Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov dance Jerome Robbins (1978)

A rare 1978 video of Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov dancing excerpts from Dances at a Gathering and Other Dances. The first duet and the man's variation are from Dances at a Gathering; the woman's variation and closing duet from Other Dances. Choreography: Jerome Robbins. Music: Frédéric Chopin. Pianist: Jerry Zimmerman.

[@artura16]

I was lucky enough to have been in class with them…. I adore her❤my favorite ballerina of all time!!!

[@AndrewRudin]

Kirkland.... what wonderful arms!

[@tarantellalarouge7632]

Gelsey Kirkland, la seule qui peut vous faire oublier que Baryshnikov danse à côté d'elle ! heureusement de temps il danse tout seul, et c'est trop beau aussi .....

[@sandra9455]

out of this world she is the BEST

[@nelliapotachenskaia135]

Кружевной, ажурный, воздушный танец с наилегчайшими поддержками.

[@user-kj8zm3qw9f]

Чудесны оба, но Гелси невероятна!!! Звезда!

[@PikesCore24]

Amazing. Kirkland steals the show.

[@ashleyjason887]

I think she's the most talented ballerina in history. She greatly changed the course of my life.

[@46foryounger]

She is so exquisite the breath in her upper body alone is simply put remarkable ❤

[@havenization]

The way she phrases music /choreography , She make the very most out of every note. Its like she bending space and time ..

[@patriciapalmer1377]

One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Two miracles of nature..

[@RelaxWithDog]

Only ballerina that can take my eyes off Baryshnikov

[@jondavwal13]

This is true. He completely commands your attention in every situation until Kirkland is on stage with him. In the end, I don't think he liked it very much, starting with the Don Quixotes they did together when she basically danced him off the stage. I saw one performance when I was 15. I have never seen anybody dance like that ever, not before, not since.

[@robrivax]

true that.... and they matched perfectly....short people.... with beautiful lines and excellent musicality and jumps and grandeur....both sublime

[@orlihimmelweit2105]

Hundreds of videos of Gelsey Kirkland are not enough...and when she danced with Barishnikov it is a treat to see. She is the ballerina of her time.

[@mariarosariaditroia9624]

a great understanding transpires! love?

[@emmapile8770]

my cousin is jerry zimmerman♥️ never got to meet him but love hearing him may he rip♥️

[@adelasussman3838]

I saw them perform this ballet when lived in NYC in the '70s. Gelsey Kirkland was phenomenal! Of course Baryshnikov is always excellent but Gelsey had the more interesting choreography in this ballet and no none could have danced this better!! I was mesmerized watching her! She was flawless!! The music by Chopin is so lovely too!! It was a treat to have seen this!!

[@harmoniabalanza]

she was in another galaxy when she wasn't on drugs. Or maybe I should say that differently. I'm sure my point is taken.

[@reanimato1]

Really a masterpiece from every of them. From Kirkland, from Baryshnikov, from Chopin and from Robbins.

[@jondavwal13]

She's perfect. Every bit the athlete without dancing athletically. How she does that I'll never know. Completely dramatic and interpretative while being technically perfect. How she does that I will never know either. Completely sui generis. I don't think there was another artist this complete in the performing arts in the 20th century, period, or in the 21st.

[@susannevollmer2347]

Realy the very very best perormance of "Other dances"!

[@terrencerafferty8747]

Because she took every class she could, even boys for jumps. Through Children’s Division straight into B Class. I was in her B class-she was only 12 having skipped one to 2 years of A. And she wasn’t at all stuck up. The greatest ballerina of the 20th Century.-Diane Rafferty

[@robrivax]

@@terrencerafferty8747 Even when on the street Gelsey would ask David Howard her teacher for coaching on her arms, as he told the story after class once. she wanted her dancing to be the best and she didn't stop learning. Such a transcendent artist....her level really is the highest of the high. Im forever transfixed by her. And Misha is no slouch!

[@marymohagheghi4875]

Perfectly stated

[@marymohagheghi4875]

No one takes the time to dance like this

[@ahayes9945]

What on earth did I do to deserve this? What a wonderful thing 👏

[@hunnoatila]

Gelsey é lírica e seus braços falam!!! Lindo...lindo...lindo...

[@marymohagheghi4875]

My God she just floats with the most difficult steps💖

[@feministhorrorpresents4513]

Went to NYC Ballet many years ago and sat there enjoying it fine until she came on stage and elevated the dancing to the sublime. I sat there all night just wanting her to come back! I was transported.

[@jamesmccown825]

Baryshnikov is excellent and his dancing is well known. Not so well known is Gelsey Kirkland. She is easily one of the greatest dance artists of all time.

[@brendaannedufaur6244]

Incredible masterwork. Barishnikov, kirkland, robbins

[@juliabouriakova957]

тысячу раз спасибо!!!

[@KendraEMoyer]

No one is better

[@rah938]

Wow...just...Wow.

[@lindaharrison3240]

LOVE Gelsey. The one and only.

[@joanblake5490]

Thank you, thank you for posting! This was pure perfection. I so admire the musicality of their dancing. I was wowed by Baryshnikov when I saw him live in the early 80's. But it is Gelsey Kirkland who captivates here and in every clip I have ever seen. She was/is unparalleled.

[@jondavwal13]

I saw Gelsey dance in the 70s and everybody else for that matter when I was very young. She was doing something different than the other dancers of her time. She made the other great ballerinas look like caricatures. The Don Quixote I saw her dance with Baryshnikov was the greatest night of dancing I have ever seen to this day. He was awesome but she danced him off the stage. She contends he picked the ballet because he wanted to embarrass her as he didn't believe she was suited for it. When she started dancing like Maya Plisetskaya and stealing his leaps in rehearsals he realized what he was in for. She describes it in her book as a "Rocky fantasy" like a ballet boxing match. She won.

[@joanblake5490]

@@jondavwal13 You saw Kirkland dance Don Quixote live?!!! What a gift for you! From what I recall from "Dancing on My Grave," Kirkland didn't want to dance the part because she felt she wasn't a powerful enough dancer. But when Baryshnikov demanded, she committed herself to kicking her fan like Plisetskaya. Here she is rehearsing the part: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKDNn6KtrZVnoc0

[@harmoniabalanza]

I love that it's one piano.

[@simaraft7373]

Fantastic. Thank you a thousand times.

[@viki56k88]

Никогда её не видела. Просто невероятная. Барышников в женском теле❤

[@DemonsSister]

Wonderful choreography....effortless perfection

[@SusanAvenue]

PURE GENIUS!

[@zohraghezaili7564]

Parfait... Parfait... Parfait... Comme toujours avec Mikhail Baryshnikov. Le duo est Parfait...

[@annabelle.preppy]

How does she move like that? It is unreal. The greatest ballerina of all time.

[@jondavwal13]

@@user-gy8co5qy2z Not at this point in her life. Please stop. Idiots who come to KZbin to post about things they don't know.

[@sunsmileshine1354]

e sem nenhuma dor eles dançam tão fácil

[@marialuisa4227]

They are perfect 😍

[@sl4917]

the fluidity in Gesley's movement is just amazing.

[@2snowgirl520]

Thanks for posting. More Gelsey!

[@harmoniabalanza]

she slithered. Like a liquid slide from one step to the next.

[@ginjnadela1666]

Impressive

[@tkoran]

Superb! Thanks for posting! Any videos of Gelsey are a rare treasure! She was fantastic and there are so few videos of her!

[@davehshs651]

It's so sad that so many Baryshnikov videos on youtube have such poor picture quality.

[@marialuisa4227]

Wow, a real beauty on full display, delicate movements from both

[@karemiamoreno9854]

AMAZING!

[@user-vb8lg3qy5g]

Шедевр!!! Редчайший случай,когда классический танец приобретает Стиль...

[@dancaes813]

No words...thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

[@stephengalloway6084]

thanks sooo much !!...i always wanted to see her in this!

[@user-vn7sj5ig8w]

Thank you for posting! Awesome!

[@balletbonnie01]

OMG Thank you thank you thank you!!!

[@Marta44339]

Infinite thanks! This is wonderful. Also makes a fascinating comparison with the Baryshnikov/Makarova Other Dances.

[@celiabonadies5667]

Gelsey is the equal of Makarova in this ballet, imo, which was created on her and Baryshnikov. Makarov was also sublime in this

[@linettablankenship245]

Thank you for posting. Please post more of Mikhail Baryshnikovl. Gelsey was a beautiful ballerina.

[@nataliyastrugacheva4321]

Великолепно!!! Я счастлива,что вижу этот шедевр!

[@brendaannedufaur6244]

Thank u Ondine for this wonderful post

[@cleverty1959]

Thank you thank you for posting!! this is both of them simpatico & dancing their hearts out :=)) What a treat. Never saw it performed live, but this is now my favorite Robbins piece! I'd kill for a clean print!

[@bigballetlover]

Beautiful.

[@philipcondenzio5987]

“Perfection.....thy name is Gelsey”

[@Feliandyx16]

Please more of Misha ¡¡¡

[@marialuisa4227]

Looks like she is floating, beautiful

[@2snowgirl520]

Thanks for posting! There are just too few videos of Gelsey! She is my favorite ballerina.

[@antonietasousa4099]

Adorava ver estes dois.

[@lmarti204]

Gelsey never ceases to amaze me!! Where are ballerinas like this today - I have seen not one !!!!

[@robrivax]

I agree, the last show of NYCB I went to, the technique was there, but not one dancer transcends and are sublime.....Im sure other people will say this dancer or that dancer, but I dont see it, and I went to the 75th anniversary season of NYCB and it was truly 2 dimensional dancing.... even the new choreography which is soo intricate leaves me flat.

[@lmarti204]

Empty repitition😢

[@patriciapalmer1377]

I've seen Fontyn and Nurayev dance together and I think these two extraordinary artists are more accomplished.

[@Feliandyx16]

De las ultimas veces que bailaron juntos !!! Si no es que la última !!

[@johnvz7247]

Lovely!

[@None-Too-Subtle]

I stumbled on this video after spending time with her ex-hubby in N.Y. while he was writing "Dance With Demons". It's interesting to see her dancing Jerome Robbins, and with Baryshnikov! I'm almost ashamed to have just now stumbled on her/their work.

[@jameshknight8804]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@marymohagheghi4875]

She has the skill of a neurosurgeon

[@kathymyers7279]

This is what Pavlova had.....

[@denisebahous685]

Gelsey est magnifique mais ne fait pas oublier le duo parfait que forment dans ces pièces Makarova et Baryshnikov.

[@tarantellalarouge7632]

pas d'accord ! Makarova est parfaite d'un point de vue technique mais Gelsey a cette magie, elle flotte sur la musique et elle fait oublier Baryshnikov, on ne peut pas s'empêcher de la regarder .... à ce niveau de perfection artistique, on peut aussi avoir des goûts différents .... et préférer une fraise à une framboise !

[@MMMa3]

@tarantella la rouge : personne pourrait faire oublier Baryshnikov..

[@eb4256]

I wish the channel owner would retitle the video to “Gelsey Kirkland & Mikhail Baryshnikov does Jerome Robbins.” I’m a huge Gelsey Kirkland fan and this video doesn’t result when you search Gelsey Kirkland- her entire name needs to be in the title.

[@antonietasousa4099]

Estamos todos velhos.

[@brendaannedufaur6244]

I cant comprehend how great kirkland's performances were yet she was a drug addict. How could she dance so exquisitely? I wonder what she would have been without the drugs. Probably she would have danced many years longer and even achieved greater heighths, if that's possible, and even more ballets made on her.

[@jondavwal13]

She became a drug addict in the early 80s. She was still clean here and in 1977-78 danced some of her greatest performances.

[@robrivax]

She was a Baby Ballerina picked out by Balanchine....she studied a lot and progressed to Principal dancer super quick.

[@hae-jungaliciakoh18]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@marialuisa4227]

They should have had an standing ovation lazy crowd

[@KimHanson101]

Whats going on here? It lovely but the camera appears to be upstage and they are dancing with their backs to the audience.

[@karemiamoreno9854]

DANCERS.....EXTRATERRESTRES...

[@likespurple2261]

Such precision.

[@patriciakromer3846]

Blurry, but still such an ever loving expression of human beauty.

[@angele810]

I love both of them but here I don’t. What was Slavic nostalgia with Makarova/Baryshnikov (and the joy of sharing it with a playmate) is sadness here, emptiness. This is of course my very personal reaction. The piece confirmed however that the remarkable pairing of Kirkland and Baryshnikov is partly due to their matching responses to the music (besides their bodies). It’s almost uncanny here at times.

[@robrivax]

I agree Makarova is more appropriate, but Kirkland dances step for step here with Misha in technique, feeling and tone. It's a lovely interaction.

[@avesraggiana]

Of all of Baryshnikov's partners in Other Dances - Kirkland, Makarova, McBride and Jaffe, it was Makarova who matched him best.

[@havenization]

Yes your right , here I feel he was no match for Gelsey !

[@user-jc5ci8mp4u]

Solo variations are brilliant, in the female variation Kirkland leaves an even stronger impression compared to Makarova. But in the code there is an estrangement between them. Especially compared to the Nutcracker of 1977, there they were just an amazing couple.

[@denisebahous685]

I agree,totally.

[@denisebahous685]

I agree with Aves Raggiana

[@Marta44339]

@@denisebahous685 Me too. Makarova & Baryshnikov are unequaled.

[@erpollock]

I think this was the period when Misha joined NYC Ballet to work with Balanchine. He made several excellent films, like Prodigal Son. The film quality here is poor. Doesn't do them justice.

[@jondavwal13]

It couldn't have been because Gelsey was at ABT at this point. He hadn't left yet I don't think.