this is not particularly related to these two variations, but what really drives me up me the wall is how many of today's dancers struggle to stay on the music. It is the most basic feature of dancing, yet everybody from YAGP competitors to professional principal dancers are unable to do it for an entire 2-3 minute variation. I think Paloma Herrera is an underrated dancer for this reason, every clip I've seen of her has been extremely musical.
Hi Naja- I am in full agreement. Musicality is apart of artistry. The fact that most ballet schools nowadays are so focused on technique means they leave no room for musicality. When you only think about technique, there is no room for feeling, understanding, and working with the music. And absolutley- Herrera is an exceptional example of great musicality! Thank you for your comment and for watching! 😄
I’ve read her biography where she tells how she wouldn’t count on music, that it never worked for her, and every time she had to point out something about a specific part of let’s say a choreography, she would say something like“ in the jump when it hits tadada “.
Natalia Ossipova is one of the greatest contemporary dancers. Technically she is insuperable. Maya Plisetskaya, however, was in a class by herself. I saw her dance numerous times when she was in her prime; she took complete possession of the stage in a way that I have not seen with any other performer in any medium. She was not technically perfect, but it did not matter because she was so totally committed and focused on bringing her characters to life. I think that the Ossipova excerpt is from a complete performance of Laurencia which is available on video. It's a very interesting example of a Soviet era ballet from the 1930s. It's very lively and entertaining, but the story line is obvious Soviet-style preaching about honest peasants being oppressed by corrupt overlords.
I personally have a preference for the artistry & raw feeling of the past. I love dancing but I don’t watch professional ballet as often as you’d think, because it feels technical & stoic to me. There is great strength & value in that, but I personally want to feel something more. I’ve noticed something similar in women’s gymnastics. I fell in love with it watching videos of Nadia Comaneci & Olga Korbut. I cannot get into the modern gymnasts. Gymnastics used to be aesthetically pleasing with grace & artistry. Now it’s more about pushing through with muscle & power (Simone Biles is an incredible gymnast, though I don’t enjoy watching her). I miss “femininity”. Watch how women walked & moved in old films vs how we are now. In general, now days we women seem to be more in what people call “masculine energy“ (more rigid, focused, structured, stoic, analytical. Even see the difference between the animated vs live action Beauty & the Beast, where Emma Watson stoically stomps through the village), rather than the “feminine energy” of being fluid, vulnerable, emotional, creative, living in the moment. Just some thoughts on what I personally enjoy seeing. I love feeling beauty & art.
Hi Sarah, thank you for this great comment. I agree, a lot of the arts have lost something. In ice skating, artistry used to be one of the most important things with technique being second. Now technique is more important and artistry is secondary. Ballet is having a similar evolution. Because in the ballet world we are very focused on proper technique that people are not focusing on the artistic and performance side. Ballet is made up of a multitude of things, only one being technique. So if technique becomes the primary, then an imbalance occurs and you end up with a sport. Artistry matters and it will always matter. We really appreciate your insight and thoughts on this video. Thank you so much for watching. 😁
I'll try to explain what I feel as a former professional performer. Technique is very important because on the stage you don't have to thing about it and you can focus more on artistic expression. Dance performance is a prayer and dancer is a mediator between God and audience. The energy flowing to the audience through the dancer should be a clear love. There was always room for a little technical mistakes when we were focusing on positive energy flow but that performance was always more worthwhile than technique perfection. As @sarahd1706 mentioned, it's in today's gymnastics, figure skating and other artistic sports and yoga as well. The technique should stay just a tool to make the prayer more powerful. Technique without mistakes is cold and prayer can't be hear... It's better to make some mistakes and pass on loving energy and feeling than make a technically perfect performance without any energy of love.
this is not particularly related to these two variations, but what really drives me up me the wall is how many of today's dancers struggle to stay on the music. It is the most basic feature of dancing, yet everybody from YAGP competitors to professional principal dancers are unable to do it for an entire 2-3 minute variation. I think Paloma Herrera is an underrated dancer for this reason, every clip I've seen of her has been extremely musical.
Hi Naja- I am in full agreement. Musicality is apart of artistry. The fact that most ballet schools nowadays are so focused on technique means they leave no room for musicality. When you only think about technique, there is no room for feeling, understanding, and working with the music. And absolutley- Herrera is an exceptional example of great musicality!
Thank you for your comment and for watching! 😄
I’ve read her biography where she tells how she wouldn’t count on music, that it never worked for her, and every time she had to point out something about a specific part of let’s say a choreography, she would say something like“ in the jump when it hits tadada “.
Absolutely, nowadays there are times that a dance looks more like a gymnastics demonstration than a ballet dance. I loved this video ! Thanks!
Natalia Ossipova is one of the greatest contemporary dancers. Technically she is insuperable. Maya Plisetskaya, however, was in a class by herself. I saw her dance numerous times when she was in her prime; she took complete possession of the stage in a way that I have not seen with any other performer in any medium. She was not technically perfect, but it did not matter because she was so totally committed and focused on bringing her characters to life.
I think that the Ossipova excerpt is from a complete performance of Laurencia which is available on video. It's a very interesting example of a Soviet era ballet from the 1930s. It's very lively and entertaining, but the story line is obvious Soviet-style preaching about honest peasants being oppressed by corrupt overlords.
Absolutely! Thanks for watching 😄
I personally have a preference for the artistry & raw feeling of the past. I love dancing but I don’t watch professional ballet as often as you’d think, because it feels technical & stoic to me. There is great strength & value in that, but I personally want to feel something more.
I’ve noticed something similar in women’s gymnastics. I fell in love with it watching videos of Nadia Comaneci & Olga Korbut. I cannot get into the modern gymnasts. Gymnastics used to be aesthetically pleasing with grace & artistry. Now it’s more about pushing through with muscle & power (Simone Biles is an incredible gymnast, though I don’t enjoy watching her). I miss “femininity”. Watch how women walked & moved in old films vs how we are now. In general, now days we women seem to be more in what people call “masculine energy“ (more rigid, focused, structured, stoic, analytical. Even see the difference between the animated vs live action Beauty & the Beast, where Emma Watson stoically stomps through the village), rather than the “feminine energy” of being fluid, vulnerable, emotional, creative, living in the moment. Just some thoughts on what I personally enjoy seeing. I love feeling beauty & art.
Hi Sarah, thank you for this great comment. I agree, a lot of the arts have lost something. In ice skating, artistry used to be one of the most important things with technique being second. Now technique is more important and artistry is secondary. Ballet is having a similar evolution. Because in the ballet world we are very focused on proper technique that people are not focusing on the artistic and performance side. Ballet is made up of a multitude of things, only one being technique. So if technique becomes the primary, then an imbalance occurs and you end up with a sport. Artistry matters and it will always matter.
We really appreciate your insight and thoughts on this video. Thank you so much for watching. 😁
@@BalletWiseThank you for your reply & your content! I love your channel!
I'll try to explain what I feel as a former professional performer. Technique is very important because on the stage you don't have to thing about it and you can focus more on artistic expression. Dance performance is a prayer and dancer is a mediator between God and audience. The energy flowing to the audience through the dancer should be a clear love. There was always room for a little technical mistakes when we were focusing on positive energy flow but that performance was always more worthwhile than technique perfection. As @sarahd1706 mentioned, it's in today's gymnastics, figure skating and other artistic sports and yoga as well. The technique should stay just a tool to make the prayer more powerful. Technique without mistakes is cold and prayer can't be hear... It's better to make some mistakes and pass on loving energy and feeling than make a technically perfect performance without any energy of love.