Darcey Bussell and Irek Mukhamedov. Pas de Deux from Winter Dreams.

[Pearlaceous]

OMG - that moment at the beginning where he throws his coat and hat off ... :-) I saw this live and it was so beautiful! Two great dancers at their expressive best - thank you for posting it!

[EdmundStAustell]

@Pearlaceous My pleasure. Thank you for the comment. Yes, it's an absolutely wonderful pax de deux!

[Pearlaceous]

@EdmundStAustell My favourite of the ballets they danced together, and I love this pdd so much, but I do think she was far too tall for him, and I actually preferred him with Viviana Durante.

[zzp1]

It is absolutely splendid. What a grace she is.....

[TomboSnee]

This has got be be the best Pas de Deux ever choreographed. Just watching it on YouTube brings me to tears. So grateful I had the chance to see Darcey perform this live in her career.

[312charlene]

What music is it??? I regconize it from the RAD Grade 8 syllabus Etude Lyrique

[EdmundStAustell]

@312charlene I believe it is Tchaikovsky, "Aveu passionne."

[312charlene]

@EdmundStAustell Thanks:) It's a lovely piece of music

[EdmundStAustell]

Thanks, yes it is. There are Tchaikovsky pieces (and pieces of pieces!) of music spread throughout the ballet. I've watched it countless times, and I never get tired of the dancing or the music. It's brilliant!

[TheRefinedtaste]

was this choreographed before or after john cranko onegin??

[EdmundStAustell]

@TheRefinedtaste  Before, to the best of my knowledge.

[elizasparrow]

@EdmundStAustell

Winter Dreams premiered 1991, Onegin 1965, so no more confusions :)

[EdmundStAustell]

@elizasparrow Thank you very much. I appreciate the information!

[chipmonk91]

hadn't seen this before, loved it. I was never a big fan of Jonathan Cope, although i appreciated his technique, but Irek seems like the perfect partner for Darcey! such contrasting dancers but complimentary. Irek taught me abit at school, it's nice to see him looking so spectacular!

[IcySasha]

they look so beautiful together when they're dancing

[EdmundStAustell]

@IcySasha  They really do, don't they? I have always contended that Mukhamedov was a near-ideal partner for Darcey because of his overt strength and virility--a perfectly masculine counterpart to her beauty and grace.

[ballet701]

Such a wonderful ballet from Sir Kenneth Macmillan.Irek and Darcey were so well matched together in this beautiful ballet. Thank you for this brilliant download.

[EdmundStAustell]

@ballet701 Thank you very much! Yes, even though she paired more often with Jonathan Cope, I always felt that her best partner was Irek Mukhamedov. His Slavic strength and virility were a perfect match, tonally, for her beauty and femininity. They were simply brilliant together!

[lilythepink123]

Very beautiful, such fantastic harmony and rapport between the two dancers. I don't know much about ballet but even I can see that. Lovely!

[EdmundStAustell]

Thank you. Yes, the harmony is definitely there. Mukhamedov is a very strong and energetic dancer, and exudes genuine male energy, to which Darcey responds instinctively. It really works. I'm a great Bussell fan, and I used to eye her partners with a kind of fatherly wariness:) Some male dancers did not want to dance with her because she was so tall--on point she soared well over six feet, but that never bothered Mukhamedov. Darcey is a beautiful tomboy...a very English kind of creature:)