ninjarina Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I was randomly in Cambridge MA and saw Jose Mateo Ballet Theater , a small ( but strong) company , perform the Nutcracker. I was quite surprised to see such accomplished dancers in such a small company. Their budget was obviously small , but the dancing held it together tremendously well. Mateo has some wonderfully talented young dancers , one girl in particular , was quite incredible.She danced the dew drop fairy . What amazed me so much was that she not only had wonderful lines and amazing pirouettes , but she could literally jump like a guy. Why would such an amazing dancer be in such a small company ? I want to go back to see them perform this spring - is there anyone out there who knows of Jose MAteo ? I had never heard of him before I went to Cambridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbro Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 Just goes to show you never know where you're bound to find terrific dancing. Thanks so much, ninjarina! I believe this is the first post we've had on the Jose Mateo Ballet Theater , and we'd love to hear more -- from you or anyone else who's seen them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leigh Witchel Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 No, we've had other posts on the company - just not for a while. Actually, when I was a student in Boston back in the Mesozoic era, I used to take class from Mateo. Glad to hear you enjoyed the performance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dido Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 Mr Mateo has been established in the Cambridge area for a while; fairly recently they started performing their Nutcracker in the Sanctuary Theater (a Baptist Church) rather than the Emerson Majestic in downtown Boston. Of course the budget is always tight, but the lack of scenery you saw was due to the space. I take open classes at Ballet Theatre and if memory serves this is the 20th anniversary of the company so the Spring Show should be a knockout; last year's The Cuban Condition was stunning. Was the DewDrop you saw Elizabeth Scherben Shinzawa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjarina Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 (edited) wow , glad to hear some more about Mateo - his choreography is quite beautiful. If memory serves me correctly Elizabeth Scherben Shinzawa was performing Sugar Plum fairy on that night ,She has an amazing arabesque line . The dew drop I saw was younger than she . I was also very impressed with the Russian duo.I read some of the reviews for the Cuban Condition and will definately make it over there to attend the spring performances as I will be passing through Boston. Edited to remove duplication of dido's post, above. Edited January 27, 2005 by carbro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjarina Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 just thought i'd mention that I found out that Francoise Voranger was the dew drop that I saw at JMBT's Nutcracker. Great little dancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dido Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Oh yes, Francoise is a powerhouse for sure (she was usually in the Trepak). You asked above why such good dancers are in such a small company; and while I don't know I'd guess that it's because it's so small. There's only 20 and that means that everyone gets to dance both the big and the small roles. Also, you may have noticed that there isn't really a "mold" from very tall to very short, very thin to very muscular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjarina Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Oh yes, Francoise is a powerhouse for sure (she was usually in the Trepak). You asked above why such good dancers are in such a small company; and while I don't know I'd guess that it's because it's so small. There's only 20 and that means that everyone gets to dance both the big and the small roles. Also, you may have noticed that there isn't really a "mold" from very tall to very short, very thin to very muscular. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ...yes , the company seemed very diverse and most of the dancers seemed quite strong -it's just so unusual to see so much power and control come from a female dancer.She is defiantely one to watch for the future. Its refreshing to have alot of different style dancers to look at in one production.Most companies have carbon copies for their corps de ballet dancers , and while that is still lovely , it's nice to see a change. The only drawback I saw was the lack of male dancers in the company.I must say that David DuBois was beautiful to watch . I am quite interested to see what Mateo will do with the upcoming spring perfromances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andycrawford Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 wow - its a small world - i went to school with francoise and saw ballet theater's Nutcracker a few years ago whilst on christmas break.it is a very lovely company and a small company is an ideal training ground for young dancers as they get more attention from mallet masters/directors etc. Another lovely dancer I would like to draw attention to is Temple Carol who i saw dance while i was there.She did a nicely executed arabian and has a beautiful yet sultry quality. Francoise is certainly a powerhouse especially for one so young, definately one to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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