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brokenwing

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Posts posted by brokenwing

    MCB Program II. Balanchine/Taylor/Tharp

    in Miami City Ballet

    Posted

    I'm a little curious about the upset over the rep. All three of those ballets premiered under Villella. The last time the Taylor was programmed, it appeared next to one of Edward's ballroom ballets, so swap that out for the Tharp ballroom piece and you have a near identical program. Not a single Morphoses choreographer, other than Wheeldon himself, has been programmed by Lopez. Are we romanticizing the Edward days a bit or is a change in the style/dancing making us grumpy about things that might not otherwise bother us?

    Jordan's writing is more hit or miss for me, and I can't help but feel she's looking for something she's supposed to be seeing. She sometimes finishes what appears to be a highly flattering paragraph on a very negative note, so it can be confusing what her actual opinion is.

    stylistic changes under Lopez's leadership

    in Miami City Ballet

    Posted

    I think we would do well to keep in mind that there have been years in the past where only three Balanchine works were programmed, and all of the new works being added are things that would easily fit into any other Villella-led year. Saying otherwise, in the Miami Herald, stirs the pot and keeps the (presumably non-dance attending) reader interested in a tabloid-y sort of way.

    I take it you haven't seen the post-Wheeldon Morphoses, for you would know it is almost entirely different from what MCB is presenting now, MUCH more contemporary, and thus, presumably, even less to your taste. ;)

    While the repertoire has inarguably seen little to no change, style and presentation are another matter all together and subject to many differences of opinion.

    MCB Program III. Episodes, TPDD, W.S Story Suite,

    in Miami City Ballet

    Posted

    West Side Story Suite is performed by many major companies around the world (PNB, SFB, NYCB, Royal Danish, National Ballet of Canada) because it is very dance heavy, utilizes classical vocabulary (if you look for it) and is choreographed by one of the great ballet/dance geniuses of all time. I don't think we should expect to see a non-dancing full-evening musical theater evening by a ballet company any time soon.

    2014/15 season announcement

    in Miami City Ballet

    Posted

    MCB has posted a Facebook status linking us to their website where the new season is revealed. You can see it here: http://www.miamicityballet.org/renew

    PROGRAM I:

    Romeo & Juliet (Cranko)

    PROGRAM II:

    Nine Sinatra Songs (Tharp)/Mercuric Tidings (Taylor)/Symphony in 3 Movements (Balanchine)

    PROGRAM III:

    Carmen (Alston)/Sweet Fields (Tharp)/Allegro Brillante

    PROGRAM IV:

    Raymonda Variations (Balanchine)/The Concert (Robbins)/Justin Peck World Premiere

    I must say I'm surprised how closely she's staying to the Villella mold of programming. It's a lot of Tharp/Taylor. 'Allegro' closing is a head-scratcher. But, always nice to see 'The Concert', new to the rep and the new work by Peck will be exciting.

    What does everyone else think?

    Nutcracker

    in New York City Ballet

    Posted

    All the talk of doing away with Karinska's flower costumes is practically sacrilegious! I love the muted shades of lilac and rose and the way the tulle cascades in the moments that echo the Rockettes. I also can't say I know of any other version of Balanchine's Nut (PA, MCB, CPYB, OBT) where I found the costumes to be anything other than unflower-like or even flat out hideous. They also rob the demis of any distinction, another mistake.

    Just my opinion, of course. To each his own. :)

    MCB Program I

    in Miami City Ballet

    Posted

    Aha...so Albertson and Arja are the choices for "Ballo..", just as I had noticed during the rehearsal I witnessed. Such a waste not to had the Delgado sisters do this...

    I looked through the casting and noticed both Delgado sisters were missing all together :(. Let's hope that whatever is ailing them or causing their absence ends quickly!

    Macaulay on All-American Ballerinas

    in Writings on Ballet

    Posted

    I have to say I agree with Pherank on this one. I respectfully disagree with your opinions on both Sarah Van Patten and Patricia Delgado, as I've seen both give near-definitive performances of several coveted roles, particularly in the Balanchine rep. I may prefer them to Chung, but that opinion is perhaps not even relevant to this conversation. I think it would be nice if we simply presented the dancers we loved most in America. By putting dancers down to elevate those we like, it puts us on the level many complain Macaulay is stooping to, especially when it's pitting sister against sister.

    I'm not sure that his exclusion of several wonderful ballerinas has anything to do with him showing preference to specific companies. I, too, love Margaret Severin-Hansen, but perhaps he simply hasn't seen Carolina Ballet perform. Macauley is certainly a lightning-rod for controversy, but ultimately, and in spite of some comments in his work that irk me, he writes intelligently and with passion, and that is what matters to me.

    MCB 2013-2014 season

    in Miami City Ballet

    Posted

    According to the latest brochure, featuring big, glossy photos of various dancers in studio shots of the ballets premiering, there have been several promotions.

    Kleber Rebello and Renan Cerdeiro are newly minted principals (both having risen VERY quickly), while Christina Spigner and Sarah McCahill join the corps. Damian Zamorano is also new to the corps and Leanna Rinaldi is an apprentice. Congrats to all!

    MCB 2013-2014 season

    in Miami City Ballet

    Posted

    There is an article in the Miami Herald with Lourdes discussing her programming decisions for next season here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/23/3247628/mcbs-lourdes-lopez-takes-reins.html

    The full season is listed as follows on MCB's website in a press release for subscriptions to next season going on sale:

    Program I:

    Ballo Della Regina

    Polyphonia (premiere)

    Serenade

    Program II:

    Concerto Barocco

    Jardi Tancat (premiere)

    Symphonic Dances

    Program III:

    Episodes (premiere)

    Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

    West Side Story Suite (premiere)

    Program IV:

    Don Quixote

    Nice to have lots of premieres and some real Balanchine classics back. Don Q, not so much...

    Winter Season 2013

    in New York City Ballet

    Posted

    Around the time of the centennial, Peter Martins told a story about Balanchine involving the scherzo, in which he said it was being cut due to either his or Suzanne's injuries at the time. One night before 'Diamonds', Balanchine was wanting to bond with Peter and have some vodka before the show. Peter protested saying he had 'Diamonds' to dance, to which Balanchine responded 'We'll cut the scherzo!'. I thought it was a charming story.

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