3 replies to this topic

[cubanmiamiboy]

Last night was the opening of the XIII  International Ballet Festival of Miami, under the resilient direction of Pedro Pablo Pena and his unwavering Assistant Director Heriberto Jimenez.  This took place at the Manuel Artime Theater, where the International Young Ballet Medal Winners Performance was presented.  This program was assembled by Larissa Saveliev, Artistic Director of Youth America Grand Prix, drawing on YAGP’s international network of dance talent in collaboration with the International Ballet Festival of Miami.  The program consisted in the usual display of works that are common in the competition circuit, plus some contemporary/modern renderings.  The dancers were very young, ages ranging from 11 to 22.  The public was very enthusiastic, and they had a persistent ovation at the end.  This was the program.

Part I
Mirletons Variation from Nutcracker. Petipa/Tchaikowsky
Shania Rasmussen (12)/Colton West (11)
National Ballet Academy of Denver, Co. USA

“Let me Fall”. Canterna/Groban
Derek Dunn (13)
Edna Lee Dance Studio, Md. USA

“Reflections”. Reeder/Sakamoto
Megan Yamashita (15)
Southland Ballet Academy, Ca. USA

“Spring Waters”. Messerer/Rachmaninoff
Skylar Lubin (16).The Rock Center for Dance Education, PA, USA/Richard Hankes (22)Miami City Ballet School, FL,USA

“Action and Command”. Dos Santos/”The Truman Show” soundtrack
Carolina Neves (18) Centro de Danza, Rio, Brazil

“Grand Pas Classique” Variation. Gsovsky/Auber
Tamako Miyazaki (19) La Scala Ballet Academy, Italy/Kaneta Kouno Ballet Academy, Japan

“Cardiac Arrest”. Plotnikov/Huelsmann
Jeffrey Cirio (17) Orlando Ballet School, Fl, USA

“Maydow”. Tregarthen/Warsaw Village Band
Kirsten Wicklund (18) Goh Ballet Academy, Canada/Washington Ballet Studio Company, DC, USA

“Talisman” Variation. Petipa/Drigo
Emily Kadow (15). Ellison Ballet Professional Training Program, NY, USA

“10 Spiritus Spiral”. Cara/Corrad
Irlan dos Santos (18). Centro de Danza Rio, Brazil/American Ballet Studio company, NY, USA

“Don Quixote PDD” Adagio and Coda. Petipa/Minkus
Hannah Schiller (15)/Adam Hartley (18)
-Kitri’s Variation- Anna Lorena Boyd (12)
V/T Dance Academy, CA, USA/Pointe Dance Academy, Panama

INTERMISSION

Part II

“Bluebird PDD” Adagio. Petipa/Tchaikowsky
Kira Anderson (12) JKO at ABT, NY, USA/Derek Dunn (13) Edna Lee Dance Studio, MD, USA

“Notre Dame de Paris” Petit/Jarre
Hanna Schiller (15) V/T Dance Academy, CA, USA
“Esmeralda” variation . Petipa/Pugni
Tamako Miyazaki (19) La Scala Ballet Academy, Italy/Kaneta Kouno Ballet Academy, Japan

“Lacrimosa”. Lannin-Comelin/Mozart
Sally Schweitzer (15)/Steven Loch (17).  Ballet Conservatory of Texas, TX, USA.

“Complicated Game”. Dwyer/Davies
Jasmin Dwyer (18). National College of Dance, Australia/Washington Ballet studio company, DC, USA


“Coppelia”. Franz variation. St. Leon/Delibes
Jeffrey Cirio (17). Orlando Ballet School, Fl, USA

“The Hill”. Loud.Irglova
Kirsten Wicklund (18) Goh Ballet Academy, Canada/Washington Ballet Studio, DC, USA

“Gopak” Zakharov/Solovyov-Sedoi
Adam Hartley (18) V/T Dance Academy, Ca, USA

“Plentitudo” Bianco/Bach
Savina Belloto (19)/Federico Veratti (19). Il Balletto, Italy

“Satanella PDD” Petipa/Pugni
Carolina Neves (18)/Irlan dos Santon (18) Centro de Danza, Rio, Brasil/American Ballet Studio Company, NY, USA.

At the end, all the dancers took their turns to dance in a common extended offering of the Corsaire PDD Coda music.  It was very cute, and they were very happy when taking bows.  Among all the dancers I want to mention two of them that really caught my eye.  Tamako Miyazaki (19) La Scala Ballet Academy, Italy/Kaneta Kouno Ballet Academy, Japan and Irlan dos Santos (18). Centro de Danza Rio, Brazil/American Ballet Studio company, NY, USA.  Great dancing.  Bravo!  

[bart]

Thanks, Cristian, for that lovingly detailed review.  Have you made it to any other performances down in Miami?

A couple of days ago, in dirac's Links forum, there was a preview of the Festival's annual performance in West Palm Beach.  I've avoided this the past couple of years after a disastrous program played to an almost empty opera house.  (They don't do publicity up here.)

Quote

It’s only the fourth year that the festival has ventured to Palm Beach County, and already, artistic director Pedro Pablo Pena is tweaking the format. Instead of 15 or so companies in a parade of dance styles and elaborate costumes, he will focus half the program on a single audience favorite.

“This year at the Kravis Center is a special presentation by the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami performing the Act II of ‘Giselle’ with a full corps de ballet,” said festival spokesperson Karen Couty. Principal prima ballerina Hayna Gutierrez and principal dancer Miguel Angel Blanco, both recently defected from Cuba, will return to star as the leading couple.

The festival mounts no fancy productions, nothing to distract from the elaborate dancing.

If I'd known the program I would have gone.  Your review of Cuban Classical Ballet has made me curious.  And I'd really like to see what Kansas City does with Still Point, a ballet I've never seen, though it feaetured the favorite ballerina of my youth, Melissa Hayden.

Was anyone at the Kravis?  What was it like?

[rg]

perhaps you know, but if not, Hayden and d'Amboise were filmed in the pas de deux from THE STILL POINT and it's included in JACQUES D'AMBOISE - PORTRAIT OF A DANSEUR - if i've got the title correctly.

[cubanmiamiboy]

bart, on Sep 13 2008, 07:50 AM, said:

Thanks, Cristian, for that lovingly detailed review.  Have you made it to any other performances down in Miami?
(...) Was anyone at the Kravis?  What was it like?

I couldn't go to the Kravis, due to tight work schedule   .  I would have loved to go and see Hayna Gutierrez doing Giselle.  I'm very curious as why isn't she still signed with any major ballet company, neither her partner Blanco-(their pal Domitro recently signed as a Principal with SFB).  Anyway, I'm planning to go to tonight's performance at the Carnival Center, "The Etoiles Grand Gala",after work.  The recipient of this year’s “ A Life for Dance” Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given every year to a Grand Star, is Frederick Franklin, as a well deserved homage to his amazing life as a dancer, choreographer, ballet director and premier danseur with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
Here are some of the companies participating:

StaatsBallett Berlin, Germany
Stuttgart Ballet International Guest Artists, Germany
Slovene National Ballet, Slovenia
The Royal Ballet, England
Paris Opera Ballet, France
Florence Opera Ballet, Italy
Nacho Duato Compañia Nacional de Danza, Spain
Ballet do Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Canada

National companies participating:
San Francisco Ballet, USA
Houston Ballet, USA
Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, USA