As a woman, I don’t have a problem with revealing costumes for dancers or other performers. Whatever makes the art more meaningful is great, in my opinion.
With that said, sometimes costumes can distract from the art. If all we’re noticing when we watch a pair of dancers is the lady’s dress, it’s a shame because the art and athleticism aren’t getting the attention they deserve.
I watch a lot of dance videos on YouTube and when I first saw the thumbnail for this one, I feared that the main attraction of the dance would be that hellacious slit running up the side of Elena Khorova’s dress.
Wrong.
The fact is, I can’t imagine Slavik Kryklyvyy and Elena Khorova doing this dance with her wearing anything else. The dress became an extension of the dance and played such an important role that it became almost like a third dancer.
Commenters on the YouTube video agreed with me, with one person saying they were “simply speechless with the beauty, elegance, and talent.” Another person said, in all caps, “BEAUTIFUL BODIES UNITED BY MAGIC.”
But one commenter nailed it because they noticed the entire essence of the dance.
“omg how cool, a story about how he breathes life into an inanimate being and she becomes his lover”
Kryklyvyy and Khvorova danced together for only a few years, but they won second place in 2006 and 2007 at the World Championships. In this particular video, the rumba is done in the style of contemporary tango.
The music they’re dancing to is “Les Feuilles Mortes,” a 19th-century French ballad. In English, we call this beautiful piece “Autumn Leaves” (although a literal translation is “dead leaves”) and was composed by Joseph Kosma in 1945. Interestingly, Kosma got his influence for “Les Feuilles Mortes” from “Rendez-vous,” a piece of ballet music which itself borrowed in part from “Poème d’octobre” by Jules Massenet.
Watch the video below, where two dancers become one.
Image: screengrab
