Flore and Zephyr. John Durang's hornpipe performed by Wayne Sleep. Jules Perrot and Giselle, illustrated by Fonteyn and Nureyev in a duet from the second act, filmed in 1962. Spanish dancing, Marius Petipa. Adagio from Don Quixote pas de deux danced by Yoko Morishita and Tetsutaro Shimizu. Tour of Tchaikovsky's home. Fonteyn in part of Rose Adagio, filmed in the 1960s. Diaghilev and Fokine discussed. Mikhail Baryshnikov (and Fonteyn) in the cell scene from Petrushka. Vyvyan Lorrayne and bare-chested Desmond Kelly in the duet from George Balanchine's "pure, unemotional" Apollo. Rental $42.

WHAT IS NEW. Discussion (from the Parthenon) of Isadora Duncan. Grete Wiesenthal's "really modern" waltzy "Champagne Dance" is beautifully performed by Suzanne Kirnbauer. 1906 film of Loie Fuller, played too fast. Excerpt from Robert Cohan's draped Khomsin as danced by London Contemporary Dance Theater. Discussion of skirt dancing, spectacle, Italian ballet, Commedia dell' Arte (with a demonstration and an old Melies film.) Ruth St. Denis excerpt. Discussion of Denishawn and Martha Graham inadequately illustrated by a slinky solo choreographed by Cohan. Conversation with Cohan on Graham. Excerpt from Robert North's Troy Game performed by Dance Theatre of Harlem. European modern dance. Performance of opening scene from Kurt Jooss' The Green Table. Nijinsky as modern choreographer. Conversation with his daughter, Kyra. Fonteyn and Baryshnikov perform Spectre of the Rose. Rental $42.

THE ROMANTIC BALLET. Discussion of Taglioni, Bournonville, Ellsler, and Veron from Stockholm, Copenhagen, Vienna, and Paris. La Sylphide opening scene and excerpt from Act II performed by Flemming Ryberg, Mette Honningen, and Royal Danish Ballet. Demonstration of toe shoes through the ages. Tales of romantic ballerinas. Spanish cafe dancing. Waltz from Ashton's film, Tales of Beatrix Potter, and Garland Waltz from Sleeping Beauty performed. Coppelia represented by a Petit travesty: the choreographer dancing with a lifesize rag doll. Pas de deux and finale from Les Sylphides performed by Fonteyn, Ivan Nagy, and the Royal Ballet. Rental $42.

THE MAGNIFICENT BEGINNING. Louis XIV and his times. Performances of a trivial modern Chinese ballet and the bedroom scene from Petit's Carmen (with Petit and Zizi Jeanmaire). Tour of Paris Opera. Performances of Camargo-type solo and a bolero duet. Tour of old Drottningholm theater in Sweden with performance there of parts of Mary Skeaping's Cupid Out of His Humor. Performance of double-faced solo and country dances. Clog Dance and pas de deux from Ashton's La Fille Mal Gardee performed by Wendy Ellis, David Wall, Ronald Emblen, and the Royal Ballet. Rental $42.

OUT OF THE LIMELIGHT, HOME IN THE RAIN. Loving tour of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. Gala honoring Fonteyn on her 60th birthday including the performance of Ashton's Salut d'amour a Margot Fonteyn by the ballerina and the choreographer. The makeup room; rehearsals led by Michael Somes. Performance of Ashton's Marguerite and Armand by Fonteyn, Nureyev, and Somes. Final comments. Rental $42.