These are the most extraordinary 7 minutes of ballet ever recorded. Wonderful music, wonderful choreography, and 2 immortals of the art. I saw this the same year it happened. Unforgettable.
THOSE OF US THAT GOT TO SEE PATTY DANCE LIVE ARE BLESS. I ll never forget her at end of her career doing Liebeslieder Walrtzs. with the great Bart Cook. sublime.
I continue to applaud the contributions of some of the wonderful performances of ballet to the public viewing audience via RU-vid. So many of these early performances of dancers in their prime would have gone unnoticed otherwise. This one was a first viewing for me; many thanks.
Created on Patricia McBride and Edward Villella in 1964. So it is a treat to see McBride dance it again. If you can find the TV broadcast of McBride and Villella dancing Tarantella, you will see how crazy fast the original performances were.
there is a RU-vid video with Villella but it is almost painful to see how demanding it is to him, there is a camera in the backstage and he seems to suffer a lot and almost slipped at the end of the ballet. However it is amazing to watch, and Mc Bride is so joyful ! I like this version with Baryshnikov ! he is fantastic.
THOSE OF US THAT GOT TO SEE PATTY DANCE LIVE ARE BLESSed. I ll never forget her at end of her career doing Liebeslieder Walrtzs. with the great Bart Cook. sublime.
"Misha had the same energy as Eddie." Jacques D'Amboise Balanchine knew exactly what he was doing when he paired McBride with Misha and revived all Villela's roles with him. Villela danced as an Italian, Misha as a Russian, but same energy, yes.
Such a quick pace and so whimsical. I did have my concerns about that chandelier though, with Baryshnikov's leaps ; ) He and McBride are a joy to watch. Thank you for this footage.
Just sorry for my mistakes in English. Some days ago I saw Baryshnikov vs Polunin. I wrote then: may be Polunin could be better among/with stage decorations?! No decorations, and Mikhail... the great!
Great performance despite stage size, thanks for posting. I used to like the McBride-Villella Tarantella a lot (still do), but I like this one better, the movement quality is superior IMO.
Thanks for posting. I have watched this countless times. Agree wholeheartedly that it's a great performance and Tarantella doesn't get any better than this! It's fabulous, love them both and McBride is a master class in Balanchine. Villella is very good , but doesn't have the beauty of line and finish that Baryshnikov brings to every role.
It has nothing to do with superiority. Villella is being decidedly Italian-esque in his approach to this piece; which takes away from some of the litheness, and perhaps confuses some viewers.
Thank you so very much for preserving this performance at the Whitehouse , in 1979, of Baryshinikov's Brillant Performance of the Tarantella Ballet!!! i don't believe you can see this anywhere else.
He is dancing as a Russian would. It is just different. But I like it very much. Eddie Villela does as an Italian. Also very enjoyable. Just different interpretations. But, as Jacques D’Amboise himself observed, Misha was the dancer who was closest to Eddie’s dancing personality. I figured that is why Mr. B. paired him with McBride in dances created on her and Eddie. He saw the best fit.
I'm late to the party but I agree with you. Villela had a loose, street Italianesque swagger which I think is part of the choreography and not just an individual interpretation. That spirit is completely absent in this version.
Как они умцдряются танцевать такую насыщенную всевозможными движениями и такую быструю хореографию на такой маленькой сцене, да еще с висящей низко люстрой?! Это шедевр союза четврех: двух великих балетных танцоров, хореографа Баланчина и пианиста в музыкальном произведении! Хотя я здесь еще упустила композитора- и он тоже в это потрясающе гармоничном союзе! Браво!
Okay, I’m just going to be honest here. I would give anything to have Misha circa 1979 grab me and kiss me on the neck! Also, I wish he had worn the head scarf some of the other guys wear for this dance. It looks so adorable and Italian, and goes so well with the enchanting little headdress PM wears. (Here endeth the totally shallow comments!)
Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942 in Teaneck, New Jersey) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's youngest principal. She danced with the company for 30 years, including roles created for her by choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. She is celebrated her 81st birthday on August 23, 2023.
PS - The 1964 original tempo was quicker, I believe. This version with Baryshnikov has been slowed down somewhat. Also, this tiny TV stage does it no favor compared to the much bigger NYState Theater stage, which McBride and Villella covered in record time...same choreography, minor differences in the male variations.
Chandelier -> The reason it looks alarming is that there is an optical illusion - they are so much bigger than your brain initially assumes they would be - along with the poor image quality it perspective is lost, and it becomes difficult to judge the depth/height or the chandelier compared to the dancer. The dancers were very far from the chandeliers!
Why is the guy sitting directly behind Jimmy Carter not applauding? Who is he -- the Russian ambassador? Secret Service? a disgruntiled critic? Inquiring minds want to know.
Misha is great but Eddie Villella was GREATER in this, always danced with Patricia McBride, both from NYCBallet. I saw them do it for years at the NYState Theater, Lincoln Center, Manhattan.
