Product Description

The three ballets on this remarkable DVD tell no stories, but they are full of human drama. In one sense, they all tell the same story--of the vitality, daring, intelligence, and emotional depth that a great dancer possesses.They are also about a brilliant choreographer’s vision of that dancer and of dance itself. As Mikhail Baryshnikov says in the breezy commentary that links the ballets, Twyla Tharp is "classical but in a new way." She has the classical artist’s regard for form and technique and a musicality that some compare to that of George Balanchine, but her approach is always personal, radical and contemporary ."THE LITTLE BALLET" Music: Alexander Glazounov. Cast: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Deidre Carberry, Elaine Kudo, Amanda McKerrow, Nancy Raffa The Little Ballet, to music by Alexander Glazounov, offers Baryshnikov, Deidre Carberry, and three other American Ballet Theatre dancers in a sweet-tempered, fluid work that makes subtle allusions to the dreamer-hero-elusive-heroine ballets of the 19th century. "SINATRA SUITE" Performed to the music of Frank Sinatra. Cast: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Elaine Kudo In Sinatra Suite, Baryshnikov and Elain Kudo express the less innocent world of Sinatra’s moody, bittersweet voice –from the tender "Strangers In The Night" to the tough and contentious "That’s Life. ""PUSH COMES TO SHOVE" Music: Joseph Lamb, Franz Joseph Haydn. Cast:Mikhail Baryshnikov, Elaine Kudo, Susan Jaffe, Robert LaFosse, Cheryl Yeager and Members of American Ballet Theatre. Choreography: Twyla Tharp. Push Comes To Shove, created by Tharp in 1976 for American Ballet Theatre, can be seen as a witty and affectionate tribute to a major ballet company – its casual rehearsal behavior and backstage commotion, as well as its traditional grandeur and polished performing. – Deborah Dewitt, Village Voice

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12500 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Classical, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 60 minutes

Customer Reviews

Baryshnikov dances Sinatra
This is Twyla Tharp's choreography for songs by Sinatra danced by young MikhaIL Baryshnikov. Watch it with a quality cognac in your hand

A relaxed mature MIkhail Baryshnikov dances a tribute to Sinatra
Another marvelous look at Mikhail Baryshnikov.

This is a DVD produced by Twyla Tharp featuring a more relaxed performance by Baryshnikov. The program begins with an segmented introduction that continues on in between the three, featured dance routines. The female leads are partners Deidre Carberry in 'The Little Ballet', Elaine Kudo in 'The Sinatra Suite' and finally the corp de ballet of the American Ballet Theatre in 'Push Comes to Shove'.

This DVD features a Mikhail Baryshnikov that is somewhat older (but he really doesn't look or dance like it). The lifts and glides, the incredible sense of timing with his partners are done with such ease and grace...no effort at all...surely anyone could do that, couldn't they? Well, no most of us couldn't; what we are witnessing is Baryshnikov's athleticism, skill and balance that have endured, if not gotten better, through the years.

A comment on a few likes and dislikes about this disc...

1.)'The Little Ballet' starts off with a waltz where Baryshnikov and his partner, Deidre Carberry, only touch with their forearms; this is amazingly beautiful and erotic. The music and dance that follows just flows with a nature pace and sensitivity. I makes me wonder if dancers of this quality don't fall in love with their partners while performing these exquisite routines (well, at least for a few minutes anyway).

2.)My favorite work on this disc in the tribute to Sinatra featuring Baryshnikov and sultry looking Elaine Kudo. Using Sinatra's songs, this elegant couple do waltzes, modern dance and even a 'gangster and moll' routine. Baryshnikov finishes the set with a slow sensitive solo to 'One for My Baby' (It's quarter to three). I'm sure Mr. Sinatra would have been pleased to see his songs use as a setting for the dance skills of Mr. Baryshnikov.

3.)The third and final piece was 'Push Comes to Shove'. This work features Mikhail with the corp; it is an attempt to show some humor in dance, and while the choreography is excellent, they unfortunately decided to use a laugh track to simulate audience laughter. I assume, that because there was no 'live' audience, they felt the need to put some laughter in at the appropriate spots, however this somewhat diminished the effect of this routine because the laughter was so obviously artificial.

Conclusion:
Mikhail Baryshnikov doing what only he can do, along with some exquisitely talented and beautiful partners. To be able to dance with such ease, grace and skill almost seems unfair to the rest of us mere mortals. 4 1/2 Stars (1/2 Star off for the canned laugh track)

R.Nicholson

On the down side
The problem I personally have with this presentation is artistic: the choreography seems to lack overall structure and form. Instead of building a dance from, say, simple to complex or simple-complex-simple, the choreographer throws in complexity at the beginning, then tends to alternate helter-skelter throughout. The result is a lack of building toward a clear climax or clearly shaping the work for so long numbers.

There's nothing wrong with the dancers, though; they're all great. Perhaps I'm influenced by the great film dance sequences of Astaire, Kelly and O'Connor. Their choreographers (often much added by the dancers themselves) knew how to structure a number.

As for Baryshnikov himself, he's one of a kind, utterly magnificent, as are the member sof the American Ballet Theater.

(No rating rendered here.)