24 replies to this topic

[Natalia]

The 2012 Biennial Int'l Ballet Festival in Havana has its own web site in English/Spanish:
http://www.festivalb...habana.cult.cu/

Detailed, updated schedule is here (Spanish):
http://www.festivalb...rogramacion.pdf
also in a matrix format (English): http://www.festivalb...u/programacion/#

Gee, I wish it weren't so difficult for US citizens to make the trip, or I'd be there Come H*** or High Water!

The Opening Gala at the Havana Grand Theater -- 'Gran Teatro' -- on Oct 28 alone should be a doozy:  A Grand Defile, Robbins' In the Night, and Alonso's version of La Fille Mal Gardee performed by the wonderful home company. There will be evenings devoted to ballets with music by composer Lecuona, to ballets inspired by Cuban painters and sculptors, the finals of the Alonso Choreographic Competition, a night in honor of Alonso's fabled partner, Igor Youskevich (with Theme & Variations!) and a Final Grand Gala including my favorite 'he-men ballet' Canto Vital! Guest choreographers for the festival are Peter Quantz and ABT's Kirk Peterson.

Guest troupes -- performing in venues other than the Grand Theater -- include no less than three U.S. companies, in addition to French, Mexican & Norwegian troupes:

  * Tom Gold and NYCB Dancers (including S. Mearns, T. Peck, R. Fairchild, A. Stafford, Danchig Waring, Hankes, G. Smith, L. Brown, S. Hanna, etc.) - rep includes that 'new' gala staple: 'Junk PDD' by Tharp.

  * Jose Manuel Carreno and Stars of American Ballet (not only ABT stars, such as Herrera, Reyes, Lane, Copeland, Cornejo, Seo, Hammoudi and Hamrick, but also two NYCB stars, DeLuz and Ulbricht)

  * Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, the main professional troupe from San Juan


In addition to participating in multiple galas and mixed bills, the home troupe will dance three full-evening works:  Giselle, Swan Lake and Coppelia.   Hard choices will have to be made by visitors, e.g., the Youskevich Gala happens on the same night as Carreno and Friends and one of the Swan Lakes.

p.s. BNC dancer Osiel Gounod, who made such a splash during the June 2011 U.S. tour, should be prominently featured in this Festival, as he was recently promoted to Principal. Remember Osiel? That alone would be reason to make the trip, if one could.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Youskevitch lives..!

I'm thinking and thinking...let's see....
I never saw "In the Night" in Cuba...(or at east I don't remember it).  It would be interesting for me to compare it now that I'm quite familiar with the work.
Thanks for the links, Natasha!

[Natalia]

Indeed, Cubanmiamiboy. If we could, we would charter a plane.

[chiapuris]

Natalia, on 11 September 2012 - 12:56 PM, said:

Indeed, Cubanmiamiboy. If we could, we would charter a plane.

Is  "could/would" a possibility?

[Natalia]

Hi, chiapuris. I was thinking about you & Camilla as I wrote that, to be honest!

We need to dream-up an 'educational research' reason to get a DoT permit. We do. And we promise to be serious and 'in deep research' while in Havana.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Natalia, on 12 September 2012 - 07:40 AM, said:

Hi, chiapuris. I was thinking about you & Camilla as I wrote that, to be honest!

We need to dream-up an 'educational research' reason to get a DoT permit. We do. And we promise to be serious and 'in deep research' while in Havana.

When do we start the trip planning...?

Here's the Great Theater where the Defile will take place...

[Natalia]

On my goodness, Cristian. Beautiful!  Of course, missing from the interior photo is the 'icing on the cake': the wild & wonderful, ballet-crazy Cubanos filling those seats. Imagine what the NOISE LEVEL will be like as the Defile unfolds, especially if 'Madame' will make an appearance at the very end?

[Birdsall]

Gorgeous Theatre, Cristian!!!!! Thanks for the photo!

Praying.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Thank you thank you Natasha/BB.  Definitely the ice of the cake will be there,"sans" a VERY important piece...ME! (Oh, how would I love to go and make some serious noise and whistling! ) Anyway...
The Youskevitch gala looks great!..."Spectre..", "Apre Midi.." "BS PDD", "DQ PDD"-(with an interesting mention of Anatole Obukhov version), "SB PDD", "Nut PDD" and if all that wasn't enough..."T&V"..! Wow...that's going to be quite a night...(They are all roles in which  Youskevitch probably shone...)

I also noticed the American dancers appearing in "Apollo", question being...will they dance Alonso's old version or will they challenge the Cuban audience with what they know from ABT...? That could prove very interesting...

[cubanmiamiboy]

The other two theaters involved in the Festival are The National, for the full lenght presentations, and the Mella for the contemporary works.






And here's the defile of 2008.  Not a fancy one, but I still get emotional when I see it. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever see another festival in my homeland...

Grand entrance @ 4:31 on part II.

[Natalia]

OMG, Cristian, this is amazing! Thanks for posting. I, too, got emotional around that 4:31 mark of the 2nd clip, as 'Madame' is escorted onto center-stage. One-thousand goosebumps. And the audience noise level! I love it!!!

[cubanmiamiboy]

Yes Natasha.  From the very defile Mme.tells her audience that this is her own territory with a well established ubber-hierarchic, non democratic pyramidal solid structure...(too rigid perhaps...?...maybe).  No corps dancing principal roles here,oh no...

[margarita]

Thanks Natalia and CubanMiamiBoy! Oh how i wish i could be in Havana.
I was doing some googling and saw an article that Alicia Alonso did some dancing on the stage!

Also found Javier Torres' twitter with photos and a short clip ofhim rehearsing with Viengsay Valdes and Jose Manuel Carreno. I will try to post the link tomorrow.

Finally, i learned from a Cuban friend that CubaVision will do a live broadcast of Viengsay Valdes in Coppelia tomorrow, Saturday- i believe 8:30 pm EST- i am trying to see if somehow i can view it over the internet - so far no luck it says i need plugins but i am using a MAC too which kind of complicates.. If anyone has luck let me know!

[Natalia]

Thank you so much for this update and exciting news, Margarita!

[cubanmiamiboy]

margarita, on 02 November 2012 - 08:44 PM, said:

Oh how i wish i could be in Havana.

My daily mantra for the last 11 years...