AFTERNOON OF A FAUN: TANAQUIL LE CLERCQ
2013 U.S. Premiere, New York Film Festival
2014 International Premiere, Berlinale
2014 Theatrical Release, Kino Lorber
Co-produced by American Masters
Grade: A... A hymn to her rapture and infinite resilience.
- Entertainment Weekly
A richly-layered film that measures up to its subject's own grace and complexity.
- IndieWire
Nancy Buirski's extraordinary documentary Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq is as beautiful and emotional a story as Tanny was a dancer.
- Marie Claire
AWARDS and RECOGNITION
2014 Milano International Film Festival Nominee Best Editing
2014 Milano International Film Festival Nominee Best Documentary
2014 Satellite Award Nominee Best Motion Picture, Documentary
It is almost as though you are beholding mythological deities who have alighted briefly on the earth... one of the great ballerinas of the 20th century.
- The New York Times
A magnificent behind-the-scenes view of the New York City Ballet... a compelling tale of love, friendship and perseverance.
- The San Francisco Chronicle
OUR STORY
Of all the great ballerinas, Tanaquil Le Clercq may have been the most transcendent. With a body unlike any before hers, she mesmerized viewers and choreographers alike. With her elongated, race-horse physique, she became the new prototype for the great George Balanchine.
Because of her extraordinary movement and unique personality on stage, she became a muse to two of the greatest choreographers in dance, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. She eventually married Balanchine and Robbins created his famous version of Afternoon of a Faun for her.
She had love, fame, adoration, and was the foremost dancer of her day until it suddenly all stopped. At the age of 27, she was struck down by polio and paralyzed. She never danced again. The ballet world has been haunted by her story ever since.