I was a gymnast, s trampolinist, gymnastics coach and competitive martial artist in the 70’s and 80’s and that is when I discovered Baryshnikov. I saw him jump and then spent money I didn’t have traveling to NYC to see him perform in everything I possibly could for years. I am still in awe of his talent and technique so many years later. He may be the greatest athlete I have had to pleasure to see perform in person-and Ive seen the very best gymnasts and martial artists in the world up close for decades. Nobody comes close with the possible exception of Bruce Lee, who was also decades ahead of his time in terms of talent and technique. Both were artists and performers I have idolized for my entire life. But I have to tip my hat to Misha for being at the very top. He was just incomparable and occupied a plane all his own and always will.
He set the bar(barre) so high for the modern male ballet dancers and guys are finally starting to do the things only he could do. I see him as the father of the modern or current ballet dancers. His technique is the blueprint for some many dancers and it still holds true today. He’s my ALL time favorite ballet dancer.
Never taken a single dance class, never had a graceful bone in my body. But even as a young girl I knew Baryshnikov was something special. Decades later I still think none will ever compare!
He set the bar extremely high, and it stayed there for decades. He is the father of the modern ballet technique. Guys are finally doing the turns and jumps that only he was doing. Now there is one in almost every company that can jump and turn at his level. Don’t get me wrong…he will always be my favorite because of what he did for and to ballet. When I saw White Nights and those turns he did, blew me away and what I really like, is that he’s more than just his technique, he’s a superb actor too. He’s the whole package.
Every part of his body is synchronized to perform these powerful movements. Notice the full extension of the legs leading into a jump. Every part of his body is being maximized in extension from limbs through the torso and neck to generate the kind of power he does. Incredible!
The quotation at the end is correct - even doing 'nothing' on stage it was impossible to take your eyes off him. I was lucky enough to see him dance in the 80's. In 2017 I say him live again, nearly 70, in a show reciting poetry in Russian (in which I am not fluent) - no athletic jumps any more but he was still utterly compelling. In his heyday, his technique and artistry were unsurpassed.
Several years ago, I saw Baryshnikov perform in San Francisco. I was sitting in the audience reading my program, when I heard the audience gasp. I looked up just in time to see him flying out of the wings, in a mighty leap to the center of the stage.
Just came on here to say I don't think when it comes to male ballet dancers that anyone's going to come too close to the perfection and precision so outstanding in Mikhail Barishnikov!!!!!! He gets the gold Olympic medal for ballet.
I'm a retired classical musician who has actually played ballet music in the orchestra pit I've played cello and 2nd violin for many ballets. Everyone forgets the importance of the music, and it's great to watch them up on the stage above, when you can easily remember your line and don't even need to look at the music any more!!
I have NO clue about all the "positions" even though I was in ballet as a little girl...just WATCHING Mikhail! He is perfection!!! So beautiful in his movements....absolutely TIMELESS!!!
3 года назад
I am grateful for the opportunity of watching breathtaking parts some of the extraordinary production of a unique ballet dancer of the twentieth-century ballet. Thank you, Mr Becker, thank you RU-vid!
First of all, thank you for creating this clip! I appreciate the great detail that has gone into analyzing each step. Second - Missha will always be the greatest dancer in my heart. Before I saw him I had no particular interest in ballet. Pink tutus and satin shoes were never my thing. Until our elementary school teacher took us to a lecture about music and dance. They screened two movie clips from "The White Nights" - the opening scene and the 10 pirouettes. I remember like it was yesterday, coming home and telling mom "I saw the best ballet dancer in the world today!" She replied that she also knows a great dancer, named Mikhail Baryshnikov. I was quick to say back "No, the guy I saw was much better than anyone else". Of course, ten minutes later I had sat down by computer and found out it was in fact the very same person. From that day on I knew that I would dance! And I do.
Never thought much of ballet as a kid or most classical things for that matter. Mom taught me to appreciate different music like Mozart practicing it on a guitar and piano when other kids were blasting metal. Taught me to appreciate the beauty strength and athleticism in dance while Jordan was dunking. Mom had me sit and watch him dance. Showing me how to appreciate this art. So much that goes into it. I actually owe mom a lot for what she taught me. Finer arts like this. Now dont get it twisted I wouldnt exactly buy tickets to a ballet but I can appreciate its beauty and difficultly. This man was simply amazing. I'm glad to say in my lifetime I was able to see him on tv growing up.
This is one of the best instructional videos I've ever seen. I danced for The Joffrey and now teach. This will be invaluable for the slo-mo work and the various pauses. Wonderful work, thank you.
"He could stand on stage and do Nothing, and you couldn't take your eyes off him." Stage presence. And hopefully he continues to do performances of some kind so I get a chance to see him...
I love Vasiliev and Osipova as a partnership. They went well together. Vasilev has the character down Pat. I’ve seen man good ballet dancers but they don’t have the manliness of the role. Spoils it. Though Vasiliev is great and I’m a huge fan, there’s just something about Barishnikov that is so superb, he’s perfection. Far better than Nureyev . My opinion only 👵🇦🇺
Just amazing! I wished I could have seen him perform a ballet live, but I did get to see him perform with The White Oak Dance Company. Still amazing!!!! The best.
In at least one, the last double tour, by preparing with a jump first, he lands with his legs and feet already turned 1/4 of the way, thus giving him an easier start. Clever. In Vladimir Dokoudovsky's studio, I watched a pirouette contest between Laurie Ichino and Venti. They went up to 27 pirouettes, at which point Venti fell out and Laurie could have gone on to at least 32.
My point is that dancers trained in Old Russian classical ballet, ala Preobrajenska, Riabouchinska, Dokoudovsky, etc., had no trouble doing many pirouettes because they have an utterly straight axis to turn on, and only use their arms and head to make the turns happen; whereas, more contemporary-trained dancers are not over their toes, and thereby have to use great force of the body to turn, and the difference can be seen in how less balanced they are, and how they do not finish neatly. There is video of Markova correcting a dancer, to get her over her toes, but she likely did not listen. It was a huge failure of dance teachers to embrace the Balanchine-influenced contemporary style that is not over the toes, that has exaggerated turnout, and does not use the body naturally. Baryshnikov had star quality, but was not a greater dancer than Nureyev or others.
double jeté entrelacé", is not a Russian word, it French as most of the ballet terms (entrelacé means crossed or twisted) 😜 I love the double tour in Don Quichotte, Spanish style, with the two legs parallel and slightly bent ! beautiful and stylish He always delivers the most of each movement and he ads his expression, there are certain ballets, like Other dances (Jerome Robbins) that I cannot see with another dancer than him !
14:07 Big ups to Lazer pointer guy, on the ball, really contributing to the enjoyment of everyone else in the crowd. Bet it took them thousands of hours of practice to display such talent in front of an audience. I'm impressed! Plus that guy did a dancing thing...
Pretty established in sport science that there is only one way to get great at jumping, & that's by jumping. Other types of exercise, weight lifting, etc. just don't translate. You can see from this how much time he spent perfecting those jumps. By jumping.
I happen to think that the solo and coda recorded forever more for posterity in 1977’s “The Turning Point” show Baryshnikov’s very best work in Don Quixote. How does he make himself appear to physically grow in stature in that sous-sus that punctuates the end of every double saut de basque, like in 14:23?! His body just seems to stretch, and stretch and stretch. Makarova too had this mysterious quality of stretching her body into infinity. Just seven years later in the 1984 Don Quixote, I believe Baryshnikov was well past his prime at age 36. Gone is the pliancy, the amplitude, the sheer plushness of youth that was the trademark of his dancing just a few years before. Ballet is a short, physically demanding and body-destroying career. The comparison in movement quality between these two Don Quixotes from 1977 and 1984 show it.
Now we have Ivan Vasiliev, doing those “impossible” leaps, and taking them to a new level of difficulty. Before Baryshnikov, there was Yuri Soloviev raising the bar.
There is no demonstrable "how" for the average dancer. I recall the comment of a well-known, highly skilled ballet dancer (whose name eludes me at the moment) that even though Baryshnikov showed him how to do some of those "impossible" leaps, it didn't help any, because he simply couldn't do them.
His greatness was from his teacher Alexander Pushkin! The teacher is gone and so is his secrets Baryshnikov could not even train what he knew how to do because he was not the teacher he does not understand the method in which his teacher used he just did what he was told exactly. Learning and teaching are 2 different things. After you have mastered the art then you have to learn how to teach and some if not most cannot impart the knowledge even if they where good they don't have the gift to teach.
Quite the contrary. He is known for being a great instructor himself. In fact, when Pushkin suddenly died of a heart attack, Baryshnikov took over his last Vaganova class and all of Pushkin’s last students passed their final exam.
He knew where his body was at all times. He had practiced it enough so that the movements were a part of his everyday movements. He was blessed with the ability to concentrate and focus! This is where the talent lies. Ballet is an unnatural expression of the human body. You are learning to move your muscles in ways that are not natural. It takes repetition for the body to accept and remember each step that creates the movement. It’s like the game of golf, and the way you hold the iron and swing! All unnatural. But ballet has hundreds of those moves. Even the fifth position is completely awkward and forces the dancer to teach the body to accept it as natural movement, but it’s not. Even when you see a ballerina walking on the street, she walks awkward, her hips are open and strangely stiff above the waist. While a model flows, gently, erect but with a swing to her stride. Just saying. I love ballet. Even if it’s awkward. I love dance in general.
Yes, I always argue with my Dad that he could do ANYTHING a NFL player could do, but NO NFL player could EVER do what he does!! The tights throw him off as well, he doesn't like that or believe it at all.
Face it, men dandies in the 19th century went to the ballet to ogle the ballerinas tiny tutu-d crotches. The girls were there to become their mistresses.
Toxic masculinity is such a narrow and suffocating box for a man to live in. Thank goodness, there are men brave enough to refuse to let such simpletons define them.
Барышников очень низкий, поэтому легкий и скачет высоко. Но это не придает танцу никакой емоции. Мужественности и мощи нет у него. Прыгает как зайка. Техника не компенсирует нехватку артистизма.
