Those fouettés
You might say that the turns in ballet known as fouettés are a sort of parlor trick. They’re neither beautiful nor interesting – at least, not to me – and are mostly a physical feat that requires great skill. In … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Dance
RIP dancer Judith Jamison
Statuesque Alvin Ailey dancer Judith Jamison has died at the age of 81. She was a towering figure in the dance world – pun intended, because she was very tall – and there are plenty of tributes. This is mine. … Continue reading →
Being a living doll
I saw this the other day. It’s quite well done, particular by the male dancer: It’s actually an old trick that appears in many ballets, as well. For example, Coppelia (here she’s pretending to be a doll to fool the … Continue reading →
Serenade: how to film ballet
Or how not to film ballet. I admit it’s a very difficult task. Film flattens a three-dimensional highly spatial art into two dimensions of flatness. Dance’s impact can only really be made in space, which allows for perspective and weight. … Continue reading →
Pas de Quatre
“Pas de Quatre” is one of the oldest ballets about which we have any knowledge. It’s from the Romantic era, when female ballet dancers first went up on pointe although in softer shoes than we have today. The aesthetic for … Continue reading →
RIP Michaela DePrince
I was shocked and saddened to read yesterday of the extremely untimely death of ballet dancer Michaela DePrince. To compound the sorrow, her mother died a day later. It’s an incredible tragedy for the family and for Michaela’s sister Mia … Continue reading →
Giselle’s spinning spirit
A famous moment in the ballet Giselle occurs towards the beginning of Act II. In the first act of the ballet, Giselle – a peasant girl – has fallen in love with Albrecht, a nobleman who is disguised as a … Continue reading →
Les Sylphides, Margot Fonteyn, and me
The other day I was watching a video about Margot Fonteyn, the most famous British ballet dancer of the mid-twentieth century. The video featured a few seconds of her dancing in Fokine’s Les Sylphides. It was a role I immediately … Continue reading →
The world’s tallest ballet dancer
Here he is, Fabrice Calmels, at over 6 feet 6 inches tall: Here’s a short article about him. He’s a fairly good dancer, too, although his feet are a bit scrunched in the toes rather than in the arch. A … Continue reading →
The majestic Gillian Murphy as the Swan Queen Odette
Gillian Murphy has been with American Ballet Theater for about 25 years. She’s getting close to retirement age (she’s 45), but this video was made at least fourteen years ago. Murphy is exceptionally strong and she is also tall for … Continue reading →
A closeup of Vasiliev and Osipova
The male ballet dancer’s name in this video is Vasiliev, but I don’t think he’s any relation to the other Vasiliev: Vladimir, whom I highlighted last month. This Vasiliev is Ivan, a much more recent dancer. I believe this performance … Continue reading →
The ballet Raymonda: a sampler
If you’re not a ballet lover, you may never have heard of the ballet Raymonda. I’ve seen it quite a few times, and although it’s not my favorite it’s still enjoyable, and I very much like the Glazunov music. I … Continue reading →