34 replies to this topic

[cubanmiamiboy]

I agree with you, Natalia, and more than all that, Valdes is a totally committed ballerina, she dances non stop everything and without fear.  She's strong, hasn't suffered too many injuries and you can always count on the fact that she will be there onstage to deliver a good, exciting show.  Perhaps not the most refined, princess-like ballerina, but nonetheless great to watch and very reliable.  Being reliable in the world of ballet is something I perceived as precious...and I really appreciate that virtue of her.
The next clip of her is an unfortunate one, and it has created quite a buzz among the posters.  Valdes was scheduled to dance the Diana&Acteon PDD with Carlos Acosta, who was visiting at the moment in Havana.  That very same day she ended up in the Emergency Room of a Havana hospital with an acute asthma attack-(which she has suffered since she was a child).  They all tried to prevent her to perform that night, but she announced that her fans had been waiting for a long time to see her and Acosta together, and neither them nor Acosta deserved her absence.  Her appearance caused a big controversy, but the audience knew how to appreciate her stubbornness. At 7:21 minutes of this clip, you can tell clearly that Valdes is about to faint, but nevertheless she finished her PDD.  Brava Viengsay!

[Natalia]

Thanks for posting the clip. Yes, she really fought through her solo and the fouettes in the coda before toally running out of gas. But did you notice that even at the height of her troubles, she still retained musicality and gorgeous port de bras? I love her as much for her sensitivity as for her pyrotechnics.

A word about the Havana audience:  Half of the joy of watching Cuban video clips is listening to audience reactions. What a wild-and-crazy ballet-loving bunch! I'm only sorry that the Cuban dancers cannot take along a few of the fans to the Kennedy Center next summer.

[cubanmiamiboy]

This clip is very painful to watch...

Natalia, on 06 October 2010 - 07:14 AM, said:

What a wild-and-crazy ballet-loving bunch!

I know!...I so miss that...

[cubanmiamiboy]

Not her best role, but as the Nutcracker season has officially started, here's Viengsay's offering of the Sugar Plum Fairy.  Prince Coqueluche is Yoel Carreno.

Enjoy!



Edited to add: A little note. Just noticed the beautiful bourrees of the last flower to leave the stage on the right-(in pink).  

[cubanmiamiboy]

Flower Festival in Genzano...

[cubanmiamiboy]

"The Whirling Queen"

[Birdsall]

Very exciting!!!!

[diane]

Cool!
Thanks, Cristian!
I found myself just smiling throughout.
Normally I am not a person who enjoys "tricks" (unless they have a reason for being...), but this was just really fun to watch.


-d-

[cubanmiamiboy]

I'm glad you guys liked it, diane and BB.  I can only imagine if Valdes could have had a guesting career with ABT like Osipova.  Having those two ladies in a same company could had been a lot of fun.  Competition would had been tough, man!

Here's a different side of Valdes, as Taglioni in GPDQ, a revered ballet in Havana.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Some nice signature balances here..he,he.



...and a texbook Kitri variation with some impressive pirouettes in attitude...

[Birdsall]

She is Queen of Balances. Don't know how she does it.

I love balancing when I do the yoga poses that involve balancing. But for some reason we do them so seldom in yoga. I think instructors and people avoid them. Not sure why. I would think it is important for everyone to practice balance b/c the worst thing we can do as we age is fall down and break a hip.

[diane]

what fun to watch! thank you, Cristian!

Yes, balancing is a good thing to practice, and it DOES get better when we do! (though there is no way I am going to have her balances!)

-d-

[jsmu]

The startling thing is that such an *accomplished* dancer (not just ridiculous balances but formidable turns of all kinds) is often trashed/'flamed'--
particularly when she has none of the toxic pretensions which almost invariably accompany far less accomplished dancers
*cough* Somova, etc, etc, etc. *cough*
Valdes would probably be excellent in several Balanchine roles--including Allegro Brilliante and Glinka Pas de Trois, which she'll sadly never get to dance...

[cubanmiamiboy]

jsmu, on 21 February 2013 - 09:07 AM, said:

Valdes would probably be excellent in several Balanchine roles--including Allegro Brilliante and Glinka Pas de Trois, which she'll sadly never get to dance...

Never say "never"... , but hey...she's danced Taglioni, Lissette, Odile, Cinderella and some other major roles that some Primas of MCB also will probably never get to dance either, so...

[jsmu]

Sadly, cubanmiamiboy, not at all an equitable trade IMO. I don't think MCB ballerinas have much interest at all in those kinds of roles and if they do they can probably guest in them.
Valdes, on the other hand, doesn't have the option of just popping in to one of the few companies which do real Balanchine, not to mention obscure Balanchine....
She is actually technically punctilious in many ways, which is why I suggested Balanchine, who is suited to very few dancers, particularly ballerinas of companies who do mainly full-lengths.