My Top 5: 'Bravado' Male Variations

This week I’ve been watching a lot of male variations and it’s fascinating to see such a difference in styles depending on which ballet the variation is from and, of course, which dancer is performing it. There are many beautiful princely variations such as Siegfried’s solo in Act Three of Swan Lake or Albrecht’s solo in Act Two of Giselle, but I kept clicking ferociously through videos of the virtuoso, exhilarating and egotistical variations and decided that, even though they’re often more acrobatics than ballet, they are completely addictive to watch. It’s almost like getting the thrill you experience on a rollercoaster. As the dancer leaps into the air you get a sudden pang of worry that they won’t land. When they do, and it’s perfect, you can’t help but beam at the wonder of it all. I can be a bit of a prude sometimes, and I don’t like my outrageous tricks taking over the purity of classical ballet, but certain ballets require it and there’s a time and a place for it. Such ballets, like Don Quixote or La Bayadere, are being led by big bravado and in those instances I’m compelled to keep watching. So this week I give you the big, brash, bravado male variations that have caught my eye…

Ivan Vasiliev, Flames of Paris

Well no-one possesses the type of bravado and over-the-top qualities that Ivan Vasiliev shows. The man is a walking powerhouse. Just watch the height he achieves in his jumps in this clip where he seems to hang for a moment in the air – it’s astonishing. I also love the way he is able to arch and bend his back, something he demonstrates a lot in other solos. This clip is from Flames of Paris, but I think it’s Vasiliev who is on fire!

Cesar Corrales, Le Corsaire

I certainly breathed a huge sigh of happiness when it was announced that Corrales would be joining The Royal Ballet, as I can’t wait to see him perform in the leading roles that The Royal has in its repertoire. He suffered a bit from injury since he joined the company, but came back on fire with his performances of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Solor in La Bayadere, and Franz in Coppelia. He has all of the makings to be one of the U.K’s big bravado showmen as demonstrated in this clip. Unfortunately it only shows part of the variation, but you get the drift.

Kimin Kim, Paquita

Unfortunately I’ve never seen Kimin Kim live, so all I have are clips on online, but what a talent and what a polished and perfect technique. What I really like about him is that he’s elegant, so even though he performs the big jumps, turns and tricks, he does it all gracefully, like a prince. He has such great control, as demonstrated in this clip.

Osiel Gouneo, Diana and Acteon

We are fortunate to see both the variation and the coda in this clip, and trust me you will want to see more. I first saw Gouneo dance alongside Alina Cojocaru in Swan Lake and he completely stole the show. Not only was his technique perfect, but he also had so much character and brightness on stage. You really couldn’t take your eyes off him. In this clip he shows how effortlessly controlled his technique is. His pirouettes, in particular, are something to marvel over!

Leonid Sarafanov, La Bayadere

Again another dancer with perfect technique, but in Sarafanov’s case he is also just other-worldly! His secure and silent landings after jumping what seems like 1000 metres in the air are pure perfection, and his consecutive double tours are pure class. He really demonstrates how a bold and brash variation should be done!

And one more...

Now I know I’ve already chosen my five, but I couldn’t write this piece and not include the King of Bravado himself, Mr Mikhail Baryshnikov. This is such a well-known and beautiful clip (taken from Don Quixote and performed at American Ballet Theatre), which shows his astonishing technique, especially at a time when men were really leaping more into the spotlight on ballet stages. He helped pave the way for the big virtuoso tricks and many male dancers today still cite him as a major influence. What I love in this clip is that he’s just so cool! Yes he can master the technique and the choreography, but it’s all done with something extra, with that cheeky character and extra oomph to really make it fly. He’s just effortless and suave. I love the way he does his mic/cup drop at the end, and his nonchalant nod to the audience, keeping himself in character and refusing to make a formal classical bow. What a legend!

*I don't own any videos - I have found this selection on YouTube. Copyright to those who have posted these clips.