Comments on: Partisans of the Moiseyev

By: Big Maq

Big Maq — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:25:48 +0000

It was impressive.

A big part of the effect is that the dancer doesn’t show any facial sign that they are working hard – their mouth closed and they don’t look like they are breathing much.

That alone is an extremely difficult feat to do on a sustained basis.

By: neo-neocon

neo-neocon — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 15:54:27 +0000

Very fast small steps done so smoothly that the upper body is not disturbed by the movement and appears motionless. I believe that the steps are done with slightly bent knees rather than straight knees. I’ve never seen anyone demonstrate it, but my brother and I used to practice it in our basement when we were kids, after we saw the Moiseyev for the first time.

By: Dance Bully

Dance Bully — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 15:35:05 +0000

‘That “swively glidning thing” was pretty amazing. Maybe Neo can shed some light as to what is involved…’.

My theory is that they’re Shriners and they have little scooters under their robes.

By: mezzrow

mezzrow — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 14:47:09 +0000

Stunning. What artists. What athletes. The gliding is magical and hypnotic.

I sent you something, Neo. I didn’t know how timely it would be until I saw this.

Check your mailbox.

By: Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:30:40 +0000

I’m as good at metaphor as the next guy. But enough is enough. Six of those knee-destroying, thigh-wrecking squat jumps tells the tale. Twenty-thirty of them is too much. My legs started hurting.
And the backward squat jumps while firing….waiting for somebody to fall on his butt.
Okay. They take risks. And conquer them. Butt-falling is fixed in rehearsal and those with orthopedic injuries no doubt have an entire hospital wing reserved for them.
“If some is good, more is surely better….” has an upper limit.
I suspect, as neo suggests, that having a dog in the fight, metaphorically speaking, as a Russian emigre for example, would light this thing up like the sun.
But as a performance….think I’ll do some stretches.

By: OM

OM — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 03:31:54 +0000

Esther:

That “swively glidning thing” was pretty amazing. Maybe Neo can shed some light as to what is involved (dumbed down if possible for non dancers)?

By: Esther

Esther — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 03:06:19 +0000

The swively gliding thing sucked me in and I watched the whole performance at the edge of my seat. That was really good.

By: bobby b

bobby b — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 23:01:55 +0000

It’s rare to see them with such high techie production values. Can you recommend any other vids of them that look as good? Most of those I’ve seen have been fairly rough productions. This one is just . . . nicely done.

By: groundhog

groundhog — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 20:02:40 +0000

I usually don’t like many filmed stage productions. That was done very nicely though.

(by filmed I mean filming the stage, not the wholesale transfer to the movie genre.)

By: neo-neocon

neo-neocon — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 16:08:31 +0000

snopercod:

Very Russian, with a bit of Georgian thrown in.

It celebrates the partisans in WWII, which is really the only “Soviet” thing about it, but there’s nothing “Soviet” there as opposed to “Russian,” as far as I can see.

The gliding trick, the Russian music, the virtuoso dancing and strong emotion—none of that is “Soviet” in my book. The Soviets certainly used and exploited those things, but the things themselves are not “Soviet” in spirit, and they have survived the Soviets.