Russian ballet arrogance--does it exist in the US?

[carbro]

This isn't entirely on topic, but it puzzles me that when Russian and/or Vaganova-trained dancers do pirouettes from second it's labeled hyper-masculine, whereas Danish dancers (male and female) perform pirouettes from second all the time and are held up (at least in the US) as models of restraint. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I see what you're saying (I think), but playing examples of each in my mind, there is a difference. The Danes prepare with a more "elastic" plie -- briefer, with the releve more "ready" to happen -- than the Russians, and in Bournonville, they never do more than a double. When the Russians go from second, there is a stronger downward force in the plie, and the releve is done with enough power to sustain more than two rotations. The ultimate effects -- Danish vs. Russian -- are very different .

And I'll add my Welcome Back to Mel's of yesterday. Very good to see you!

[Hans]

Thank you, Carbro.

I wonder if when talking about pirouettes "Russian" means something more like "Bolshoi." At the Kirov Academy, I was trained to do pirouettes from second more along the lines of what you describe as the Danish way (although we often did more than two, the movement had to be light and elastic). I've also never seen a Kirov dancer perform those aggressive pirouettes from second, but many a Bolshoi dancer (Mukhemadov leaps to mind) has.

[carbro]

I confess I was thinking in Bolshoi-esque terms.