Raissa Struchkova: lightness and air
You won’t see anyone dancing in this style today. You may be glad of that, because it’s somewhat old-fashioned and mannered. But I love Struchkova, just love her. Her dancing is the essence of three things: lightness, charm, and speed. How she manages to look weightless as she moves I really don’t know.
I don’t speak any Russian so I don’t understand the narration in the film I’m about to link, but there are some fine examples of Struchkova dancing in her prime during the 1940s and 1950s. Unfortunately, playback is disabled except on YouTube, but if you click on the video and watch from 7:35 to 8:00, and then again from 9:00 to 10:08, I think you’ll consider it well worth the click.
Someone very close to me has gone to many auditions in NYC for Broadway and/or regional theater/off Bdway shows ; including the dance call backs.
She mentioned that you can always spot the “dancer dancers, ” as opposed to, say, former cheerleaders or former team dance competition participants or former dance competitors.
Members of the latter three groups can perform what is asked flawlessly, but it appears they are just going through the motions, sort of like a gymnastics routine, where the goal is a flawless performance, getting all the moves right.
But they lack any emotion or sense of what the dance/dancer needs to convey to the audience; the story.
After all, dance is just another way to tell a story (like a musical theater song, say).
“Dancer-dancers” are more expressive and convey the feeling and emotions of the dance “story,” and have the viewer literally “feeling” the message of the dance. They can move you on an emotional level.
I realize I generalize and this is not true all the time.
One of my favorite dances is from the Lincoln Center performance of “Carousel,” specifically “Heaven’s Ballet,” performed by Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild of the NYC ballet (on YouTube).
Frankly, I am really not a fan of ballet in general – too much standing around for my taste – excepting the “star” ballerina.
Speaking of the Carousel performance at Lincoln Center, one would be hard pressed to find a more stellar and incredible cast – backed up by NY Philharmonic no less !!!
Wonderful dancing! I was not familiar with her before this post.
Robin:
If you like that, watch this one, from 3:44 to 5:20, and then from 6:20 to the end.
Float like a butterfly, grace the stage like a lady. Feminine. Lovely.
I know nothing about ballet. When you tell me what to look for, I can see it, and I am pretty sure I would not without you. Thank you.
Echoing Walt’s comment. Thank you, indeed.
What I’m seeing:
Proportioned like a real woman.
No crazy gymnastic overextensions
(Perhaps those 2 yield the sense of graceful speed and lightness…)
More expression from within the steps, including interaction with the faun-satyrs that made sense.
More straight up and formally correct than the similar clips of Plisetskaya.
Polish. Concealment of art and effort – despite the old-timey “applause sign” flourishes to the audience.