Dance Sequence from ’Zastava’ (’The Flag’, 1949) with Sonja Kastl (Chore: Margarita Froman)

This is the dance sequence from the Yugoslav film ’Zastava’ (’The Flag’, 1949). The movie tells the story of famous ballet dancer Marija who was horrified by the terror of Ustasha regime, and joined the partisans. The principal dancer here is 19 year old Sonja Kastl. One of the major interests of the film is that the choreography is by Margarita Froman, a Serge de Diaghilev era Ballets Russes dancer. Froman appeared with Mikhail Mordkin in the filmed dance sequence ‘Aziade’, which referenced the perfumed exoticism of early Ballets Russes productions like ’Scheherazade’ (1910), and as such, perhaps gives a tantalising idea of what an early production of that company may have looked like, particularly in terms of costumes and jewellery. It will be interesting to here what people think of Margarita Froman as a choreographer. I see various references in it to Ballets Russes productions. Enjoy!