It seems as if there is nothing that Misty Copeland cannot do well. Watching her perform is like being in a dream. An angel or a goddess, I can't decide, but definitely someone from heaven. If I were one of those footbal players, I would have had a very hard time letting her go.
The choreographer was Joshua Bergasse, the director was John Rando. I saw this terrific revival on Broadway (before Copeland joined the cast). This piano rehearsal was clearly taped for publicity purposes; I wonder if there's any video record of Copeland and TonyYazbeck in the great Act II pas de deux?
It's a shame Ms. Copeland didn't get to perform this role longer. If the national tour actually comes to fruition, it would be so cool if she were in it, at least for awhile. That would be a hard choice to make, I'd think, if the opportunity arose. It would almost certainly be a good draw for audiences, I'd think. I don't think any ballet dancer since Pavlova, short of maybe Nureyev and Baryshnikov, has benefited so from mass publicity, and Misty C. is very good at it, on top of the fact that there are so many more outlets now than there were, even as recently as the 1990s. Or, actually, it's not that there are so many more, it's just that the internet changes things so hugely. In any case, she's bringing some awareness of, and interest in, the ballet, to many folks who might not otherwise have cared to look at all.
I saw her in Giselle her first season as a Prima. She did the choreography and the acting so brilliantly but her athletic build was not the best fit for the role. Here she seems tiny and weightless. She is a great fit in this piece. I look forward to seeing her in more roles. And yes, her bare foot dancing is so lovely
The more romantic and emotional the better she does. She doesn’t have the best technique for a Prima, although it’s still good, but she’s brilliant at conveying emotion in movement. The more fluid the choreography the better as well.
To start, this is MY opinion only. That being said, I personally prefer Megan Fairchild in this dance, even though the version I saw with her was an off-stage rehearsal. Misty is an ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENALLY dancer, no question about it, I just don't feel she really connects with the audience. Still, Misty can dance like nobody's business, and nobody can argue that!! 😄
Of the two, Megan is definitely the more experienced dancer because she's been a principal for a much longer time and finished her promotions very quickly (about four years to get to principal). Misty on the other hand was stuck in soloist purgatory for about seven years (don't get me started on how ABT treats its dancers). I think the choreography was also built around Megan's strengths. NYCB dancers tend to have faster footwork and the jumps are bit more crisper and less delicate. What bewilders me is that around 4:35, Misty did pirouettes instead of fouetté turns that Megan did in the rehearsal video.
Tanya Fank: Oh, I politely disagree … I watched both, and other than Meghan being slightly taller than Misty, both ballerinas were absolutely wonderful and lovely to watch, but I think Misty is more 'expressive' here. When Meghan skips back after tossing her rose, she doesn't give that "FLIRTY' look that Misty does in such a cute, sweet & hilarious way to her male admirers, instead she immediately jumps into the arms of the football players; however Megan's very sexy in the Dream Ballet, loved it! I perfectly understand Meghan was first to play the Miss Turnstiles role before Misty, and so ppl are used to seeing her in the role of Ivy Smith; and perhaps each were instructed by the "choreographer' on how to approach their somewhat individualized technique for the role. Also I think Misty said she didn't have much rehearsing time, so I give her kudos for being a quick study. I think both Meghan & Misty were phenomenal!!!! Peace
She's gorgeous -- so tiny and such effortless dancing. Every time I see her dance I love her more and more This production, however, is a totally different story. It was such a TURKEY. It was actually embarrassing. I thought I was watching a bad high school production with excellent dancers. It's really too bad because this is one of the best musicals written. It has to be taken seriously in order for the humor and music to come through. This director seemed to think it was a campy summer stock thing. Ugh. And where the hell is the orchestra?
+amberfirexx9 Interesting question. It's been quite awhile since I saw a production of ON THE TOWN, but I don't recall hearing any French. There isn't any in the score, other than a few words, here and there (for instance, a mention of a "table d'hote," and a "marron glacé," in the song "I Can Cook, Too"). If there's any French spoken, I'd most expect it to be in the context of Ivy's interactions with her teacher, Madame Dilly.
I thought they were going to keep all the original music like the NY NY part, I thought for this part they would have the same music..hmm, ha well her dancing is great though! I was hoping like in the movie that Miss Turnstiles would change outfits and go on point a bit, I'm glad she doesn't here but I"d wish she did both. Also the football players if you seen the movie, they do flips, and the karate thing where your on your back and use your legs to kick up. I know it's suppose to be alittle different but was hoping for this song they'd keep it similar and do some tricks , some advanced moves..I mean advanced like how in the movie , but this is good don't get me wrong, just could have used a pinch more like in the movie instead of being kinda loosely based like what they did for the NY NY song of the play.
So far as I know, this revival used Bernstein's music complete as written (including the original Broadway orchestrations). It is so frustrating that people use the movie -- which jettisoned and/or replaced much of the score -- as a reference point. I saw this revival live, and it was both absolutely faithful to the score and wonderfully fresh and inventive.
This is clearly a "putting in" rehearsal with piano only. Copeland was taking over a role in a show that was already up and running, and they clearly took advantage of the opportunity to capture part of her performance on video for publicity purposes.
vera ellen did it en pointe, and if miss copelandis as strong as they clam she is shoe could do the same with even faster speed, but if you are going to do it do it right you know
manga12 It was a movie when Vera Ellen did it...with multiple takes. She also wore sneakers during the football portion of this number. It doesn't make sense to have Misty do that whole number in pointe shoes. May not be safe on that stage actually. So while I LOVE Vera Ellen I don't think we can compare a movie set to a live performance on a stage that is probably not meant for pointe shoes. I also love Meghan Fairchild in this role. All lovely ladies.
+manga12 Never copy what another actress has done. Ever. Do your own take, and version. It's much more interesting to not linger in the past. You can swim in the past with references, just as long as I'm not drowning in it.
the first is the bench mark by which things are messured, if its changed then its not apples to apples, and one is supposed to improve something, dont just copy surpass it on its own grounds.
I disagree, I think that a revival should not follow closely to the original. I think the original is salt in a cake recipe... and the current productions(whatever, whenever those are) are the rest of the ingredients. Hopefully finding new ways to put on the beautiful music and book. Not eating a stale cake from however many years ago. Their performance was amazing and still holds its beauty, and sentiment, but I want a new taste, I look for, in revivals, perhaps that they will find a way to make this cake into a different kind of delicious cake... which is what I got. But I understand the need for something to not change, change is scary... and can sometimes be bad... but I didn't think any of this was bad.
The pianist is killing it.
Personally, I loved that this wasn't en pointe. The articulation of her feet is gorgeous and her technique is impeccable. She's just amazing to watch.
I agree, I love the contemporary ballet dances more than the traditional classical pieces.
her expression is impeccable, her tenacity, her passion, her drive, her musicality - her technique is not
This is what she should be dancing, not the classical
oh my god she's fantastic
So cool! The dancing in this is amazing and Copeland is brilliant.
It seems as if there is nothing that Misty Copeland cannot do well. Watching her perform is like being in a dream. An angel or a goddess, I can't decide, but definitely someone from heaven. If I were one of those footbal players, I would have had a very hard time letting her go.
jwelk1023 Those were no football players, but chorus boys through and through so they had no hard time lettering her go!
Thank you, MIsty, for this beautiful performance!!
Wow! Misty 🙌💃
QUEEN
Yes Misty! Fairy princess!
AMAZING.
I met her in person. She's a phenomenal being.
I wish I could dance like that
Misty Copeland
An exceptional moment
a time of
liberating, revitalizing
connecting and communicating.
Feeling the beginning of flawlessness
an overwhelming sensation.
She stands up,
bursting with
her delicious female power.
Smiles prettily.
Evoking a luminous glow.
Celebrating a confidence
in her own distinct way.
The radiant Sweet Angel
with her powerful ,deep smile.
Sensing the her natural splendour
which bonds with her soul.
Finding, treasuring
her pleasure
As a woman.
Exploiting her femininity power
©...Aronne
Absolutely brilliant. Reminds me so much of the choreography from "back in the day".
Incredible!
Beautiful on the boards!
I love it
I saw this on April 15th along with Kinky Boots and I loved them both!
FANTASTICA!!!!!👏👍
this is awesome!!!! :D
Had no idea what an actress Misty is!
Who choreographed this??? It is a brilliantly conceived and performed pantomime. It's story telling is ingenious. Congrats to whomever.
The choreographer was Joshua Bergasse, the director was John Rando. I saw this terrific revival on Broadway (before Copeland joined the cast). This piano rehearsal was clearly taped for publicity purposes; I wonder if there's any video record of Copeland and TonyYazbeck in the great Act II pas de deux?
It's a shame Ms. Copeland didn't get to perform this role longer. If the national tour actually comes to fruition, it would be so cool if she were in it, at least for awhile. That would be a hard choice to make, I'd think, if the opportunity arose. It would almost certainly be a good draw for audiences, I'd think. I don't think any ballet dancer since Pavlova, short of maybe Nureyev and Baryshnikov, has benefited so from mass publicity, and Misty C. is very good at it, on top of the fact that there are so many more outlets now than there were, even as recently as the 1990s. Or, actually, it's not that there are so many more, it's just that the internet changes things so hugely. In any case, she's bringing some awareness of, and interest in, the ballet, to many folks who might not otherwise have cared to look at all.
I definitely feel like this kind of thing is more of Misty’s strong suit. She does well in other places too, but she really did well here. 😊
And people say ballet is boring.
+Olivia Finkelstein hAHhahaha
Oh why is this show closing?!
I saw her in Giselle her first season as a Prima. She did the choreography and the acting so brilliantly but her athletic build was not the best fit for the role. Here she seems tiny and weightless. She is a great fit in this piece. I look forward to seeing her in more roles. And yes, her bare foot dancing is so lovely
The more romantic and emotional the better she does. She doesn’t have the best technique for a Prima, although it’s still good, but she’s brilliant at conveying emotion in movement. The more fluid the choreography the better as well.
To start, this is MY opinion only. That being said, I personally prefer Megan Fairchild in this dance, even though the version I saw with her was an off-stage rehearsal. Misty is an ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENALLY dancer, no question about it, I just don't feel she really connects with the audience. Still, Misty can dance like nobody's business, and nobody can argue that!! 😄
Of the two, Megan is definitely the more experienced dancer because she's been a principal for a much longer time and finished her promotions very quickly (about four years to get to principal). Misty on the other hand was stuck in soloist purgatory for about seven years (don't get me started on how ABT treats its dancers). I think the choreography was also built around Megan's strengths. NYCB dancers tend to have faster footwork and the jumps are bit more crisper and less delicate.
What bewilders me is that around 4:35, Misty did pirouettes instead of fouetté turns that Megan did in the rehearsal video.
Tanya Fank: Oh, I politely disagree … I watched both, and other than Meghan being slightly taller than Misty, both ballerinas were absolutely wonderful and lovely to watch, but I think Misty is more 'expressive' here. When Meghan skips back after tossing her rose, she doesn't give that "FLIRTY' look that Misty does in such a cute, sweet & hilarious way to her male admirers, instead she immediately jumps into the arms of the football players; however Megan's very sexy in the Dream Ballet, loved it! I perfectly understand Meghan was first to play the Miss Turnstiles role before Misty, and so ppl are used to seeing her in the role of Ivy Smith; and perhaps each were instructed by the "choreographer' on how to approach their somewhat individualized technique for the role. Also I think Misty said she didn't have much rehearsing time, so I give her kudos for being a quick study. I think both Meghan & Misty were phenomenal!!!! Peace
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
Spectacular! #SupportTheAtrs
She's literally a fairy
+Jillian Bradshaw You may be right. Takes a bit of magic both to dance like that and to handle props with that kind of timing. :)
nuh uh uhhhh girl, she's the dancing ballerina inside your music box
Holy. Shit.
Oh my, isn't she a wondrous dancer. Technically gorgeous, funny, sprightly.
She's gorgeous -- so tiny and such effortless dancing. Every time I see her dance I love her more and more This production, however, is a totally different story. It was such a TURKEY. It was actually embarrassing. I thought I was watching a bad high school production with excellent dancers. It's really too bad because this is one of the best musicals written. It has to be taken seriously in order for the humor and music to come through. This director seemed to think it was a campy summer stock thing. Ugh. And where the hell is the orchestra?
Does anyone know, do they speak any French in this show at any time?
+amberfirexx9 Interesting question. It's been quite awhile since I saw a production of ON THE TOWN, but I don't recall hearing any French. There isn't any in the score, other than a few words, here and there (for instance, a mention of a "table d'hote," and a "marron glacé," in the song "I Can Cook, Too"). If there's any French spoken, I'd most expect it to be in the context of Ivy's interactions with her teacher, Madame Dilly.
+AvalonMorley I don't know why I asked this, I think I meant to ask about An American in Paris! Lol
*****
I'd love to see either of those shows. I sure hope the OTT tour happens. I expect there's some French in AMERICAN IN PARIS.
I thought they were going to keep all the original music like the NY NY part, I thought for this part they would have the same music..hmm, ha well her dancing is great though! I was hoping like in the movie that Miss Turnstiles would change outfits and go on point a bit, I'm glad she doesn't here but I"d wish she did both. Also the football players if you seen the movie, they do flips, and the karate thing where your on your back and use your legs to kick up. I know it's suppose to be alittle different but was hoping for this song they'd keep it similar and do some tricks , some advanced moves..I mean advanced like how in the movie , but this is good don't get me wrong, just could have used a pinch more like in the movie instead of being kinda loosely based like what they did for the NY NY song of the play.
So far as I know, this revival used Bernstein's music complete as written (including the original Broadway orchestrations). It is so frustrating that people use the movie -- which jettisoned and/or replaced much of the score -- as a reference point. I saw this revival live, and it was both absolutely faithful to the score and wonderfully fresh and inventive.
I miss Megan Fairchild in this role😞
No orchestra?!?
This is clearly a "putting in" rehearsal with piano only. Copeland was taking over a role in a show that was already up and running, and they clearly took advantage of the opportunity to capture part of her performance on video for publicity purposes.
vera ellen did it en pointe, and if miss copelandis as strong as they clam she is shoe could do the same with even faster speed, but if you are going to do it do it right you know
manga12 It was a movie when Vera Ellen did it...with multiple takes. She also wore sneakers during the football portion of this number. It doesn't make sense to have Misty do that whole number in pointe shoes. May not be safe on that stage actually. So while I LOVE Vera Ellen I don't think we can compare a movie set to a live performance on a stage that is probably not meant for pointe shoes. I also love Meghan Fairchild in this role. All lovely ladies.
swimfly719 true but misty does not wear either.
+manga12 Never copy what another actress has done. Ever. Do your own take, and version. It's much more interesting to not linger in the past. You can swim in the past with references, just as long as I'm not drowning in it.
the first is the bench mark by which things are messured, if its changed then its not apples to apples, and one is supposed to improve something, dont just copy surpass it on its own grounds.
I disagree, I think that a revival should not follow closely to the original. I think the original is salt in a cake recipe... and the current productions(whatever, whenever those are) are the rest of the ingredients. Hopefully finding new ways to put on the beautiful music and book. Not eating a stale cake from however many years ago. Their performance was amazing and still holds its beauty, and sentiment, but I want a new taste, I look for, in revivals, perhaps that they will find a way to make this cake into a different kind of delicious cake... which is what I got. But I understand the need for something to not change, change is scary... and can sometimes be bad... but I didn't think any of this was bad.
Soo funny
Is there anything she can't do?
I prefer Megan Fairchild in this role. Her technique is much better than Misty's.