As a singer and actor, I hold a firm belief in a phrase I've discussed with my father (he's a pianist): "A performer is not percieved as a professional based on how many mistakes they make - it is by how well they play them off." Everybody makes mistakes; the most important thing is to somehow be able to keep your cool.

I'm an ice skater, and we fall a lot. It does shock you, but generally we can slide into it rather than just hit hard, like you would on the floor. I thought some of these saves were fabulous; and yes the same partnering thing is true: the guy should protect the girl on her falls.

Growing up in a small town that rarely hosted 'star' ballet dancers, we jumped out of our skin when we learnt that the great Fernando Bujones had included our town in his cross-country ballet tour. Holding out breath in anticipation whilst seated in our darkened auditorium, we gasped out loud when the stage curtain lifted to reveal at the back right-hand corner of the stage one of THE great male dancers of our time, waiting in 'B Plus' position. The music started (recorded music, that is -- we were much too small a town to have a symphonic orchestra), and Bujones proceeded to move down at a stately/measured gait to the ballerina who was waiting and posed at front left-hand corner. Keeping his regal bearing during his entire diagonal transversal of the stage, Bujones finally reached his ballerina partner -- only to lean over to her and whisper something in her ear. After which, they both just promptly exited the stage via the nearest wing, the recorded music abruptly stoped mid-phrase, and the stage curtain made a VERY quick descent, leaving the whole auditorium in darkness. All of us in the audience dropped out jaws in bewildered disbelief! What had happened was that the wrong recorded music had been queued for this pas de deux! Now analyse for a moment what Bujones must have been thinking when he heard those first few notes of that recorded music -- he must have recognised in a flash that it was wrong. But what to do? Run off stage in a huff? Show signs of abject embarrassment to the eagerly awaiting audience? NO -- Bujones exhibited for us that evening that he was truly an experienced professional by staying in character during that seemingly endless diagonal downstage walk, whispering to his ballerina that they would just start all over afresh, but this time with the correct recorded music. Problem solved -- and with grace and quick-thinking aplomb. A few minutes later, the curtain arose with both dancers in their appropriate corners, the correct recorded music started up, and we in the audience suddenly realised the reason for the very short onstage 'faux-pas' that we had just witnessed. The riotously thunderous applause for Bujones after this 'corrected' pas de deux performance rings in our ears still! Your viewer in Bloomsbury

I was dancing Paquita in Russia and the girl whose variation was before mine BROKE HER FOOT 🦶🏻 about 30 seconds before she was supposed to start. Everyone was kind of in shock and forgot to tell the conductor to skip that portion (it’d have been an easy fix since Paquita has several soloists dancing and omitting a part wouldn’t be noticed by the audience). Instead the artistic director told me to just dance her variation and right after dance my own. I was exhausted but happy that I always learn as many parts as I can because you never know… No there was NEVER a question in anyone’s mind that I’d do it because if the music is playing, you dance!🩰✊🏻

Not a Ballet Dancer, but a singer and Vocal Coach. one of the biggest lessons I tech my students for the stage is: No matter what happenes, _yu have always planned it that way._ I mean, of course a fall will be visible, but something like the untied lace, you can play that off to an amateur. We once had a performace were suddenly, the singer and the pianist where out of sync. The pianist had to scramble to find the page, while she just went on singing like nothing happened. At the end we asked, because it was obvious that _somthing_ had gone wrong, but most of us suspected the pianist, but NO. _She_ had messed up, but just kept on going, leaving her poor pianist in the lurch XDDD

I lost it when the cat ran across!! 😂😂

The one where her shoe was coming off- she was so smart! She listened to the music and made it back in time for the turn! The male was also very cool he took that moment to bourre 😭love that fir him

The very first time I saw Sylvie Guillem she fell flat on her back in the fast diagonal after the act 2 Giselle entrance!! She went straight back on and got an ovation at the end!!👏

Swan Lake…. Old theatre… Third act…. A BAT flying around the stage and up, over, and around the audience with PERFECT timing…. I found it fantastic! Enjoying your videos…❤️

It's not a fall, it's a suddenly choreo change involving a rapid descent into floor work. Totally planned :)

When I was 13, a ballet company came to the city that morning, and one of the ballerinas had very high fever. They put me in the ballet class & then taught me her variation. I got the combination in 3 tries. Then costume fitting was next. Then showtime in 3 hours after that. My mom was too nervous but I loved the music even as a little kid, so I had a super great time dancing it that night. It is one of those moments in life that you did that was so unforgettable.

Awww, that cat! 🤗

How enlightening to listen to dancers talk about dance that goes awry. It makes you realize errors and recovery is an important part of training. It's a part of ballet that is familiar to and talked about with fellow dancers, and I feel privileged you are sharing it with us. Now that I'm in official binge mode it's on to the next video!

Having just watched {and commented on} you for the first time I find myself watching and commenting on this.! 😸. It's so rare to come across something like this that is fun AND factual.... Thankyou both. I predict that this channel will be my 'go-to' while I catch up on all your videos.,🌼🌻

I winced, cringed, gasped and exclaimed! Love this video! Love your positive and supportive attitude towards the dancers in these clips, and your words to young dancers who are watching you react to "fails." They unintentionally illustrate how extremely difficult ballet is, and how I and my fellow non-dancers-due-to-clumsiness should be absolutely amazed when dancers do not make mistakes. In gymnastics and cheerleading, they call a routine with no errors or just a tiny error a "hit" - is there a ballet term for this as well? The men who caught their falling partners did an amazing job! The clip starting at 04:44 - I thought for sure she was going to accidentally kick him in the groin, and I'm glad that didn't happen! All of these dancers and their partners, when applicable, had an astonishing presence of mind. I hope none of them were injured. Thank you for the video!

LOL flashbacks to when I face planted on stage during a trio in a ballet. We were holding hands and I was in the middle and they LET GO OF MY HANDS so I wouldn’t take them down with me 🤣 “you’re on your own bish” … the memories (we were just kids at the time… not even en pointe yet).

I appreciate your respect for the dancers. 😊

There are three things that terrify dancers the most: 1) Falling on stage 2) Your pointe shoes coming untied or falling off altogether 3) Forgetting the choreography Personal story about number 2! Last year I was at YAGP finals performing as part of the garland waltz ensemble with my (now ex)studio. The dance had three sections of dancers: baskets (younger girls not on pointe), swags (these flower strings that were held by the younger/intermediate girls on pointe, I was in this part), and hoops (the older girls who were the main focus of the dance.) Anyways, there were 32 of us in total and this happened to one of the hoops in the dance. About half way through the dance one of the hoops pointe shoes began falling off and coming untied. And being the main focus, she couldn't really put them back on. For reference, this dance was roughly 5 minutes long. We still managed to pull off an alright performance, but the hoops section definitely started struggling because of that. (This didn't happen at semi-finals btw.)

In my ballet competing and performing days I don't remember any falls or fails. But in my salsa days I've had 1- my costume came unhooked, 2- my music CD wouldn't play, 3- my shoe came unbuckled when I bumped into a competitor, 4- my foot slipped out of my shoe, 5- I split second blanked on the choreo from sheer stress, 6- my costume got caught on my partners jacket so I was trapped upside down in a lift and 7- the wrong track got used with an extra repeat in the middle so the ending happened much later than the choreo did and we had to improvise. I survived it all and it only made me more resilient every time something went wrong. In my final world's competition my coach (who I competed with) got a terrible flu and I had to compete with two partners I'd never danced with before.

I flinched every time you two did.

I can't get over that cat in Swan Lake! what presence of mind of the dancers to keep going and not freak out.

All the recoveries were so good! Falling down but then keep dancing! Love the video

OMG props to them for keeping it going! I'd say bye haha

I forget the ballet ROH - but one of four males dancers in turning and landing hit his heal on the back of some stage furniture, everyone heard the BANG but he carried on, limping valiantly through the next steps.

Grazie! L' importante non è non sbagliare mai ma aggiustare quegli errori. E' confortante vedere che anche professionisti fanno errori (quella di Giselle era la Zakharova)

I've seen some fails...was in a small town production and one party scene parent slipped and was unconscious for a bit but we made it work so the audiences thought it was deliberate (and he was okay). One time, last nutcracker show at SF Ballet the crew went all out.Hilarious and snow dumping at the end of act I. Wish I could remember some of the other things they did. So fun.

Love your videos!

You ladies are so positive that I watch your videos even I am not all that interested in ballet 😂

I loved this. I am currently writing a book series called the Dancers for the middle school range. Watching this is very interesting and pretty helpful as well. Keep up the good work.

So interesting to hear this perspective on how a dancer deals with mistakes!

Love this video!! You are so good commenting!! ❤

I have a really good suggestion. Could you do a reaction video on the Prix de Lausanne performances this year? :)

1:39 the second fall in Giselle is Svetlana Zakharova, it happens to the best .... the floor can be slippery ! but she continued again quickly as if nothing happened. I saw Sylvie Guillem fall also, in Sleeping Beauty, in the video on KZfaq, people said : she is human !

Thanks Guys. How about do Pionte shoe fail videos. Eg when shoe ribbons come undone. Or heel slips off etc

I hope u would make a video about ballet basics

Never ask adult asians if uts cool ti drop the school to pursue your dream, you know their answer already :-)) and it could be the bestt one

The first Giselle was I think Zakharova!

Hello! If you take suggestions, I’d love to see you react to The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. :)

Somewhat ignorant question from a layperson: At those professional ballet levels, do you think any of those dancers lost their jobs (or at least their parts/features) due to their errors/accidents?

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Did you know that Tyler peck had Candace Cameron on her podcast! Anti gay trumpster.

Swan Lake…. Old theatre… Third act…. A BAT flying around the stage and up, over, and around the audience with PERFECT timing…. I found it fantastic! Enjoying your videos…❤️