sunday

Well, there it goes... Sleeping Beauty by The Royal Ballet Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, July 15th, 10pm Princess Aurora: Tamara Rojo Prince Florimund: Rupert Pennefather Rest of the cast: Well, I gave my Pennefather-signed hand-program to a young lady*, so... There is a much-viewed DVD of Paris Opera Ballet performing SB -Nureyev choreography- in my collection. Alas, I was not quite conscious of the differences. I was surprised, for instance, to see the Lilac Fairy in a dancing, not mime, role. I expected also to attend Cojocaru's performances in order to better understand this ballet but work prevented me of doing that. So, I'm quite reluctant to write this review because I don't think I've got enough information to make a fair review. Moreover memories are fading, and they are becoming reminiscences of a wonderful experience. First of all, this ballet -already colossal by itself- when performed by this company materializes in something of great magnificence. Exquisite props, beautiful costumes, the works. Without the worst of the Rococo excesses** of the POB version, it should be said. The Prologue was spent admiring the sharpness and precision of the various fairies. The difficult Canary variation was particularly appreciated by the public. Kudos also to the Corps. However, about the Corps, there is something about their arms that bothered me - sometimes, when doing a second, I think, port de bras, the working arm stopped suddenly when reaching the, let's say, temporary rest position, between third and fifth (methinks). That too-sharp end of motion could be mistook for jerkiness until one becomes used to. Perhaps this is a RB peculiarity, perhaps the choreography specifies it, I don't know. In Act I the Wheeldon choreographed Garland Waltz was a beautiful showing off of Corps' drill. Then came the first main course of Ballerina sparkle, the Rose Adagio. Usual, discrete applauses to welcome Rojo, and she promptly slipped a little bit. Understandable, as she is prone to injuries and perhaps has not recovered well of the last one. Despite that little hiccup, she performed a smart RA, with very good balances, and was cheered consequently.Some people thought otherwise, however - but as I do not remember exactly what they found wrong, nor could find it after some time seeing RA clips and consulting glossaries, I'll refrain from elaborating. When finishing Rose Adagio, Rojo made some movements that surprised me. She began with a couple of a kind of pirouettes with the working foot not going back to touch the supporting knee but kept pointing down during the turn, forming a 90º angle with the thigh. I took that bit as another occurrence of the famous "32 fouettés" ***. Enter Prince Florimund in Act II, a funny game of blind man's bluff, another Corps tour de force in the Vision scene, and a fight between Carabosse and the Lilac Fairy very well done. Liked very much the destruction of Carabosse showed through the mirror on the bed's headboard. It must be said that Pennefather made a very convincing fairytale prince, His poise, elegance, and the fluidity and harmony of his movements were outstanding. Pity his jumps were no match for those of Acosta, Corella or the Russians. The overpowering Act III of sleeping Beauty is rich in opportunities for soloists to shine. And the RB ones make ample use of those opportunities. Puss-in-Boots tried amusingly to woo the White Cat so well one could feel the purring. The Bluebird and Princess Florine left us gaping in amazement. More fun with a Red Riding Hood and a "Big Bad Wolf", also perfect, etc. Rojo and Pennefather crowned this ballet with a excellent performance in the PDD. On exiting we meet some members of the cast: the Spanish soloist that Carolina cites in her review, Pennefather, the Bluebird, and Ms. Rojo herself. She has a striking, ethereal presence, and gently entertained all the fans that asked her for autographs. * After all, she was the one that asked Prince Florimund for a autograph so she earned that hand program. ** For instance, the costume of the POB Lilac Fairy is one thing of luxurious beauty to behold, but more than a bit cluttered, IMHO. *** After the performance, talking with a group of really knowledgeable balletomanes about the "32 fouettés", I got -after a almost gentle remind that there are no such thing as "32 fouettés" in SB- that Tamara has done something know as the "Cuban variation", perhaps as a compensation for a not totally flawless RA. Also I got a quite needed lesson of humility - pedantry is one of the evils that stalk a new aficionado. If, on top of that, there was another faux-pas, this time about Marianela Núñez nationality, then one becomes very careful of putting his foot on his mouth, AGAIN. And there was another one, but I think I've been imprudent enough for today already. **** That sometimes remembered me of that other, Lloyd-Webberian, White Cat. However, it's easy to exhaust all the catty (in the good sense ) register, and perhaps the choreographer of CATS drew some inspiration of the RB rendition of the SB character.

Leaving the amusing raccooning behind, perhaps the intention of the photographer is just not to have a typical ballet pic and make a metaphor about the character's inner conflicts. He may have wanted to show the depths of the character. Ballerina from the waist up, but another thing from the waist down, like she is a feisty, aggresive woman used to fight for what she wants. Then, Dirac's comment makes much sense - that leg position is, almost, the one of a left-handed fencer en garde. Of course, I could be talking without rhyme or reason, as it is known to have happened before.

I'll be in London to see some Bolshoi performances, so if any of you Bolshoi-holics -I'm partial to Osipova- want to meet, please PM me. I PM-ed some people already, but I see that there would be more than a handful of posters attending Bolshoi performances. Note to Moderators: If the request is inappropriate, or this is the wrong thread, then please delete.

Wrong thread, sorry.

http://www.collider....an_image_02.jpg Say again, what was the title of the film? Black 'Coon? (edited to add) Don't misunderstand me. Ms. Portman is one of my favorite actresses since Léon. She is also a very smart individual with notable scholarly achievements. Also I desperately pray for Ms. Portman not being a forum member. If she is, then and .

There is another review, provisionally translated with Google, here. Perhaps an English version is in the works. No, Bart, I'm not teasing you. Promise.

I was at the opening night, with Rojo as Aurora. She was magnificent, despite a minor error in Rose Adagio. One curtain call, if memory does not fail me. Did not go to see Cojocaru because of a messed up agenda. People say she was truly memorable. More later, but as that choreography was new for me, the review would be limited.

No offense taken. I'd like that, of course I'm sorry you did not find anyone gentlemanly enough. Pity the old trick with the NRA cap ceased to work, as someone told to me.

Heck, no! Let her be afraid enough to go to work to the peaceful Segovian countryside! What? Did you see the smiley in the header of the post? Corella Ballet is based in La Granja, a little town in Segovia province, Spain. So, that was intended as a (perhaps lame) joke

Heck, no! Let her be afraid enough to go to work to the peaceful Segovian countryside!

Yep, awful. Reminds me of some documentary with Lopatkina talking about being afraid of walking through Leningrad immediately after the fall of the Wall. I don't think NYC allows concealed carry permits in the hands of foreign nationals, and she would have been in a world of hurt if discovered carrying a gun to work, probably. Perhaps Osipova should take a page from Sylvie Guillem book and start practicing martial arts in her ample free time. Thank to God she was not raped. So, ABT: pay her a bodyguard, pretty please. I still expect to see her dancing live! She was expected to perform past summer here, but Alexandrova substituded for her.

I got the impression that the longer acts - Ballo della Regina, Brake the Wheels - got more applause. Last summer we got a Russian Stars Gala with Ivan Vassiliev, Maria Alexandrova, Farukh Rusimatov, Irina Pirren, etc. also with a mixed repertoire, from Suite Paquita to Tchaikovski PDD* to Bakhti. The audience appreciated all. But Ivan Vassiliev, as the monster he is, claimed a standing ovation in his DQ PDD with Alexandrova. The unusual thing in Spain is to able to attend Classical or good Neoclassical ballet. There is fair amount of Modern dance. If you are worried by the performance of Miami City Ballet in Peralada, don't. The severe economic crisis we are enduring could result in less tickets sold, however. Sorry, no. Ms. Cornejo did not appear in the performance I saw. The lead in Ballo was a superb Misa Kuranaga who got a couple of curtain calls. She and Jeffrey Ciro demonstrated a awesome synchronization on their jumps together. * Well, that really was my first Balanchine, I realize. However, B in ensemble is not the same as B in a PDD.

Just back from the last performance in Barcelona. Like it very much, despite of not being a fan of contemporary dance. With Ballo della Regina, I saw my first live Balanchine and I was not dissapointed. Those dancers are in the same class that the POB. Pity they did not perform Rubies here. The other Wow! choreography for me was Brake the Eyes with music by Mozart. If the Cirio brothers are son and daughter of "its the mom", I think she can be very proud of them: Jeffrey was protagonist in Ballo, and Lia in Tsukiyo. Liked them very much. All in all, a very interesting experience. If any Spaniards read this, don't wait to buy your tickets!

I bought Mariinsky Nutcracker BR with Golub almost on a whim. Saw in the leaflet that Kondaurova danced Queen of the Snowflakes. Nice! Went to view the waltzes. I can see why the dance of the Snowflakes is open to controversy. Also, saw the final waltz, saw some dancer in a strange green outfit that departed with a very pretty jump. Intrigued, went again to the leaflet, something about snake charmers. Intrigued, went to watch that dance, and... YES!! Kondaurova in all her dancer glory*! Carson, I understand you. Pity she is married . Also, you may want to check this video of her in Swan Lake. One of the first, if not the first I've seen her smiling in scene, as Odette. *a little bit too contemporary for my taste, it should be said. But as I like Guillem in contemporary roles, Kondaurova too. She is breathtaking in Forsythe's In the Middle..., according to a poor resolution YT video. I'm spoiled by 1080-lines HD.

According to her bio in imdb, Is trained in ballet, jazz, and tap dancing" and "Still takes ballet classes." http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000204/bio Reliability of that? There is that nice English expression: Your mileage may vary...

Out of my head, Marie Curie and her daughter Irene would disagree. Or Hedy Lamarr.

One John Adams said once a couple of things that could be related to your question:

A Swiss national, in another forum, raised this point: There is an article in The Daily Telegraph about a legal defense strategy going wide of the target: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics...s-strategy.html

I saw three performances of SL by the IRB past July in Barcelona -the first time I've seen ballet live in my life- and they did conform to Petipa's choreography, so the 32 fouetés are to be expected. I didn't count the actual number of turns, however.

Thank you for the review, Carolina! Pity I missed that representation due to work concerns. As you saw Ivan Vassiliev in action past Tuesday, how do you assess his dancing in comparison with Corella's? With respect to what Corella Ballet deserves, I think they don't deserve the unpleasantnesses that come from being associated to a state-run theater in Spain, as Spanish arts politics -both national, and regional- are kind of botched up beyond all recognition (BUBAR ). They do deserve govt grants, obviously, but without political hacks meddling. Sure the youngish dancers don't like to being "marooned" in the countryside, but it's a healthy life after all. And Segovia countryside is beautiful.

I do like Baryshnikov. But my favourite is Corella, not only for his dancing but also for his commitent to recover Classical ballet in Spain. However, yesterday I saw DQ Pas de deux live with Alexandrova and Ivan Vassiliev, and those jumps of Vassiliev, WOW!

I was afraid of that. BTW, as you are in London, Are you going to watch Beauty on August, 14th? Looks like a dream cast, with Obraztsova, and Kondaurova.

Surprising interview with Alina Somova in the Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre...ircus-pony.html I know of the controversial feelings that this dancer raises around here. But, Could it be possible that a new coach put her in a more right track?

My experience is so limited that I think I still haven't got a "first love", but let me try. If male dancers count, then Mikhail Baryshnikov be it, followed by Ángel Corella. If not, I'm not sure. Paloma Herrera lasted me a couple of days. Natalia Osipova hooked me to ballet, she is very good but still full of promises of greatness, and since then I've realized that she is not quite technically perfect. The only "great" ballerina that I've see dancing live up to date* is Alina Cojocaru. I've explained how she almost made me weep in Bayadère. There is Uliana Lopatkina, also. She attracts me both for her mastery of classical ballet (IMVMHO**), for her thoughts about what ballet is, and for her carefulness in choosing roles. Seeing her dancing the Black Swan variation leads me to think that God exists, is good, and loves us. So, cold reason tells me Lopatkina, voluble heart is split between Osipova and Cojocaru. * At least until August, 4th, as I've got tickets for this ** In My Very Much Humble Opinion

Another solution would be extending the meaning of "it". However, that would be not only very un-PC but gross also. For instance, the use of "she/her" when talking about a ship is quite usual in English, but that usage surprised me at first because in Spanish a ship is a "it". Some time afterwards I learned that German also treats ships as feminine, excepting the battleship KM Bismarck.