Mikhail Baryshnikov Part III: Turns and Tours
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2016
- From the start of his career in the late 1960s at the Kirov Ballet until the 1980s at American Ballet Theatre, Baryshnikov has thrilled crowds in classical ballet roles with his great athleticism exemplified by gravity defying jumps and endless turns.
These videos attempt to show how he accomplished these amazing feats. I hope the videos are of use to dancers seeking insight on the mechanics of the steps through slow motion and stop action replays; non-dancers with appreciation for his great work; and those with an interest in learning ballet terms.
This series consists of three videos: (1) turns, (2) jumps, and (3) turns and jumps combined with difficult to categorize steps. Each runs about 15 minutes and analyzes his steps, pointing out important aspects of each movement.
Part I shows Baryshnikov's remarkable turns. My favorite clips are his nine pirouettes from Don Quixote; his turns in plié from Le Corsaire; and several examples of his turns in attitude (leg bent behind him) converting to regular turns in retiré (foot touching his knee). Also, a great scene from White Nights in which has a bet with Gregory Hines on whether Baryshnikov can do 11 pirouettes. Guess who wins the bet!
Part II gives examples of his powerful jumps such as high double cabrioles (legs beating in front); tour de reins (a favorite of Baryshnikov's); and his double jete entrelacé, a wonderful step he used often.
Part III shows off his pirouettes and tour combinations. Pirouettes followed by a double tour is an exciting sequence. The dancer generates substantial momentum from the turns, with abundant energy going into the tour from fifth position. The pirouette/tour sequence is common in male solos, particularly at the end of a solo when the dancer goes to one knee. Baryshnikov’s turn and tour combinations were spectacular. The last segment of Part III is his hard to characterize steps. With his exceptional leaping and turning abilities, Baryshnikov could do amazing things. Some of the steps were spectacular and unique, leading a viewer to ask, “That’s great! What is it?” Some of the clips are wild. - Krátké a kreslené filmy
There has been no other ballet dancer that can touch him. He has everything...perfection, athleticism, control, charm, dramatic movements always in timing with the music, perfect rhythm, playfulness, love of dancing and the one thing he has above all ballet dancers and ballerinas..INCREDIBLE CHARISMA AND MESMERIZING STAGE PERFORMANCE. Once he gets on stage, you can't take your eyes off him and then he sweeps you away when he dances. The fact that he was handsome with great legs was icing on the cake😋😍💜
Besides all the 100% hard work put into his performance, he's undoubtedly a kind of genius born to ballet and dance, just as some people are born geniuses.
BARYSHNIKOV IS AMAZING!! He definitely is one of the greatest male Dancers in Ballet history! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Takes my breath away. Perfection. Practice, practice and more practice and to top that...God given grace. He is a gift to watch. Thank you so much.
MISHA YOU made my day........ YOU are sooooo G R E A T and a lovable person, May the ANGELS always be on you SIDE... ... .
Thank's a lot for sharing these video of baryshnikov's jumps and turns! I love it! Thank's for this!
The "what is that?" section steps can be classified like this: Don Quixote "drunken" solo is a cabriole en tournent: if you remove the extra turn you get basically a single cabriole derriere, but with the beat still in devant and the fouette after. Some dancers do this for Swan Lake act 3 solo instead of entrelace battu or standard double cabriole derriere . Without the extra half fouette to arabesque or lunge it's the "Paquita step" or cabriole devant en tournent as seen in many Paquita solos, or by Nureyev in Marguerite and Armand or Sleeping Beauty act 2. Note that these are in the temps leve family: take-off and landing from the same leg.
For some reason, two steps are referred to as a "helicopter", the step shown in the Don Quixote pas, and at the end of the Corsaire manege, but also a "turning" switch-split. This lumping of two entirely different steps under the same name drives me nuts: the turning switch-split (not shown in this video) is in the temps leve family, and ironically doesn't even turn in the air: only in the prep and landing. What Baryshnikov does here is a grand here en tournent. Not the one your childhood teacher said when they meant jete entrelace, but a true grand jete, in Don Quixote a brush, and in Corsaire a flick. It's in the jete family because it takes of from one leg and transfers weight to land on the other. The prep is chasse coupe entournent and step: the biggest power prep in the tool-box (see Yuri Vladimirov, Vladimir Vasiliev, Irek Mukhamedov for other examples of the many jumps which need this power prep.) Once again, take out the turn to see the base step which is the core of this step: Baryshnikov takes off from his left leg letting his battment devant overcross to continue the turning momentum from the prep. He does look like he's in 2nd for a moment: I don't know if this is a conscious choice to delay the right leg, make it higher, or just a fluke due to transferring balance, but after that weight is transferred to the right leg and the position shifts towards arabesque for the landing. The Corsair version adds a passe as correctly observed in the video, changing the jete from a brush to a flick jete. But it's effectively the same step. These jumps turn en dedans.
Finally, the aptly-named "Baryshnikov Corsaire jump". Say that to any male dancer in a ballet company and they'll instantly know what you mean. I've spent my career researching learning and performing these steps and I can attest that although the basic gist of the step isn't that hard to do, getting it as big, precise, and coordinated as Baryshnikov does in Turning Point, particularly the timing of 3 arm positions..... well, let's just say the vast majority of dancers who attempt this step miss some aspect or other. Recently I saw a video of someone who really nailed it, and if I find that video again I'll edit this to say who it was.
The entire manege bears talking about: 1. Because it's a movie we get to see it from centre stage! (Actually the dance sequences in this film are shot superbly, and should be mandatory study for any filmmaker interested in dance!!) This keeps the viewing angle the same for all three executions of this jump. And it is the optimal angle. It just doesn't look as good when viewed from the opposite side. 2. Between each jump, there is a pose arabesque.(!!) What!?! And yet he manages to still eat the stage. He is traveling his preps to the utmost adding that driving, superhuman quality, despite being sliced up with pose arabesques(!!) What!?!? From what my research indicates, this is a completely new and unique manege, and jump created by Baryshnikov, perhaps for this film. The only other video I've seen of him performing Corsaire (with Gelsey Kirkland, a bootleg 8mm shot from the audience with no sound) he does no such manege.
The jump? Ok, prep like you're going to do a barrel turn. As soon as you hit the air bring both arms to your shoulders a la Corsair while closing your second leg, knee to knee, in a kind of turned in B+ or attitude. (What!?!?) Get ready to flick the bent leg forwards to make 1st arabesque: you'll be landing on the leg that was bent. The arm which isn't in front in the arabesque stays on the shoulder.
This is an en dehors angled take off. 3 positions en lair. A half roll as it's a form of revoltade, and also between an eighth and quarter turn so you land facing back to the direction of travel of the manege.
A simple revoltade shouldn't be a problem for any pro. But this complex, surprising, and breathtaking variation by Baryshnikov is truly an outstanding addition to the canon of jumps.
Jeremy, thanks so much for your help. It is clear that you have a great deal of experience with these steps. I enjoyed your Don Q video on your channel. I have a new Baryshnikov video out and I provide credit for your guidance on the cabriole en tournent, which took me a while to figure out. Hope your teaching at Dance Teq is going well. Thanks again, Kent
Thank you both for your detailed information. As non-dancer I just enjoy very much to watch Baryshnikov dancing but with your explanations I recognize his virtuosity even more. He makes it look so effortless but your comments & slowmotion make clear it's far from that. Thank you !
Thank you! I love your videos! Impossible not to love this god of dance!
misha...extraordinario!
as already told in another comment l was so lucky having seen him many times in many works baryshnikov in 70'sat his top and yes l can surely say that from him l saw for the first time steps never seen in west before
Perfect!!!!
This is dance. True Dance.
Insane!
Always a pleasure to watch! Thank you for the video!
Breathtaking
He is still going and going and going. This is not my favorite ballet, but omigosh. Misha.
Es maravilloso!
Ninguém além dele consegue saltar a está altura durante um passo de ballet
UM DEUS!