VIDEO: Alla Nazimova dances to Patti Smith's "Dancing Barefoot"

Chances are, if you've stumbled upon this website, you will know who PATTI SMITH is, and what an inspiring figure in music and poetry she is. One of the key figures of the NEW YORK CITY PUNK MOVEMENT of the seventies and known for the way in which she infused her song with passionate poetry, she was inducted in the hall of fame in 2007 and her best selling autobiography JUST KIDS won the NATIONAL BOOK AWARD in 2010.

But who is ALLA NAZIMOVA? She was a Russian-American film and theatre actress, and one of the most prominent female figure of the American silent cinema of the 1920s. Despite her charisma and sex appeal, she never reached the heights of popularity that, say, GRETA GARBO did. Yet, she is still a highly regarded actress of early cinema by afficionados - and one of the things she is so greatly appreciated for was her DANCING.

So, here's an idea: how about playing one of PATTI SMITH's most well known and loved classics DANCING BAREFOOT (1979) over one of the most famous scenes of ALLA NAZIMOVA's filmmography - her dance of the 7 veils from SALOME (1927)? Once you get passed the stale cinematography, it's quite easy to become hypnotized by Alla's graceful and seductive movements. Together with the force of Smith's tune, the two work extremely well.

(Here's a fun experiment to get into. Why not rediscover the beauty of silent cinema by accompanying it with some suited playlists? Why not do that and send us your playlist? We'd love to publish it! Spread the word!)