59 replies to this topic

[bart]

Rolando Sarabia remains on the MCB list of Principals:
http://www.miamicity...super_human.php


[Moderator beanie on]   Kindly reminder:  With matters like this, please post only official news on Ballet Talk.  And please cite your source (publication or whatever) by name.[mod beanie off]

[cubanmiamiboy]

Natalia, on Feb 10 2009, 04:38 AM, said:

cubanmiamiboy, do you mean that Sarabita was not cast in DON Q...or is out due to injury (again)...or, heaven forbid, among the dancers who were 'let go' recently?

No, Natalia...Sarabita did not dance in DQ.  As per your question, given the official news, none of the fired-(can I use the real word...?)- dancers were among the Principals...
And this was his big chance to shine.  I don't think he's crazy about the Balanchine repertoire anyways...
bart...the only problem being that the MCB website still shows the Company roster as per its current season-(53 dancers)-without the 8 new cuts, which are due next season, according to spokewoman Nicolle Ugarriza.  Later one it should be reduced to 45.
http://www.examiner....nding_woes.html

[cubanmiamiboy]

As we know now, Rolandito Sarabia is no longer part of the Miami City Ballet roster.  Thanks to CarolinaM, it looks like now he is is listed in the cast of the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami for their upcoming presentation of Le Corsaire in the Festival de Peralada, Cataluna-Spain.  Now, the interesting part is that he's listed as a member of the Houston Ballet-(!)

This is the casting, from their website.

Lorena FEIJOO (San Francisco Ballet), Xiomara REYES (American Ballet Theatre), Rolando SARABIA (Houston Ballet), Taras DOMITRO (San Francisco Ballet)
Miguel Ángel BLANCO (Joffrey Ballet)
and
Hayna GUTIÉRREZ, Kaleena BURKS, Raydel CÁCERES, Valia GONZÁLEZ, Christine HODGES, Jordan LONG, Grace POWERS, Gleidson VASCONCELOS

[cubanmiamiboy]

As we know now, Rolandito Sarabia is no longer part of the Miami City Ballet roster.  Thanks to CarolinaM, it looks like now he is is listed in the cast of the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami for their upcoming presentation of Le Corsaire in the Festival de Peralada, Cataluna-Spain.  Now, the interesting part is that he's listed as a member of the Houston Ballet-(!)

This is the casting, from their website.

Lorena FEIJOO (San Francisco Ballet), Xiomara REYES (American Ballet Theatre), Rolando SARABIA (Houston Ballet), Taras DOMITRO (San Francisco Ballet)
Miguel Ángel BLANCO (Joffrey Ballet)
and
Hayna GUTIÉRREZ, Kaleena BURKS, Raydel CÁCERES, Valia GONZÁLEZ, Christine HODGES, Jordan LONG, Grace POWERS, Gleidson VASCONCELOS

[cubanmiamiboy]

Edited: double post.

[bart]

Sarabia is not on the current, posted  Houston roster.  He former MCB bio mentioned that he "Danced with the National Ballet of Cuba and Houston Ballet."  Perhaps Cuban Classical, in writing its press release, just defaulted back to that earlier position.  

It's good to learn that he will be performing in Spain with dancers he knows and a repertoire with which he is familiar and comfortable.   It might be an opportunity to be seen and possibly picked up by a company that fits him better.

[bart]

I guess this thread should be for those focusing on the significance of this change for Sarabia.  Meanwhile, since there are also implications for Miami City Ballet, there's a thread on this topic on that forum.
http://ballettalk.in...showtopic=31641

Quote

Sarabia defected from Cuba in 2005 and joined MCB in 2007.  Here's something from the NY Times at the time of his arrival in the U.S.

Like other leading dancers in the Cuban ballet, Mr. Sarabia has been longing to establish himself as an international star. "Where did Alicia Alonso become famous?" Mr. Sarabia said in an interview in Havana last November. "In New York. Where has she always been? Abroad." He said he wanted the same thing. "All the sacrifices I've made for my career, God should give me the opportunity," he said. "The time is now."

I was surprised that he was only 23 at the time of his defection, which makes him in his late 20s now.  Somehow he always seemed to me to be older.   Possibly that was jsut the slight sense of separation, hesitancy, and possibly discomfort I often picked up when I saw him onstage with MCB dancers, even in those performances in which he was dancing well.  

I should say that I NEVER got the sense of a truly world-class dancer somehow being held back in Miami -- the "Cuban Nijinsky, " "compared to Baryshnikov," etc.  MCB offered him plenty of opportunities to star and to develop dance skills that would actually be quite helpful in building an international career in today's real world of ballet.  For whatever reasons, it didn't work.  It's nice that, while still so young, he has time to try again to find a career track that suits his personality and the goals he originally set for himself..

For those who want refreshing about the details of Sarabia's arrival in the US, here is the 2005 NY Times article:
http://www.walterlip...om/docs251.html

[cubanmiamiboy]

If he could go on to ABT...

[cubanmiamiboy]

And then...Sarabita was, since the very starting...WAAAAAAAAAAY superior in terms of technique than, let's say, Acosta-(whom I also had the chance to see in his early career). Difference being, Sarabita never had Acosta's consistency and reliability,,,

[bart]

cubanmiamiboy, on Apr 19 2010, 02:34 PM, said:

And then...Sarabita was, since the very starting...WAAAAAAAAAAY superior in terms of technique than, let's say, Acosta-(whom I also had the chance to see in his early career).

Cristian, can you elaborate on what you mean by "technique."  Are we talking jumps and turns, or something extra?

I've been thinking about Sarabia's career at MCB, relying on old programs and notes to help me organize my visual memories.  The performances I really remember -- the one's where I found myself thinking:  "Wow, so that's a glimpse of what the fuss was all about" -- were when he partnered exceptional women.   Jeanette Delgado in Allegro Brillante,  Delgado again in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,  Delgado again in one of the best Sugar Plum pdd's I remember having seen.  Mary Carmen Catoya in Black Swan pdd.  Deanna Seay in the Balanchine Swan Lake, Act II.

In the pdd's, it's the partnering portions that I remember.  The solo variations were not exceptional.

As for the Balanchine/Robbins  rep:  He gave Sanguinic in 4 T's an okay shot (with Patricia Delgado), and I can remember him apparently trying to fit in during the ensemble parts of that. He was the weak link in the cast of Robbins' In the Night, again daincing with Patricia D).  His partnership with Seay in Symphony in C, first movement, was quite beautiiful. However, he lost focus or interest in the middle of a performance of  Divertimento No. 15, something I've never seen another MCB dancer do on stage.

I never saw him, in any role, express the sheer joy of dancing, a qualityi which is the norm at MCB.
  
This all tends to support your comment that ...

Quote

Sarabita never had Acosta's consistency and reliability,,,

[cubanmiamiboy]

bart...it would be difficult to really describe in words what Sarabita was in his early career...he was FIRE onstage! Never seen so much control in multiple pirouettes in a dancer EVER...or such elegance and command in the classical/romantic roles.  The Sarabita that South Florida got to see is just a totally different dancer from that of Havana...from night to day.
If anything, this clip-(which I have posted before, I know)-shows him from those early, glorious days...

[bart]

Thanks, Cristian.  Sarabia's is actually quite a fascinating story about how hard it is to be an artist in a changing world.

I don't seem to have seen that clip before.  It's fascinating to watch him growing up, starting as a child and growing into young adult star he became in Havana.  I can sense a little bit what we did NOT get a chance to see at MCB. On the other hand, I hope he has benefitted from having to stretch himself to perform in the very different style he found there.

I saw that there are studio videos (Miami?) also available on that YouTube. but they are not well-made.  It would be lovely to see him in a professionally shot performance video.

It was common years ago in Spain to wish someone "Suerte y Moneda."  I don't know whether this is used in Cuba, but I certainly wish him both.

[cubanmiamiboy]

I'll add a very popular Afro-Cuban expression-(from the Yoruba dialect)- for luck to yours: ACHE PA'TI, MACHO!!!  

[CarolinaM]

Quote

As we know now, Rolandito Sarabia is no longer part of the Miami City Ballet roster. Thanks to CarolinaM, it looks like now he is is listed in the cast of the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami for their upcoming presentation of Le Corsaire in the Festival de Peralada, Cataluna-Spain. Now, the interesting part is that he's listed as a member of the Houston Ballet-(!)

Thanks for telling cubanmiamiboy! It seems that Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami has sent a not very accurate info about their guests, because they also mentioned Adyaris Almeida as member of the Cincinatti Ballet which was not as she is with Corella Ballet Castilla y León from the very beginning. We told them about and after checking they ammended the error.

Does anyone here know where is Rolando Sarabia dancing now? Maybe it is again a wrong information and we could ask them to put it right.

[bart]

[Moderator beanie on] I've just had to remove a post having to do with one of the details concerning the projected tour to Spain.  Unfortunately, "I know for a fact" does not meet Ballet Talk's standards for official sources that can be verified.  Anyone with official news, please share it with us.  Thank you for your cooperation.[Moderator beanie off]