Birdsall

Diane, I've heard about that superstition before. Where did that get started? What is the story behind that? Do you know? I would love to know why it is bad to whistle backstage. I have to admit that if I am walking down the street and someone whistles I get so annoyed. For some reason I can't stand the sound of a whistle. But that is just a pet peeve of mine. I don't think I've ever heard anyone whistle at an opera. I have heard people stomping feet and even stomping a cane. I guess it would depend on the tone of the whistle. I suppose a whistle during applause that is a happy whistle makes sense. I think what came to my mind was mocking or sarcastic whistles like catcalls. That would be negative, I would think. But I am sure performers like any type of happy sounds. I am astounded at the various types of claps. Some people clap so loudly that it is like an atomic clap. I look at their hands and try to figure out how they are making so much sound out of their hands, b/c my hands can't do that. I can clap loudly but a normal loud, but there are always one or two people nearby who somehow create an atomic clap. I am sure it is some technique cupping their hands or shape of hands or something. Bart

If you didn't read the Bayadere reviews from ABT, you should. Most people felt she was great as Gamzatti. I have to say that I wasn't prepared for how she just ate up the scenery in a good way. When she was on stage you could not take your eyes off her. Her acting was as impressive as her dancing. I wrote in that topic thread that she countered her evil (which could have devolved into caricature) with longing love for Solor, so the whole thing worked at least for me.

Anyone who can turn the Arabian coffee dance in Nutcracker into something interesting deserves to be promoted!!!!! LOL

Can't wait to see her at "Spanish Night" with Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami next weekend! Can't wait to see Sarabia again too!

PuppyTreats, I think you misread my comments about "sweet revenge." I was talking about the book, not the ballet. I specifically said the opera and the ballet are much more sentimental and Tatiana is much more anguished. The ballet clearly shows that Tatiana is very, very upset at having to tell Onegin that she can't be with him. My memory of the book was that Tatiana had moved on in life (financially, socially, personally) and it was "sweet revenge" (my own personal interpretation) without her meaning for it to be. I probably didn't explain myself well enough, but I never meant that she was out to get revenge on him or hurt him purposely. But someone else corrected my memory of the book ending and said she does indeed state her love for Onegin in the book (poem). But we both agreed that it was much less anguished than in the opera or ballet. Thus, my memory of it being a lot more matter-of-fact tone like, "Sorry, but I've moved on!" It apparently wasn't the way I remember it, but that is the message I got 20 or more years ago from the poem/book/novel. Just wanted to clarify, so that no one is confused, even if I was confused about the ending of the original story (book). Bart

I know...even now, ten years after, I still get a little carried away sometimes-(last time was during Lorna's sister Lorena's great fouettes in DQ with the CCBM)-by whistling and the like. I got a couple of dirty looks and turned heads... Oh whatever... Is whistling a common thing to do when you are happy about a ballet move? Just asking, because I think in opera it would be considered an insult like you are making fun of the singer.

If you are not a fan of Grigorovich's choreography you might not like it, but overall it is still based on Petipa. I think the male roles are fleshed out much more in Grigorovich's version. Zahkarova is going to dance Raymonda in this transmission, and some people don't like her, but I enjoy her dancing. I think most complaints are about her ultra high extensions and her cold demeanor. I think stand offish demeanor works okay with Raymonda, although ideally she would be like a little princess in her first act. Later she can be a bit colder. Overall, I think Zakharova should do well. There is a video of her Raymonda from Japan (most of it was on YouTube), and she is good in it.

I find Grigorovich's Raymonda very exciting. He throws in a lot of bravura stuff that wasn't in the original Raymonda. For example, right before Raymonda's entrance Jean de Brienne jumps and jumps (in excitement at the arrival of his fiancé). Jean de Brienne has a much larger role than originally intended. He is in all of Act 1 if I remember correctly. In the more traditional Raymondas he has gone off to the Crusades as the ballet begins and sends a portrait of himself to Raymonda's birthday and only shows up in her dream, but in the Bolshoi's version, he takes part in the birthday and then leaves but appears in her dream also. Abderakhman has more exciting dancing too, if I remember correctly. I think the traditional Abderakhman has very little dancing. Grigorovitch gives this character much more dancing to do. I love this ballet, so I will definitely go see it. I would go see it if they added even more scenes and made it 5 hours long! I loved the La Scala reconstruction and bought the dvd when it came out recently, but the Bolshoi version is a lot of fun too. More dancing for the men and a slight change in the story. It will actually confuse some people if they already know the more traditional Mariinsky or La Scala versions. The Danse orientale which I have obsessed about in previous topics is done almost like a duet for Abderakhman and Raymonda in Grigorovich's version. Overall, I believe Raymonda's variations stay pretty much the same. It has been a while since I viewed the Bolshoi's version on dvd. But I enjoy it. The only bad thing is that I think the sets look very dated, unless they have updated or created a new production since the commercial videos from the 1980s. I hope this is a new production compared to what I've seen from the 1980s videos!!! I know it is not new this year, but maybe sometime in the last decade they replaced the sets. I wouldn't miss this presentation! But each person has his/her own personality, so you might not like it as much as I do. Some gorgeous dancing throughout the ballet. Act 2 "Cour d'amour" is full of fun national dances. Act 3 contains the wonderful Grand pas classique hongrois. Act 1 sometimes drags for me, b/c it is a long act when you include the dream sequence, but the dream sequence has some gorgeous dancing too. I absolutely adore this ballet, so I can't imagine not wanting to see it, but I don't want to rave and then you go and can't stand it and curse me! LOL Bart

I did go to Wikipedia and read the summary and noticed that I am mistaken, but for some reason I remember a much less anguished response. I wonder why. Maybe it was my state of mind when I read it. I do think that she was a lot more steadfast and less anguished than the opera or ballet, but maybe again that was just my interpretation of what I read. Maybe the poem conveys the societal constraints a little more whereas the opera and ballet focuses more on the romance. Who knows? For some reason the way I read the poem years ago (when I was barely out of college and now I am 45) was that there was absolutely no way she was going to start an affair with him, whereas in the opera and ballet you think Onegin has a chance of succeeding. Don't know why I felt that way. I will have to go back and reread. The one leitmotif that I wish Cranko would have used in the music was Tatyana's "Are you a devil or an angel?" theme when she writes her letter. It is one of the most beautiful themes in music. I understand why they wanted to use other music so that the ballet does not compete so much with the opera, but that one theme should have been used.

Tatyana's Letter Scene is the best. It is a fairly unusual scene (very long and almost more arioso after arioso as opposed to a structured aria), but it is very touching. Netrebko is trying to take on more grown up roles and get away from the Adina and Norina type roles. I rather like Netrebko.....nice, dark sound....she'd probably make a great Tatyana.

But what makes her revenge all the better is that she's not trying to get revenge. She's simply grown up and moved on and has no feelings for him. That is my memory of the poem.

In Pushkin, the uncle is dead and Onegin is rich by the time Onegin and Tatiana meet. Also, in Pushkin, he never returns her letter. He keeps it until the end of the novel. The novel/poem is very different. I have only read it in English, but my memory is that at the end Tatyana has moved on completely and finds his declaration of love at the end almost silly and sad b/c it is from a totally different time in her life. The gist is that she's grown up and moved on, while he has realized her worth and how she is now higher in status than he is and now finds her amazing. Maybe I have this wrong, but that is my memory. Tchaikovsky's opera and the Onegin ballet sentimentalizes the story and makes Tatyana basically regret the missed opportunity in life and still has love for him. I actually prefer the Pushkin ending (if my memory serves me correctly). It is more devastating to Onegin, b/c he doesn't have a chance with her at that point, and Tatyana gets sweet revenge! LOL

She so deserves it!

OMG, he used to get so mad, when we would go to NY, and I filled every night with opera! LOL His problem with opera was that he could never understand what they were singing (even though the seat back titles should have placated him). He says he doesn't want to read when he goes to a theatrical event. He's given up trying to get me to go to a Broadway musical, b/c he knows I feel like it is slumming! LOL With ballet he seems a little more lenient, b/c he can understand everything that is going on. So he wasn't mad in the slightest. On Saturday morning I approached with caution, "Now if you have plans for tonight, fine. I'll do whatever, but if we're not going to make plans and just wander around I want to see one more Bayadere...."

Kristen, I wondered when you would post! Can't wait to hear! I thought of you when the gong to get seated went off. I assumed that was you! LOL

I guess this economy is forcing companies to market in this manner. I have to say I am disappointed that Orlando Ballet (near me) keeps producing what I consider mass appeal type ballet. This coming season will have a Vampire's Ball ballet and a Hollywood en Pointe along with Nutcracker and Carmina Burana. Granted, there will probably be wonderful dancing and fun, but I think for a lot of people this sort of thing is stuff you go see when you are starving for ballet, not for the ultimate high. I don't know. Does anyone know if this strategy actually works? Does "mass appeal" projects in ballet and trendy marketing (in a niche market already that normally only appeals to cognoscenti) actually bring in the people? I think even non-ballet lovers would rather see Swan Lake or Giselle, but maybe I am wrong. Sorry to go off topic slightly, but I feel it applies to what is being discussed. Maybe companies have no choice. I don't know. Even Lyric Opera of Chicago is starting to do one "musical" or "operetta" per season. But I think you run the risk of losing your core audience when you focus on mass appeal.

That Next Generation ballet is a new company. Tampa has had a really hard time starting ballet. But apparently Next Generation is going to make a go of it. I saw their Swan Lake last month.

She was terrific! Would like to see more of her. Thanks for the video clips!

Last night was really worth the drive to Orlando! The first half showcased several of the winners of the World Ballet Competition. Jasmine Cruz (Gold Medalist in the Introductory category) was darling in an Odalisque variation (the most famous one....can't remember what order...is it the 3rd Odalisque?). She was so cute and has so much talent. She was from the Introductory category. It was also nice to see Gorksy's Lise variation from La Fille mal Gardee by Larisa Nugent (Gold Medalist in the Preparatory category), after Cristian forced me to watch the Gorsky La Fille (LOL) and a variation from Satanella (some company needs to stage that ballet) by Talia Kester (Silver Medal in the Pre-Professional). All of the kids were so impressive, although I have to say it is alarming to see such young children have such intense grown up emotions in the modern dance pieces. I enjoy modern dance, but I don't love it the way I do classical ballet which is more controlled, but when All American Classical Ballet School (Silver Medalist in the Ensemble category) did a modern piece called "Force" it was really incredible. Those girls conveyed power and "force" wonderfully. They used lots of balletic moves but very modern. There were other winners showcased as well. Then, came the professional dancers. "The Net" by Metropolis Productions. It was a very modern piece in which dancers climbed in and out of a big net. At first I thought it would be silly, but it was actually quite moving and amazing. It was more like Cirque du Soleil in a way. Maki Onuki and Jonathan Jordan from Washington Ballet danced "A Fleeting Moment" which was like an old fashioned PDD with music by Bela Bartok. Lia Cirio and Paul Craig from Boston Ballet did the Coppelia PDD Maria Kochetkova and Joan Boada from San Francisco Ballet danced Romeo and Juliet balcony scene (Helgi Tomasson choreography). Intermission Misa Kuranaga and Isaac Akiba from Boston Ballet in the Black Swan PDD Christine Dooling and Edgar Anido from Complexions danced "Nessun Luogo." Lia Cirio, Misa Kuranaga, Isaac Akiba, and Paul Craig (all from Boston Ballet) danced "Dream of an Angel" (World Premiere by Viktor Plotnikov (music Schubert) Maria Kochetkova and Joan Boada from SF Ballet came back for "Within the Golden Hour" (Wheeldon). Adeline Pastor and Rolando Sarabia danced the Don Quixote PDD. Helene, you are right....Kochetkova is simply divine.....very elegant, lyrical, graceful....very special dancer.....she was one of the stand outs. Her PDD last night makes me wish I could see her full Juliet. She seems perfect for that role. Boada was impressive too, although I have never seen a danseur that looks sort of chunky, although it looks like mostly muscle. In the real world he would be considered hot. But for ballet he was very different from the norm. Wheeldon's piece was much better than previous Wheeldon I had seen. I also loved the interesting costumes for that work. Lia Cirio, who I have seen in two other galas, always has terrific balances and it always. It was nice to see her in something modern also. Misa Kuranaga is also a stand out. These two are wonderful ballerinas! Kuranaga is a petite woman, but she exuded so much confidence as the Black Swan. When she first came out I didn't think she would have the attitude of a black swan, but she proved me wrong. Adeline Pastor and Rolando Sarabia brought the house down at the end. Cristian had told me to watch out for Sarabia's pirouettes ending in a coup de pied. He did that, but also would end some with the leg up in the air. What is that called? It was amazing. Pastor was the first ballerina I have seen who really makes something out of the fan variation. She may be French, but she has the Spanish attitude down pat! It was such an enjoyable event. It is fun to see winners of the competition alongside stars. Such a great idea. These types of events (usually the culminating event of a competition) have made me realize how much fun it is to see children even at the beginning of a dance career. Some like Aran Bell (whom I saw at a previous gala in Tampa) astound you as much as an adult would. Others have so much promise but are still at the beginning. They are so darling to watch. Who doesn't love a little girl dressed up in a tutu pirouetting and dancing almost as well as an adult???

Yes, maybe it was Rothbart! LOL

I just saw this film today at my local art film theatre, and I enjoyed it, although I was surprised that there were a couple of moments that dragged for me. I wanted to move on for an outcome several times. I also felt a couple of children were shown and then hardly ever again like the boy whose father thought he would be a football player ilke he was. I am not even sure they ever gave that boy's name. I think he messed up a variation at the finals and was upset, but he's probably only in 2-3 quick scenes. I had seen Aran Bell in January in Tampa in a joint concert of winners and professionals. I mentioned that above. He exudes confidence and stage presence at such a young age. Amazing. People mentioned the Japanese mother and how the audience they witnessed thought negatively about her, but my mother, who is Japanese, is the exact same way. I actually expected her to be way worse after reading the comments here. I really didn't see anything wrong with her. Her daughter seems to want to dance. She's not forcing her to dance, and she let her son quit. So she's not forcing him. I don't really see how she was bad in any way. Asian mothers want the best for their children, and they love them 100%. Their whole lives center around their children, but they can be strict. My mother was strict, but it was coupled with immense love. I read an article that authoritarian parenting has a bad rap as "bad parenting" in the U.S. but Asian mothers often use authoritarian parenting methods but almost always coupled with lots of love. That makes a huge difference. I don't think Asians would find her negative in any way. But I do think it is probably unusual for most Americans. I also did not feel like Rebecca came off as a joke. To me she didn't look like she had it all or was privileged. She looked very middle class and her parents were hoping she'd get a scholarship b/c they were investing in her "career" so money was obviously an issue for them. They weren't rolling in cash. That didn't seem like a privileged person at all. I felt like Miko had a much more privileged existence than Rebecca. I also expected Rebecca to be annoying since I read that audiences mocked her, but I thought she seemed like a nice person who had talent. Joan Sebastian's story was truly like a fairy tale. He said he looked up to Carlos Acosta, and then he got a scholarship to the Royal Ballet. It is an incredible story. If anything the phone calls with his parents sounded much more like Tiger Parents than Miko's mother did. But then he visited them, and I saw how much love they had for their son, and that balanced it out. I am a firm believer that as long as you love your child and show it, you can be strict and/or mean at times and it won't matter. You just can't be mean all the time without balancing it with love. Michaela's story was fascinating. Imagine being so young and having seen so much in your life. Her balances were amazing! I hope we see and hear more from her. The whole dying of her clothing is fascinating to learn about. It is something no one ever thinks about. I had already read Helene's comments, so I knew it would come up. Her mother is right about how crass people are to tell her that her black child will never make it in ballet or something to that effect. I can't imagine how someone can think that is right to say to her! But people no longer amaze me. They get diarrhea of the mouth all the time. Overall, this is a fascinating movie most of the time concerning the discipline involved in competing or even going into ballet, but I got the impression most people in the audience were ballet lovers or parents of ballet kids or kids in ballet today. I am not really sure it is a movie that the average Joe on the street would want to watch. I could be wrong.

Natalia, Thanks for posting this! Looks exciting! I will watch later tonight. I am going to a showing of First Position in a little while. I watched part of it and enjoyed what I just saw! Asylmyratova is great, so it will be a treat to watch this when I get home! Bart

It is a beautiful ballet. I saw that a school in Tampa was doing it, but I could not go see it. I have only seen Chopiniana/Les Sylphides on video and YouTube. There are so many wonderful things yet they are never done. It is strange. Everyone says that the ballet repertoire is not as big as opera so it is harder to do more things, but I don't think that is true when you see many things hardly ever done! If you google Petipa there are so many ballets listed that he choreographed that no company ever does. Granted many of these are lost to history (no documentation), but I bet some have a little bit of documentation that could be used to piece together some of them. Maybe I am wrong. I guess we should just be thankful YouTube exists to get so many things in that way.

Quiggin, when and where will Florida Classical Ballet perform this summer? I just did a search and found the website but I see no performances listed.

I think this will be a good show! I can't wait to see Sarabia and Feijoo!