Home » A classic: Kirkland and Barishnikov in Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations”

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A classic: Kirkland and Barishnikov in Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations” — 3 Comments

  1. Beautiful. I’ve not seen a lot of ballet so I’ll have to take your word that these two are especially good. One impression I get, which I also see in top level athletes, is that their performances appear effortless. I know that is not true but they are so good that it looks that way.

    The other thing that jumps out at me is that a fair amount of Barishnikov’s movements are in support of Kirkland’s dancing, particularly in the first clip. Is this accurate?

  2. Neo i connect your observation about their clean precise line to your earlier discussions about hyperflexible dancers. Looking at the first clip i could imagine that a lot of the poses kirkland passes through would become floppier and harder to read if taken to modern extremes of hyperextension. And yes precision in all those ‘walkabouts’ – it’s like she/they are standing still in the exact center of a turntable. Every time.

  3. Gorgeous. So graceful and precise. Also my kid and I observed in unison that they don’t have that “I’m performing’ look that so many more modern dancers put on – or give off. Normally I – or we – look at dance clips briefly and then move on. These we couldn’t tear ourselves away from. Thank you for posting them.

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