Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Vanya

New Member
  • Posts

    2
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Vanya

  1. Vanya

    Alicia Alonso

    Silvy-I can absolutely attest to the fact that Alicia could turn. I was a member of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba and saw her do some amazing pirouettes numerous times. After class one day she did NINE pirouettes on pointe. She just got "stuck" on balance, as it were. I was standing not more than ten feet away at the time and counted every one of them. Vanya
  2. I recently joined Ballet Talk, having noticed (read) my name mentioned in an old blog about Michel Panaieff's ballet school in Hollywood during the late 1950's. A writer mentioned that he found an old LP album entitled Symphonic Dances. On the cover were four dancers who were named on the back cover. They were Michel Panaieff, Victor Moreno, Geraldine Forrey, and Vanya Mishvek. As it happens I am Vanya. The writer mistakenly thought that I was the leaping Prince Igor dancer and that Victor Moreno was the Russian sailor. In fact, it was the other way around. The photo was shot in the old round shaped Capitol Record building in Hollywood. After the shoot we had a heated discussion about having our names mentioned on the cover. They compromised by agreeing to place the names on the back cover. Shortly afterwards I was invited by Alicia Alonso to join the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. After returning to the U.S. with my Cuban wife, Margarita de Saa, I returned to take classes at Panaieff's studio on S. La Brea Ave. I also resumed my contact with Victor (we had been roommates earlier). I am still in regular contact with him. He lives in Boulder Colorado. He is getting by, but unfortunately not doing so well. I can testify that he was a phenomenal dancer with a prodigeous technique. We spent many hours analyzing the ins and outs of ballet technique. Anyone wishing to ask questions please do so. (vanya23@verizon.net)
×
×
  • Create New...