Anna Bessonova (UKR) Swan Lake Gala 2005

[DIRO1971]

Yulia Barsukova's presentation of Swan Lake is much nicer !!!

[slorfhaven]

Was I the only one thinking that maybe the audience should hold off on the applause until she is finished. Good God, people just save it til the end. Ruins it for people like me who think she is going to be distracted and trip over her ring.

[RussianBalletFan22]

ballet is ballet gymanstics is gymnastics :/

this looks weird...

[ParanoidAndroidDA]

For everyone moaning about it being a mockery of ballet Cheng Fei used variations from Don Quixote as her floor music for 2004, it's not the first time ballet music's been used for gymnastics. The Trocadero use the music for a parody (a very well done parody but still) so music's not always been used for what the original composer intended.

[pennymanos]

let's just not stay in words!!!! it is an admirable amazing performance that shows the heart of anna bessonova

[TheBlubberlayla]

oh yesterday i found a video with 3 ballerinas doing ballet, looks horrible because rg is rg and they are ballerinas and ballet is ballet and this is anna besonova, no professional ballet dancer, "just" a gymnast.

so all people who dont know anithing about this sport, shut up and dont look anna bessonovas beautiful variation in RG!

[TheBlubberlayla]

why you are all discussing about ballet and rg... no one said she is doing ballet, so you can not say : "she is doing it wrong" ...because she is not doing ballet.

and you can not compare these sports , i do both, its both hard and you need totally diffrent skills!

[jenevlooper]

ballet is the basis of RG, and the two aren't all that different. Let''s just enjoy the beauty of Anna's performance instead, OK????

[Annaphroditebessonov]

reminds me Vera Sessina's gala she often uses ballet .. sorry my poor english

and Yulia Barsukova Miss Bolshoi Theater

[AnaisLonkeuOfficial]

Just beautiful !!

[typhonia]

perfect

[RhythmicsIsMyLife]

take it very seriously !!... is only a gala!. a G - A - L - A!

Bessonova said nobody was going to become a dancer. Just chose music that characterizes the ballet and so this is how I interpret it, but since it is ballet, only rhythmic gymnastics with a focus on ballet ... They can not just sit and admire how good Bessonova to play music like no other gymnast?

[typhonia]

wonderful exemple of lake swan made in RG

[thedarkglobe]

Gorgeous! Thank you!

[NeskaZaharrak]

i hate when gymnastics make a coreo with the music of a ballet!! They do not realize that ballet is all fluidity and lightness, and the rhythmic gymnastics is just the opposite, very abrupt and awkward. Her clothes ar very horrible, and she makes me feel sick with this coreographyyy!!!!

[taylorswift091196]

@NeskaZaharrak you do realise that many rhythmic gymnasts are required to learn ballet as well? My school team and national team has their gymnasts take weekly lessons because rhythmic gymnastics is very like ballet in some aspects. It's true though that ballet has more fluidity while that is not emphasized so much in gym.

[megalbita]

es tan elegante...preciosa

[gymnastic94]

very easy coreo!

[DIDICOYFUL]

wow people way to be un appreciative .... each sport is respectfully hard. and unless you are amazing at both of them you have no right to say which is easier or harder. Please just enjoy her talent and be quiet :)

[crunch513]

the real ballet is better but this is really nice. can't imagine she liked the dress much though. must've gotten in her way a lot.

[Stagringleap]

the swan queen :DD

[stinebroenn]

i serius loving this! its amazing! <3

[tnyax]

amazingg

[tedsler]

What is the problem? She performs at a RG Gala and has picked Swan Lake music, and? She doesn't claim to be a dancer does she? Can't we just sit back, enjoy and see the beauty in her performance? Seriously, there is so much trouble in the world, why put angry comments about a 'Gala' which is an exhibition, you can do whatever you like to do. Artistic freedom people. I think she is beautiful, even if she is not technically perfect from ballet POV. Thanks for posting this video!

[michelly998]

a beautiful performance

[LITTLEtallie]

AWESOME!!!!!!

[Siolove]

its anoying how you cant see her legs tho

[arisperfect]

elegant&elastic(:

[Liessha]

Swan Lake is amazing rhythmic gymnastics version

should edit a video with a suitable setting for this with Bessonova

[princessiero2]

She's so elegant <3

[eolandeanachronism]

I do bellydance and I once saw her in a suit that looks so oriental and some part of her routine was with some orientalish arabesque... IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! so people... why took something about a dance, being bellydance or ballet or tango or whatever has to be so attacked if it is performed really sublime???? i'm pretty sure was bessonova, if i'm wrong please tell me

[sergioooh]

Hm... I think that was Kabaeva's gala in 2006 and 2007.

[flexxigirl]

if you want to be a good gymnast do ballet=)thats is it why it looks so beautiful...

she dont wanna be a ballerina so guys please come down...

[IsaRG4ever]

She is so beautiful, in this routine more than she is!

[happilynn]

OMG!! She's so amazing!!

[AietiKid]

you know what! I think better then any prim aballerinas and she do everything right! and I think everyone is jelous, undrestans stupit pepole and ballerinas? ha? and never sey thet agein! thet shi is bad! :@ :@ :@

[dancerlaurac]

No she is an amazing gynmast probably one of the best ever! but she is not a ballarina and she will never be, not nearly as good as profesional ballarinas, she is not even on point, she barely even does pirouettes...... so no big deal

[jeyre987]

in some of her exercises she does pirouettes and she turns so many times! she's perfect. and so elegant! and yes, of course, she's not a dancer. she's MORE than that. she does what dancers AND gymnasts do.

[dancerlaurac]

Uhmm come down.... she is okay........ and she only did a triple turn so no big deal...........she ins't perfect either she is good really good in fact... but chill..........

[marakisweety]

i agree...she is amazing in rythmic gymnastic but not as ballarina...

[dragonsgymnast]

good but not as nice as normal

[lopescao]

itS the worst presentation from her

[RGribbonqueen]

Agreed. Well said.

[jelpidios]

She is Perfeect ♥'

[nikbenj]

yea !! RG is RG . and BALLET is BALLET !! duh ?

[chauheikiu]

she is so skinny

[sum13bri4]

dude calm down its just a display

no one is trying to mock ballet..

[tavicurasao]

Amazing! Anya is perfect!

[juhS2ballerina]

rg is rg, ballet is ballet

com ctezaa.

mas arrazou, como sempre!!!!

[prn4ustat]

so lovely, kind of which she wore a tutu instead of the romantic skirt.

[luciagarof]

è fantasticaaa!è una meravigliaa!

[rach02HUN]

She is fantastic!!

I like this music very much, you can tell his title?

[Sharosich45]

this is an 'a........' of ballet. it makes a mockery of what is art and tries to turn it into a series of physical tricks - and fails utterly in the process...

[FaerieDevilish]

This comment has little or no credibility in claiming this is an attempt to emulate art, to begin with, to consequently mock it if no source where this alleged 'artistic intent' is expressed is cited.

[kelly901488]

what the hell calm down fool!!

[whiskers]

i sort of see what you mean, but my idea on this is different. im so used to the ballet version and this is so different for me, and as a ballet dancer i do kinda think of this all as tricks, but its lovely, so what ever.

[thedarkglobe]

@Sharosich45 Shut up please!

[NeskaZaharrak]

@thedarkglobe shut up youuuuuuuuu!!!

i`m right, and i`m not mistaken!!

and why do you think i have no reason???

[plantdjinni]

@Sharosich45

Jeez, thanks. We rhythmic gymnasts really appreciate that.

[AdoptorFostercare]

lovely,lovely.

[em0tastix]

this must have been one of her easiest costumes to make. haha.

there just isn't any comparison...

why don't any standard ballroom dancers say anything about her using tango songs for her floor routines?

rg is rg, ballet is ballet. ballet has over 400years of history... it's all different and i think it's nice and flattering how she used swan lake music for her routine, which was good so she didn't let it down either

just support both sides people =))

[nataraja87]

I agree! it was beautiful but they are definitely two different things

[tchachinafan]

she is perfect!!!1

[kdub10009]

I was an elite rhythmic gymnast and later became a professional ballet dancer and i can say that my rhythmic training helped me immensely, but i must also say that ballet is just much much more difficult overall.

[Nanomicronz]

I also think that it is impossible to compare RG to ballet. They both require elegance and flexibility, but that's where the similarities stop. The training required for the two are very different, and you can see that from ballet dancers requiring more muscles to pull it off. And Anna here is just using the music and not adapting the choreography, so any comparisons are impossible. And thank you to the original poster for posting this and being the voice of reason in this comment battle!

[ninawpereira]

I don't like this music or coreography with hula-hoops :|

Much better if the girl does the things with her arms to look like a swan...

[Twirl247]

do you even no wat ur talking about NO u dont its not hula hoop 4 1 thing and for another thing shes much better than youll ever b

[funnybunny303]

Oh and I'm not saying ballet is easy or anything because its not at all but transfering is much more difficult for a Ballerina. For Gymnasts it is also difficult because they have to learn new habbits like how to stand properly or hold their hands correctly. But they do not have to learn how to be flexible because of RG.

[FaerieDevilish]

Ballet is not about flexibility.

Ballerinas couldn't handle apparatus or do half of the flexibility elements, but could gymnasts learn to do all ballet moves with artistic content on pointes? Could they suddenly have jumps with perfect lines without making the smallest sound when landing?

Can't we just admit the disciplines are too different and that there's no real point of comparison because there's no elite gymnast that became a pro ballerina, or a pro ballerina that became an elite gymn?

[dnycp]

i agree with you sooooo much!! how could anyone compare the two!!?

[funnybunny303]

I honestly think that it is much easier to become a ballerina then a gymnast. I've been taking ballet classes for 10 years and when I enrolled in RG I thought it would be much easier to become a gymnast since I had expierence but its actually the oppisite. It might take a gymnast time to learn the art of ballet but a ballerina as flexible as they can be not all of them can learn to do things a gymnast can do. It takes years to become that flexible.

[FaerieDevilish]

Well - one thing is to take ballet or gym class like all girls for 10 years, and a totally different is to train everyday for about 10 hours to become an elite gymnast or a professional ballerina.

Of course if you compare a non-professional ballerina with Anna Bessonova, the transition will be really difficult. But it will be the same if you compare a gymnast who doesn't train 10 hours a day with Svetlana Zakharova.

There's no point of comparison, simply.

[stillalive873]

I don't know, I liked it overall. Sure, she's a gymnast and not a ballet dancer and it would take her years to become one, yet I think it was a veeeery good performance for a rhytmic gymnast. The music, the costume, the choreography, Anna - fit perfectly together in my opinion.

[francesana]

i agree, this is a sport, not a dance. And the music is just a musica...if it were the titanic music you wouldn´t care, would you? so why they can use a movie music and not a ballet one?...use your brain, you got one, anyway.

[ladycasty]

this is just p3rfect !!

[amusicaluniverse]

great interpretation!

[pety95]

is just incredible her flexibility

[Sadppads]

Q arte!!

[gsfan99]

that is crazy awesome!! how many *years* of practice would that take???

[ingridbistaco]

Sorry, 'this is why'..

[ingridbistaco]

Beautiful, Anna Bessonova is a great gymnast and this choreography is completely different than ballet!!!! The theme is the same but every one knows that in gymnastics can be use any theme/music.. And to be a big gymnastic first the gymnast has to be a great ballet dancer. This is way they practice ballet so much before training....

Hugs!

[FaerieDevilish]

I don't think that comparing gymnasts to ballet dancers is fair. I don't really think that any of the gymnasts could do a ballet performance.

[ingridbistaco]

I think you don't know anything about training gymnastics. Is more easier a gymnast dance ballet than a ballerina dance gymnastics. Hugs

[FaerieDevilish]

With all due respect, I think you are underestimating ballet. It is pointless to compare them when ballet is art and gymnastics is a sport, to begin with, and it is also childish to believe anyone with only sports training has the ability to perform fully.

[freebabydolldancer]

I do ballet and i used to be a judge at some gymnastic competitions. Honestly,even if gymanatics let u have a great technique, a gymnast won't be able to do ballet without training. ballet is mainly about performing and it lasts a lot longer than a competition program and during the whole performance u have to show very different emotions just like an actor.

[lashenova]

I doubt very much that you realise how much ballet training Anna has had. Did you judge artistic or rythmic? There is a big difference.

[freebabydolldancer]

i judged both at a nationnal competition in france in 2007 ( not the best level of course)and i know that ballet is a part of their training. But it's adapted to gymnastycs and that's what makes me sad. Ballet values are lost in gymnastics.

[freebabydolldancer]

oh and ur gonna hate me for that but i think that gymnasts shouldn't take musics from ballet to do their program. i love bessonova ( i'm ukrainian so u can take it seriously) but to me she doesn't show odette' feelings and pain through her performance no matter what she does.

[FaerieDevilish]

I won't hate you for that ;)

I agree dance is not the same as rhythmic gymnastics, but you're saying that gymnasts shouldn't use ballet music. Do you agree, then, that ballerinas should use only classic music designed especially for ballet and therefore contemporary ballet without specialised music shouldn't exist?

[freebabydolldancer]

to me ballet and modern ballet are two different things even if they're linked. this means they have their specific music just like hip hop or jazz have their own. but have u ever seen some hip hop moves on ballet music? i don't think so. That's the same about gymnastics. They sould have their own music that would be better for their sport.

[FaerieDevilish]

Well, nobody composes music for rhythmics, and ballet definitely does not stick only to Tchaikovsky..

It is sad that you probably came across this video looking for ballet music used by ballerinas, but it is not Anna's fault that you cannot visualise something outside the Swan Lake choreography being performed to this.

I hope one day you will grow to appreciate the work of RGs, just as some of us (RG fans) appreciate the work of dancers. But, if you don't, you're ultimately the one missing it ;)

[Sanchara]

I think gymnasts are perfectly capable of expressing emotion through their routeins. I think she usues her music quite well^^

[lashenova]

Ballet music is not holy. They can use it, and she has better ballet technique than many professional ballerinas. I have watched her take class, she is amazing.

[LifeResort]

err? she has better ballet technique than many pro ballerinas? I doubt so. I have watched her video doing ballet moves for her gym warm up. She did not do a proper ballet. Her TURN OUT is not there. She did not graze the floor as much as a pro ballerina do when she did tendu. And she did not watch her arms and neck and many other ballet elements. It is okay for her of course, coz she is a gymnast, but it is obvious that she does not do a proper ballet training for ballerinas

[yonjooheero]

As a dancer myself, I think there is an advantage if you come from a rhythmic gymnastic background... however, ballet isn't that simple either. Even if someone with Bessonova's skill tries ballet, it will take years to perfect.

You're just at an advantage compared to other newbies, that's all.

[dnciz4evr]

I agree I dance as well, though i've never done rhythmic. Ballet is very complex with many different placements and positions. It takes years and tons of hardwork to become an amazing ballerina.

[lashenova]

You guys, she takes ballet class DAILY.

[FaerieDevilish]

Yes, but she is a -gymnast-.

There's nothing wrong with being a -gymnast-. I love -gymnastics-.

But saying she can be a ballerina because of her ballet training for -gymnastics- is pointless. Just as saying ballerinas who do flexi and apparatus training everyday can be gymnasts.

Get your facts straight. Seriously.

[lashenova]

Get your attitude checked. I never said she would join the kirov. However, I think a smaller company would be more than happy to work with her, based on what I have seen (first hand)

[broadwaybabe99]

i wish my legs could do that.

[GWWII]

That's like...not human lol she's indescribable.

[iBaByEnGeLcHeNi]

wow thats soooooo great <3

[0kahlen0]

woa! her skirt.. RG gala.. is that suppose to be rhythmic gymnastic or ballet?

[FaerieDevilish]

Rhythmic gymnastics, of course.

[idiotte]

yeah i think gymnastics makes odette look slightly ridiculous. but anna bessanova's really good. maybe she could have used ribbon?

[MissP1991]

-.- she is good... but she is moving and do sport

shes not dancing....

it makes the ballet ridiculous

[FaerieDevilish]

She is not trying to make ballet. It's a RG gala with a different topic. Trust me - no one is saying she is as good as a ballerina. ;)

[tjelong]

beautiful

[xxbah]

the "queen of elegance"

<3

[manicdancelover]

If you want to see a real queen of elegance look at a ballet dancer. It's a mistake to do a RG routine on a ballet theme.

[manicdancelover]

I'm not putting down her talents, but RG is RG and the choreography looked ungainly to that music.

[FaerieDevilish]

I think that this comment is equal to saying that ballet choreographies look ungainly with any music that was not originally composed for ballet, which is untrue.

[FaerieDevilish]

I prefer ballet over RG most of the time, but I think that she's definitely a queen of elegance. Why? Because she manages to remain elegant despite the extreme athleticism. Ballet also requires it, but its point is artistic. The point of gymnastics is athleticism. It's pointless to compare the elegance of a gymnast to that of a ballerina.

[radostsguy]

I agree that Anna likely would make a great ballerina. And they last longer than Gymnasts! Get yourself to the Bolshoi, Anna! Yes!

[FaerieDevilish]

Haha, this comment came 18 years too late for her to begin doing ballet. :p

[radostsguy]

Oops! I didn't know the "when." Sorry. LOL!

[lashenova]

She takes ballet class idiot. She has since she started RG. You are really annoying.

[FaerieDevilish]

I think you need to distinguish between taking ballet class for a few hours a week and being a ballerina ;)

Taking an hour of physiology a week wouldn't give you the power to heal people, would it?

I am a hardcore RG fan too, but this "RG = better than dance" nonsense will get us nowhere.

[lashenova]

Neither is better, RG is on a downward spiral in my opinion. I prefered the level of artistry shown in the late 80's and early 90's. Save Anna, and a few Bulgarians, RG is turning into a circus.

[cherryblossoms32]

Stunning! Her grace is mesmerizing...

[superbatmanfan]

oh my! she makes me want to cry....

[gummibaerli57]

I LOVE the ending

[Ihateprovos]

Thats actually quite impressive

[xballetrosex]

beautiful, but i want to take her and stick her in a proper ballet class- fantastic ability, she's putting exspression in to but ballet and gymnastics are entirely different things! It was quite confusing.:?

[FaerieDevilish]

They are. I think she is one of the few gymnasts that would have been great ballerinas, tbh.

[firstRainbowRose]

Absolutey beautiful!!! Amazing!!!

[mimimishishishi]

I'm no expert in these kinds of things but didn't her shoulders look awkward? As if hunched? Nonetheless, the performance was great. WOnderful flexibility!

[FaerieDevilish]

You are right, I think. It is not ballet, so she does relax her position a lot at some points. Ballet and RG are truly different, in case you were using balllet as a reference. If not :p, well, it's a bit harder to notice, I guess, hehe. I love the performance too.

[648201]

she is so beautiful and amazing

she has a gift flexability

i loved the bit where she spun da hoop around on her foot ! amazing

[ruthie144]

Amazing!