Massine's magic.

My first exposure to ballet was in 1941 when as a teen-ager I saw the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform Leonide Massine's magnificent Rouge et Noir and his ravishing Gaite Parisienne. Over the next several years I saw many of his creations--revivals from the Diaghilev era, remarkable new ballets, and some of his flops. I regard his St. Francis (1938) and Aleko (1942) among the great ballets of the 20th century.

LELAND WINDREICH

VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA

DM Responds: Cincinnati Ballet has restored three of the four movements of Massine's ballet Seventh Symphony, which is reviewed in this issue [see "Reviews," page 188]. A variety of his other ballets including Parade (1917), La Boutique Fantasque (1919), and Gaite Parisienne (1938), still appear in the repertoires of American companies.