Manon - Act 2 party variation - Sylvie Guillem

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.

[@gailjacobson7088]

As much as I love Sylvie‘s dancing I love her story even more. While many ballet dancers are overworked by their companies, leading to burn out, injury, and shorten careers, Sylvie took control of her career at an early age. She became a free agent in her 20s, and was able to Dance for decades, choosing the roles and living the life that she wanted. Perhaps she was able to do this in part because of her enormous talent and work ethic, but she was also determined to be her own person and that took tons of courage and believe in herself.

[@francinesicard464]

She was just that, her own woman. She had it all, beauty, talent, high technical level, musicality, an iron discipline, all this combined with a very strong personality, yes always in control of her life and career. She was unique and is very much missed. Her Manon is exceptional, but her Raymonda and La Luna are pure beauty, not forgetting the stunning and unforgettable version of In the Middle of Somewhat Elevated from William Forsythe with the magnificent Laurent Hillaire.

[@user-tc7mf4mj6w]

Excelentes datos brindados. Muchas gracias!

[@nakis74]

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.

[@deejazzdancer]

Who could have danced this at 45yo as great and as beautiful as virtuoso SYLVIE GUILLEM.....!!!...she is still exceptional even as she has inspired so many many to follow and Excel in her footsteps....:-)

[@BytomGirl]

Irma Nioradze.. she was incredible...

[@Monocultured01]

She is absolutely captivating. Sir Kenneth Macmillan is also a genius for choreographing this.

[@francinesicard464]

The Brits named her Mademoiselle NON! She always knew what she wanted but more to the point what she didn't want. She had not only talent, but an extraordinary suppleness of body acquired with lots of work, discipline and a strong will to deliver the very best. She is unique!

[@williamgardiner2010]

Actually it was just Kenneth MacMillan, the choreographer of Manon, who called her that but he did that it in a tongue-in-cheek way as he was delighted to revive Manon for her when he was still alive at Covent Garden

[@francinesicard464]

Yes I know but the nickname seemed to stick.

[@dancingcrow6143]

It was actually Sir Anthony Dowell who named her Mademoiselle Non

[@altongrimes]

the power of her artistry changed my life......

[@fabiesque]

Sylvie has spoiled us. She is the peak. After her: darkness

[@bastianinicorelli]

Yes, total darkness!

[@wendyverdades3013]

the thing I love so much about her dancing is the sheer and unaplogetic strength she conveys!

[@fabiesque]

Wendy Verdades VERY NICELY PUT (-:

[@asantos704]

The partnering in this is phenomenal

[@rachc2236]

No ballerina conveyes the chemistry like she does....

[@zaynabkarima7000]

Sylvie est une déesse de la danse

[@user-bm5xu7ey9q]

Как она прекрасна! Удовольствие от каждого движения! Великая.

[@gnguyen411]

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.

[@acuariosilvita]

Great dancer Sylvie Guillem! Bravooooo! I admire you!

[@elenakun9318]

Завораживающая пластика и выразительность! Можно смотреть бесконечно...

[@estrellamarrone]

Tamara Rojo, Diana Vishneva, Aurelie DuPont... Nobody has this intelligence and grace and beauty. Sorry.

[@nakis74]

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.

[@lilbatz]

Lord, this was glorious! Jelly of whoever got to see it in person.

[@marie-armelle458]

d une élégance et finesse.exceptionnelle interpréte

[@verasantarelli4088]

Sylvie ha un grandissimo talento e una straordinaria duttilità del corpo acquisita con molto lavoro, disciplina e una forte forza di dare il massimo . È unica!

[@RedCloudBeechWaveAhh]

(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

[@user-bx8ev5rt9r]

3:01 that guy screaming 🤣🤣🤣totally feel his enthusiasm

[@fabiesque]

Thank you! It was me (-:

[@RedCloudBeechWaveAhh]

(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!

[@adelafaith9604]

And what an incredible dress... Love the way it becomes a long tutu in pirouette. Have loved Sylvie Guillem since the watch adverts where her legs make 6 o'clock - always a marvel to see.

[@carolreese6095]

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.

[@violettrojo]

her arches are the ultimate in sensuality

[@-sylvia3536]

She add something different to this character, it's not really about the technic it's just simply her

[@Doolie2209]

wow, she has AMAZING pointe

[@bloodandwinearered]

Wow, many, many rehearsal hours went into this. Quality is not cheap.

[@etik421]

Sylvie toujours imitée, jamais égalée....

[@pilouetmissiou]

straordinario e evocativo secondo atto.....che forza espressiva ! cambia il tuo modo di guardare alla danza..

[@jabmyeyes]

she makes dance look easy and fun

[@SuperBalletgirl101]

As gorgeous as ever.

[@celestialheath]

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.

[@SuperLeonardo40]

Whaaaat? was she really 46 there?/////

[@francinesicard464]

Born in 1969, she was then 42.

[@bastianinicorelli]

@@francinesicard464 Sylvie was born in 1965, She was al[ready 46 here, in these three La Scala preformances which were the last Manons of her career.

[@zzp1]

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.

[@giuliorenzobighin8165]

Ottima la fibrillazione dei passi sulle punte in veloce eundo della ballerina e circondotti in circolarità di difficoltà massima ed eseguiti con una invidiabile non chalance esecutiva d'acchito sorprendente.Ottimo quello che con un mio neologismo mi piace chiamare convolo aereo ed elanista della ballerina ottimamente indotto e tenuto dal partner. Ottima la riconduzione dei passi all'euritmia melodica da parte della ballerina come se avesse immiato il tema musicale. Ottimo il senso del continuum dato alla pièce danzante dai protagonisti. Superlativi tutti gli agenti in proscenio.Bighin Giulio Renzo. 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@zeeweirdeye]

Can't believe those ppl can freeze behind for so long

[@alexandratrifler2667]

Sylvie, grandiose

[@nadia59]

beautiful

[@yoimati]

What a control! incredibleness...

[@cjaquay29]

Legend

[@egomi24]

They should have made a DVD!

[@pilouetmissiou]

***** are you sure ? i asked it to Royal ballet in London; there is not; looking for on amazon....did not find anything....have you another information ? thanks :)

[@MissBerlinerin]

he said "they should have" so no, there is no DVD :-(

[@sophieelisebellaiche7443]

Grandiose. Et en même temps Naturelle. Inoubliable.

[@Ravel1299]

One of my dearest hopes is to watch her dance as the member of the audience someday.

[@celesteaida48]

Splendid.

[@srenjuhlhansen3574]

perfect :)

[@user-rc9fz1nn9y]

Легкая,воздушная, ну никак , не дашь ей 46 лет!!! Прекрасная !!! Etoile !!!

[@aselt8590]

Amazing

[@RaquelAdelaRamos]

Una maravilla. Agradezco a quien show me

[@deejazzdancer]

Zaza6076 and RedCloudBeachWaveAah think she brings nothing extra emotionally here but they never got into the mood of the music, the choreography or the situation... so their opinions and comments are nonsensical to say the least... can you tell me what she is trying to convey to the audience in this scene choreographed by the great Kenneth McMillan ?

[@fabiesque]

deejazzdancer AN ORGY? (-: MORE PRECISELY A GANG BANG. MCMILLAN WAS VEEEERY NAUGHTY

[@francinesicard464]

Regarding Sylvie’s clashes with Kenneth McMillan, in an interview with Sarah Crompton from The Telegraph, she said she loved dancing in some of his ballets, such as Romeo and Juliet, Macon but expressed her dislike of other works like The Prince of the Pagodas choreographed in 1989: She also said that he was treated as a god by the Royal Ballet colleagues and dancers. “why should I leave Paris Opera and do the same thing at the Royal Ballet, be dependent, be told you do this, you do that? I said, “Mais non.” One can argue, but this is what made her exceptional, not only her beautiful body, her talent and her incredible physical skills. Sylvie was Mademoiselle Non. (McMillan's nickname for Syvie la Rebelle)

[@marcosbarzagli]

💖❤️💖

[@annalissn6521]

поддержки фантастика

[@voraciousreader3341]

She’s 46 here....wtf.....amazing.

[@bettiraige3474]

If air had feet. xoxo

[@emoose111]

yes she's about 45 here, amazing right?

[@alainspiteri502]

If j j hadnt'seen Nathalia Bessermertnova- Bolchoi and Noella Pontois Paris Opera : Guillem perhaps , sorry j have seen Pontois and Bessermertnova so Guillem it's for the youtubers .

[@user-kj7hc8ub4s]

❤❤

[@GeorgeOu]

Where did you get this video? Could you please run the "de-interlace" filter before encoding it and uploading it? The horizontal lines ruin the video quality.

[@312charlene]

cant believe she's already in her 40s

[@Elena_Enskaya]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@lisar9425]

Had I not seen Nela Nunez in the role, Sylvie might have been “my” Manon. But M. No doesn’t have Nela’s musicality, nor her acting chops. For me Manon will always be Marianela Nunez. Nela forever.

[@RedCloudBeechWaveAhh]

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

[@francinesicard464]

It has also to do with the choreography! Have a look at In the Middle of Somewhat Elevated from William Forsythe, created for her and with the magnificent Laurent Hillaire, or La Luna from Maurice Béjart, Raymonda brought up to date by Nureyev. Stunning!

[@RedCloudBeechWaveAhh]

@@francinesicard464 Thank you so much for this, I will take your suggestions

[@Dima.Demidov]

Unattainable height and beauty!

[@carolyngerakos644]

someone should stuff a program into that loudmouth

[@grahambarnes4374]

3:00

[@tarantala111]

Sylvie appears weightless - how does she do it?

[@19rzs96]

I coudn't find this music in a better quailty. Could anybody help me, please?

[@williamgardiner2010]

The music is adapted from the score by Massenet for his opera Manon but also borrows from other Massenet works. It was finally recorded by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in 1987 and is available in full on Apple Music. Not sure if the CD is still available.

[@19rzs96]

Thank you very much :)

[@Carloeis]

The justine summers the Best manon

[@Lexusblago]

paragon

[@laszlocsergezan4795]

I hate fans who care that they scream first.

[@Zaza6076]

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.

[@rosanamendes4982]

Ll

[@herrbrucvald6376]

Sylvie is supreme in many ways, but she's not really right for this part...to me.

[@ricardoleitner]

Mechanical...

[@Scarabeatlefly]

Vishneva are the best in this part!!

[@zeddnl6514]

No, Tamara Rojo is.

[@c.weltscheff5970]

boring!