Baryshnikov 'Coppelia' Solo

[drstew1]

He fly's, when he jumps he's suspended for mo in time

[nickwallacesmith]

hi drstew1 - yes, he seems to momentarily defy the laws of gravity

[queenoftheuniverse]

@nickwallacesmith All that and cheekbones!

[Feliandyx16]

Me podrían explicar porque decían que rompía las leyes de la física ???

[nickwallacesmith]

@Feliandyx16

sólo para sorprender y emocionar a nosotros! grandes no es cierto?

just to amaze and thrill us! great isn't it?

[Feliandyx16]

@nickwallacesmith claro, para ti es el mejor??'

[nickwallacesmith]

@Feliandyx16

Estoy probablemente no ser claro, lo siento. cuando dicen que romper las leyes de la física, creo que quieren decir lo que él hace es increíble y parece estar en contra de lo que las leyes de la física lo permitan. mejor

i'm probably not being clear, sorry. when they say breaking the laws of physics i think they mean what he does is unbelievable and seems to be against what the laws of physics allow. cheers

[Feliandyx16]

@nickwallacesmith mmm pues si pero yo creo que demostró ser el mejor :-]

[Dwightinho56]

Love, love, love the man. Always will. He is magical Even today.

[nickwallacesmith]

@Dwightinho56 - yep, the eternal Mr Magic, cheers

[Mragdoll]

welle, he's not a man, he's a bird

[nickwallacesmith]

@Mragdoll - yes, his feet rarely touch the ground

[Bnesque]

We, Kirov lovers sometimes see this variation in Paquita. But I've never seen it excecuted this clean and precise!

[queenoftheuniverse]

@Bnesque I've played Coppelia, and this music is not part of the score. Delibes is sublime and this is not. But Mischa could dance to the Sex Pistols for all I care ;)

[Bnesque]

@queenoftheuniverse Paquita Grand Pas part is said to be composed by Ludwig Minkus. And some female variations are also used in Don Quixote. So I believe this was composed by Minks.And imagining Misha dancing "Anarchy in the U.K." is quite a fun:D

[xweryt]

What Baryshnikov demonstrates, and has in common with the greatest dancers, is that you can watch him and forget technique. The lower limbs are made of steel - they are the motor; the torso, arms, neck, head are all fluid grace and that's what you watch - technique subsumed to artistry.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi xweryt - absolutely - and add to this a real joy in dancing and expressive movement - not just technique here



[pasulashunka]

Speachless, More precision and more athletic than anything on Olympics. Who needs LSD when they can watch this. Even this small clip will keep me UP all day.



[nickwallacesmith]

hi pasulashunka - LOL about LSD, yes indeed! perfection indeed and endlessly watchable,for me at least.

[mayaboldyrlol]

@pasulashunka I completely agree... =)

[floatingdon]

He's completely assured in everything he does. If you haven't already seen The Turning Point, from 1977, get hold of a copy.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi floatingdon - absolutely - some manage technically difficult things but without the security of baryishnikov - it means you can watch without getting anxious. i have The Turning Point and must have seen it an embarrassingly large number of times! might do so again tonight! cheers

[suzannesadiiqa]

Flawless and peerless........

[nickwallacesmith]

hi suzannesadiiqa - the exact words!

[suzannesadiiqa]

@nickwallacesmith Hi again, have you ever watched the three dance sequences from 'Le Roi Dance'? it is the story of the birth of ballet in the court of The Sun King, music by Lully and well danced by the french actor Benoit Magimel, It's mesmerizing...

[pointemeout]

ugh...if only i could...lol

[nickwallacesmith]

hi pointemeout - me too!

[VIOLETERA23]

He is just  INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!

[nickwallacesmith]

@VIOLETERA23 - yes, it's the exquisite precision and control as much as raw technique.

[JadeGreenKitty]

can you imagine him on ice??????? sigh

[nickwallacesmith]

hi JadeGreenKitty - he's tried lots different contexts - broadway, acting ... .

[builder2000]

Baryshnikov's dancing is simply humanly impossible to top.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi builder2000 - absolutely!

[pheonixbay]

@builder2000 Agree 100%!

[TheBubblyBallerina]

i thought only cartoon characters could do that. like in barbie n stuff

[nickwallacesmith]

@TheBubblyBallerina - micha was/is amazing 

[zessi80]

He is not from this world. 

[nickwallacesmith]

@zessi80 - absolutely - and i feel lucky to have seen him in his prime

[Nf9456]

jesus christ. that is insaneeee. so many great things! the feet, the turns, the height ahhhh just so good. I love it.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Nf9456 - yep, must have made other dancers disrepair!

[Pearlaceous]

Just ... blimey!  :-)

[nickwallacesmith]

@Pearlaceous - the very thing!

[Pearlaceous]

@nickwallacesmith Exactly! Although I still think Soloviev has him beaten and also, I think, Batalov in his prime was very close technically, though sadly underappreciated.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Pearlaceous - curiously someone mentioend Batalov a couple of days ago in the context of being less appreciated than he should've been! and of course soloviev is god!

[triangle2U]

Thank you for posting this. Incredible!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi triangle2U - glad you liked the post - used to see him in london as a kid late 70s/early eighties - treasured memories!

[MomijiYuri]

It is unreal how high this man can jump. It's like he's flying.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi MomijiYuri - i keep looking for the wires that must be attached to the ceiling!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi beatlesandbroadway21 - yes, the more i look at this clip the more i wonder at his sheer technique - and put to such good artistic service

[Maryhc67]

It is amazing how high he jumps and how beautiful he looks while performing those jumps.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Maryhc67 - the jumps are beautiful - he seems to soar into the air

[nickwallacesmith]

hi jkircher314

exactly - could not have put it better! he was a joy to watch

it's also the exquisite precision ... and and and !!!

have you seen 'baryishnikov at work'? it's a great book - full of images of this great dancer in all the roles he's done - but it also has masses of commentary by baryshnikov on approaching a role, the nature of certain works, his training with pushkin - a great reference to have

[nickwallacesmith]

yes, and just right for the role of franz

and love the 'snap' finish of the porte de bras at the end of the last arabesque - again just right to express that character

[jkircher314]

Agree with everything you say, and add that he radiated sassy warmth, good humor and intelligence.