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Beethoven Sonata

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Video Identifier: V.2011-05-0453
Run Time
0h 7m 36s
Color
B&W
Sound
Mono
Abstract
"Beethoven Sonata" is a ballet choreographed by Ruth Page to Beethoven's Piano Sontata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, also known as "Sonata Pathétique."  It was premiered on January 27, 1951 by the Page-Stone-Camryn Ballet at Mandel Hall, University of Chicago.  It premiered alongside another of her works, "Revenge"--her first opera-into-ballet.

This undated video appears to represent a dress rehearsal or performance segment from the ballet: it is a pas de deux.  The dancers are both in costume, but there are no sets. 
Description
The video begins with a shot of a couple posed together, presumably on a stage.  He is kneeled facing her, holding one of her hands while she stands before him in tendu devant.  As the sonata begins, the two embark on an adagio pas de deux together.  It involves numerous turns, arabesques, and small lifts.  Eventually, the male dancer moves to the side of the stage to allow the female dancer to perform a solo variation at a faster tempo; as she completes it, he then takes his turn while she looks on.  Afterwards, the two come back together for a brief allegro portion that completes the dance: the final pose they strike is the end of a pirouette, she still in passé and in a full cambré back as he holds her waist.  The video then goes black and ends there.
Additional Credit
Beethoven, Ludwig van (is composer)
Page, Ruth (is choreographer)
Genre
Dance