cubanmiamiboy

Yesterday's matinee's partnering was shaky for Fairchild/Huxley. There was even a little scary second when I felt he almost dropped her. The third act's adagio is very difficult, with trickery lifts and slow, complicated one hand partnering-( a staple of the past, but quite absent from today's choreography). Let me add animal abuse to the politically incorrect items-(butterfly killing..😂) Oh...can we please acknowledge the War and Discord pas? It is so deliciously vintage looking! The elaborate costumes and the props make it look as coming straight out of the 1940's/1950's, as with the original Four Temperaments designs. Balanchine's Waltz of the Hours is, of course, a smart and secure way to sell the house. But as beautiful as it is I always feel it follows but quite doesn't match the Flowers in his Nutcracker, particularly the soloist. Dewdrop comes and goes in a fast, quasi hard to follow pattern, always living us in a constant state of awe. This doesn't happen with the pink tutu'ed soloist in Coppelia. Here she spins less, stays more time onstage, doesn't run much-( Dewdrop RUNS for her life)- and in general her steps are simpler. She's also not a part of the grand finale, which I find strange. And again and again. That Delibes score. Oh...what a winner! There are no fillers ...no melodies serving tempi. It is a succession of infinite GORGEOUS stuff. As much as I love the Wagnerianesque sound of Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, Coppelia is just up there with them. I can't get enough of its music.

Absolutely agree. One wonders what could he do with roles like Albrecht, Basilio, Solor, Conrad etc etc.

I did a double take yesterday. Queen T has no more technical territory to conquer any longer. She owns the stage, and ....she knows it. Yesterday's matinee with her and Torpedo Mejia was a brilliant display of stage fireworks. Mejia 's expansion is a sight to behold. But....I have to be honest. Tiler didn't "give me" Swannilda. When she was surrounded by her friends I couldn't perceive her as one of them. She was more int princess/ladies-in-waiting land. Pereira, on the contrary, won me on that aspect. She truly looked like a teenager in love. She and Chang looked great together. Peck's doll was superb though....

I'm enjoying this matinee with Peck and Mejia....but I'm afraid Peck looks too mature, visually speaking, for the role.

Thanks for this! Coppelia is one of the bread and butter ballets I grew up with in Cuba. Alonso's version -( still in place)- goes back, as all of her imports , to the 1950's, and it is as loved and cherished as Giselle and Swan Lake. The second act dances of Swannilda in Dr Coppelius house are very similar than Balanchine's! Why isn't Prayer actually praying here...?

Well....it was nice to see familiar faces tonight. Some thoughts. Can stress enough how GREAT Coppelia score is ....how easy for the ears. It is literally musique dansante all the way from beginning to end. I mean...that mazurka! It makes you want to jump onstage and dance with the dancers! The naughtiness of Coppelia! It has a variety of details considered politically incorrect today. You've got the elderly abuse...with the boys taunting and making fun of Dr Coppelius...even pushing him to the floor. You've got the guy shamelessly pursuing two women at the same time. You've got a fetishist Dr Coppelius obsessed with his doll. And then you've got him getting fresh and inappropriately touching Swannilda, which he thinks is his doll that has come alive, and who could probably be his granddaughter. I much enjoyed Fairchild and Huxley...but I wasn't grandly impressed. Fairchild is definitely a great soubrette, but my memories of the great Bouder in the role are still very fresh. She was magnificent. War is man and Discord is woman? 😂

Soo....who's ready for Coppeliathon? I'm in the house tonight. Anybody else?😎

Miami has one Coppelia, but it is not Balanchine's. Anyways...its been years since they last produced it, with countless modern, forgiveable concoctions taking priority instead. Oh well...

Well...I know many have them. But as per having seen one that was purposely not covered in a classical ballet...never. Have you?

Oops. I missed this a while ago. "Mostly" in modern roles ..? Wait...have you actually seen visible tattoos in classical ballets...?😶

In the Legat book he speaks of his and his brother 's early training with their father, and there's one of their famous drawings showing them at the barre with papa Legat close by playing the violin. In this case he was both the teacher and the musical accompaniment. He was able to be close by, give corrections and stop and resume as he wanted. It is intimate and probably less time consuming The piano implies orders to the pianist and to the dancers, with shouting in different directions. It could be frustrating for the teacher. Plus...an extra salary.

I have avoided "Cinderella" my whole life. Most importantly because of the -(to me)- uninviting, heavy score. But I have to say that among all the video snippets I've seen, it is Lavrosvky's version the one I have somehow liked.

29. Jesus Christ.... I see there's no cause of death listed. RIP

Last Swannilda I saw -( and one of the best I've ever seen in my lifetime)- was Bouder. Coppelia is dangerously disappearing from repertoire, as boring sneakers "ballets" keep popping up. So I'll be there. I absolutely adore Balanchine's "Coppelia" Hope to see you there!😘😉

😎 On a lighter note....I'll never forget that old lady at the MET who literally chased me all around the lobby screaming "put your mask on NOW!!" 😂 Mind you...I was hiding in a little corner down in the bowels where the opera photos are. Well....she chased me all the way up the stairs and everything. And when I thought I had lost her, and was hiding sitting in that old sofa outside the restrooms by myself, there she suddenly showed up as well and kept screaming at me! I was fed up by then. I motioned to escape again, got up but turned to her before exiting and asked her .."If you're so afraid of me not having mask ...why are you here ...RIGHT NEXT TO ME?!?" Oh dear....😂😂😂