Baryshnikov Dances Sinatra and More/ Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp, American Ballet Theatre

This is an exquisite video. Baryshnikov is in superb form, and there's ever so faint a touch of world-weariness around the edges of these pieces, informing even Baryshnikov's copious perfection, which makes for a beautiful, rich viewing experience. Push Comes To Shove, especially, is sweet and ironic, and hearing the audience chuckle now and again adds to the depth of artistic triumph that marks each piece on this dvd. Tharp's ideas crystallize with snap and magic, and Baryshnikov delivers exactly what every moment asks. His legendary nonchalant classicism changed the world, and surely the heart of every person who ever saw this man dance, and these Tharp pieces make his insouciance ineffaceable. Amanda McKerrow wows in the Glazunov 'Little Ballet', and Baryshnikov's partnering is lithe and understated, intimate,even. Wonderful stuff. One of the greatest things you can ever see is Baryshnikov's solo tour of 'One More For The Road', at the end of the Sinatra Suite. Tharp's luscious familiarity is all over it, beginning to end, but in 'One More For The Road', Baryshnikov reaches a fusion of idea and means that flat out overwhelms. It's vivifying in its greatness: inevitable becomes irresistable. Pretty neat. It's too bad ballet is a forgotten word in any culture, but inexcusable in a rich one. People don't know what they're missing. Get this dvd and reaffirm your faith.

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

I was very disappointed in this DVD of this delightful series of dances choreographed by Tharp for Baryshnikov. As I watched it I was sure I had gotten a pirated copy but it seem Kultur is a legitimate company. The video quality is just the same as if it were burned to DVD from a pretty decent home video taped off the air back when the show was originally aired on PBS.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 13 reviews  4.4 out of 5 stars