I’ve just discovered a not-so-well-known dancer named Melissa Hough, who used to dance with the Boston Ballet but is now a member of the Houston Ballet.

Hough reminds me of retired ballerina Cynthia Gregory, who used to dance with American Ballet Theater during the heyday of ballet in the 60s and 70s and through the 80s. They share qualities rare in ballet dancers (who usually tend to be elfin): a plumb line solidity, weightiness, presence, serenity, centered strength, power, and elegance. When she balances, Hough never seems as though she can’t wait to get down, or as if it’s a strain for her to be en pointe. It appears instead that her natural state is up—and that it’s a mere afterthought, and somewhat of an effort (and an unnecessary one at that) for her to come down.

Take a look at Hough in the fiendishly difficult Lilac Fairy variation. She does an especially hard variation on the variation, one that requires Italian fouettes (starting at :58) which very few people can accomplish without looking intensely strained; they demand astounding strength and perfect balance:

Alas, I can’t find a clip of Gregory performing the same variation. But here she is, somewhat blurry, in the same ballet (“Sleeping Beauty”) but in a different role, that of the princess and main character Aurora performing the Rose Adagio (note that this excerpt comes at the end of a long variation, when the dancer is quite tired) Both dancers are tall (I know that about Gregory but I only assume it about Hough) and although slender, not emaciated—which is a great relief and part of the reason their dancing is so satisfyingly sculptural:

While we’re at it, here’s British ballerina Margot Fonteyn in the same Rose Adagio during the 60s when she was already in her forties. Fonteyn was renowned for something altogether different—not technique but charm, and a delicate humanity and refinement. She was never strong and her extensions are low, but here we observe her steeling herself to balance longer by sheer will:

And here’s a more varied clip of Hough excepts, including modern pieces which showcase her speed and versatility as well as her leap:

[NOTE: I find myself so repelled by the news lately that dance seems a refreshing oasis in comparison.]