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

canbelto

Senior Member
  • Posts

    4,595
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by canbelto

  1. Well I'm seeing Brokeback for the second time on Friday, because I think this is one movie you have to see twice to really understand. Also seeing Casanova this weekend.
  2. I always think that for ballet dancers, the beauty comes from within, because on the surface they are all beautiful. But the ballerinas that I love I feel have this inner beauty that draws me in like a moth to a flame. I found this very entertaining interview with her online. It instantly made me a fan of hers -- I just loved her candor, and about her comments on Broadway shows. (I agree with her for the most part too.) I'll copy and paste: Q.: Is there any difference between Russian and American public? A.: The American public is strange. I am not sure the Americans understand the aesthetics, beauty and culture of dance. They go into raptures over the settings or athletic tricks. This is only natural but some deeper comprehension is desirable. Only a couple of reviews were so-so, the rest were quite enthusiastic. Everybody was amazed our company is so young and called it the best in the world. Formerly, the critics wrote about the spirit of The Maryinsky, about our legs, feet and insteps, now they say: "Look, they are so young but they can already do so much". Q.: Does American criticism differ much from Russian one? A.: It was possible to talk about Russian criticism before, now it is almost non-existent (At this point I gasped and was deprived of speech. - I.S.) At home our production are rarely discussed, but in the USA every performance was thoroughly analized, each dancer was scrutinazed and taken stock of. Q.: Do you read ballet reviews and critical articles? A.: Yes, I do, but I immediately forget them. Whatever critics say -either praise or savage my performance - I consider all this to be very personal: usual likes and dislikes. The only thing I have to believe is my coach's opinion. But when my performance is criticized I always think:"Let them write, it is better than to fall into oblivion". Q.: What was your most successful day in New York? A.: It was the day when I danced Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty" recently revived. Obviously, that evening "the winds were breathing low, and my stars were shining bright". Q.: What did you manage to see in New York? A.: Fortunately the soloists had a few days off during the tour, so I was able to visit The Metropolitan Museum. I was taken to some Broadway shows which, honestly, I did not like at all. I never thought Broadway could produce such shows with such unprofessional actors. Q.: You seem to be quite a successful balerina to-day. What do you lack? A.: I have not yet danced many roles in our repertory. I've been dreaming of "La Bayadere" for a long time.I also want to dance Raymonda and Odette-Odile, but most of all I would like to work with a choreographer who would create a ballet specially for me. Then you have the feeling of an owner: this ballet is yours, it is your property. Several days later the All-Russian newspaper "Commercial Daily” published the complete text of the interview under the title: "Vishneva does not like Broadway”.
  3. I was at a performance of L'Italiana and during the curtain calls there were ferocious calls of "DIEGO!!!!!!!!!!!!" (The tenor of course was Juan Diego Florez.) About ballet names, when I'm talking with personal friends I'll use first names or even nicknames. Some of the nicknames are nice, some of them aren't. When writing on, say, ballettalk, I'll usually use the full name, but sometimes the last name of a dancer is so bulky (especially those Russians) that it's easier to just use the first name. For instance, Altynai Asylmuratova. Typing out "Asylmuratova" is much harder than calling her "Altynai," and it's not as if the ballet world is overrun with Altynais anyway. There is one exception though: I always call Diana Vishneva "Diana" because I think she IS like Diana the Roman goddeess. By the way, my favorite story about a singer and a name is Nellie Melba. Ms. Melba was in the habit of flinging away unfavorable pieces of furniture in hotels. When asked why she did this, her response: "I am Melba." My second favorite is that of Luisa Tetrazzini. She spent the last years of her life rather broke, but as she was fond of saying, "I am old, I am fat, I am ugly, but I am still Tetrazzini!"
  4. No, they are doing a happy dance in a ballet I choreographed all by myself, called "La BBC e Bella"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  5. canbelto

    Rudolf Nureyev

    One of the things I really like about Nureyev's Albrecht is how he contrasts the two acts. In the first act, he's a selfish, horny toad. In the second act, he's full of remorse, and it seems to come genuinely from the heart. In the Fracci/Nureyev video I got, he constantly tries to touch her skirt, and fails by a hair. This video was made when technically he was on a steep downhill slide, but that gesture is still one of the most touching things I've seen in a ballet.
  6. I am hyperventilating. Seriously. I saw Cojocaru dance the Act 2 pdd with Kobborg and the memory has remained with me since, and I have secretly pined for this Giselle ever since. I have used all sorts of machinations to try to get a copy (somewhere) of a Cojocaru Giselle. And now the news that it might be released onto dvd ... I am in heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  7. Curiosity got the best of me and yesterday I saw the Giselle video with Fracci and Nureyev. This is 1980 -- both are past their best. But even so, I was somewhat dismayed by Fracci's cheating. There's no kinder way to put it -- she really cheats her steps, especially in Act 2. Her developpe is surprisingly solid, she still has a beautiful, springy jump, but I noticed a lot of cheating going on. Nureyev is a different story. He seems determined to replicate his Vaganova Academy graduation performance. He doggedly leaps, entrechats, turns in the air, etc, except his form is at times ugly, and he looks so exhausted (especially in Act 2) that I'm really surprised he actually lived.
  8. Vishneva is one of those rare dancers (among the current crop, Alina Cojocaru and Marcelo Gomes are others) whom I cannot be objective about. She stole my heart, and hasn't given it back. And I love her website, with the Q&A. I especially love her English, which I affectionately call "Dianglish" (and I mean this in a totally good way).
  9. Alina Cojocaru. She might be the tiniest songbird of all, but what a singer.
  10. Gillian Murphy as the Firebird Mikhail Baryshnikov as Spartacus Patricia McBride as the Sleepwalker in La Sonnambula Maya Plisetskaya as Swanilda
  11. Well Tito said (according to the Daneman bio), "Why stop a good racehorse?" Tito Arias was also intermittently employed, and Margot pretty much supported them.
  12. Well, recall the similar demand Julian made in The Red Shoes. Back in the day, it was often considered shameful for wives to work, especially "on the stage."
  13. I just watched this documentary again tonight, and one of the coaches is definitely Ninel Kurgapkina. Also, the amazing blond turntop who does all those triples and double fouettes I couldnt recognize at first, but then I saw it was Tatiana Terekhova. And I still felt sorry for poor Veronika Ivanova. Ivanova has bad luck on documentaries. In 'Leningrad Legend' you can see her rehearsing with Irina Kolpakova, who is being, as Natalia Makarova comments, "Cruel to be kind." Oleg Vinogradov still makes my skin crawl, and I still love Altynai's admission that she hates class
  14. SPOILERS: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Hi Anthony. you are so right. After the initial tears, I started to think and replay so many scenes. One that stood out in particular: when Ennis says that because of Jack he's 'nothing' and it jolted me, because all along, my sympathies had been with Jack. He was the more overtly affectionate and open character. But when Ennis pointed out that out, I realized he was right -- Jack still had the sham marriage and the cushy job, along with the sidetrips to Mexico, while Ennis was divorced, hardly ever saw his kids, had no friends, and refused to even begin a relationship with another woman. My sympathies at that point became evenly spread between Jack and Ennis, as I realized that both characters, in their own way, were trying to remain 'faithful' to each other. And when Ennis broke down crying after that, I started to cry too, it was so hard to see two characters in so much pain. The other scene that REALLY hit me was when Ennis lovingly caressed the coat and shirt, rearranged the postcard, and said, "Jack, I swear." What I loved was the sparseness of it -- no Titanic-like lovesong (Love can touch you once and last for a lifetime). Come to think of it, Leo was also named Jack in Titanic! But anyway, at that moment I was a puddle of tears but I also felt strangely uplifted, because I felt like I witnessed true love onscreen, and that's always so beautiful. It reminded me of what Woody Allen said about 'City Lights' -- that it showed so much about love, and being in love, without saying a single word. This movie also really hit home with the idea that sometimes, you just bond with people totally unexpectedly, and they are not necessarily the people you are 'supposed' to be close to. And it's usually always painful to 'do the right thing' and extricate yourself from these relationships. Few movies depict that as well as Brokeback Mountain, IMO.
  15. I finally saw this film today, and my face is now smudged with mascara. So many movies are about love, but so few films really describe what it's like to be in love. Off the top of my head, Casablanca, GWTW, The Lady Eve, Notorious, Vertigo, and I'm sure there are others, but you can add Brokeback Mountain to that very short list. Initially I thought Heath Ledger was annoying -- he seemed to express himself solely by grunts and ventriloquism. But as the movie progressed I felt his quiet heartbreak, and it broke my heart too. I'm surprised Jake Gyllenhaal is being awarded as a "supporting actor" because his role was as important as Ennis's. I suspect it's so both Gyllenhaal and Ledger can take home statuettes (that they deserve). Michelle Williams was wonderful, and I loved the contrast between the two wives. Anne Hathaway reacts by becoming cold and artificial, Michelle Williams becomes angry and resentful. I didn't start to cry in earnest until the final shot (and line) of the movie. It's wonderful that a movie like this is getting so much recognition and accolades, because it deserves all the praise it's getting. What a great movie season.
  16. The SAGs are supposed to be a good predictor of the Oscars, so I found the results pretty heartwarming. Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain (which I'm seeing tomorrow) Capote Crash (great movie that no one saw) Good Night and Good Luck (whee! everybody's favorite indie getting such accolades) Hustle and Flow (huh?) Best Actor: (what a strong field this one is) Heath Ledger (BM), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), David Straitharn (GN&GL), Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line), and Russell Crowe (Cinderella Man). I think Crowe is way out of contention, but it'll be a racehorse between the other four. Best Actress: (such a weak field, it's pathetic) Judi Dench ("Mrs. Henderson Presents"), Felicity Huffman ("Transamerica"), Charlize Theron ("North Country"), Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line") and Ziyi Zhang ("Memoirs of a Geisha"). I'd have to vote for Reese. Best Supporting Actor: (very strong field) Don Cheadle ("Crash"), George Clooney ("Syriana"), Matt Dillon ("Crash"), Paul Giamatti ("Cinderella Man") and Jake Gyllenhaal (BM). I hope Dillon takes it for Crash, personally. He did the impossible and made us care about a bigoted cop. But I think either Clooney or Gyllenhaal will get it. Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams ("Junebug"), Catherine Keener ("Capote"), Frances McDormand ("North Country"), Rachel Weisz ("The Constant Gardener") and Michelle Williams (BM). I think from all the buzz that Williams has this one wrapped up. Some surprises: the complete shut-out of Munich. Kiera Knightley not getting a nomination, but Zhang getting one. (I love Zhang to death but thought she was very weak in Memoirs.)
  17. Mikhail Baryshnikov as the Spectre. Shocked at how miscast he was in that Wolf Trap video. With his blond bouffant and huge glassy expressionless eyes, he so did not conjure up any ethereal dreamy images.
  18. She couldnt have been more miscast than Maria Tallchief and Rudolf Nureyev in that Bell Telephone Hour performance. I know Tallchief and Nureyev were great friends IRL (as she describes in her autobiography) but talk about a mismatched pairing.
  19. How about Maya Plisetskaya, Irina Dvorovenko, Diana Vishneva, and Tatiana Terekhova in Pas de Quatre? What a bloodbath that would be.
  20. I thought of a few more: Xiomara Reyes as the Dying Swan or Odette/Odile Altynai Asylmuratova or Irina Kolpakova as Gamzatti Herman Cornejo as Apollo Maria Tallchief as Giselle Peter Martins as the Spectre, along with Maya Plisetskaya as the Young Girl
  21. Mikhail Baryshnikov as Albrecht (yes I know he danced it and words can't describe how miscast he was) Margot Fonteyn in "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" Alina Cojocaru as Myrtha (who would she scare? No one) Natalia Makarova in Petit's Carmen (and I know she danced that too) Maya Plisetskaya as Cinderella Tatiana Terekhova, Wendy Whelan as Giselle Gillian Murphy as Nikya or Mary Vetsera Erik Bruhn as Puck in Balanchine's MND or Ashton's "The Dream". Erik Bruhn as Ali the Slave in "Le Corsaire." Patricia McBride in Agon Suzanne Farrell in Rubies Veronika Part as Swanilda or Lise. Svetlana Zakharova, Sylvie Guillem, Darcey Bussell, and Cynthia Gregory in these roles also.
  22. I especially loved Nureyev's parody of the male dancer opening his arms to end/begin a pdd. I doubly loved it when he honked Piggy's nose. It's one of tv's most adorable moments, I think.
  23. VAI has just released a dvd devoted to Alicia Alonso. Has anyone seen this dvd? I have a video of Alonso but this appears to be a very different dvd. Also, has anyone seen: POB's Ivan the Terrible? Australian Ballet's Coppelia? Giselle with Karen Kain Creole Giselle?
  24. I finally saw this tonight, and agree that as a movie, it's not much. For one, Zhang and Gong sound like theyre phonetically pronouncing every syllable from cue cards. The story upon close examination is pretty dull, especially after Dragonlady Hatsumomo exits. BUT ... at some point I stopped watching the movie, and started watching the hair. What hair! From Gong Li's (Hatsumomo) wild dragonlady locks (that seemed to have a life of its own) to Zhang's (Sayuri) neat split peach bun (with a red bow in between) to Michelle Yeoh's (Mameha) casual chic semi-updo (with totally unrealistic brown highlights), it was a hair fetishist's heaven. Throw in Pumpkin's post war banged bob too. Never have I seen such great hair in a movie. Some things in the movie were distracting. For example, the MTV-music-awards style dance show for Sayuri. And I noticed the inconsistencies in the collar -- maiko are supposed to wear a red collar, while geisha wear white. It's a not-so-subtle clue that the maiko has become a "real woman." But oh well. Ivy p.s. I thought Hatsumomo's wild dragonlocks wo by a mile
  25. Although it's not a piece associated with Farrell by any means (and in fact the title according to Gottlieb was widely thought to refer to Farrell leaving the company), I think the finale of "Who Cares?" would have been perfect for this event. Bubbly, fun, familiar music, everyone has a good time.
×
×
  • Create New...