cubanmiamiboy

...aaah...Poppea!!

From the second Delgado's Myrtha I also remember being striked by her makeup. She did some heavy, expressionist all white face, with her eyes features very black, her eye caves looking deeply sunken. She reminded me of those old Bela Lugosi movies! Very effective indeed...

What a beautiful evening! I went to a wonderful program, part of the Miami Baroque Music Festival. Tonight's performance took place at the museum of the beautiful city of Coral Gables, where the camera ensemble "Fuoco e Cenere" offered an exquisite, uber tasteful rendition of works by Claudio Monteverdi-(1567-1643), Angelo Notari-(1566-1663), Johann Kapsberger-(1580-1651), Nicolo Fontei-(?-1647), Girolamo Frescobaldi-(1583-1608), Deigo Ortiz-(1510-1570), Filippo Vitali-(1599-1653), Giovanni Paolo Cima-(1570-1622), Raffaello Rontani-(?-1622). The program's title was "Love Songs from Monteverdi's Venice". The group was formed by Jay Bernfeld-(viol) , Julie Fioretti-(soprano), , Natalie Perez-(soprano), ,Andre Henrich-(theorbo) and Bertrand Cuiller-(harpsichord). I'm fully charged now for Jeanette's debut as Giselle tomorrow..!!

Here's my little tribute to those first CNB pioneers from the late 40's, early 50's. Thank you guys for all that greatness you created!! CUBANS. Alicia Alonso Fernando Alonso Alberto Alonso Ada Zanetti Lydia Diaz Enrique Martinez Joaquin Banegas Luis Trapaga Dulce Wohner AMERICANS John Kriza Michael Land Barbara Fallis Royes Fernandez Charles Dickson Liane Plane Paula Lloyd Cynthia Riseley Richard Thomas Fred Favorite From other countries Igor Youskevitch-(Russia) Andre Eglevski-(Russia) Melissa Hayden-(Canada) Nicolas Magallanes-(Mexico) Michael Maule-(South Africa) Eric Hyrst-(England) Henry Danton-(England) Adriano Vitale-(Italy) Victor Alvarez-(Uruguay) Felipe Segura-(Mexico) Carlota Pereyra-(Argentina) Martha Mahr-(Argentina) margaret Graham-(Argentina) Ana Garcia-(Puerto Rico) Beatriz Durand-(Argentina)

I think Karinska's designs are wonderful-(MCB has them)-with all those little bows, but...are they going to be replaced with the uber-flat pankace designs...?...I don't like those...

May I...? GOOD!!

As I said earlier, the ABT's borrowed sets are luxurious, but...what's that big tree doing in the middle of the forest for Act II...?! It takes out lots of dancing space. THE DANCERS. Miss Mary Carmen Catoya was definitely the best Giselle of the three castings I saw, and the one who successfully was up to the choreographic challenges. In a minor scale, Miss Tricia Albertson, and finally, Miss Jennifer Kronenberg, who opted for the delete or mask of some of the difficult steps-(particularly during Giselle's Pas Seul). Among the Albrechts, it was handsome Reyneris Reyes who brought best the necessary dual romantic/masculine touch along with decent technique to the story, followed by Renan Cerdeiro, who was amazing, considering his young age and that this was his debut in the role. I really need to step back from my pre-assessment of him, for which it was really more than what I expected. Carlos Guerra is already sort of along the lines of his wife. The pairing of Reyes and Catoya was very successfully. He did some wonderful overhead lifts in Act II to Catoya, where she stood horizontally as if floating. As I already said, the highlight of the Peasant PDD was Kleber Rebello, who was best paired with Miss Arja, rather than Albertson in a second casting. Rebello and Miss Nathalia Arja are both very young, and they probably understand each other better-(they're both Brazilian). The Corps was beautiful. The Esty sisters-(Miss Sara and Miss Leigh-Ann)- were great as Zulma and Moyna. I wish that that choreography could had been a little "more" than what it was, for which both dancers are up to the challenge. Miss Zoe Zien always stand up among the other girls. She always look very elegant and placid onstage. Miss Callie Manning was amazing as Berthe, and her Myrtha was quite satisfying too-(she's a better demi-character dancer I think). THE Myrtha of my Miami running was definitely Miss Jeanette Delgado, who gave us a taste of those type of "liquid" bourres that we all admired in Fonteyn's Cinderella video. At one point she came out from the wings via some devilishly high grand jetes, eating the stage like there was no tomorrow! . A special mention to the De Courland party's best exponents: Yann Trividic and Miss Suzanne Limbrunner, who looked very royal without being affected. To be continued...

Please, allow me to quote myself here, so my review can have some continuation. Let me first clarify that whatever comparison I'm making it is against my Alma Mater on this subject, the Dolin/Alonso staging of the Cuban version. which also has the hand of Mary Skeaping on -(like the whole Fugue of the Willis scene). Keeping on with the choreographic subject, the Miamain staging has its winning moments, like the whole Myrtha's introductory scenes/variations. I'm not familiar with the current version of ABT, but the '77 production has some cuts during Van Hammel's first presentation of the Queen of the Wills onstage. As a non such fortunate moment we have the Fugue des Willis, which is heavily cut-(being such an spectacular/iconic moment of the ballet, both musically and choreographically , i can't understand why). Zulma and Moyna's variations are also dramatically eased down, and their choreography suffers from lack of legato and grandeur. If you blink your eyes, they're gone from stage without any acknowledgment from the audience. I remember theirs used to be a moment to wait for, for which it was usually done by those ballerinas on the verge of becoming Principals . The music used to be slow, and the choreography would allow them to luxuriate in posing and stillness. Also, I noticed that here they were left just left a tiny little space to dance their variations, for which the Willis corps was almost occupying all the stage...very separated from the wings. Moyna lost her extravagant penchee. Now she does a simple arabesque after the renversee. The Peasant PDD male variation was beautifully executed by Kleber Rebello. His tours en l'air are textbook perfect, although I must say that the orchestra director was too condescending by allowing too much extra time for him to finish all that turning on the air before signaling the last accord to be in pace with his landing, resulting in some awkward silent moments. The female variation is very grey over here. About this pas, I should say I still don't get used to it. The Cuban version converts it into a grand Pas de Dix, with some spectacular moments on the guys jumping over the girls heads, and basically using much of the same choreography. Thing is, Alonso always said that this PDD looked to awkward in the middle of this story. i mean, the guy's variation has way more bravura moments than all Albrecht's combined dancing! Even my neophyte companion asked me who this two characters were, given the choreographic importance they're given. Here I agree that this couple is sort of anti climatic. We all know by now that the Pas was included right before the very first performance of the ballet for Nathalie Fitzjames as a personal request, so it is obvious that it kind of diminishes the choreographic supremacy of the main couple. I just realized I'm going back and forth in between the two acts.. (forgive me about it). Let's see...another nice touch from Act I is the little story created around the wine. When Bathilde's father is tasting the wine that timid Giselle offers, and signal that it is good, all the girls and boys seem relieved and very happy, making comments about it. This is a nice link and reminder to the timeframe of the story, the harvest. I have spoke at large already about Giselle's Pas Seul poor general rendition. Only Mary Carmen Catoya was able to make a good impression on me, being the only ballerina to attempt some of the few standards difficulties left in this staging. As for the rest of the females in this variation, I saw off balance AND off pointe accidents. I was quite sad to see such an exposed moment being butchered down and changed. The Fugue des Willis lacks drama. The movements are not explosive enough and too languid. They didn't look like killing entities at all. They were more like multiplied Sylphs from Scotch Symphony. Albrecht here has Misha's diagonal of brises for Act II before Myrtha. All three bailarines-(Cerdeiro, Reyes and Guerra)-did them, although it was Reyes who perform them best. A welcoming musical moment was the inclusion of the original fast paced final of the ballet, with its grand symphonic cadenza, vs. the Pavlova-created slow version. Very nice, for which it took me back to the Cuban version again, which uses it. To be continued...

I'm in...

I think that is a very good question, with a range of possible answers depending on the situation. I'll take a crack at it, if other people haven't said what i mean to, when I have a few minutes free to give it the time it deserves (am running around with houseguest) What I remember reading in Markova's "Giselle and I" is that when she danced the role at the Vic-Wells in the early 30's, staged by Sergueev after the notations, she was offered, by the stager, the choice to pick her variation from two notated versions. One of them I think I remember reading was Sppessivtzeva's-(was Pavlova's the other one...?). I also remember being surprised at finding out that S. had danced the role in Russia early enough so her particular way of dancing this variation was included in the famous collection-(we all know by now that the whole variation per se goes way back to Miss Bessone). From London/Markova, the Sppessivtzeva's way-(which is not only all about the diagonal, but some other different little touches, as I notice)-seems to have been spread out all over the West, including the US and Cuba, where Markova danced it. We all can see that Fracci still did it in her video with Bruhn-(a 1969 ABT production), but afterward it seems to have been substituted by Misha with what was being done in Russia by the time he deffected. By the time Makarova danced it with Misha in their 1977 video, the diagonal was already gone. I forgot to ask Miss Serrano about this when I met her, but if Fracci was still doing it, this is a sign that it was still part of the ABT production by the late 60's-(I don't think she imnported it it from Italy). Anyway...I believe the Sppessivtzeva's version has a twin brother in the Aurora's wedding Grand Pas, with better luck, for which the three Sppessivtzeva's grand fish dives are still kept all over the world-(not in Russia though...). Alongside the dissapearance of Sppessivtzeva's variation from the ABT's repertoire after the 60's were also other little choreographic jewels, like the Nutcracker Petipa's-(Ivanov?)-Grand Pas and Nijinska's after Gorsky's Fille mal Gardee. I have always wondered who was the mastermind behind this dissapearances. Edited to add: I have to check the choreographic description of the variation in Beaumont's "The ballet called Giselle", but I'm almost sure it also describes the diagonal.

I'm generally happy with the season. I didn't get to see MCB in 2002, so this will be my first time I see Apollo in US. It will be very interesting to compare it with the 1940's/unlicensed Alonso production-(muses with headpieces and everything)-staged after the production in which she often did the Terpsichore to Eglevski's Apollo. I saw that several times in Havana. Ditto with Les Patineurs. bart, I agree completely with you about Rebello. That's a role that fits him like a glove. Of course I can anticipate the opening Apollo night will be given to the favorite Guerra/ Kronenberg duo-(). The other two Apollos I can think of are Trividic and Reyes. Terpshicore could be given to the Delgado sisters and Carranza-(I like to see beautiful women in this role). Very excited to see The Steadfast Tin Soldier . It will be my very first encounter with this ballet. I think I've seen a video somewhere of Misha dancing it with McBride...? I remember I liked it a lot...very sweet and sad story it is. My other personal premiere will be Duo Concertante. What is that about...? Can I see it somewhere in video...? Let's see...when was the last time I saw a MCB ballerina do 32 fouettes...? I think NEVER! So I will be counting-(yes, I do count every time)- on their rendition of the Don's PDD. Here, again, I want to see Jeanette...and Catoya. Probably Carranza too, if she's available. Nathalia Arja could be also a nice try...who knows...? Rebello, Reyes and Panteado are my picks for the Basilios...(where ON EARTH is Isanusi this season...?! ). Welcome back Divertimento # 15 and La Valse ! . My picks for T PDD are the same ones as DQ PDD. In fact, I want Rebello/Catoya, or Rebello/Arja-(both ballerinas are petite...perfect for him), Panteado/J.Delgado and Reyes/P. Delgado . Not excited at all with Program IV. I like In the Night, but Dances...is a little too heavy for me, and Slaughter.. too thin. What's that Piazolla Caldera...? Is that ballet or modern dance...?

From the San Francisco Sentinel online. CUBAN BALLET – An Interview with Octavio Roca Ballet critic and author Octavio Roca explores an astonishing cultural phenomenon By Seán Martinfield Sentinel Editor and Publisher Photo by Lynn Imanaka "On the international scene, in the world of Ballet, eyes are turning to the Cuban-trained dancer. Octavio Roca’s CUBAN BALLET unfolds this phenomenon through an intimate and historical perspective. The story is iconic in measure and packed with the stuff of classical Legend – zealous determination, courage and hope, sacrifice and survival. The book is an almost action/adventure – like none other – composed within the context of inevitable and fast-approaching change in Cuba’s leadership. It is likewise the story of Alicia Alonso’s Ballet Nacional de Cuba. For fifty years the company has dealt with defections and seen the departure of its most highly praised performers. “What would have happened,” Roca asks, “had these dancers not had to leave their country? What an even greater company the Ballet Nacional de Cuba might have been without Cuba’s long nightmare?” In his role as a critic, Mr. Roca has seen the glory performances of an amazing roster of internationally renowned Cuban ballet stars. He understands the depths and complexities of their noble commitment to Dance and rejoices in their personal, artistic, and cultural triumphs. His text is lyrical and linear; the arguments are rich and provoking. Fifty years of on-going defections by Alonso’s pupils adds up to an amazing legacy, a unique historical quest for personal and artistic freedom. The dramatic elements include the loss of family, friends, and country, along with the cloak and dagger energies of escape, political asylum, institutional shunning and nationalistic memory-wipes by the Cuban regime. Roca focuses the spotlight toward the internationally adored ballerinas, Lorena and Lorna Feijóo. For him and their legions of fans throughout the world, the Cuban-born sisters are the ultimate embodiment of Classical Ballet and the perfect expression of Cuban Style. As defectors from their communist controlled homeland and with their respective Star-status and positions as principal dancers – Lorena with San Francisco Ballet and Lorna with Boston Ballet – the Feijóo sisters are the heart and soul and, most certainly, the radiant beauty of 21st Century Cuban Ballet. Octavio Roca has devoted his life to the arts. For three decades he has been an eminent music and dance critic for such major newspapers as the Washington Post, The Washington Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Miami Herald and the Miami New Times as well as contributor to Opera News and Dance Magazine. Octavio was born and raised in Havana, later in exile attending Miami High and becoming the first Cuban student council president. He received his B.A. at Emory, his M.A. in Georgetown, and his Ph.D. in Costa Rica, and he also was awarded a diploma from Alicia Alonso’s Ballet Nacional de Cuba. A widely respected authority on the arts, he was chosen for Who’s Who Among Hispanic Americans, has taught philosophy at the University of Miami and Barry University, lectured on the arts at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, and the Catalan Theater Institute in Barcelona. He is now chairperson of Arts and Philosophy at Miami Dade College, the nation’s largest college. He met his partner Luis Palomares in 1971, while they were in school. They have been a couple for the last 38 years. Octavio and I made a phone date to talk about his beautiful book, Cuban Ballet. SEÁN: You know I have this passionate admiration for Lorena Feijóo. When I first saw the cover of your book – with this fabulous portrait of her and Lorna – I thought, “This is it! So appropriate, so beautiful.” What a great project this must have been for you. The book is layered with so many interconnecting stories. It is packed with fascinating musical and historical references, and takes on the disturbing nature of Cuba’s communist regime. There are so many audiences for this publication. Why does the world need to consider this topic now? OCTAVIO: Now? Because it’s the 21st Century and Ballet is at a crossroads. Cubans are very much where the Soviets were right before the end of the Soviet empire. They are everywhere. What’s curious about this – as with the Soviet Union – the art in Cuba is still flourishing. But because there are so many exiles in the diaspora, it seems to be flourishing abroad as well. So, it’s a two-pronged offensive. The front lines of Ballet today seem to be dancing with a Cuban accent. I’m thrilled about that because I’m Cuban, but also because I’m a critic. And, honestly, I have seen very few things on this level. Take an example, like San Francisco Ballet. They are lucky to have Jorge Esquivel for a senior character dancer. He defines what Cuban dancing is like. Then you have Lorena Feijóo. OCTAVIO: Joan Boada is – in terms of style – the most exquisite male dancer to come out of Cuba in the last 20 years. And Taras Domitro, who is the youngest. That’s just in San Francisco! This is repeated in Boston, London, New York, here at the Miami City Ballet. I am so thrilled by all these beautiful dancers from my country. The funny thing is, the entire population of Cuba – all of it – could fit in New York. It could fit in L.A., in London – it’s a miracle. A miracle and an action of History. It’s very touching. So, this is a good time for that. It’s also a good time for me because I’ve been covering Ballet for thirty years and, frankly, I needed to get it out of my system. It’s a very personal book for me. My mom danced in the original company that is now the Cuban National Ballet. The first ballet I ever saw was Giselle with Alicia and Igor Youskevitch. My mom was one of the Wilis. I grew up with them. It’s funny, I know that Giselle is not exactly a Cuban ballet. It’s a German poem, of the French Romantic era, codified in Russia, but – I hear the beginning of the score of Giselle and for me it’s like black beans in the kitchen. Ballet is very close to Cubans. I can’t help that. ALICIA ALONSO LORENA FEIJÓO and JOAN BOADA SEÁN: I think there is a true sense of dream and magic in Giselle which sits well with most people. And if it’s a good production, the experience will lodge in the heart. You’re right. I know Giselle and love it. I’m waiting for the chance to see Lorena dance it. But what is it about Giselle that so endears it to the Cuban people? OCTAVIO: It’s central to the repertory and the history of Cuban dance. It was there from the beginning of the company. It was there at the height of the career of the creator of the company, Alicia Alonso. That’s very important, because her lessons have really given Lorena her career right now. All these dances are learned. Giselle is about a love that outlasts everything, including death. It’s a ballet about hope, about the kind of freedom you can search even when everything is against you and the brute facts of life are against you. There it is. It’s just plain beautiful. It’s that kind of beauty emerging out of the most unlikely places. It has never been away from the repertory of a Cuban company. For the male dancers, the role of “Albrecht” is also very important. It’s the one they measure themselves against. It’s like “Hamlet” for actors. It’s just the kind of thing they know they have to do – and they have to do well. SEÁN: The score of Giselle is filled with expressions of longing. Is it this association and understanding of longing that so inspires the Cuban dancer? OCTAVIO: Think about it – we live in an age where exile has become a natural state for a lot of people. But that doesn’t make it any easier to take. And a lot of us are not where we expected to be. We still have a culture, we still have a background. We still have longings. In a sense, it’s a longing for a country that in many ways may exist in the future, but isn’t there right now. The kind of freedom that Cuba has not enjoyed in a long time. So, yes, Giselle is very much a way in which longing can be expressed. It can be expressed and sublimated in art. That is gorgeous and convenient. Let’s face it – you say the wrong thing in Cuba you could end up in jail or worse. In dance, the artists can express themselves. The company is thriving – in Cuba as well as in exile. The dance keeps going. It’s amazing. Their Company is as big as the Bolshoi, with a hundred dancers. If you saw them the last time they were around, they’re quite amazing. So, it’s not just the people who leave, it’s the people who are still there. It’s just a breathtaking achievement, I think, of Cuban culture. SEÁN: I was in the 8th grade when Rudolf Nureyev defected from the Soviet Union. I already had a strong background in Classical music, particularly Tchaikovsky, and was fluent in the musical films that came out of the M.G.M. studios. When Nureyev defected in 1961, it created a media blitz. The country was already surrounded in fear – the fear of imminent war, the uncertainties with Cuba and the Soviet Union, the fear of total annihilation. Then comes this completely dramatic defection by this uncommonly beautiful and totally unusual man – not only Russian, but a ballet dancer as well! Nureyev is the face of freedom. And with his story on news stations everywhere and his gorgeous face on the front page of every morning paper – even my parents had to deal with it. And with me! “Ballet dancer defies Soviet Union!” Not long after that Nureyev is dancing on the Bell Telephone Hour – tights and all – and I’m swooning on the family couch. No turning back now! OCTAVIO: I was a Freshman then. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. SEÁN: That entire episode sparked in me a whole new perception of classical ballet, international politics, the world of fashion, the Jet Set, etc. In reading your book and considering the number of dancers who have defected from Cuba – such actions don’t seem as politically charged or media-driven today, at least not on the level of the Nureyev story. Not that publicity goes with the exchange – but, these days, when a ballet dancer successfully defects from a totalitarian regime – it’s never a hot topic on the 6:00 News. Why is that? OCTAVIO ROCA OCTAVIO: I think it’s very easy for the US to just ignore Cuba right now. We shouldn’t, they’re right there. We can afford to do so because they’re not that important politically. We could not afford to ignore the Soviet Union. When it fell, there was a cataclysmic change in world politics. What I’m curious about is what will happen when Cuba changes – and it has to. As with the Soviet Union – the Bolshoi, especially, went through a period of transition and now seems to be back on track, partly by embracing its own heritage and re-embracing the Grigoriev repertory for example. I hope the Cuban Ballet can do that. When change comes – and it will – I hope it’s the one thing they know to keep. Because it’s worth it. It’s the jewel of Cuban culture. The ballet was there before Fidel Castro, it will be there after Fidel Castro. It has managed to survive through everything. I think it stands for the best in Cuban culture. What’s interesting, because so many people have left – and this happens to all exiles, but in particular with dancers as they try to maintain their Cuban style, Cuban schooling, and their Cuban culture working in the United States – what they are doing is also transforming American Dance. It’s a country of immigrants. And immigrants have always done that. American culture is a work in progress. ROLANDO SARABIA. Photo, David Garten OCTAVIO: Look at all the major companies – San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Miami. Just by having so many – and highly-placed – Cuban dancers, they are changing the way American dance looks. They’re changing the actions of American dance. That I find fascinating. Some more than others. When Carlos Acosta arrived at the Royal Ballet there was an explosion. The Royal Ballet had a very definite style and a very definite look. In the United States, when companies don’t necessarily have a company style but are more welcoming of international influences – it’s lovely, because they fit right in. They fit in because of their speed. And in that sense, they are very American. But they really are influencing – considerably – the way young dancers dance in those companies. Think of San Francisco Ballet. There’s no way that those young dancers can be in class and watch Lorena, watch Joan, watch Taras – and not be influenced, just being alongside them. SEÁN: I’m the fan who loves full-length story ballets. I’m also very celebrity oriented. I grew up reading the Hollywood Diva columnists who telegraphed news that a certain celebrity was getting their name above the title. It’s a kind-of ultimate tribute. You are celebrated officially as A Star and it’s the Producers who want everyone to applaud that. I believe that the Principal Dancer’s name – when they are the likes of an international star such as Lorena Feijóo – should appear above the title. OCTAVIO: I believe so, too. I think it’s silly not to. I think a company should know what it has. Every company should. Ballets such as Giselle and Don Quixote are perfect for Lorena Feijóo – and for Joan Boada and Taras Domitro. These are the things that show off our dancers at their best. You need the big stuff. You can’t just live on short stories, you need a novel. You can’t just live on string quartets, you need symphonies. In the case of ballet, it’s the big full-length ballets that give roles – not just dancing parts – but complete roles for the dancers to get into. Lorena Feijóo is exquisite and a complete Classical ballerina. She deserves to dance those classical roles. I think it’s a crime when she doesn’t. I saw her in Don Quixote this season, here in Miami, with Rolando Sarabia – another exile. To see the spark of those two – it was amazing. They knew what they were doing. I saw Lorena dance Don Q with Joan Boada in San Francisco – a gorgeous production. I think the public there deserves to see her again in that. She should be seen in Giselle. The easiest way to understand the greatness of Ballet is to watch Lorena Feijóo dance “Giselle”. It’s that simple. SEÁN: At SF Ballet’s 2007 Gala Opening, Lorena and Tiit Helimets performed the Act 2 pas de deux from Giselle, the scene at the grave. The artistry was astounding, the emotional currents deep and profound. Those fleeting moments have proven to be an unforgettable experience for me. I long to see her dance the complete role. OCTAVIO: Lorena is a very careful artist. She will give it to you. She’ll give you everything the role calls for. I respect her a lot for that. I enjoy her a lot for that. SEÁN: So! You get to see her in all these productions in Miami. JOSE MANUEL CARREÑO. Photo, Fabrizio Ferri OCTAVIO: I do get to travel a lot. I’m a civilian now, no longer a critic. I teach philosophy. I’m chair of Arts and Philosophy at Miami Dade College. In June I went to ABT to see their tribute to Alicia Alonso for her (alleged) 90th birthday. It was very touching. I saw all the principles dance Don Q – they had a different cast for each act. That’s a true Gala. And they have their share of Cubans. But the last act in particular had Jose Manuel Carreño as the lead. He was one of Alicia’s pupils. It was very touching. It was fun to see how that company is and what shape they’re in. I miss seeing San Francisco Ballet. I think they have a lot of gorgeous dancers. It’s a really beautiful company. SEÁN: It is astonishing to me that five or six different casts can be assembled for one ballet. I know that most everyone going to any performance at San Francisco Ballet is going to walk away feeling entertained. But when they witness genius on the stage, there is an absolute difference in the level of response. OCTAVIO: I think it’s a crime if they don’t help that. Dancers’ lives are so short and they’re fragile. And when you have someone who can do so much – so much, but not forever – you really should help them. For the sake of all of us. It’s just so sublime to see these people do what they do best. In big companies like San Francisco, New York, Miami, and Boston – they can do that. They should be allowed to do that. It’s what they’re born to do. SEÁN: The photographs you have included in the book are outstanding. OCTAVIO: I took a lot of those in Cuba and some Alicia Alonso gave me. Half of the materials are very much historical. I was very lucky that a lot of really good photographers contributed their photos. So, there are photos going way back to the beginning of dance in Cuba and Alicia’s career. There are also some really gorgeous photos of Lorena Feijóo and Joan Boada. It’s great that you and I have been able to share our enthusiams. I love Cuban ballet so much. I want to share something I love. This is very much a personal book for me. I was very lucky that Alicia and Mikhail Baryshnikov made the Introductions. One thing that was very sweet of Misha to say is that he knows this book is from my heart.

I laughed when I read this quote by Mr. Roca. I could make it my own, 'cause I truly LOVE both Giselle and black beans..! "I know that Giselle is not exactly a Cuban ballet. It’s a German poem, of the French Romantic era, codified in Russia, but – I hear the beginning of the score of Giselle and for me it’s like black beans in the kitchen. Giselle is very close to Cubans" Octavio Roca.

That diagonal is just not a part of MOST stagings. I don't know the MCB dancers and maybe you are right and they cant do it. I know it is very critical to you for a giselle. But for many people and many stagings it is not. I don't know if the omission of it is due to lack of technical proficiancy, and really I think it is a staging choice. You can hate that choice but i don't think its fair to chalk it up to lack of ability in the dancers. I'm sure ABT for ex. has had dancers who COULD do it. I KNOW that osipova could, but she doesn't. I don't base my technique assesssment only on that diagonal, Aurora. From our three Giselles, two of them had lots of trouble on the double turns in attitude on the same variation. One of them fell off pointe, the other one didn't even try them. On the sautees on pointe one ballerina didn't even advance half of a meter on the floor...she just kept doing little jumps almost in the same place. The double pirouettes in passe were done in one leg each time by only one ballerina...the other two had to change legs. I have heard and read lots of critique on Alonso's 1980 Giselle with Vasiliev at the age of 60 and blind, but if anything, she could had taught those ballerinas 20 years her junior some lessons on how to do that variation. Some of this dancers can execute a beautiful La Valse, for example, but Giselle is already out of their league.

I did, BB..thing is...theirs is one of those dance troupes that really DANCE, trained into the best street b-boying tradition with highly choreographed works. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu0hLc9VfPA&feature=related

So could that be that the Cuban 1948 Giselle premiere was Fallis' debut in the role...? Thanks, atm711 for your response!

bart and BB...I will write some more on the choreography and the dancers, but if anything, try to catch the Catoya/Reyes performance

Thank you so much for your responses! Barbara Fallis was actually in the opening night of the Cuban Ballet Company as a member. She danced, along with Alonso, Melissa Hayden and Nora Kaye, Grand Pas de Quatre that very night. I have a very lovely picture of it. I looks as she was highly praised by both the press and the audience.

I'm hoping that maybe someone could give me some input on American dancer Barbara Fallis, member of BT during the 40's, who turned out to be our very frist Cuban Myrtha in Havana, 1948. atm711...? http://rgrossmusicau...ce2/fallis2.jpg Fallis with Marjorie Tallchief, Alicia Alonso and Andre Eglevski in Apollo http://www.danzaball...00Scan10001.jpg Diana Adams, Barbara Fallis in Shadow of the wind. / (Tudor - Mahler - Mielziner) http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/dl_crosscollex/brbldl/oneITEM.asp?pid=2029385&iid=1111122&srchtype=VCG

From the MCB website. Season’s Second World Premiere Miami Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts 03/01/2012 - Antonin Dvorák: Carnival Overture, op. 92 George Balanchine (Music by Maurice Ravel): La Valse Alexei Ratmansky (Music by Sergei Rachmaninoff): Symphonic Dances, op. 45 Miami City Ballet, Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg, Carlos Miguel Guerra, Reyneris Reyes, Joshua Brown, Zoe Zien, Didier Bramaz, Tricia Alberton, Shimon Ito, Jeanette Delgado, Renan Cerdeiro, Nathalia Arja, Kleber Rebello, Renato Penteado, Callie Maqnning, Sara Esty, Yann Trividic, and corps de ballet Cleveland Orchestra, Tito Muñoz (Conductor) Jean Rosenthal (Scenic Design), Karinska, Adeline André (Costume Design), Jean Rosenthal, Mark Stanley (Lighting Design) (© Joe Gato) A coproduction between one of the world’s greatest orchestras and ballet companies is an adventure for any city and for Miami quite a coup. Offering Dvorák’s Carnival Overture, Ravel’s Valse nobles et sentimentales and La Valse and concluding with Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances without dance would still be quite an impressive program. But having choreography by Balanchine and Ratmansky in addition is almost more than one could wish for. The most anticipated part of the program is Ratmansky’s approach to Rachmaninoff. World premieres often go down in flames. The Symphonic Dances would seem like a perfectly natural fit for ballet, and choreographers have used it several times, but the results have never caught on. Perhaps a Russian artist working with the music of a Russian composer is the answer. Imagine if a non-American had created the dances for West Side Story. Balanchine’s Western Symphonydoesn’t show any insight into the American psyche, it is all candy, and for some of us a confection that is far too sweet and artificially flavored. Ratmansky gives us three separate narrative ballets. The first and third seem to have common themes and characters; the second has a more traditionally romantic story. Upon first viewing it doesn’t seem altogether clear how they are related. But the choreography is very fluid and will strike most as traditionally classical. Like Liam Scarlett’s Viscera which premiered in January, Ratmansky’s Symphonic Dances will have a long life. It was clear that the audience’s enthusiastic response was genuine. This is a work that aims high; there is tremendous beauty but it is the cerebral exercise that keeps us engrossed. Ratmansky encourages us to use our imaginations. In the opening dance, we are in a society where violence and danger for men, in particular, is ubiquitous. The women, eventually all alone, are in fear and long for the return of their men. When one does return, they can’t help but all want to be in his presence, perhaps to ask if he has seen their own men. In the second dance we are at a soirée, not unlike the one we saw earlier in Balanchine’s La Valse, where two sisters are attempting flirtations. It turns into a competition where the losing sibling eventually interferes with her sister’s romances. In the end the bond of sisterhood remains solid. In the last dance a group of rogues exercises its control over a culture’s woman. Couples can’t help but fall in love yet are always cautious to ensure that their trysts are not discovered. Rachmaninoff’s music may not appear to give Ratmansky what he needs to make these situations entirely believable. It often seems too romantic for examining such harsh realities, yet undoubtedly this contradiction is what makes the work so compelling. The company demonstrates a command as if this work is already a repertory staple and like any new work, repeated viewings will encourage clearer interpretations. This was probably also said of the first ballet of the evening, Balanchine’s La Valse, when it had its premiere over sixty years ago. Seeing that this ballet is going to be on a program can’t help but whet the appetite of any ballet lover. To once again be able to travel into this sophisticated, beautiful, perverse and ultimately dangerous world is always a treat. This time I paid particular attention to the stunning arm work that Balanchine gave to his women. Simple, tight, angular gestures give an additional language that is essential to creating the ambience. The final image of a sort of human whirlpool sucking the oxygen out of this decadent society is always one of ballet’s most thrilling finales. The company is in total control of this work; the magnificent Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg is the girl in white being drawn into an unsuitable environment which eventually leads to her death. Miami City Ballet went for quite a few seasons without a live orchestra. I am sure I saw La Valse many times when it was performed to recorded music, but the dancers can't help but reach even higher when the Cleveland Orchestra plays Ravel’s inebriating waltzes. People seem to have different definitions and understandings of the word “fun.” But without this, do we have any real reason to be in the theatre? I said to a friend after the performance, “wasn’t this a fun evening?” and was asked how I could see it that way. When a thoughtful artist chooses to communicate using a particular piece of music, don’t we all become children on an unfamiliar journey? Just because a dream isn’t a happy one doesn’t mean it wasn’t fascinating and memorable. Balanchine understood this better than anyone and Ratmansky appears to have learned a lot from the master. The program opened with an exciting, yet tender and thoughtful account of Dvorák’s Carnival Overture. What a great fanfare it is for this particular adult carnival! Though one might be very familiar with this piece through recording, under the baton of Tito Muñoz, it is likely one heard many sounds for the first time. Jeff Haller

On Friday night my guest Bart Birsdall and I went to another program of the Cleveland Orchestra's Miami residency. We had a great evening, which concluded with an Argentinean "parrillada" and sangria...! From the CO website... "The triumphant trumpets of Verdi’s AÏda celebrate an ancient Egyptian victory. And, the radiant American soprano Dawn Upshaw sings the Miami premiere of three hauntingly beautiful songs by popular Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov. This eclectic concert concludes with Prokofiev’s stirring Fifth Symphony, written to summon the rallying strength of the Russian people during the darkest hours of the Second World War" http://clevelandorchestramiami.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/TCOMiami2012Program2Notes.pdf

Does anybody remembers them from that past Academy Awards ceremony, when de Generes hosted...? I went to see them last night at the Arsht Center, and was greatly impressed, for which even being a non lover of contemporary dancing, theirs is an spectacle both innovative and highly entertaining aside from elegant in its conception. I liked it very much!

Some sketchy impressions on MCB Giselle. First of all, I must try to explain the general impression that this production had on me. Miamian Giselle feels to me like one of those shiny borrowed jewels the starlets get to wear on red carpets events. They get to be worn with pride and theres an effort to make them feel to the viewer's eye as if they belong to they user when in reality that's not the case. Giselle is a magnificent jewel of a ballet hard to be disliked by anyone. Starting with that, I must say that I'm happy I went to see this staging. Now, fact # 1. We all know this is an uncommon ballet for this company. It is not in their bones, and for much of the dancers it is like a new shiny costume that they get to play with for the first time. It takes time, MUCH time to make Giselle a company's own. It needs to be cherished, pass on, engraved on both the dancers AND the audience minds and hearts for it to be understood and loved. Otherwise it is just another XIX Century balletic curiosity, when in reality this is the most human of all ballets, for which it speaks of the ever present human stigma of helplessly loving someone who doesn't deserve that kind of love-(please, rise your hand if you haven't been thru it at some point of your life). Sad thing is, many of us choose to be bend over to such love and show irrational unconditionality, just as our ballet heroine, instead of getting our life straight, put all that baggage behind and choose to pick a deserving partner. Point of my story, also related to the Miamian dancers being: do our current youth REALLY believes in that kind of stoic suffering...? Are those dancers/kids prepared to UNDERSTAND the essence of such huge life decisions as to show such enormous amounts of forgiveness, as our heroine ghostly nemesis does...? I doubt it. On the contrary, maybe at the age of our three Giselles-(Kronenberg, Albertson and Catoya)-this is a better understood subject, which is one of the reason that, on one side, I love to see mature dancers on this role. Sadly, on the other side, there's the inability to be technically proficient to execute Sppessivtzeva's diagonal, at least over here... SETS AND COSTUMES. This is not OUR production. Scenery and props were borrowed by long time godmother of this ballet, ABT, and costumes belong to Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal. Our Cinderella gets to wear her magic for a while, but we all know that the midnight will arrive at some point, and all will disappear into thin air, leaving the troupe back with its Balanchinean second skin. Another red carpet ephemeral moment. So, about ABT's scenery, I must say I never saw such luxurious sets for Giselle ever in my entire life. Giselle's cottage is now a three stories townhouse, and Albrecht castle is nicely seen in the distance. The Canadian costumes are beautiful also, with multicolored patterns for Act I-(lots of reds)-and lovely fluffy romantic skirts for Act II. At fault: What is the hunting party doing in ballroom attires in the middle of the forest...? CHOREOGRAPHY. "Adapted and re-staged by Edward Villella" states the playbill. Did he had such exposure to the ballet during his dancing years to be able to do so...? My own intuition and some knowledge on different versions tells me that MCB is a mitch match of several stagings. I SAW fragments of the Cuban AND the Russian Giselles, carbon copied, and I suspect that video played a huge role in here. There were winner moments. Like in the Cuban version, this Giselle contains the WHOLE Berthe's scene, with no musical cuts. The miming tries to compress everything...the story of the Willis who keep dancing in the forest coming to life at night from underneath to kill men because of their anger of having died before being wed, which could happen to Giselle if she insists on dancing despite her weak heart. Lots of info, but Miamian Berthe manages to say it all. Two thumbs up! (and two more for Miss Callie Manning, of the BEST Berthes I've ever seen. To be continued...