nicoal

Maria Teresa Carrizo who performed and taught for many years in Venezuela and the US is still going, I believe she just turned 70. One of her teachers was a student of Maestro Cecchetti although I'm sad to say I don't recall his name. Though not as svelte and mobile as she once was, she occasionally demonstrates some barre (and still has much better turnout than I'll ever have) but mostly marks with her hands and describes. There's no way of misunderstanding what she wants you to do.

Program II of the season opened at Bailey Concert Hall in Davie Saturday night. It is not appearing in Miami's Gusman Center for the Performing Arts until January. I started attending performances of this company as someone I have taken classes with for a few years joined for this season, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of dancing and content of the programs. I am continually amazed by Hiroko Sakakibara, she has lovely arms and articulation of her head. She sparkles in Miniatures, fitting the small doll figure perfectly. She transitioned between wind-up doll and flowing port de bras seamlessly. In Partita, she demonstrated her smooth ballon, grand jetes sailed through the air without any hint of a jerk. Isanusi Garcia had smaller roles this time, he shone in the first program. An extremely strong, expressive dancer. He always seemes to float just a moment longer than anyone else. Paul Thrussell appeared with Britt Juleen in Tango Tonto, with a clean technique and parterned the quite tall Ms. Juleen impressively. I have enjoyed the choreography and very importantly the selection of music. The use of Vivaldi and Handel in Partita was a welcome surprise, it worked very well with movement. Many performances I've seen, I feel disconnected when the music is off. I've found Miami City's music to often be too loud and or not something I enjoy content-wise. I have found all of the pieces extremely accessible and a pleasure to listen to with the dance. All three pieces of this program were Jimmy Gamonet De Los Heros' choreography. A large portion of the quantity of the company seems to rotate in principal/soloist roles and I am amazed at the high quality of technique and expression that runs across the board with these dancers. I would love to hear what others thought of the performance, I am terrible at remembering names/faces, many stood out though. I look forward to getting to know the rest of the dancers in this season.

Solid, clean technique always makes me smile... But two things can always tickle me pink: strong musicality and after the clean execution of pirouettes that goofy grin so many dancers get in the following section. For the musicality, I love to see someone playing inside the music. The tape of Gelsey Kirkland at Wolftrap doing the 1) Coppelia pas de deux and 2) the echappes in the Don Quixote pas continues to take my breath away. Shakey and unhealthy, she somehow managed to do the variations with such liquid precision. I heard a quote referring to it as porcelain coated steel. I can only imagine what it would look like when she was healthy. The part of Coppelia where she's hmm.. walking en pointe, she steps out (supporting leg en pointe, plie) then closes the formerly working leg coupe and it slides down to the floor and it starts all over? My goodness, I'm at a loss to what this would be called. Anyhow, in this sequence she melts through it, sharp at the beats. There's a final arabesque that barely turns which she holds until the last moment. Finally her hops en pointe with ballonne, I marvel at the beauty and strength. And those echappes in Don Quixote... I've seen them done at speed before and it always makes me anxious. Her echappes are what I could only dream mine to be one day. What gorgeous, supple pointe work. Anyhow, this was not intended to be a disseration over Ms. Kirkland's performance. But to me, it is the embodiment of the kind of musicality that I so enjoy. And as far as that goofy grin, it mostly comes at the end of a variation when the last of the pirouettes has just happened and it came off cleanly. As a student who throughout my ballet life has struggled with turns, I feel such great empathy in that time. A moment of triumph when they really stuck that wicked mess of turns. Maybe this is why I love any chance to see Baryshnikov (many videos and a few times live with White Oak). He gets the goofy grin WHILE he's turning, especially towards the last revolutions. I know these aren't steps... I couldn't think of anything in particular that gets me more than others.

bart, You've made some wonderful points. We have similar seats and from other dance performances we've attended, this works best for us. Not too far away, but enough that you can get a scope of the overall design. We attended one evening of the International Ballet Festival (Gala) which was quite interesting, to see participants from all over the world - not just the home team and doing a wide variety of classical and more contemporary choreography. The seats were a bit too close, but since most were small groups of dancers it wasn't too much of a hinderance. And there was a couple in a pas de deux that even though the technique was a bit shakey, their expressions and enthusiasm made up for it 10 times over. I was very pleased to be up close and personal for that. What an interesting comparison to the wine world... I think something I tend to forget is that appreciating dance performance is a skill in-of-itself. Sometimes I figure because I'm so familiar with technique I'm ready to see a live performance, but what I'm coming to realize is I need to take off that student cap so as to not focus on occasional chicken wing arms or not-so-pointed feet. Most importantly I think you pointed out is not to become negative. It's one thing to dislike a performance, but to take it in stride is important. I find myself getting grumpy because I don't like the music or the choreography first off. Gotta remember to relax and take it in and try to ruminate later what it is that I took issue with. All in all, this is supposed to be fun, I can't forget that!

bart, I'm curious to see how you react, if I had the funds I'd like to see the program again with a bit more concentration paid to the Balanchine pieces. I can completely understand your comments regarding so many things to take in at once - being a fairly long-standing ballet student, I can often get distracted by their technique; especially if I lose interest. I own quite a few videos with a variety of choreographers, but none are Balanchine. Those which I might not have appreciated or liked so much (Choo San Goh's Configurations in The Dancer and the Dance w/Baryshnikov) I have come around on. I especially found a pas de deux striking, it brought tears to my eyes which is incredibly rare for me with ballet. And this was a piece Goh said was about the music and dance, not a certain emotional undercurrent or plot. But with Balanchine, it's been more of a self-fulfilling prophecy - I don't get it or like it so I don't want to purchase it, therefore the only time I see it is live and often times for the first viewing of a certain piece. I'd love to have a more broad scope of performances under my belt, but honestly I don't have that kind of expendable income or time. We get tickets to the four programs with MCB, but it's difficult to squeeze in a lot more. As a last note, I think another major roadblock for me (and my husband) is Stravinsky. Both of us admire and thoroughly enjoy classical music but neither of us can wrap our ears around Stravinsky. Again, maybe this is something that will change with time but currently there are several pieces we've seen in performances that honestly made us both cringe...

I revisted the Live at Lincoln Center Balanchine 100 Year Celebration I've taped to see if I could nail down what I do and don't see. Watching the Duo Concertant, I see the relationship of the dancers and the music - as well as the adagio section of the Concerto Barocco shown. It's very obvious in Duo Concertant to me now, whether I'd noticed that before I'm not sure. I think when I've seen a lot of Balanchine -- to me -- I've had the impression that the choreography was a tad too fast for the dancers to fully execute which is terribly distracting (from the MCB performances). At that point, the student in me comes out and starts focusing on technique which will drain the enjoyment out of any performance. Maybe enough reading has shed the light on what I was missing or these done by very talented dancers, in video illustrates it better. After this minor revelation, I think I don't like it - but I do get it a little better. I like some parts, as well as the interpretation of the music physically. I want the music and some sort of emotion that pulls me in and I simply have not experienced this yet. I prefer stories, but a clear emotional line is satisfying as well. In a bit of a twist, I was a bit disappointed the first time I saw Swan Lake... I'd listened to the music a lot before seeing the ballet and was let down that the choreography didn't 'sync' how I'd conceptually imagined in my mind. Maybe I'd go for the Balanchine interpretation.

I was going to start a thread similar to this when I found this old one. I recently attended Miami City's third program and after about 10 Balanchine pieces I have seen them perform, I don't get it. Exactly as mentioned before, I feel cold and disinterested with the vast majority. It is quite frustrating as I know so many people really "get" the relationship of dancer and music, the geometry of the choreography. I feel like I'm illiterate and can't appreciate something more subtle. Whereas I've seen a bit of modern and just about any other "classic" choreographers and whether I like them or not, I'm not left with this feeling. What's the key to getting a choreographer? Brute repitition?

I think I'm the queen of ballet related anxiety dreams. I've had two total non-anxiety types (one it was just a good class with a very involved combination - not one I've done in reality to my recollection - that I actually remembered when I woke up!). The rest fall into the category of: 1) Lost backstage (actually happened briefly when I was 11, but was always a concern) 2) Lost in the studio 3) Can't get changed fast enough for class and miss the whole darned thing! I am extremely geographically challenged and can get turned around in a building very easily. And surprisingly, I'm paranoid about being late so it doesn't surprise me this comes out in dreams.

Victoria, your comment about a balance being joyous really struck a chord with me. For me, one of the greatest rushes even just in the studio is when you find yourself in a perfect balance. It reminds me of one of my favorite pictures of a dancer who displays the feeling I get in that moment - here's the link to the picture of Margot Fonteyn For those precious moments all feels right in the world .