112 replies to this topic

[Helene]

Aiming for the 1980's is questionable.

[Natalia]

Helene, on 16 October 2012 - 08:56 AM, said:

Aiming for the 1980's is questionable.

Was Duato around in the 80s?

[Helene]

"Jardi Tancat" is from 1983, the year Balanchine died.

I do give it credit for exposing me to Maria del Mar Bonet, although I'd much rather have discovered her from the DVD of his own dancers performing "Arenal."

[cubanmiamiboy]

bart, on 16 October 2012 - 08:38 AM, said:

OFF TOPIC.  Am I wrong in thinking that many Cuban defectors came to the U.S. precisely to have the chance to experience a range of works and styles not available at home?  

True, bart, but that same reason is also the one for which many dancers have also left MCB, and others would not come.  Don't we realize that MCB is also lacking an important style that is becoming not available-(using your same phrase)..?

I'm not talking about a substitution at all. At the end,I'm glad I have what I have here,including a range of works I never knew before.  But I really think that based on where the company is right now,and what their dancers have accomplished so far, it is time to take it to the next level.  By now I'm positive it is not lack of funding the reason for which a full length SL-(or SB)- is not part of the repertoire, but rather a generalized feeling of inadequacy, which one can even smell in the posts of this board.  I think it is time to conquer Petipa. (Ironically...don't we remember that Balanchine's masterpiece, THE ballet of his ballets, T&V, was the one the dancers had more difficulty getting thru...?


Tu put it in bold...I feel that what everybody fears here ,both AD's and dancers, is the uber exposed technical side of Petipa, and let me also include Balanchine's own Aurora's Wedding, AKA "T&V", to which nothing I've seen of Mr.B comes close-( from the top of my head, Concerto Barocco, Ballet Imperial, Bourree Fantasque, Jewels and the like...).  And then...why things like Tchaikovsky PDD are so avoided, and Sylvia PDD never performed...? Those are also Petipa for me.

Bottom line...dancers at MCB are not being completely exposed to the high technical demands of what is the very bones of ballet.

[bart]

Since neither Duato nor Swan Lake Act is on the horizon for MCB in the immediate future , my mind has been wandering back to the outreach (a.k.a. flash mob) at the Wynwood Art Wall. I don't know Miami at all well, and have never seen or even heard of this location.

Has anyone been there?  Is it something like the Plaza at Lincoln Center?  Do people hang out there in expectation of something happening?  Are flash mobs like this truly spontaneous and unexpeacted,  or does the word get out to potential audiences that something is going to happen that they wont want to miss?

[cubanmiamiboy]

bart, on 16 October 2012 - 09:28 AM, said:

Since neither Duato nor Swan Lake Act is on the horizon for MCB in the immediate future , my mind has been wandering back to the outreach (a.k.a. flash mob) at the Wynwood Art Wall. I don't know Miami at all well, and have never seen or even heard of this location.

Has anyone been there?  

Wynwood is a neighborhood that was formerly composed of warehouses, all very ugly and dangerous.  For the past 15 years all this warehouses have been slowly converted into art studios, art galleries, trendy boutiques, expensive restaurants, clubs and modern furniture stores. Artists have moved there also, and now is becoming a very expensive and chic neighborhood, still surrounded by dangerous Overtown though.

[brokenwing]

Natalia, on 16 October 2012 - 08:46 AM, said:

From Balanchine to Duato? Poor MCB.

Well, since she announced 3 new works and the Don Q, I'd expect that leaves us with about 6-7 other works that hopefully will be more Balanchine and less Duato.

As for full-lengths, I'm with Bart in a preference for Balanchine's 'Midsummer'. It hasn't been mentioned yet that while the company could do a creditable 'Swan Lake' or 'Bayadere' or whatnot, and several of the principals would do a good to great job, these ballets don't always give the corps de ballet and soloists a great deal to do, particularly the men. Dancers who are used to the vigors of 'Square Dance' and 'Concerto Barocco' may be disapointed with being restricted to a mazurka in character shoes for an entire program. One has to wonder if this is a consideration against doing full lengths as well.

[cubanmiamiboy]

brokenwing, on 16 October 2012 - 12:04 PM, said:

Natalia, on 16 October 2012 - 08:46 AM, said:

From Balanchine to Duato? Poor MCB.

Well, since she announced 3 new works and the Don Q, I'd expect that leaves us with about 6-7 other works that hopefully will be more Balanchine and less Duato.

As for full-lengths, I'm with Bart in a preference for Balanchine's 'Midsummer'. It hasn't been mentioned yet that while the company could do a creditable 'Swan Lake' or 'Bayadere' or whatnot, and several of the principals would do a good to great job, these ballets don't always give the corps de ballet and soloists a great deal to do, particularly the men. Dancers who are used to the vigors of 'Square Dance' and 'Concerto Barocco' may be disapointed with being restricted to a mazurka in character shoes for an entire program. One has to wonder if this is a consideration against doing full lengths as well.

All I know is that in the long run,the absence-(or scarce use)- of not only SL, but of the classical repertoire in general goes only one way: in detriment of a dancer's professional development, a company's proper understanding of the art form, the audience's rightfully exposure to the XIX Century masterpieces and the ultimate survival of the works.

Sometimes I wonder if our Principals would be able to survive outside the Balanchine repertoire would they be placed somewhere else.  Both Farrell's life after City Ballet and Kirkland's decision to leave come to mind.  I seem to remember reading in Farrell's book she had difficulty placing herself post Mr. B, and Kirkland seemed to had been thinking ahead...

[Jack Reed]

Natalia, on 16 October 2012 - 06:14 AM, said:

Putting all into context, I understand your pain (about NYCB foibles), Jack Reed!  One may ask, "How on earth can the company of Balanchine 'f--- up' his Swan Lake?" They did.

Though if one gives up the idea that NYCB is the company of Balanchine, there's nothing to ask about anymore.

[JMcN]

How do the dancers feel about Swan Lake?  One young Royal Ballet dancer has just tweeted about dancing in 2 Swan Lakes today at ROH:

"Another 8 acts day! I know you guys love swan lake,but its a killer on the body&wrecks your toes.Blah.Ergh #adayinthelifeofacorpsballerina "


PS - the Royal Ballet dance a lot of the "classics"!

[cubanmiamiboy]

JMcN, on 17 October 2012 - 01:21 AM, said:

How do the dancers feel about Swan Lake?  One young Royal Ballet dancer has just tweeted about dancing in 2 Swan Lakes today at ROH:

"Another 8 acts day! I know you guys love swan lake,but its a killer on the body&wrecks your toes.Blah.Ergh

I wish I could ask the same dancer if he or she would give it up for good if the chance would be given...

JMcN, on 17 October 2012 - 01:21 AM, said:

PS - the Royal Ballet dance a lot of the "classics"!

That's wonderful..!

[cinnamonswirl]

cubanmiamiboy, on 17 October 2012 - 05:33 AM, said:

I wish I could ask the same dancer if he or she would give it up for good if the chance would be given...

But all companies and all dancers cannot be all things to all people. Just because 1 company doesn't do Swan Lake doesn't mean the ballet is going to be lost or degraded or given up for good. I think one can make a fair argument that (most) companies that do try to be all things are not particularly successful stylistically.

That said, I think trying for SL or another classic is laudable goal, especially given the wealth of coaching that would be available. Assuming the financial backing is there, it's still going to be long-term investment/project that will take years to do properly, but that doesn't mean it should be attempted.

cubanmiamiboy, on 16 October 2012 - 01:10 PM, said:

Sometimes I wonder if our Principals would be able to survive outside the Balanchine repertoire would they be placed somewhere else.  Both Farrell's life after City Ballet and Kirkland's decision to leave come to mind.  I seem to remember reading in Farrell's book she had difficulty placing herself post Mr. B, and Kirkland seemed to had been thinking ahead...

To a certain extent I agree. But I think the reverse is also true - many principal dancers who do a lot of classics struggle to perform Balanchine at a NYCB or MCB principal level, IMO. In both cases it takes a lot of coaching to take a dancer past technique and into style.

When Alexandra Ansanelli went to RB she did start as a first soloist, not a principal. But I honestly cannot see Tiler Peck or Sara Mearns as anything other than a principal at any company. In Farrell's case, I think it was more no other AD dared hire her, rather than a question of technique (although I do wonder how she would have fared at ABT, for example). In Kirkland's case, it seems like it was more mental and she just wanted OUT.

[cubanmiamiboy]

I think this whole "Balanchinean dancer" issue has been there since day one.  I am under the impression that some dancers didn't particularly bennefit from the initial switching from BT to NYCB. Sometimes I wonder if Kaye or Eglevsky ever did, and obviously others-(very few of them, I realize too..)-never considered the experimental trip. Alonso has always talked about it at times, mentioning that for her and Youskevitch there was no ballet career sans the classics, and so they stayed among the very few who didn't get attracted by the novelty.  In modern times, I know that that was what happened to Sarabita...he always felt he was missing an important, integral part of his career by dancing only the MCB repertoire, and eventually left.  But I also think of Balanchine's famous phrase of the "last summer butterflies", and look at City Ballet now and wonder if they somehow are going around in circles without making an upward spiral...

[Quiggin]

JMcN:

Quote

How do the dancers feel about Swan Lake? One young Royal Ballet dancer has just tweeted about dancing in 2 Swan Lakes today at ROH:

"Another 8 acts day! I know you guys love swan lake,but its a killer on the body&wrecks your toes.Blah.Ergh"

Another dancer, formerly with the Royal, told me something similar, that the big classics bore the corps, they have to wait around to be in a small divertissement if they're lucky, and the whole thing is often built around guest soloists. There's little chance for you to grow or develop.

Cristian:

Quote

Sometimes I wonder if our Principals would be able to survive outside the Balanchine repertoire would they be placed somewhere else.  Both Farrell's life after City Ballet and Kirkland's decision to leave come to mind.  I seem to remember reading in Farrell's book she had difficulty placing herself post Mr. B ...

This implies that Suzanne Farrell regreted dancing for Balanchine, which I don't believe is the case. Didn't she complete her career at City Ballet and teach there for while afterwards?

And what is all this anxiety about City Ballet in the early fifties and suppositions about what Eglevsky and Kaye thought and regetted - and general disparaging remarks about the company's achievements? Everyone loves the Cuban National Ballet - at least I do -  rough spots and all. Isn't there room enough for everyone?

Lourdes Lopez, in a recent video interview, says that you never thought about going anywhere else when you were at City Ballet in the seventies, because ballet history was being made there and then, that great dances were being set on you, etc.

Why does Miami City Ballet have to be remade to fit Rolando Sarabia, who should be dancing with a larger, more classically based company such as the Royal, as Carlos Acosta did, or with Boston or San Francisco?

Anyway this thread is roughly about Miami going forward - and ballet going forward. MCB was founded by an ex-Balanchine dancer with Balanchine as its basis - not Petipa nor Ivanov [ ... ]

How should Miami navigate forward from this Balanchine basis and beyond Wheeldon, Ratsmansky & Tharp is the question. What sorts of dance idioms should they be building new pieces on?

The fairly conservative critic Clement Crisp today reviewed Rambert Dance Company in the Financial Times. I have no idea what the program was like but it seems like the kind of review that would fit MCB nicely:

Quote

Then Richard Alston’s cunning Dutiful Ducks, using Charles Amirkhanian’s dada-esque words as score for what was originally a solo by the young Michael Clark. Dane Hurst does it seriously, acute in step and phrasing, if not effacing memories of Clark’s exquisite feet or that sense we had of watching the young Rimbaud dance.

And to close, Merce Cunningham’s bravura Sounddance – though beware the programme note. The dancers dance splendidly. Cunningham showers ideas over the stage, forms shapes of bodies, of energies, keeps everyone on the qui vive.

The cast arrives, delights us with shapes and energies, leaves.The score is an intriguing noise. The dancers – perhaps an ounce heavier in manner than the usual run of Cunningham artists – are kept tremendously busy and do very well.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Quiggin, on 17 October 2012 - 09:50 PM, said:

Cristian:
"Sometimes I wonder if our Principals would be able to survive outside the Balanchine repertoire would they be placed somewhere else.  Both Farrell's life after City Ballet and Kirkland's decision to leave come to mind.  I seem to remember reading in Farrell's book she had difficulty placing herself post Mr. B .."

This implies that Suzanne Farrell regreted dancing for Balanchine, which I don't believe is the case.

Oh, I'm not implying anything.  I'm just quoting what I remember from her autobiography.  She DID have indeed difficulty finding a job before Bejart took her.

Quiggin, on 17 October 2012 - 09:50 PM, said:

Didn't she complete her career at City Ballet and teach there for while afterwards?

Yes, and...? Good for her!

Quiggin, on 17 October 2012 - 09:50 PM, said:

And what is all this anxiety about City Ballet in the early fifties and suppositions about what Eglevsky and Kaye thought and regetted - and general disparaging remarks about the company's achievements?

No one is anxious here-(or so I think).  I'm just voicing my respectful opinion, and not a crazy one, if IMO.  Again, I don't think Kaye particularly benefited from the repertoire change.  She could be an isolated case, true, but one that occurred.

Quiggin, on 17 October 2012 - 09:50 PM, said:

Why does Miami City Ballet have to be remade to fit Rolando Sarabia...?

I repeat myself.  I never speak about a remake, but rather of an opening...an integration, an exploration and development of what they don't have enough...

Quiggin, on 17 October 2012 - 09:50 PM, said:

MCB was founded by an ex-Balanchine dancer with Balanchine as its basis - not Petipa nor Ivanov nor Alonsova.

Last name is Alonso.