Edward Villella explains his ballet training as a child, dancing for Balanchine at the New York City Ballet for 18 years, and the artistic philosophy behind his work as Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet. See his dance company in Great Performances: Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp airing Friday October 28 at 9 p.m. (check local listings).
11 Responses to “Interview with Edward Villella”
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Just finished watching GreatPerformances (Miami City Ballet) and was blown away by the fantastic artistry and magnificent dances. How can I get a recording of this show?? I would love to experience it over and over. The choreography was exquisite and the performers left me speechless!
Ditto!! I called my sister and niece to watch!
what was the ballet that was done following the Tharp Golden Section?
I’m enjoying this program very much — don’t think I’d ever seen a Tharp ballet — loved the terrific energy in it.
The cowboy and saloon girls ballet I’m watching now is quite delightful.
What a variety of styles Villela has chosen. Wonderful.
That was a great Great Performance! I really miss seeing ballet on PBS, so I appreciate the Fall Arts Festival. The variety of ballets performed by the Miami Ballet was quite impressive, and the amount of energy with form maintained throughout was equally so. While I wasn’t sure I was going to like the Twyla Tharp piece, I think it was my favorite of all. The moves and lifts were so unique, and all with such speed and the right feeling for the piece. The costuming was perfect for all of the pieces, as well.
I hope we see more dance on PBS beyond the annual Nutcracker suites.
I have seen MCB several times and have loved the vitality and youth of the company.Lots of interest in this performance in Australia…please sell the DVD or stream online.Thanks
Wonderful ballet and choreography. Will PBS please sell me a DVD of the outstanding program. Thank you.
Hi John,
Thank you for your interest in Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make a DVD or blu-ray of this particular program, so please keep an eye out for potential repeats from your local station. Again, thank you for watching GREAT PERFORMANCES.
I’m watching this episode right now and enjoying it immensely. The problem in my local market is that the affiliate usually either ignores PBS arts shows or places them at obscure times or on obscure SD subchannels. Eg, the “Live from the Met” is aired here at 9:30 pm Sundays.
I do applaud PBS for trying to restore arts programming–but with some caveats. The Guthrie Theater production of “HMS Pinafore” was terrible. I’m a big Gilbert & Sullivan buff, and this version was musically and dramatically more of a total rewrite rather than maintaining its original charm and delight. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I thought it was an abomination.
PBS should look back to its earlier “Dance in America” and “Theater in America” as models for future development. I’ve been around long enough to remember when A & E and Bravo actually were Arts Channels, along with the forgotten CBS Cable, which presented 3 hours of arts programming in prime time. Of all the channels focusing on the arts, PBS is the only one remaining–and the shows are too often limited to occasional specials.
Dear Aredee,
Thank you for your watching Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp. Just so you know, “Dance in America” and “Theater in America” were always sub-series produced by GREAT PERFORMANCES.
GREAT PERFORMANCES’ commitment to all performing arts genres continues as illustrated by our upcoming season including a new narrative ballet; The Little Mermaid from San Francisco Ballet and a new dramatic play, Let Me Down Easy, written and performed by American playwright, Anna Deavere Smith as well as The Divine Right, which assembles all of Shakespeare’s history plays.
So we hope you continue watching GREAT PERFORMANCES and all of the arts programming we have for viewers this upcoming season.
Will you make this performance available on-line like some of the other Great Performances episodes??? I would love to purchase a DVD, but if that is not possible, at least I would like to view the performance on-line. We missed the original airing and I don’t see it coming up again anytime soon in our PBS affiliate stations.
Dear Linda and other fans,
First of all, we’re so happy that everyone enjoyed Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp as we were very proud of the production and the fantastic job Miami City Ballet did.
Unfortunately, due to the extremely high cost of clearing the rights for internet use combined with limited funding resources, we were unable to secure the rights to stream the program online.
We encourage you to check with your local station directly to find out if they have any repeats of the show planned. Again, thank you for watching GREAT PERFORMANCES.