At the beginning of 2011 an extraordinary happening occurred in the ballet world: Sylvie Guillem, who had almost given up her pointe shoes and had been focusing on contemporary dance, returned to one of her most celebrated roles, Manon.
Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet had won her praise all over the world, so the 46 year-old was certainly taking a gamble, but one which paid off magnificently. The three performances at Milan’s La Scala were a triumph.
Bryan Hewison is Monsieur G.M.
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano’) about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.
RT @gramilano: New Youtube video: Manon Act 2, the party scene, with Sylvie Guillem: http://t.co/R00AXZyj #ballet
There is something about older dancers in the Manon role. We saw Leanne Benjamin at the ROH in London last year with Steven McRae as Des Grieux. Despite being old enough to be his mother the chemistry between them was compelling and the performance red hot. Perhaps I am just getting old.
RT @gramilano: Manon Act 2, the party scene, with Sylvie Guillem: http://t.co/VQwggUl6 #ballet – Brilliant ballet. great dancer
Sylvie Guillem is the ideal Manon and will always be so. She has brought lightness, charm, sensuality as well as an irresistible Frencht ouch to this role which no other dancer has matched. It was at the end of Manon’s variation on the January 27th performance at La Scala when someone from the audience shouted out “Diviina”. He was right and simply expressed what every single member of that audience of La Scala felt about Sylvie.
“@gramilano: New Youtube video: Manon Act 2, the party scene, with Sylvie Guillem: http://t.co/wRFi6hoD #ballet”
Grazie!Her Manon was great!
[..YouTube..] Great dancer Sylvie Guillem!Bravooooo!I admire you!
[..YouTube..] Sylvie is extraordinary She embodies Manon’s essence to perfection. Sensual, light, frivolous, an intoxicating combination of innocence and perversion. She rbings that irresistible French touch of hers to the part which no one has ever matched. The technique is superlative but it never shows, it becomes invisible yet extremely powerful since the movement just flows, naturally. Her Milanese Manon proved as if any prove was needed that Sylvie remains the supreme dancer of our times.
[..YouTube..] Magnificent. What I used to love so much in “Manon” is here in her performance; I haven’t enjoyed watching “Manon” as much as this since the 80’s and before. Thank you so much for uploading this.
[..YouTube..] As gorgeous as ever.
Joyeux anniversaire avec toute mon admiration et fasse que vous soyez toujours heureux…
Manon Act 2, http://t.co/4W2WI06a via @AddThis
[..YouTube..] Sylvie toujours imitée, jamais égalée….
[..YouTube..] One of my dearest hopes is to watch her dance as the member of the audience someday.
[..YouTube..] If I could give this 10,000 thumbs up I would do it.
[..YouTube..] cant believe she’s already in her 40s
[..YouTube..] yes she’s about 45 here, amazing right?
[..YouTube..] Sylvie has spoiled us. She is the peak. After her: darkness
[..YouTube..] (3)… here timing and rhythm are very precise. She does not do something especially expressive or personal, but her relationship with the motion of the music is right on, she is in perfect unison with it. Any SG lovers forgive me, but I did want to say something challenging to the norm, since I didnt share the general opinion compietely. Ok, onward and upward, dancers!
[..YouTube..] (2)… I expect too much from ballet. It is clear that she is a great ballerina, almost a perfect one. Here she also keeps the level of intensity, the dynamic, uniform, so I dont feel anything different from moment to moment, but it is a joy to see such fluency, ease. It is as if her technique transcends to the extent that she has total freedom to express something. She mostly doesn’t use that to create something new. She is gorgeous and such a master that it’s a pleasure to witness this. Also
[..YouTube..] excited to see her work for 1st time, I watch. First 3 minutes: a great athlete; but entirely uniform, same level, same dynamic throughout, one minute the same as the next, but so is the musical performance; I love to watch her, but nothing changes from moment to moment. Am I too harsh–perhaps, but I am aware only of what I see and hear, no malice intended. If this is the height of ballet performance, we need to have a higher standard. Ok, now I watch the rest…I think maybe I expect too much
[..YouTube..] I have seen many Manons and personally I feel Sylvie is the one who does someting very personnal and fascinating with this variation. You can see and feel her sensuality combined with a sense of frivolity and perversity. For her it is like a game she plays it light, she is never heavy like so many others or calculating and this is what makes her death scene later on in the ballet so appealing and moving. She is simply caught in the evolution of the various events which will lead to tragedy.
[..YouTube..] LA DEESSE DE LA DANSE
[..YouTube..] Thank you so much for posting. I lost a video of one of her New York Manons and have been longing to see this scene again. She is beyond perfection.
Thank you so much for posting. I lost a video of one of her New York Manons and have been longing to see this scene again. She is beyond perfection.
you did not feel that way if you would have been there. Live is different. I can tell you…as a matter of fact I am the one who yells “BRAVA” at the end of the variation…(-:
LA DEESSE DE LA DANSE
I have seen many Manons and personally I feel Sylvie is the one who does someting very personnal and fascinating with this variation. You can see and feel her sensuality combined with a sense of frivolity and perversity. For her it is like a game she plays it light, she is never heavy like so many others or calculating and this is what makes her death scene later on in the ballet so appealing and moving. She is simply caught in the evolution of the various events which will lead to tragedy.
(3)… here timing and rhythm are very precise. She does not do something especially expressive or personal, but her relationship with the motion of the music is right on, she is in perfect unison with it. Any SG lovers forgive me, but I did want to say something challenging to the norm, since I didnt share the general opinion compietely. Ok, onward and upward, dancers!
(2)… I expect too much from ballet. It is clear that she is a great ballerina, almost a perfect one. Here she also keeps the level of intensity, the dynamic, uniform, so I dont feel anything different from moment to moment, but it is a joy to see such fluency, ease. It is as if her technique transcends to the extent that she has total freedom to express something. She mostly doesn’t use that to create something new. She is gorgeous and such a master that it’s a pleasure to witness this. Also
excited to see her work for 1st time, I watch. First 3 minutes: a great athlete; but entirely uniform, same level, same dynamic throughout, one minute the same as the next, but so is the musical performance; I love to watch her, but nothing changes from moment to moment. Am I too harsh–perhaps, but I am aware only of what I see and hear, no malice intended. If this is the height of ballet performance, we need to have a higher standard. Ok, now I watch the rest…I think maybe I expect too much
Sylvie has spoiled us. She is the peak. After her: darkness
yes she’s about 45 here, amazing right?
cant believe she’s already in her 40s
If I could give this 10,000 thumbs up I would do it.
One of my dearest hopes is to watch her dance as the member of the audience someday.
Sylvie toujours imitée, jamais égalée….
Magnificent. What I used to love so much in “Manon” is here in her performance; I haven’t enjoyed watching “Manon” as much as this since the 80’s and before. Thank you so much for uploading this.
As gorgeous as ever.
Great dancer Sylvie Guillem!Bravooooo!I admire you!
Sylvie is extraordinary She embodies Manon’s essence to perfection. Sensual, light, frivolous, an intoxicating combination of innocence and perversion. She rbings that irresistible French touch of hers to the part which no one has ever matched. The technique is superlative but it never shows, it becomes invisible yet extremely powerful since the movement just flows, naturally. Her Milanese Manon proved as if any prove was needed that Sylvie remains the supreme dancer of our times.
wow, she has AMAZING pointe
She is not only one of today’ top performers but also one of the most versatile. Like Darcy Bussell a class of her own indeed. Powerful, elegant and powerful elegant.
I agree with Red! Nice dancer exquisite mastery of movement, yes, but all on the same plane. For a story ballet it’s a bit dull.
Legend
Agree with ZaZa 6076. Technical excellence replaced art , became the art self. And where is the man with his fear, love, despair, delight?But Silvie – one of the best as Master.
46? … She is 46 here????? Holy hell… I thought I was all washed up, but apparently I still have ~14 more years to make a career of this crazy thing called ballet… Heh, of course Sylvie is clearly an alien/cyborg/genetically engineered marvel of modern technology… but still: an inspiration none the less.
Sylvie appears weightless – how does she do it?
boring!
Every time I tried watching this, I only notice Sylvie dancing. It’s only till she stands still do I realized that there’s people in the background. And even then I have to focus really hard to figure out what the other people are doing. That’s what the main lead, the prima ballerina, should be capable of doing.
3:01 AHAHAHA I tought he was dying