The Magic of Dance

The first real ballet school was founded by King Louis XIV of France in 1669. From Louis's great palace at Versailles, Margot Fonteyn tells the story of Louis's own love of dancing and how it led from the courtly dances of 17th-century France to the worldwide phenomenon of ballet that we know today. At Drottningholm in Sweden, she visits the Court Theatre and sees ballet performed in the original settings and under the original conditions.

Margot Fonteyn traces the story of the Romantic Ballet and its greatest exponents. In 1832, the most famous ballerina in the world was Marie Taglioni. One of the first ballerinas to dance on the tips of her toes, she epitomised the Romantic Age - ethereal and sylph-like. Her most famous role was La Sylphide. By mid-century, however, there were new styles, and it was left to the Russians to revive the romantic age in 1909, when they brought Les Sylphides to Paris.

In almost every age the world of dance has produced its own pioneers - leading dancers and choreographers who have experimented with new styles and new forms. Margot Fonteyn looks at the work of some of the greatest of the pioneers, from the Commedia dell'Arte in 17th-century Italy to Martha Graham in 20th century America. The programme includes a performance by Fonteyn and Baryshnikov of Fokine's famous ballet, Le Spectre de la Rose.

Dance has almost always moved freely across frontiers. Just as in the 19th century, Italian and French dancers went to Russia to make their names, so in the 20th century, Diaghilev reversed the flow by bringing the Ballets Russes to live and work in Western Europe. All part of the ebb and flow of dance. Margot Fonteyn visits Tchaikovsky's house near Moscow and talks to Marie Rambert about Diaghilev. The programme includes unique film of Pavlova, as well as Mikhal Baryshnikov dancing Petrushka

Margot Fonteyn discusses the role of the male in dance. Her story is illustrated by some of the world's greatest dancers performing some of the era's most enduring dances.