Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil le Clercq

Director Nancy Buirski in person!

Note: This page is for the NYFF51 screening of the film. For information on the theatrical run (opening February 5), click here.

Tanaquil Le Clercq, known to all as “Tanny,” was the inspiration and then the wife of one of the greatest geniuses in the history of dance, George Balanchine, and she also sparked the creative imagination of Jerome Robbins. In 1954, at the height of her fame, she was struck down by polio. Nancy Buirski’s radiant film finds a tone to match Tanny’s exquisite dancing and long, lovely physique, well represented in photos, home movies and kinescopes. In addition to being a rich and compelling story of a dancer who can no longer dance and a muse who can no longer inspire, Buirski’s movie is also a vivid portrayal of a world and a time gone by. In addition to the breathtaking photos and archival footage, Afternoon of a Faun also features interviews with those who knew Tanny, including Jacques D’Amboise and Arthur Mitchell.