It is not so common to see male dancers, at least we do not think of them in the same way. They exist and are very common, though. They are very much needed in any piece of classical ballet choreography.
Once a male dancer becomes a master at ballet dancing the doors are open for him. This is an extremely competitive field, but the top comes with its privileges. Let’s go over a few of the greatest Male Ballet Dancers of all time such as Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Vaslav Nijinsky.
Rudolf Nureyev
This is the main guy when it comes to Ballet dancing. He changed the field forever with his talent and hard work. He was considered the greatest that ever lived when he was active. He had such skill and talent that he was able to start taking leading roles in a field that had been traditionally dominated by women.
This leads him to great fame and success. He used it to continue to develop himself as a dancer and choreographer. He did not limit himself to classical ballet, though. He was a great exponent of contemporary dancing. He made many contributions to the current scene in this genre too.
He was originally from the Soviet Union.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Another Soviet legend. He made a great career as lead dancer. He has gone into history as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of all time. He requested political asylum in the mid-70s and it was granted to him. Considering that he started so young he had a very long career. That is not usually the case with dancers.
High energy is required for male dancers in their very early ages that their bodies often cannot take the punishment for many years. He managed to survive those rigors and stay current through the decades.
Vaslav Nijinsky
We continue down this list with another great Soviet talent. There is a very long tradition of excellence in this region and our next dancer on the list is a big part of that tradition. Vaslav Nijinsky was a professional ballet dancer in the Imperial Ballet Company by the age of nine.
His talent was such that he started to get prominence and managed to maintain it throughout his career. The fact that he was born almost two hundred years ago and we still talk about him is a sign of the importance of his contribution to the world of ballet.
Conclusion
With such a strong history in the field, it is not easy to make a mark. Those that managed to write their names in Ballet history did so at great cost. They had to use everything available to them. Ballet consumed their lives and bodies. That is normal and the way it goes with any such pursuit, though. Practitioners will do this gladly just to be a part of the discipline they so love. Sometimes all that hard work and pain pay off. At times all the efforts flourish into a life of doing what you love at the highest possible level. That is all any of the people on this list were ever after, in the end. The possibility to do what they love with the best in the field.
When the word Ballet comes up we immediately go to a woman dressed in a tutu. That is the most iconic image of this art form. Ballet is widely used around the world to teach young girls about dancing.
Maybe you are starting on your ballet path. Perhaps for yourself or a loved one. Maybe you just watched a video or live performance and became fascinated with this art form. No matter the reason, if you are starting in this world you may be overwhelmed at first. There is so much to learn and love that it will be hard at the time. The good news is that if you fall in love with this kind of dance you will absorb knowledge about it as if you were a sponge. We are going to take advantage of your excitement of this newly found passion of yours to share with you a few of the greatest ballet dancers. These people have become so good at what they do that they have written their names in history. That is not an easy feat to accomplish with anything, but Ballet is especially brutal when it comes to becoming great at it. Let us go right into it.
Ballet
Ballet is a dance. Not just any dance, though. It is a form of dance that is old. It originated in France over five hundred years ago. It took the shape that it has today a very long time ago. It has been kept alive in stages around the world because of the perfection that it requires from performers. There is a lot of Ballet pieces, and you can find that this kind of art is very demanding. Because of those two details, it has become what is known as a classical form.
The classics
Classics are beyond the passage of time. They endure because of a particular value. Something in them makes them timeless. You can find great literature that will have the same impact on people today that it had three hundred years ago. That is the same in music and many other disciplines. The added value of a classic form is that it is great for teaching and learning the basics. You can usually get started on your journey with the classics and move on down through the ages to more current forms once you are equipped with the skills you will need. It is not easy to jump into something without knowing its roots. That is why the classics are the start of the journey for most.