#TBT: Leslie Browne and Robert Hill in "The Leaves are Fading"

March 30, 2016

Have you ever spent a later summer evening, with the first hints of cooler weather swishing through trees, reflecting on the memories of a season come and gone? This is precisely the mood Antony Tudor evokes in his 1975 piece, The Leaves are Fading. In this clip, former American Ballet Theatre principals Leslie Browne and Robert Hill perfectly capture memory’s nostalgia. Browne swirls in and out of Hill’s arms, energy sometimes picking up as if in a warm summer breeze. But mostly the pair’s movements are soft and dreamlike. Rather than concluding the pas de deux with fanfare, the two fade offstage—indeed, like green fading gradually from leaves.

Leslie Browne was one of the preeminent ballerinas of her generation. She even entranced mainstream audiences with her talents when she appeared in the iconic dance movie The Turning Point, which earned her Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Robert Hill, who also danced with New York City Ballet, The Royal Ballet and as a guest artist all over the world, now leads Orlando Ballet. Happy #ThrowbackThursday!