She is a ballet goddess.

soooo perfect and amazing, this is the last year we can see Sylvie on the stage, 2015, 50 years old and the most incredible dancer we have never seen before and maybe after, thanks Sylvie, you are an inspiration in dance world.

Sylvie is still the most AMAZING classical dancer to appear on stage. Not only did she have a ridiculous, and out of theis world facility, but she had such impeccable musicality. Did u see how she took the 'In The Middle' music and made it fit her choreography? That, I tell you, is hard to teach. Many dancers with great facilities, but to be able to literally manipulate it and gain what we call true 'control'...priceless

She works so hard for any of her roles. She always gives 100% of her ability artistically and tecnically. She is a living legend...

I remember this documentary! Sylvie Guillem is absolutely amazing and was one of my idols when I was doing ballet during the 80s. Her flexibility, control, and extension are unreal. Thanks for putting this up for everyone!

This is Sylvie Guillem, perhaps one of the world most famous ballerinas in our time. She is rehearsing "In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated" Chor. by William Forsythe. The piece is physically & technically difficult & challenging. Mr. Forsythe created this dance to showcase Ms. Guillem's extraordinary skills, the dance is quite modern.Anyhow, the choreography is NOT bad at all, just different.

this video is so hard to watch!!! she's in so much pain..her feet are killing her. i remember being in this position before. you can see how hard she's trying to hold it back..wow what a trooper

Phenomenon

I purchased this video in the 80's and have watched it "a thousand times". Like some eternal meditation and intimate "window" on to the magnificent Sylvie Guillem and the supremely talented William Forsythe. I must say that I am now following Polina Seminova with that same sense of awe and excitement.

sylvie guillem y mikhail baryshnikov son y seran por siempre los mejores bailarines de la historia

In class, they always talk about "everything being one movement," and it always made sense to me, but watching Guillem's dancing makes that idea come to life.

How wonderful to be physically and mentally well. There is no fear.

Astonishing dancer in all expressions and details too

I KNEW it was Billy Forsythe from the back of his head (as well as the movement) immediately. This is marvelous for both that he both worked with Sylvie as he prized what was in her agility and style in his choreography.(many lithe Soviet and later Russian ballerinas should have had such opportunity, even though gushing youtube commenters have NO idea of the breadth of talent an d movement capacity in worlds they did not, nor possibly will know, exist). There is more, is the proper response, always.. Gamelan? related music . . .

Simply the most beautiful ballerina of all time, in my opinion. She has an endless talent.

Sublime! Unique, one of a kind. Thank goodness for the films that show her virtuosity as I never got to see her live. Such a gift to the world.

"If i was shy, i think i still m shy. It seems silly 2 say it, but its not b/c u go on stage that u r very ez in life, & very communicative....Maybe the fact 2 b difficult, & shy, or aggressive,or wtevr, it gives u sumthing more onstage b/c it opens a gate onstage that u close as soon as u r off stage." S. Guillem.

I almost cried when she took off her pointe shoes

ah. perfection. i love you sylvie

"Its 2 diff personalities...not just 4 myself..wen u go onstage u hav 2 b. On stage, i am free.i m myself sumtimes, i am sumbodyelse othertimes. I can express watever i want. I wont b judged. So its quite comfortable 4 sum1 2 hav all of the possibilities in the world & to hav all the facets u can hav. B the faces of so many characters. U can b violent. U can b in love. U can hate. U can do evrithing on stage. In life its much more difficult...b/c u don't live alone. On stage u can." S. Guillem

She is so amazing...

AMAZING! thanks for posting!!!

Forsythe a eu de la chance de passer pour un génie grâce à Sylvie Guillem!

the greatest of all

I don't remember. This is the first time I've seen it since 1989 or so, but it aired on Bravo back in the day. I think it might have just been called "Sylvie Guillem." Fascinating documentary!

Exquisite. Such a rare quality today....

@kimmois1 darling....i learned years ago...some people don't understand that sylvie is the best. no point in arguing with them. they will never understand.

this is Impressing the Czar: Middle Somewhat Elevated... nice to see this raw footage!

Perfection!

absolutely beautiful..she is so gud

And, I think, nowadays standards are such, because Guillem introduced extreme extension anf flexibility and athelticism which weren't common in dance. She was also criticized for this.

i love you for understanding that.

Diosa perfecta!!!

It's called "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated" by Forsythe

William Forsythe's "In the middle, somewhat elevated"

JIFODSFJKL MORE FOOTAGE OF THIS !! OMG SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW there's soooooo little footage of sylvie in this!!

i don't really think she's vintage....she is an 80's ballerina who can fit nowadays' standard type of dancing.....and that's really special....

Such discipline she has to keep continuing when she feels extreme pain in her feet while wearing those pointe shoes. xD I guess that's what it takes to become a beautiful ballerina like Sylvie.

spettacolaarreeeeee

how i wish i had seen her Raymonda. Her R variation here on YT is stupefying.

WOW!!!! around 2:27 she does a turn that's kind of..impressive! I can't even hold my leg still in an attitude a la seconde! she's awesomee

it's better than her own film.

BRAVO'

sylvie. I'll see you this coming February.

@Irritata I have read that as well. However, I also read an article / interview in which the 5'10" interviewer (1.78m) was surprised to find that he was taller than her.

I think that seeing as he is not only professional but world famous, he can pretty much eat whenever he feels like it. He is not just any member of a ballet company, he is the choreographer.

i use to dream of being able to perform choreography like this in my sleep, maybe the new hip improvements will inspire new hope...ummm, tony where are you? gotta watch all of it!

al legs all pointe dancing almost acrobatics

❤

i agree...but I guess that u price u pay for being amazing and wanting to be the best...truly beautiful

it was Tina leBlanc. You raise a good point. Modern and contemporary pieces can be more dangerous if the ballet dancer does not have modern training. but even in preprofessional ranks these days you'd be hard pressed to find a dancer that isn't versed in modern as well as ballet.

@cooperneely what is this "greater facility" you speak of? I'm lost and confused because no dancer has greater ANYTHING than Sylvie. Not one. sorry hun but you must be mistaken

it's okay we all have those moments lol :)

@nolacoppel I've never seen anyone like her.

Tout est parfait, il faut préciser que son guide intervient sur les énergies, les rythmes, et le sens du passage qui peut aider à ajuster des positions dans le bon timing, mais la personne est parfaite. Je dis tout cela pour les néophytes...qui ne comprendraient pas 🤓 Une fois que la danseuse est archi prête, il y a ce travail là... Ce n’est pas rien. Vous voyez... 😘🌹

His banana killed me!

yea i would like to see you dance as much as Sylvie. even though Sylvie is one of the best dancers ever, we all have our limits no matter how long you have been dancing. its better to save yourself and prevent an injury than to keep going until your muscles get so tired, they dont hold you up and risk twisting your ankle and not be able to perform and she DOES have major blisters, did you even WATCH the video???

madonna i piedi... K SOFFERENZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first bit of music and choreography is interesting - like exaggerated tango.

Pointe shoes = Instruments of torture

Those are some beat-up pointe shoes! Can't imagine how easy it is for her strong feet to tear them up like that.

@nasaroxmysox1 Isn't this In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated?

i dont know but she looks pretty young!

God, her shoes were DEAD. I mean seriously. How could she even get on point in them? There were HUGE bags out the sides - no wonder she was in so much pain. But not only that - but why was no one there to say "stop rehearsing her to death!" on those shoes? I don't know. I feel some arts administrators - directors- and choreographers like to use artists up and spit them out.

I like this performance better than Zakarahov's... or however you spell it.

@owenselkirk no one is getting there. no one.

OMG! that guy is evil!! I mean eating infront of hyper tired dancers rehearsing!!! hahaha and yeah sylvie is just awsome she has beautiful lines and god she has flexibility and strenght oh and she makes it look so easy HA

Did she even have toe pads or lamb wool? Looking at it hurts. Anyways, she's just... beautiful, and perfect. My favorite ballerina of all times.

she is 1,70m. I don't remember where I red it. Maybe on wikipedia. Anyway, what you say, it's not so true at the present. Durcey Bussel or also Natalia Volochkova are 1,80m and there are a lot of companies which requires 1,68m at least

in the begining it's William Forsythe's Ballet, "In the Middle Somewhat Elevated" not in the middle it's "Somewhat Elevated" lol

How tall is Sylvie Guillem? I always thought she was taller but I may be wrong.

@twocrimsonroses envidia pura...!!!! jajaja

Как она это делает? Как можно сделать подобное?

yet to see someone who can match sylvie.. alina cojocaru is getting there..

In the middle somewhat elevated

she was not cushioning her point shoes... wow

She's dancing with???

Isn’t the part where she has to take her shoes off from “Raymonda” (which she does more spectacularly than anyone, ever)?

A tragic soundscape

as always, she's fucking GORGEROUS! anyone know how old she is in this video??

I have always wondered, does anyone know? She looks so tall because she's got sooooo long legs, arms and neck, but she can't be so tall than she looks like, because of her partners, women dancers can't normally be taller then 1'68.

was she part of the original cast of this peice?

@kimmios1 wow, really? Haha WOW.

I´m not sure,but I think that guy in the yellow T-shirt is Forsythe...and I don´t understand why should he be awful???just because he´s eating???

(in response to gbendanny1) Classical ballet can cause injuries too. A principal at San Francisco just recently tore her knee on stage in a production of Don Quixote. It's not just modern and contemporary ballet. Any type of dance runs the risk of injury. It's not the choreographer's fault, that's just the way dance is sometimes.

@RONIDC1979 She is underpaid.

by the way,this is not his piece.Kylian has different style in many ways...

Most likely in her twenties, I'm guessing?

Офонареть

I have never ever seen anybody eating a sandwich during reherarsal, not live and not in any video...what a strange thing!

Always come back to this. Sylvie is the only dancer up there with the Russians. A bit of Svetlana + Vishneva.

Cannot modern engineers design a better point shoe? Major ouch!

all i can say is what? and i hope that's an "awe-full", instead of you just spelling "awful" wrong.

@kimmois1 I said I havent seen someone who is as good as sylvie :S ??? Jesus get a life

ug for some reason i think that shes just not sucking it up like a dancer should. honestly pointe hurts but not THAT bad. not to the point where you have to stop in the middle of a variation, unless you have like MAJOR blisters or your injured.

Sylvie can make anything look good. And that was fortunate because that piece in the beginning was garbage - just meaningless steps set to noise. Ugh! Why are charlatans allowed to do this to dancers? That garbage didn't belong anywhere near Sylvie's great talent.

I have never seen ballet so sassy. What is this?

I hear she is payed the equivalent to 20,000 each time she steps on stage

it's just a modern dance, i thought the chore was wonderful! but yes i agree with u that the yellow-shirt guy is quite awful..

I saw Sylvie in "Rise & Fall" - a modern, but very beautiful, ballet. I'm afraid what this clip shows is disjointed, awkward, unattractive. Sometimes modern choreography is, like modern art, simply degenerative.