Wait… This Exists?? Ultra RARE Ballet Variations You’ve Probably Never Seen

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Ballet Ray. Quick! Name a ballet variation. What's the first one that comes to mind? Chances are it is not one of the variations we're going to be talking about in today's video. There are tons of very famous ballet variations or ballet solos out there, but beyond all of the key trees, sugar plums, and sleeping beauties, there is a whole host of ballet variations that you've probably never heard of. I can hear you now. Please, yes, spill the tea on all the secret variations that we don't know about. Not to worry. Today is your lucky day. In this video, we're going to be shining the spotlight on a few ballet variations you probably haven't heard of and talking about which ballets they come from and why they deserve a little more love. We are going deep into ballet nerd territory with this one, you guys. So if you're ready, hit the like button and let's dive in. All right, you guys, it's time to get started with our list of variations that are so rare that you probably haven't seen them before. We're starting off with one of our favorites from the ballet The Pharaoh's Daughter, which in itself is a less performed ballet in general. It's still part of the big classical repertoire, but it's still pretty rare and pretty obscure in general, as a lot of companies don't really perform it anymore. The ballet The Pharaoh's Daughter is choreographed by Marius Petipa, and is one of his earlier ballets, one of the first that he choreographed that actually really took off, and the music is by Cesare Pugni. This variation comes from Act 3, Scene 2 of the ballet in the underwater scene, because our female protagonist, Aspecia, jumps into the Nile River in order to escape her captors, and it's in that scene where she performs this variation. The technical spotlight of this variation is definitely with the fluidity and the controlled movements within the choreography of this variation. There's a lot of really difficult, slow passages, where the ballerina has to roll down through her shoes in a very smooth and controlled manner to avoid any choppy or jarring transition, especially because this variation is underwater. Yes. So you have to keep that fluid, almost slow motion resistive quality, the way you would move underwater. Exactly. You can't have any hard landings, you can't have anything really choppy or anything too punched. The goal here is to look like you're underwater and keep that sort of spell almost throughout the entire variation without breaking it, which is difficult when you're doing really slow controlled turns or slow controlled extensions and rolling through the feet and all of that. Yeah, it's extremely difficult to do, but when done well, this variation shines so brightly. It's also long. It is extremely long. I think it clocks in around two minutes or so, which is definitely on the longer side for a female ballet variation. Definitely requires some stamina and resilience, but given a very accomplished and technically sound dancer, this variation really is a treat to watch. The next variation that we are going to introduce to you today is from the ballet Les Sylphides, also called Chopiniana. And this is the ballet, one of the first storyless ballets that was more focused on the dancing and the vibes. It was choreographed by Mikhail Fokin to music by Frédéric Chopin, which is absolutely exquisite. I love this ballet. Such a beautiful ballet. I feel like the female variations from Les Sylphides are quite popular. The music, if not the variation, is always very popular. But today we're highlighting the male variation because I don't think anybody talks about it. Gotta shout out our male variations out there. They're absolutely fabulous. And I love this one because it really showcases a different side of the dancer's technique that you don't see in a lot of other grander, splashier variations that you see in more of the classical era of ballet. In the context of the ballet, again, Les Sylphides is a storyless ballet, but sort of the concept is he is a young man or a poet, and he's out doing poet things, brooding in the woods and contemplating love and life. And this variation really encapsulates that. The sylphs are kind of all surrounding him. The sylphs are, you know, a product of his imagination. And it's kind of like his writings, I guess, and sort of his stories and his dreams, I guess you could say. And so he's doing this variation among all of the sylphs, and it's a very lovely, very wistful, introspective sort of variation, which is quite a contrast from the usual oompa sort of male variations, you know? But it showcases the gentle side of the danseur, sort of like the lover side of the male dancer, you know what I'm saying? There's still a lot of opportunity for the danseur to show off the skills that they practice so much at, you know, lots of jumps, turns, but I think this variation brings a different quality to it. So the jumps, instead of being super explosive, sail into the sky, it's supposed to be a very floaty, very soft landings in long extended arabesque lines. As is typical in the romantic era of ballet. And all the turns, instead of being, you know, whip off as many turns as we can, it's a very soft, gentle spiral feel, I think. I do think this variation should be performed more. I agree. Or appreciated more, you know? I love this one. Again, it's just a very different emotional texture that we don't get to see in a lot of male ballet repertoire. So I think this one's a gem. I think this one's really special and we really love watching it. So hopefully you do too. The next ballet variation we're going to be talking about today is from the ballet La Esmeralda. And before you go off being like, Esmeralda's so popular! I know Esmeralda! Think again. You might not know this Esmeralda. When we think about the ballet La Esmeralda, I am sure all of our heads kind of gravitate towards that super popular one that we all see at competitions. The Esmeralda variation with the loud music, with all the percussive hit moments, and the tambourine, obviously. But this variation highlights a very different side of our protagonist, Esmeralda. The ballet is choreographed by Jules Perrault, although it was later revised by the one and only Marius Petipa, of course. Also to music by Cesare Pugni and Riccardo Drigo. And this variation appears in act two of La Esmeralda. And this is a point in the ballet where Esmeralda is dancing at her love interest Phoebus's engagement party to another woman, Fleur Delis. This is a very common trope in ballet where the girl has to dance at her lover's own engagement to somebody else. I don't know why this is such a common trope, but... We listen and we don't judge. The ballet librettists were like, I love this trope. Let us subject all of our ballet protagonists to the same fate. Anyways, this variation is what we personally call Esmeralda's lamentation variation. Because instead of seeing her bright, energetic sort of character, which we see a lot more in act one, in this variation, because she's witnessing the betrothal of her love interest to some other woman, this variation has a lot more sorrow, a lot more of those deep, heavy emotions in it. And I think in the context of the story, you know, she's trying to be happy. You know, she's a dancer. I think she was like invited to dance at the engagement party. So she has a tambourine, but she's trying to be happy, but ultimately she can't. Exactly. And so it's that tension. It has a lot of emotional tension in it. But I think the music is so beautiful in this variation. Very, very sweet and very, very beautiful, despite sort of that turbulence and like tension in terms of emotion. This is definitely not a variation that you will find often at YGP because it is so long. It is long. It's almost three minutes and 30 seconds, which is insane. Most variations are, you know, one minute, two minute tops. This one is very, very, very long. This variation highlights a lot of different sort of techniques and skills because it is so long. We do have a lot of time to sort of explore all of these different passages. We start off with some really slow passages with a lot of controlled movement and balances. We see a few little jumps here and there as, you know, as she's trying to keep up that celebratory sort of vibe, but ultimately the jumps have a lot of emotional weight and heaviness to it, especially in the landing that she's trying to, you know, ultimately hide and conceal that sorrow. And the variation ends with this absolutely gorgeous passage of Padukuru back, traveling back and forth across the stage to sort of signify just that longing and that resignation almost. The heartbreak that she's feeling. So yes, that is Esmeralda's Lamentation Variation as we like to call it. Again, a really beautiful variation and we really wanted to share it with you guys because it shows a completely different side of a beloved ballet character that we all know. We definitely recommend you watch it or at least listen to the music. The music in itself is a highlight of the ballet. The next variation that we are going to talk about today is from Raimonda, which is also a pretty popular ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa. To music by Alexander Glazunov. It is a really, really beautiful ballet. And I will say that there are a lot of famous Raimonda variations, you know, the famous variation. The clap variation. There's also the dream variation that we see a lot at YGP, Prix de Lausanne, all of those things. There's also the famous one with a lot of hops on point. That one's very, very difficult. And I think with the sheer amount of beautiful variations from Raimonda, the one that we're about to talk to you about today kind of slips under the radar. I think this one's a pretty rare one. So of course it made it into this list. This one is also from the dream scene of the ballet Raimonda. And there are quite a few dream variations or like divertissements inside of this scene as well. I think this one that we're about to share is definitely one of the least performed and least acknowledged ones of this scene. It's short, about a minute long, but it's very, very lovely. It is! I think it's really cute. It has this levity and it has this lightness to it. And it's twinkly. It's sparkly. If I can, you know, describe it any way. The technical spotlight of this variation is definitely on the quick footwork, quick point work, and the little jumps as well. There's a lot of beautiful, detailed little passages with a lot of quick, lively footwork. And I think the whole variation has a very fleet, a very bird-like sort of quality. Yeah, it does. There's some hops and point in there. There's a lot of battery and small little footwork things. It definitely requires a dancer with really good articulation and detail, especially at a higher speed, to really make all of those delicate steps really shine. And I really love this variation just because of how joyful and how exuberant it is. I think in the midst of, you know, this dream scene, which is sort of very ethereal and very luscious. Yeah. And then you have this little variation that's just as ethereal and light and fairy-like. Yeah. But in a joyful, sparkly, sparkly way. It is. I think it's a treat to watch. And I guess I like the contrast of that inside of this sort of dream scene. I think it's nice to see that liveliness, you know, a little bit of that light back in this scene. I think of all of the Raimonda variations, it's definitely up there in one of my favorites. I agree. I love this one. And I think it deserves some spotlight. It deserves some love. But yeah, Raimonda, dream variations are always lovely. But this one, I'm sure you haven't heard of this one yet. Keep an eye out for it. The last one is probably one of my favorites of this list. Yes. And we're going to bring the spotlight back over to our male variations. And this one comes from The Two Pigeons. Choreographed by Frederick Ashton to music by Andre Messager. And this variation takes place just as our male protagonist kind of leaves his love behind and pursues this new, more interesting, more exciting young girl. And he runs off with her and sort of like the group of travelers that she's a part of. And it's very clear that he's kind of out of place. You know what I'm saying? Our young protagonist is a painter. And he's a very innocent, very young, very naive young man. And so when he runs off to join the travelers and this new girl, obviously they are a very adventurous, very loud sort of group. And so he kind of sticks out. This variation highlights sort of that contrast and how out of place he kind of is in this scene. And so plot-wise, this variation suits very well. This variation, just under one minute long, packed in typical Frederick Ashton style with some brilliant choreography. Yeah, very technically difficult, I might add. Yes, it's very technically difficult. But I think there's also a lot of beautiful, graceful passages that I think, you know, only Ashton would put together in a variation. And obviously if you go and watch it, you may be shocked with the sheer amount of lunges in that first passage. You know, it's not easy at all. But it's kind of nice to see there's a lot of character dance aspects, sort of. A lot of that. I think the music as well just portrays that sort of passion that he's coming into this scene with. He feels like his life is finally just starting. You know, he just met this new girl and he's like completely obsessed with her. And he feels inspired and he feels, you know, so hopeful for this new life. No spoilers on how everything actually plays out, but you know, for this particular scene, all he's concerned about with this variation is impressing his new girl and trying to fit in with his new surroundings and with this new people. And ultimately he's very optimistic. I love this variation so much. The music sells it for me and the music itself has that, again, it's just that purity. I think it's just a very pure... Naivete. Naive, but... That's exactly what it is. It just has that tone and it's just so sweet. And you can tell so much about the character just by the music alone. And I think that's what's really captivating about this piece. The Two Pigeons male variation. Love this one. Highly recommend that you guys go watch it. Put a little clip afterwards. It's so, so sweet. So sweet. Well, I hope you guys had fun meeting some new, ultra rare, very obscure ballet variations today. Hopefully this video could help get these beautiful ballet pieces the love and attention and spotlight that they deserve. Make sure to share this video with somebody who may not have heard of these variations before because the world deserves to appreciate all of these wonderful, obscure ballet variations and we deserve to break free from the endless cycle of key trees and Esmeraldas. Please. There are a lot more lesser known ballet variations out there. So if you want to see a part two of the rare variations series, then make sure you leave a comment and let us know if you have any obscure variations that you would like to add to the list. In the meantime, you can watch some of our other ballet nerding sessions, which will all be compiled in this playlist right here and below. And of course, subscribe to our channel so that you do not miss the next one. Anyways, I think that is all from us for now. This is Ballet Marine signing off until the next video. Bye. The two pigeons or le deux pigeons. I'm sorry, sorry. I'm not French. Not even Quebecois, you guys. Not even. Please pardon the French. I don't know how to say this either. André Messager. I have no clue, you guys. Pardon our French. Messager. Oh, you were right. I'm so French. You're so French.