Sylvie Guillem était une étoile et personnalité tellement extraordinaire que je voudrais retarder toutes les pendules et la voir à nouveau sur les scènes du monde entier. Merci Sylvie Guillem pour tant de beautés dans l'accomplissement de votre art. ❤
Just love the In The Middle of Somewhat Elevated piece. Guillem’s renditions, over the years, of this ballet has always taken that choreography to a special level. Several other great ballerinas danced it, but she defined it. A bit of trivia bout her, as echoed by most modern dance choreographers, is that Guillem was able to get & memorize a new routine w/n 1st or merely 2nd time it was shown to her. An immense talent.
it is my personal favorite piece too. Very difficult,technical,fast and you always dance on the edge while perform it. Sylvie is the only who is able to deliver it on that level.
I love how she’s the only Raymonda that stays perfectly still and strong on pointe during that variation. Every other dancer looks as though you can blow them off balance with a strong sneeze.
Sylvie was madre prima ballerina at 18yrs, you have to work incredibly hard, every day and have a love of dance as well as grow in creativity to attain her level. 5:46
It's very difficult to describe, but when I see her in rehearsal or performance of "In the Middle...." it's almost as if the is coming out of her legs. I know that's a weird thing to say. I just can't think of another way to describe it. The are so many ballet dancers I admire. But if I had to choose one, Sylvie will always be It. She melds the music, the movement, a near-perfect body (because no one is perfect), feet, and ballet technique in a way no one had ever seen, and has yet to see again. And she is that unique, French-woman elegant, yet sexy, with reserve but also "ton." Unreachable, a goddess who is nevertheless vulnerable; imperious, demanding, but never over-precious, pretentious, or overdone. Without being obvious about it, she judiciously doles that quality out in each ballet to a degree absolutely appropriate to the choreography. There will never be another Sylvie Guillaume. Thank God for video. She'll inspire and educate generation after generation -- dancers, and those who love to see them dance.
The rehearsal footage is really crucial for the next gen dancers. Especially "In the Middle (Some What Elevated)" with the choreographer's comments to the first cast. (BTW, I know some of it looks odd to non-dancers. That thing where they walk around waving their hands and arms and kind of doing legs, but not really, is called "marking." It saves energy while memorizing, creating the essential mind/body links).
The mystery of Eugene Polyakov. He joined Paris Opera ballet as a ballet master in January 1996 and died in the October. No cause of death published. Does anyone know the circumstances? The scene with him and Sylvie shows that he was a hard taskmaster.
i was going to suggest that perhaps it was a Great Pyrenees until I saw the face up close. I think sheepdog is on point (pun not intended, but I’ll accept credit it offered lol).
@@Got2Bespoke A Pyrenees mountain dog too big for the one in the video. Also, a PMD would not be able to fit inside the Paris Opera house - rooms and corridors too small, haha
That "abstract crap" revolutionized the ballet and showcased a talented new-generation of dancers. Because of Forsythe (and Kylian and McGregor and Dawson and Spuck and Duato and so many others) a new classical expression emerged, one that fit the times. Baryshnikov embraced Tharp in the 80s and Guillem retired on a beautifully contemporary note a few years ago, performing new works by Forsythe and Ek! "Abstract crap"... hush.
Mr Forsythe was the precursor of a new clever classical revolution, you’d be a fool to compare it to anything or anyone. His genius approach was clearly unseen at the time and somehow shocking but so necessary for ballet codes to evolve. Yes, it is all about protecting the passed and yet allowing to change, to evolve. This masterpiece is still nowadays thrilling and iconic and deserves to be as such.
