Legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov Solos: Don Quixote/Giselle

I UPDATED THIS VIDEO WITH CORRECTIONS AND AUDIO ENHANCEMENTS BASED ON MANY HELPFUL COMMENTS. CLICK THE LINK BELOW:

Mikhail Baryshnikov captivated ballet audiences from the late 1960s through the early 1980s. In his prime, no male dancer was his equal and his work has stood the test of time. What makes Baryshnikov the greatest male dancer of all time? In this video, I analyze two of my favorite Baryshnikov solos to demonstrate what separates him from other dancers. His memorable performances were defined by his great technical command, confidence, and dynamic stage presence, characteristics that are on full display in these solos.

Steps include: Cabriole Devant, Double Assemblé or Grand Assemblé en Tournant, Double Tour en l’air, Pirouette: En dehors, Sissonne, Failli, Double Jeté Entrelacé or Rivoltade, Turn in Second (á la Seconde).

Sources:

Thanks to Jeremy Nasmith for guidance on the first step in the Basil "Drunk" solo.

Baryshnikov photos by Vladimir Bliokh.

Baryshnikov Live at Wolf Trap, Kultur, 2004, taped live performance in 1976 (two years after his defection from the Soviet Union) at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia. Outstanding Baryshnikov performances in Copéllia, Le Sprectre de la Rose, Vestris, and the Don Quixote Pas de Deux with Gelsey Kirkland.

American Ballet Theatre Don Quixote, Kultur, 2003, a 1983 performance live at the Metropolitan Opera House with Cynthia Harvey as Kitri. This was Baryshnikov’s Don Quixote production when he was the company’s artistic director.

American Ballet Theatre Giselle, Bel Canto, 1992, one of the finest examples of this classic tragedy, with Natalia Makarova as Giselle from 1977 taped live at the Metropolitan Opera House. Another tragedy is that this distinguished work is only available on VHS tape. Can the copyright holder please make this important performance available in digital format rather than forcing ballet fans to watch the work on substandard VHS digital conversions?

[emasolie]

Baryshnikov is by far the best male dancer that has ever lived. He has no equal.

[cezartb]

2 min into the video and I feel I am watching a superhero in action

[susanladimer]

I know next to nothing about the intricacies of ballet but, in my 55 years I have never seen a more elegant male dancer. Bar none.

[honeybee]

I studied ballet as an adult in my 30's. My teacher told us a story of how when he was taking classes in NYC, Baryshnikov joined his class once or twice. Even though the movements were so easy for him, he followed the teacher's instructions to the letter and endeavored to do those simple steps with absolute accuracy. This attention to detail and discipline with no need to embellish his movements for the sake of showing off are what made him a true artist of his craft and the absolute best male ballet dancer, in my opinion.

[FCBalletTheatre]

Baryshnikov unique style and technique.

[tobiolopainto]

Something you forgot to mention about Baryshnikov is that he dances in time to the music. Many other dancers complete their moves generally at the beginning and end of the music, but Baryshnikov sub-divides the bars of the music and his steps are on time in the subdivision. Most other dancers dance "agogically." This means that they're where they should be, generally speaking, at the beginning of a phrase and at the end. But in between, their steps are out of time. This is never true of Baryshnikov. He's always in time. This quality underscores the importance of the music and also give his dancing a formal perfection that most other dancers don't have.

[tyesdad]

How lucky we are to have seen Baryshnikov in person.

[celiabonadies]

Let's also appreciate the softness of his landings and the smoothness of his transitions.

[frostbite]

Beautiful dancing and technical perfection aside, Baryshnikov just oozes off-the-charts charisma!

His effortless coolness and humour as Basilio; his lightness and arresting beauty as Albrecht - what a once-in-an-eternity superstar ❤

[franescadiano]

I had the luck of actually seeing him dance in the early Eighties in Italy, where I live. I couldn't believe my eyes. What I saw was not a man or a dancer, but a dancing soul. While he was dancing his body just dissolved into light and spirit; this is beyond his amazing technique, as that is only the beginning, the necessary means that enable you to create art. His presence on the stage was staggering, mesmerizing and after a while you only saw his spiritual being filling the whole theatre. After his performance I went to thank him for what he had given us and I was startled at seeing that he was not as tall as he had seemed on the stage. Also I was moved by his kindness and nobleness of manners and by the deep sensitivity of his eyes and face.
No video can communicate the physical and spiritual impact of a great artist when you see him in life, as you can actually perceive the power and energy emanating from him.
By the way, the theatre was an open arena and I was seated in the first row, so very close to the stage and the impact was even more powerful.
Thank you for your very illuminating explanation of his technique, it was great!

[zizzie]

Such memories, thank you. My dad was the doctor at the Met, and he didn’t like ballet, so I got to sit in his seat and see Baryshnikov a whole lot as a child. The one thing that struck me was not so much how high he could jump, (he sure could), but he would jump and seem to stay aloft longer than the laws of physics should allow. It was breathtaking.

[shetlandsheep]

Freddie Mercury said that Baryshnikov was the only performer who could make him feel like a groupie - he nailed it!

[gaiadove]

His dancing was so beautiful… and he is just so handsome… what an amazing human…

[PatriciaPalmer-oe]

KVELL I was privileged to see Margot Fontyn, Nurayev and Baryshnikov dance, Callas sing and Bernstein conduct. Extraordinarily privileged. 🙏

[cards]

I was fortunate enough to see him on stage three times. I don’t care what anybody says. That man defied gravity.
He would stay in the air longer than a normal human ever could!

[ffeff]

The thing about Baryshnikov is that he has it all: musicality, athleticism, technique, charisma, acting talent, and that he clearly put in the sweat, blood, and tears required. In most human endeavors, there are occasionally people so amazingly gifted that even someone who knows nothing about that particular endeavor can immediately spot just how superior these special people are -- someone with no experience of ballet would immediately know that Baryshnikov is beyond reach, even when surrounded by other talented dancers. He is truly incomparable.

[JamesBrown-ijpx]

The very first Ballet I ever saw in person was with Baryshnikov... I was spoiled for life!

[dadyarusski]

I’m sorry, but can we also note that this man is absolutely stunning to look at, as well as an excellent dancer!

[jacquelinelynch]

I tried hard to be objective. No contest: Baryshnikov is precise, elegant, stunning. He goes so far beyond what others do, it is hard to take in. He delivers on technique, on showmanship (without silly excess), and on the undeterminable artistic delivery of the sublime. If you know nothing at all about ballet, watching Baryshnikov will still reveal to you greatness. You will know--this is the very best that is possible for a human being to achieve.

[mircobarana]

MAESTOSO, GRANDE, UNA FLUIDITA' NEI MOVIMENTI . UNO STUDIO DEL PROPRIO CORPO, LA CONSAPEVOLEZZA DI QUELLO CHE PUO' FARE, DEI MOVIMENTI AMPI ECC. CHE ALTRO PERFETTO