11pirouettes-Slo-mo analysis of Baryshnikov in White Nights
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- čas přidán 5. 05. 2014
- Nathan Prevost walks us through Baryshnikov's brilliant pirouettes in the film White Nights for DanceSanity.
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There's a reason why he is considered by ALL critics and lists as the greatest ballet dancer of all time. He was the star in all of his performances. No one watched the ballerinas. He deserves the top title status. He was breathtaking to watch. No one comes close. Perfection in motion. He was able to do moves not duplicated by anyone else. Watching some of his moves would make you gasp. They were that WOW!!
I think there are many male dancers today, particularly in Russia, who come close, duplicate and surpass his moves today.
And the Soviets wouldn't put him in leading roles because he wasn't 'tall enough'
I loved watching this episode and all ballet!!!
I was a student at ABT when Baryshnikov first arrived in the USA and I remember watching his rehearsals. As anyone who is familiar with the original school will remember there were windows which looked down from above into the studios so you could watch what was going on, and I remember watching him with Makaorva and Kirkland, etc.. His turns in particular were amazing. I literally was watching from directly above him as he turned on a dime. He indulged in his fame (Lol;) but he is also one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time.
Sidney and Jeannine Lima you were very blessed!
Sidney and Jeannine Lima absolutely! The best.
Now that is an experience I am rightfully envious of.
Baryshnikov was the head of the Miami Ballet. I was walking by the practice studio one day, there was a plate glass window, I stopped to watch the practice session, & in walked Baryshnikov. You couldn't hear what was being said, but obviously, he was not pleased with what he saw. He shooed the dancers back & proceeded to perform the sequence they had been practicing. When he finished, he motioned for the dancers to carry on, & left the room. I was stunned, an impromptu performance by the Premier Male Ballet Dancer. IT DOESN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT!
@@dee_dee_place wow! Lucky you....
I'd have blood and teeth all over the floor if I had to do this. This man is an amazing athlete. I have been a martial arts practitioner for 3 decades and yeah its tough, but not nearly as demanding as the ballet class I tried. I left red faced and puking outside after a workout. I was humbled truly.
justaman6972 so refreshing to see the incredible athleticism acknowledged 😊
justaman6972, martial artist for four decades and I heartedly agree with you. As a woman, the chest is the killer...I’d be in surgery to get my boobs moved forward again! First time in Jazzercise I thought it would be easy. Ye gads, I cramped in muscles I didn’t know I had! Modified dance maneuvers keep the “martial arts” eyes off the body and on the waltz, glide and slide honing into your opponents space. By the time the subject realizes what you are, the fight is over...or, book ‘em Danno!
Thanks for the acknowledgement
I forbid him to age. I want him to stay frozen in time, as perfect as he was in this movie. That's an ORDER, Misha.
Opening his arms at the end also has the effect of slowing down his angular velocity. It's the opposite of when ice skaters pull in their arms to increase their angular velocity when they do those spins. Since Mischa was preparing to stop, he opened his arms, which slowed down his momentum, and allowed him to make that beautiful ending. These eleven pirouettes were a thing of beauty.
11 rubles... 11 pirouettes! One of my favorite movies!!!
Such an awesome scene and Gregory Hines' face is just perfect... so funny.
I watch the dance sequences from "White Nights" over & over again. The opening scene, with the chair, had me hooked! I had never seen anyone do that before. Baryshnikov has done that performance multiple times since the movie- 1 on a Liza Minnelli special. Baryshnikov is not only a fabulous dancer, but the power he displays while performing is unmatched. I also love the difference between Hines & him in their duo dancing; you can tell that they come from different disciplines- tap vs ballot. This movie is extraordinary. And, Twyla Tharp is a fellow alumnus of my Univ. I was thrilled to see her choreography.
I have a ballet teacher who has imposed that being able to do a clean single pirouette is more important than being able to do multiple turns. So at auditions when everyone is trying to show off with four to six pirouettes, I always make sure to do a clean single. Seems to get the instructor's attention.
I can barely WALK much less be the graceful beauty Mikhail is...I never get tired of watching perfection!! It was something I have wanted to always see...but I am 54.1 years old...I fear it is too late to see him dance...only one other person I have ever wanted to see live and that was completed...but this??? I would give up seeing the Northern Lights to watch this man perform!!!
11 Rubles for 11 pirouettes. Thank you for this analysis. This film had a big effect on me when I was a kid. I grew up breakdancing before there was an internet to watch dance instruction, so I tended to watch any and all dance films that I could find - even though almost none of them dealt with breakdance content. From Fred Astaire to Baryshnikov I was hooked. When I saw this film I went nuts trying to max out on pirouettes even though I didn't use them in breakdance routines or battles. I sure do wish I could have seen this video back then - who knows how many I could have learned...
I have watched this scene so many times also!! Saying it's brilliant just doesn't do it justice. Thank you for this breakdown, I loved it! Eleven rubles!
My beloved husband thought that watching men dance would b boring. Such a big bad 20 year Marine.. when Misha whipped his leg up a wall/door for a stretch, I thought I saw his lit cigarette go down his throat... did’nt say another word!
As a 15 year old boy, when my parents rented this in 1986 for us to watch one Friday night during dinner, I was upset that I had to watch a boring dancing movie.
Since then I am sure I have watched it at least a couple dozen times. :)
@@vwlssnvwls3262 your parents thought you good taste. Respect.
🤣🤣🤣
Part of the White Nights was filmed in my country, summers no nights, called the white nights, saludo from Finland.
There's a piece in the commentry for this movie, where the director explains that during the cold war period, if they wanted to make a movie based on Leningrad, they'd use a few streets in Helsinki that had the same kind of arcitecture.
But for this movie, he arranged for some Finnish travelogue filmmakers to go to Leningrad to film certain features, such as the pointing Lennin monument, the Kirov and state-limousine.
But when the movie came out, a few of the movie critics mistakenly thought it was that part of Helsinki again.... but he didn't want to correct them in order to protect the reputation of the Finnish guys who had helped him.
the two best artist in my time the greatest ballet dancer and the greatest tap dancer it's such an excitement to see to Great talents together
Beautiful analysis. I wish I had seen this when I was still dancing. The arm trick for "landing" a pirouette is priceless.
Watched this last night. Timeless movie. You can catch a cameo of him in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. I freaked "Misha" "Misha". Nice surprise. Phil Collins, Lionel Richie music. My favorite is their dance together. RIP Gregory Hines, gone too soon. Misha is beautiful when he moves, he has control of his sinew. Absolutely perfect. Hope he is doing well.
So nice to hear another professional talk about opening the arms at the end. My Russian ballet teacher insisted on opening the arms at the end and other teachers since then have tried to break me of that habit, but it's not going anywhere :P
Genius. Absolute genius.
Kralj baleta..... Neprevaziđeni....!!!!
Damn! I've been working on those pirouettes for years ... This guy is a MASTER! The best
He as both power and control. Amazing 🤩
I shook Baryshnikov's hand once. He's got a grip like a vice.
Ballet kicks butt. I have a brown belt in Judo, but an hour of ballet practice has me panting and the sweat pouring from my body. It's a great workout.
You breaking this down is extremely helpful. Thank you so much!
Watching him stretch is the sexiest scene in the movie.
He is so amazing. I loved your breakdown of this scene. I don't dance but I can watch. Thank you so much.
Thank you for this AMAZING POST! Much love from Chicago, Illinois!
Excellent video and breakdown of Misha's technique. Thank you!
I saw this movies ages ago,
its fantastic!
I enjoyed this video very much. I recently saw "White Nights" again. It confirmed my belief that Baryshnikov is (was) the best male ballet dancer of all time. I have recently seen Ivan Vasilev dance several times and while he has height and tricks, Baryshnikov is still the best. A couple of minor corrections to the narration: the opening piece was choreographed by Roland Petite and the theater was the Kirov (now Mariinsky) not the Bolshoi.
It's so awesome to FINALLY watch and listen to a video created by someone who gets it. I actually tossed a fist in the air when you brought up the tap shoes. LOL And laughed when you "gave away" releasing your arms for a single pirouette. First video I've watched of yours. Loved it!
I love this break down.
Fabulous, just incredible !
This is an awesome video. I loved how you explained it to me. I saw this movie 3 times in the theatre. In recent years I have it on DVD. Thank you for posting!!
Le Jeune Homme Et La Mort was choreographed by Roland Petit not Ashton. The full version is quite a bit longer than the one showed at the beginning of White Nights. And by the way, Misha was wearing boots I believe in this scene. Still the best all around ballet dancer I have ever seen.
I remember celebrating like crazy when I did a triple in jazz class. 11?!? I’d die! 😂
This was a wonderful and enlightening video. I could never dance, not flexible enough, I tried. I just am in awe of people that can, even ones that are never "good". Thank you for breaking this down. I have to go watch this movie again and some of your other videos. New subscriber.
His foot in Passé is just right it's the rusian way to do it. My rusian dance teacher likes it so much.
When I spun on a beam opening the arms gave me balance to hold the turn. And yes, my instructors tried to break me of it when I was dancing. Like you said, if you fall out of it no one cares how many you did OR where your arms were. Oh how I miss dancing :)
I was able to do 4 1/2 on the beam....Regularly. Artistic Gymnastics was my thing.. :-)
That's why he is the BEST.
Watching Gregory dance is a thing of beauty. It is true that Misha's footwork was not as clean when the two tap danced in tandem. But let's see Gregory attempt anything approximate in ballet before we speak of them as equal talents. Credit where credit is due.
I think everything is planned. The position of his foot in passe is partly about avoiding drag from his trouser leg. The change in the arms allows him to gradually slow and stop perfectly. If "Misha" wanted to do more he would have done it. I think his spot is key but not because it is violent. The turns come from the perfect alignment from from the ball of his foot to the top of his head. It's a perfect straight line and his chin never drops. The other marvelous thing is that Baryshnikov does all of this without making "look at me this is difficult" faces!
He's incredible!
One more thing, I danced for many years, and it is remarkable to me that we're even discussing 11. I felt, as a dancer, in my time, that it was difficult to make even two perfect pirouettes and I was on pointe with significantly less floor resistance. Eh, anyway, great vid, thanks for sharing.
Great analysis
Thanks for the tips!
I saw this movie with dreams of professoinal dance..i don't recall even breathing from beginning to end❤
El mejor de todos los tiempos!!
BARYSHNIKOV, o maior bailarino do mundo.
Há muitos anos atrás ele esteve no Brasil, minha avó teve o privilégio de conhece-lo pessoalmente em um jantar oferecido à ele em um apartamento no Leme.
Era um grupo muito fechado, pessoas ligadas à arte e ao Teatro Municipal.
Ela ficou encantada com a simplicidade, inteligência e a beleza dele. Disse que nunca viu olhos azuis tão maravilhosos.
Que pena, eu não tive tempo dessa incrível oportunidade.
Assisti vários vídeos e documentários sobre esse incrível homem 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
He is PEERFECT
The bet was 11 pirouettes for 11 rubbles, but I think he got 12. Youre right, the opening scene is amazing and utterly beautiful. The scene where he dances for his ex partner/girlfriend was unbelievable. I would love to find recordings of the singer but havent been able to. I forget the name.
What's really crazy is that his supporting leg isn't fully extended. -The biggest no-no when you're training. His turns are coming almost entirely from the strength of his upper body. He's incredible!
In this video you mention how violent his head turn is a tool to to give momentum to keep it going.
However, I've always interpreted it as just way so he doesn't get dizzy and keeps his positioning clear, so he finishes straight instead of doing 11-and-a-half, or 11-and-a-quarter.
In fact, I'd imagine keeping as still as possible would be advantagious because the flicking of his head against the spin would slow it down, but turning it would equalise it.... so turning would have a negative result because he's effectively creating breaks in the momentum.
White Nights is my favourite movie of all time... I usually watch it once or twice a year at least!
I like the threefold clashes of culture....
Capitalist West vs Communist East that was prevalent during the Cold War.
Black vs White; Although it's not an issue between Nikolai and Raymon, they utilise it as a tool aghainst Chaiko.
and Ballet vs Tap.
Tap doesn't have the prestige of ballet, where people wear a tuxedo and women wear elegent evening gowns.
There's a brilliant part in the commentry where Taylot Hackford explains that working with dancers and working with actors is very different.
When working with actors, they tend to get very bored and fatigued when the shoot isn't going to plan and the director is asking them to do it again and again for 20 takes.
But with dancers, he says that it's easier, because they've trained to repeat the same motions again and again and again and again.... because they're trying to reach a level perfection.... and at the same time the choreographer is demanding they do it again and again....
....and so Taylor describes it as a match made in heaven, because the choreographers are 'sadists', and the dancers are 'masochists'!!!
I thought that was an amusing distiction..... effectively a fourth clash of culture behind the scenes!
I learned another thing from the commentry.
The plane crash scene at the start of the movie..... I'd been watching that movie for over 20 years (having watched it dozens of times) before I learned that the crash scene where the wing is smashed and the plane splats on the floor.... was just a Boeing 707 with a hump put on it, and a small slit so the pilots could see out of the original (and lower) cockpit windscreen!!
I'm really into planes..... and in all those years, I'd never spotted it!!
Meraviglioso, sempre, per sempre.
Very interesting analysis. I learned
Well now I have to watch this movie because it's been too long since I last saw it.
Thanks for this!
Oh, how am I jealous! I was happy to have made 2 turns.
Um, "equally great?" sorry I will disagree on that, however, Gregory is spectacular. No one is equal to Misha. Thanks for the post. Absolutely love!
Leslie Owens ... yeah, I agree; he’s an incredible athlete and talent and he idolizes Fred A, who also amazes me.
I agree with the gentleman who created this video that he and Gregory Hines are equally great because Gregory Hines does a different form of dance. And even though Baryshnikov famously explores wide varieties of styles, he has never been the accomplished tap dancer that Gregory Hines is. Baryshnikov considered him to be one of the greatest dancers because he recognized what Hines did within his own genre. I have a great deal of respect and I'm very much a fan of both of them. Gregory Hines and his brother and father did amazing things to build on the history of tap and have inspired generations of dancers who followed them, including the amazing Savion Glover. Gregory Hines came out of the tradition of the impossible Genius of the THE Bill Bojangles Robinson, the Nicholas brothers, and Sammy Davis Jr. I think you'd have to know more about Gregory Hines' history and witness the breadth of his career in order to recognize his genius.
@@AngelaCelesteMay: I agree with you about the greatness of Gregory Hines within his tap genre and it's nice to know that Baryshnikov had such respect for him. I love Gregory Hines too, but when I watch the two of them together in "White Nights," it's clear who the better dancer was/is.
They are equally great because they are 2 different dancers
In most dance scenes there is always someone that I am pulled to for their greatness. The duet in White Nights just sends my head spinning as they are both fabulous. Now, I watch it twice so I can concentrate on each separately.
Le Jeune Homme et la Mort was choreographed by Roland Petit.
I love him
I love ballet it's like touches my soul I've always said it was the most beautiful as dance in the world and still is not many men or women could do this this takes real structure and real disciplines to do this kind of things I can mend all the ballerinas and all Bala rhinos
"As you know" HA! I know zip about dancing but I found this interesting!
+Alison Morgan
Same with me.
I wonder if Mikhail is using his arms, gradually bringing them close to his body, like an ice skater does to increase speed as he rotates? I saw this movie many years ago and was mesmerized by his workout. Just his workout. Fascinating what he's able to do, what he's conditioned his body to do over the years.
This reminds me of a figure skater about to do a jump, in a very good way.
The opening scene, with Baryshnikov and Damme Helen Mirren in a theater in Moscow, was shotted In Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon-Portugal.The producer couldn`t find a place that look like a Russian theater. Go to Google images and surch. You all fell amazed by the beauty fo the place. And Withe Nights is a wonderfull movie by all means!
lucianna966 q8
lucianna966 The opening scene is the ballet, La Jeune Homme et la Mort, NOT the much later scene with Helen Mirren, who couldn’t dance a lick.
.... great job on youzr Video Analysis !!!!!!! when i was 25 years old , it was very difuicult to get a job in dance ......... i am very older now ....... 42 .... buck then i was doing 17-25 Pierouets ...... i know what you are talking about !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you for shairing with us this great momments !!!!!!!!
You can do 25 pirouettes? Let's go the film clip! You say it was difficult getting a job in dancing?... With all the music videos out there?...all the kids who wanted to be Michael Jackson or Baryshnikov?...And you couldn't get a job with an audition tape of 25 pirouettes? "Misha" is 66 and STILL dancing! (I am being facetious calling him by his nick name--He is definitely Mr. Baryshnikov!) There is Broadway, off Broadway, and a corps de ballet in every large city around the world.
.... i was study the great mystiry , because of the way humans tryed to discribe a Gods gift ........ i wasnt always there , to be visible ........ such work that took years ,even to discover a simple golden question .. or the final question that may would compleet a fixt formula , for STANDING "IN" A TORNADO .-TYFONAS (I AM HELLIN) ;or SIFUNAS in other ocations .... the description of the video , is a material that no one would even dair to do a coment of this aganda .Archimides helpet a lot & of cource PythaGOras .... yes i stil can remeber and have this knolege of truhgs !!! A !... IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT FUILLING A MUSIC FRASE IN PIEROUETS .. not numbering them .. thats wy A SINGLE PIEROUET WAS THE TUGHEST ... and not 4 or 7 .the numbers was in compination even withe kind of charakter of the season !!!!!! Vero Blend in Facebook !!!!! You Contakt was an Great Honnor to me ,dear Helen Eschenbacher ! Christus Syrma'i'dis my name .
Helen Eschenbacher What a surprise, the one person ripping apart someone else's comment in a cynical and critical tone is American. The guy might live on a tiny island in the Aegean for all you know. How about just letting him say what he wants and shutting the hell up.
+Helen Eschenbacher 25 pirouettes ? once l read on a russian magazine that bolchoi 60's star gennadi lediahk once in studio did 22 ( he was an amazing turner as you can see on historic bolshoi zakarov's cindarella where he is the prince ) but l always was perplexed about it .andre' eglevsky did 18 in front to a person that l knew and l am sure he didn't lie to me .but 25 lol in his dreams .enrico italy
+fwyatt01 a person that on his tiny island declared to perform 25 pirouettes let me also a little perplexed must say lol
Thank you.
thanks man :)
Every time I see this scene I wonder how many more pirouettes he could actually do? I mean, he made 11 look pretty easy!
Perfekt analysiert by the speaker - totally agreement- my guess: it was on top of his gift the hardest training wourldwide at those time atttenting bolshoi Theater… he knew this and left …home … hardest way he went - but greatest gain for all who love this genre …
11 pirouettes! 11 Rubles!
I watched this movie in the Theater.
I was counting out loud whisper that got louder and was shushed by people. I couldn't help it😀 My roommate was a skater and she was mouthing it in shock.
He's wearing Dad shoes😳
I love your analysis. One correction-The opening ballet is Roland Petit not in any way Ashton.
When I saw moonwalk of MJ I was wow... . Finally I've learn to do it by myself. On the other hand, when I was dancing I've managed to do 4 to 6 turns in amator way... At that time I never imagined that is possible to execute more than 10 turns. Now I see and I'm more impressed than seeing MJ performed moonwalk. However, both of them were great artists. Models for us to overcome our limits.
Миша-ГЕНИЙ БАЛЕТа!!!!!!
Was it Tharp that choreographed the opening dance? I know she sang his praises to everyone.
I very often dream that I can do pirouettes endlessly. Idk why.
He won 12 rubles this is my favorite movie of all time
There´s a principal reason that we need to considered that a great ballet dancer practice a lot of time to mainteina the control in balance and the form with the technic that he need to take in all the body at the same time, and take the control for to increase the velocity en demi point, so we have many differents details that he use in form to mainteina the balance allways, and principal for to get 11 or 12 piruettes
As I watch Vaganova trained dancers do pirouettes, my takeaway is their use of their back/upper body.
I still always count 12 in real time. I see 11 in slo-mo.
this is just what I wanted to know, HOW did he do it! Though my friend that skates says she DOES NOT turn her head. That for some reason on ice. you can not. I was "How do you not get dizzy" and she was "You get used to it." I'm not sure it's true but it is for my friend. I'm not sure if it makes spinning easier or harder.
The movie is set in Leningrad, not Moscow. It’s supposed to be the Kirov.
If he didn't hit the proper spot with his arms until the 6th one then does it count? Should he have got the rubles?
In the movie he wasn't doing a ballet performance he was winning a bet he did not have to do it like he was in a performance.
Yes, but can he pop his ankle just by lying on a sofa watching this video?
Roland Petit is Le Jeune Homme et la Mort
Spot palms at 5
It was not at the Bolshoi. The Soviet Union was very much in existence when this movie was filmed. They couldn’t film any of the movie in Russia.
일반인들은 동작모름
설명해주면
다른발레들을 보더라도
이해하게된다
C'est 1 film... Re' .... Tout ! Donc , déjà, la première position tu peux ,la seconde,la troisième,la quatrième... Connais-tu la danse ... Même classique
I love watching this. The only part that disappointed was the descent at the end. Not controlled enough.
my mom did it on roller skates
I could never do this, because I cannot even spell pirouette. :p
Darlin'. I cannot find a single video of you doing 11 pirouettes. Does artistry matter? Strength? Stamina? I have heard that you do not work well with others.
sophia had to break the record on tap because the previuos record was set on a tap shoe
+Carla Pink Then wouldn't she be fighting for the most pirouettes on a tap shoe? not ballet shoe, which would mean more at the end of the day. I figure that it would two different records to obtain. pirouettes in ballet and tap shoes.
Elishah Martinez I think there is not a record for doing them in ballet shoes
It's not even in Ballet Shoes... It's in OXFORDS!
They're talking about Sophia not Makhail
Οχι μόνο το γύρισμα πού κάνει ,και την τεχνική πού είχε ,είναι το βλέμμα
Without form on landing ?what?