Recommended Holiday Viewing

I was very lucky to have grown up in New York. I lived right next door to the City Center Theatre, and within walking distance of Lincoln Center, and all the Broadway theatres. If I wanted to go see a ballet, or any kind of dance performance, I could leave my apartment at 7:30 and pretty much make it to any theatre by 8PM. In the case of City Center, I could leave at 7:55. When I was a student at SAB, it was a common occurrence to be leaving evening class and have someone on the school staff hand you tickets to NYCB at the State Theatre, and "order" you to go see the performance. We didn't have to be told twice.

My students here in LA don't have those kind of opportunities. However, youtube is one of the greatest dance teaching aids ever. Where I had access to dozens of dance performances any night of the week, youtube provides you with thousands, at any hour of the day or night.

Here are some suggestions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OYiMNsSe6s
Flames of Paris Pas de deux with Osipova and Vasiliev, the Beast of the Bolshoi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP8U62qHcnE
Yugi Ogasawara, 17, and Myles Thatcher 16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csFqrkx9FF4
Viegnsay Valdes. Astounding fouettes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaqouUlHX5M
1976 (the technique has evolved, but the passion is amazing)  Timofeyeva and Vladimirov

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlso3-JuD6c
The great Yuri Soloviev from around 1960

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J1YssDjjsc
Kolesnikova. The video is squeezed, so she isn't really nine feet tall, but she's still... tall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u7ja9xAGcU
Kumakawa, one of the greatest male dancers of all time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u7ja9xAGcU
Carlos Acosta. Some of the most beautiful pirouettes, ever.

Enjoy.

See you in class.