43 replies to this topic

[bart]

I don't know where else to put this, but here's a brief interview with 2 of MCB's established dancers, who are performing at  The International Gala of Ballet Starts in Cincinnati.

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Haiyan Wu and Yang Zou of Miami City Ballet are also partners on and off the stage. The locations where the two have performed individually and together, including Russia, Denmark, Turkey, Israel, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, France, Peru, Germany and Italy, make a veritable world map of stages.

They are also medalists in numerous international competitions.

"We are going to perform Balanchine's 'Diamonds' pas de deux from Jewels in Cincinnati," Wu says, "but we are also bringing 'Xun' (pronounced shu ahn) which we have choreographed ourselves. We just finished it last month.

"In our company we do a lot of Balanchine, and recently some Twyla Tharp. But we wanted something new and completely modern and different for this appearance.

"In Chinese, Xun means 'always looking for something.' The piece is about love, and how you are always looking for someone you want to be together with for your whole life. We have used Chinese music, and we have drawn some of the movement quality from traditional Chinese dance, so the feel is definitely not Western."

Surprisingly, Wu says her greatest strength as a dancer is not her astounding technique.

"It is that I am consistent," she says. "I tell myself 'I can do it.' Then I go on stage and enjoy the music and do my best. I always want to bring the best I can to my audience."

And here's an online blog entry from Greg Stepanich at the Palm Beach post.  (Thanks, dirac, for finding that one.)   It's about Elvis Costello's new composition for the ballet that Twyla Tharp will be setting on MCB his season:

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This show will be a must-see for me this season, even though I’m a little apprehensive about the music. Costello did some sudden genre-switching in Il Sogno and those were the worst parts of the score. From the promos, it looks like another half-and-half thing here, but that’s just a guess.

It may be that it doesn’t add up to a whole success, or it could be that Costello comes up with a unified style that offers us his compositional personality as well as a demonstration of his range. Either way, it’s another must-see for me in the upcoming season.

[cubanmiamiboy]

bart, on Aug 9 2007, 08:50 PM, said:

here's a brief interview with 2 of MCB's established dancers, who are performing at  The International Gala of Ballet Starts in Cincinnati. Haiyan Wu and Yang Zou of Miami City Ballet are also partners on and off the stage. The locations where the two have performed individually and together, including Russia, Denmark, Turkey, Israel, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, France, Peru, Germany and Italy, make a veritable world map of stages.

Thanks for this information, bart.  It is for sure something too look at, since they will probably be dancing "Diamonds" here in South Florida too...

bart, on Aug 9 2007, 08:50 PM, said:

"I always want to bring the best I can to my audience."  
                             Mrs.Haiyan Wu

Good! That's always very nice to hear, so let's hope for some serious Wu/Zou job!

[bart]

It's strange, but I don't recall Wu (a principal) and Zou (a soloist) performing at partners at the MCB performances I've seen.  I didn't even know they were partners in life.  Wu would seem to be a natural for Diamonds.  It will be interesting to see whether they get the opportunity to dance together in this ballet during the regular season.  Maybe the Gala in Cincinnati was a kind of dress rehearsal?

It would be interesting to hear the thoughts of those of you have have seen these dancers, either together or apart.

[Figurante]

Wu and Zou Yang danced in MCB's Sleeping Beauty last season. It would be wonderful to see them both in this role again at least. Luckily for us audience members, Sleeping Beauty is on the roster again. Yay! I believe they also danced the Nutcracker pas de deux together as well. Wu would be amazing in Emerald's pdd no matter whom her partner may be.... That is one of my wishes for this season!

I have to say that Wu in Liturgy was something to DIE for as well!

Zou Yang performed one show of Giselle with Tricia Albertson last season. His stage presence was phenominal, and so believable! It was the first time all season where he really shined through as an artist. It was actually one of my favorite Albright performances to date. I know he is cast in some certain wonderful things this coming season through word of mouth, but until casting is finalized and posted, nothing escapes from my lips!

In any rate, these two dancers, no matter what ballet they perform, or whom they are paired with, are both full of integrity, and a definite delight to watch!

[Figurante]

Two more new things to announce!!!!!


Most of the headshots have been added to the MCB website, so now we all can put faces to the names!!! YAY!


Rebecca King has been promoted from a Student Apprentice, to a Company Apprentice. Headshot and bio pending.

[bart]

Figurante, on Aug 10 2007, 05:38 PM, said:

Wu and Zou Yang danced in MCB's Sleeping Beauty last season.

Figurante, would that have been on tour?  I'm assuming this is Aurora's Wedding.  I never saw MCB do this this (except for a pdd at a gala) and would love to hear about it.  Is it the entire Act III?  With the depth of talent in the company in both men and women, it would be incredible to see every cast.  

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Wu would be amazing in Emerald's pdd no matter whom her partner may be.... That is one of my wishes for this season!

Absolutely.  I'm assuming you mean the Verdy part.  Whom would you like to see in the other female lead -- the one who dances the Sicilienne -- if you were in charge?

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I have to say that Wu in Liturgy was something to DIE for as well!

Again -- I agree absolutely.  I saw Her with Sanchez, and also Carranza with Sanchez.  Same partner, entirely different ballet.  Astonishing.  I loked both sets of epformancees, but Wu's made sense of the religious title.  There was indeed something "sacred" and unearthly in the flowing, but extremely measured, way Wu performed the part.

And thanks for the information about the photos.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Figurante, on Aug 10 2007, 05:38 PM, said:

Wu and Zou Yang danced in MCB's Sleeping Beauty last season.

Hi figurante!
It must have been out of Miami, and just the PDD, because i think this is the first time that MCB does "Aurora's Wedding"
(I could be wrong, so correct me please if i am)

[Figurante]

Hello all! Yes, I am sorry for the misclarification on my part. It was a mish-mosh of "Aurora's Wedding," last season.. meaning all of the fairy variations were also included as well as the court, and well as Puss and boots, red Riding hood, and Blue Bird. It ends in the Mazurka and everything... basically all the highlights of Sleeping Beauty combined into the Wedding. It was nice because it gave a lot of people opportunity in the company to perform semi-featured roles. I believe the same version will be performed for this season as well.

Bart: I would love to see Tricia Albertson and Jennifer Kronenberg in Emeralds as well. I'm hoping the Esty twins and Michael Breeden will be the pas de trois.

I would love to start a thread about Rubies, but I think I may go off on a tangine wish list of casting choices!

[bart]

Figurante, on Aug 11 2007, 05:06 PM, said:

I would love to start a thread about Rubies, but I think I may go off on a tangine wish list of casting choices!

Go for it!!     Dream casting is always fun.  And, who knows, an AD or two may take one of our hints.

[Leigh Witchel]

bart, on Aug 11 2007, 09:24 PM, said:

And, who knows, an AD or two may take one of our hints.

Never, ever wish for that.

You'll end up with biographical ballets about Balanchine.  Please trust that we know this from bitter, deeply painful experience.

[bart]

Leigh Witchel, on Aug 11 2007, 10:52 PM, said:

You'll end up with biographical ballets about Balanchine.  Please trust that we know this from bitter, deeply painful experience.

Ah ... a dream come true!  But it would need a Balanchine to do it justice.  

[Leigh Witchel]

You haven't seen Musagete, have you?  It happened after someone made a joke about Eifman - we had discarded the idea of "Torquemada!" and then someone suggested "Balanchine:  The Prodigal Son".

We all laughed.  Less than three years later. . .

[bart]

Leigh Witchel, on Aug 12 2007, 12:16 PM, said:

You haven't seen Musagete, have you?

No -- but I've heard there's a great part for Mourka.  As I type this, our grey cat, Basil, is creeping ever so slowly and smoothly towards a lizard who is (safely) on the other side of the screening of our porch.  He's moving with intense concentration and self-possession, as though folded within himself (to quote a comment I read recently about a Baryshnikov performance).

I can't imagine MCB taking on Musagete.  However, snowballs do occasionally turn up in hell.  So, if they do it, I'd love to see Haiyan Wu (alternating with Jennifer Kronenberg) in the Mourka part.     

And Isanusi Garcia Rodriguez (back as a soloist this season) as Balanchine. He smolders but also has that self-contained quality that I associate with Balanchine.  No one leaps to mind for LeClerq and Farrell, however. Maybe someone from the corps.

[Helene]

bart, on Aug 12 2007, 04:25 AM, said:

Leigh Witchel, on Aug 11 2007, 10:52 PM, said:

You'll end up with biographical ballets about Balanchine.  Please trust that we know this from bitter, deeply painful experience.

Ah ... a dream come true!  But it would need a Balanchine to do it justice.  

Davidsbuendlertaenze and Meditation are two that come to mind.