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I photographed The Nutcracker, original choreography, professionally for a local school and company for 14 years. It never grew old. Each year, new high school seniors took the lead parts, new younger children appeared in others; faces in the corps changed. New potential, new individual personalities made their own mark on the parts I had come to know so well. (I was once even asked to play Drosselmeyer; unfortunately, I couldn't devote the time.) But no matter who was dancing, the magic moments were always magic, such as the anticipation of the overture's opening bars; when the Mouse King is slain and the music changes to the beautiful, slowly rising rising melody in the cellos and horns as the Prince is revealed and the pas de deux gently begins; the joyous explosion of the final tutti -- YYYAHH dah dot dahh -- with the bittersweet knowledge that the dream will soon be over. Sometimes, there were even occasional moments when it was hard to focus the lens (back then, that was a manual operation) through a moist eye. To the dancers: Remember the young child experiencing this for the first time. You are creating a new world for him or her. The life you bring to your character will create an indelible memory.

Definitely needed to hear this today thank you so much for your content!!

On point!

I loved this thank you! Do you think you could make another video based on dance after highschool? Maybe list some ways to continue dancing after high school even if you aren't at a pre-proffesional/ professional level? Or if there is even a possibility of maybe going pro if you aren't pre-professional by your senior year of high school?

Brilliantly told and illustrated and so true of some companies Love how you put this over its a vexed subject but needs to be tackled for ballet to survive

I was lucky enough to see some of the greats live in the 60s and 70s Evdokimova Kain Haydee Keil Penney etc and males Barishnikov Kehlet Cragun Schaufus Dowell and recently the new dancers coming through ther ranks fortunately many are now able to see foreign dancers on DVD partially because companies rarely tour like they used to , I saw usually at the Coliseum or ROH Royal Danes New York City Ballet Stuttgart National Ballet of Canada plus numerous guest artists and of course English national and the Royal Ballet

Excellently told by yourself My dance teacher always said you can teach the steps but true dancing comes from within the dancer s heart

Royal Ballet's Wayne Sleep, 5'3". Wonderfully talented. They created roles for him and they were memorable. Loved to see him.

Totally! I always thought artful dancing was meant to made to make other feels. Dancing is first and foremost an art form of expression and the dancers is meant to dance true to their feelings. And secondly, what makes dance just like other art forms, is that is meant to express something to others too, and good dancing just like good art, makes others feel. I think this side of ballet is lost to some parts of today's dance world sometimes. The pressure today is to make soldiers out of dancers and armies out of companies. But the pleasure of watching dance is not in its homogeneity necessarily. Of course, this is part of the capitalistic mindset, the package is more important than the content or what it can offer to you. To me it seems it also happens with technique. We can al agree technique is indispensable in many ways to be a good dancers because it gives you the freedom to "forget" about individual steps and let yourself go to the music. But technique is not the end in itself. It's a means, albeit a necessary one. Just because you are flexible or can put your leg on your shoulder doesn't mean you are a good dancer. If it's not expressing anything to the public, but most importantly, if you are not feeling what you are doing, is it good art? Or Just like the paintings in the hotels or hospital waiting rooms.

Even in the 1990s, a lot of Audition Notices said 5'10" minimum for men. If the female average is pushed up to 5'6", the men need to be 6' or taller because you need to be as tall as her en pointe while you're in flat shoes. European companies go even taller these days.

Thank you so much for this video! You explain so well, Mr Michael!!! You are so passionate and honest about what you are teaching which helps me to relate and learn from you! ✨

I appreciate your viewpoint so much! We need to appreciate each unique quality a dancer can bring. I speak as someone who lost a trainee position for “suddenly growing” from 5’4” to 5’9” @ 12 years old. This was back in 1992-3, and I’m so glad things are changing for the better to appreciate the talent over the stereotype. I personally love looking back at the photos of ballerinas before Balanchine came to the USA and changed “the look” which was most highly prized, as I know the cost it can take to stay at a contract weight. 💜💜💜 Sending blessings and a hearty “merde!” to all this Nutcracker season.

Thank you for speaking about this . This issue is really impacting dancer's careers . ❤

5'7 is too short for males? That is actually close to the average height.

The way you spoke about emotion, and how being on stage is like being at home is easily the most relatable thing. This was a great video. Thank you so much for talking about this!

When hopeless romantic came in, I went, "Oh, there's me."

Yay! A new episode ❤️

BRAVO!

Well my brother do you know Nattu Kuttu

I've never even heard of it. Companies seem to put on the usual favorites (Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Don Q) and then they might have one or two shows in their season which showcase pieces of the more obscure ballets & standalone pieces.

I love this ballet!

I would love to see the nut cracker again .😮

Thi is Russian ballet dancers .Bravo 🎉🎉🎉❤🩰💃👋👋👋👍

Why am I both Ethereal and Firecracker...

Most of the time I’m elegant and focused but if the role is energetic or strong I can also do that

I’m definitely hopeless romantic 😂

I'm a ✨bad✨ dancer.

Ha, so Sylvia Guillem is in. both…

The vídeo Speeds up out of nowhere, can you fix it?😢

Neither!! I’m light and playful, and I’m best with artistry

I’m the dream dancer! I look beautiful, have amazing lines and nail every role only in my dreams 😂

This isn’t just a ballet problem. I work in higher ed. We’ve created generations that have no attention span, no idea how to study, and recall information.

Who deleted my comment? Why?

As a dancer, I strove for perfection, even though I knew I was far from it. But for me, that was the point: reach for the unattainable goal, even though I knew I'd never reach it. As a teacher, though, I never ask for perfection, but for correctness. Being correct is more attainable, so when students are struggling or make a mistake, I let them know it's okay, and remind them they did it before, so they are capable of doing it again. It seems to help curb frustration, but my students never really let me know how they feel and they're hard to read sometimes. Thanks for another great video!

I agree with 90% of what you are saying, but my daughter's do know who Gisele is. They recognize the Rose adagio when they see and they know which ballet it is from. They know who Odeil is and not just Odett. But they only know these things because I have shown them videos from online. I search for accurate ballet commentary and we will watch it together and we all learn. I do not let them watch 30 second tictocs. We will be going to the Nutcracker in person again this year and I am hopeful I can find a performance of Copellia nearby us soon. My daughter's ballet master is always amazed at the level of knowledge and appreciation they have. They also have books on ballet technique and they know many of the correct names for steps because they read about them. This has all taken a concerted effort on my part. But I want my children to appreciate art, not just the perfect technique. I hope my children can help preserve that for the future.

I completely agree. New generation dancers, including me couple of years before, are obsessed with the technical part of ballet because of reels and the comparative that we make between dancers in social media and us. Then, when we are about to do a variation or a role we forget about the storyline and we get obsessed with piruettes, big jumps and stuff that just impress people that doesn’t really appreciate art but just sports

As an (almost) unshakeable optimist my entire life to date (and shaken only briefly at times), l offer an ironic invitation to reflection, by saying, "If only the problem were limited to social media and the arts!" Does that make me sound like a pessimist, or maybe just a provocateur? The most brilliant man it has ever been my privilege to know, seemed often to change the subject when answering questions, at public conferences or in private. That's not what he was doing. When listening to the question, he was thinking about what might have prompted the person to ask it and how he might draw the person into seeing the question from a higher level, in a more complete context, in order to be better able to answer his or her own question -- and future questions, as a result of that experience. He was putting metaphor to work, just as we do in the arts. That said, consider taking a similar "leap" from the ballet to the realm of education and citizenship. In the famous series of debates between Lincoln and Douglas in the 1858 race for Illinois Senate, they alternated who made the opening statement, but the opening statement each time was 45 minutes. Ordinary people came from miles around to hear them debate in the open air. Now compare the "debates" of the past few decades, and the statements by our national and other leaders. Are we being educated to think through the issues that will affect our lives and our children's? I am completely with you in your presentation; I am as horrified by what I know as I am optimistic that we can make the change to a better future. But we must look deeply at ourselves and our assumptions, with platforms like this and others. If only the problem were limited to social media and the arts...

I understand what you are saying but perhaps your take on things is a bit too bleak. There are definitely very young people (" ballerinas!"-- don't even get me started on that...) putting out "content" who would be better off being quiet and listening to the actual experts. And there are five year old (!!!) doing variations intended for adult women. But there is also the ability to watch ballets or portions of ballets I can't afford to attend or that are not being performed at this time, information on how pointe shoes should be fitted, how to do a proper bun (and why do so many seem to think a bun has to be so tight that young girls and women find themselves with receding hairlines?),etc, etc. All in all, I think the internet and ballet are a mixed bag. But how else could I watch a Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones pas de deux ? That's worth the price of admission...

The concept that dancers are stupid has been suggested for decades. I believe social media is educating the masses who generally wouldn’t know anything about the art or athleticism of ballet. When I see what dancers can do today, I’m awestruck. So to end my comment, do not assume that seeing a segment of a ballet implies they don’t know all of the intricacies of a complete ballet performance. I love listening to individual songs from Les Miserable, that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen the entire performance 3 times. I think Social Media is inviting people to take a deep dive into the world of ballet.

Rather helps it to survive...

Knowing the world you inhabit only as a grandparent, I so appreciate your perspective. I hope it reaches and deeply affects a lot of people.

Great perspective - thank you for the video. I'm a 40-something getting ready to start ballet again for the third time. I can say that social media influenced me to give ballet another go. I will say that there don't seem to be many options for recreational ballet beyond just taking classes. As an adult, there are a plethora of recreational sports leagues where grown folk can "put their money where their mouth is." I wish there were opportunities for regular adults - of all body types - to be able to sign up for a ballet they want to dance in, train, and then perform in that ballet. I'm thinking of something akin to community theatre. I think it would be a game changer for the arts if more people - average, everyday people - had opportunities to participate at a recreational level and well into adulthood.

As an older dancer, (39) I relate to everything you said. Thanks for putting all of that truth into words to share. 😊

*I think the DRAMATIC divide between men and women has every single thing to do with ballet falling apart. I’m Gen X and I remember when there used to be exponentially more ballet studios, ballet companies, and ballet in the news. Not any more. Even if you’re not a dancer, you’re not going to be anywhere near this amazing art form and sport (simply as a spectator) if you’re like the vast majority of guys because men and women are effectively at cold war with each other right now.*

I loved what you said about dancing with your wife! So sweet and wholesome. I also really resonated with what you said about not being born with a "ballet build" but choosing it. As an adult dancer who takes it seriously (but still for fun!), I'm curious to know in what ways you used to present yourself as a shorter person (asking as a 5'1" female) in ballet. This was a really fun and inspiring Q&A! I love the types of conversations your channel puts out, especially regarding artistry.

Two incidents with teachers came to mind as I listened. One was in my college photography major. I had gotten a bit over-confident, seeing the poor quality of work turned in by a number of classmates and hearing lame excuses. As a result, I waited too long to complete a certain assignment and then botched it. The professor had just the week before laid down the law about getting assignments in. I was terrified that he'd roast me in class. I put a passionate note in his faculty mailbox, frankly explaining my error and its cause; admitting I'd have nothing to show in class the next morning, promising never to let it happen again. As we sat waiting for him to arrive, I was anxious. He walked in from behind me and I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder as he passed with a warm smile and "Good morning." In the second, I had begun photographing for a ballet school. At one Nutcracker dress rehearsal, I made a technical error that resulted in unacceptable blur in too many photos. I brought the contact print sheets to the director, handing them over with words of frustration, anger at myself, and unvoiced shame about disappointing her. She listened and then simply replied, "I think we can learn a lot from these." False encouragement is rarely, if ever, helpful; compassion and serious encouragement can go a long way. Teaching, in part, is bringing out the best in the student, helping him or her become a better person.

You explain ballet so well.

Thank you so much! The real thing!

Could you talk about attention deficit as an asset or liability for dancers?

I was cautious when I clicked on this video, preparing myself for the worst, but ended up agreeing with you 100%. Thank you for your conversation! I subscribed to your channel not too long into the video! There was talk a couple of years ago, where people in the industry were asking if ballet class needed to change in order to help dancers better prepare for contemporary choreography, and my response has always been, no - choreographers need to change. The problem is - no one is creating new techniques or styles to help dancers adapt to their choreography the way Balanchine or Graham or Fosse did. But they were the greats! Now, dancers are given a classical ballet class and then expected to know how to move in a "windey twisty" way (and then surprise surprise get injured). No one puts steps together any more, they put movement together. There are no characters, just bodies. There are no emotions, just blank stares. There is nothing for audiences to relate to. Which I believe is one of the reasons why regular people have no interested in watching ballet. Not because of tutus! Audiences like movies, television and theater because they find situations or characters within them that are relatable; ballet should be no different. Honestly, too many choreographers just don't know what they're doing - and sometimes even directors for that matter - the ones who hire the choreographers. But this is all just my opinion.