cubanmiamiboy

I love Lacotte's Sylphide...

I wonder if Villella at least will keep overseeing Balanchine's stagings for the company, or even staging some more, OR if he will be gone for good altogether...

I like sweet Bathilde. At the end she's just another victim also been played by Albrecht, along with Giselle. I mean, the woman even accepts him back after witnessing Albrecht/Giselle final fling before the grave entering scene, according to the original scenario !-(whereas I just want to scream, "dump'im, dump'im !! ). No, Bathilde suffered her own portion. It is a miracle she didn't join Giselle during the mad scene. "Double madness" would have been very effective, can you guys imagine...?

I never miss a performance by the Cleveland, now in full residence here in Miami. They joined forces in the past with MCB performing Symphony in Three Movements, and the audience response was amazing. (I must confess I'm partial to this work, so I can't really say I was ecstatic...)

The Cuban version "speaks" some key words and phrases: Sleeping time-(during the night), pointing to the forest, the cross on the graves of the Willis, the opening of the ground, the crossing hands pose of the spirits, the macabre dancing to which all men are subjected when being found and the ultimate death in the vengeful spirits' hands. Is there any video, commercial or not that shows the British version...? I would love to see it...

The way Leonid talks about Struchkova's dancing from so many decades ago, the very fact that someone is capable to describe certain performances from the past with such vivid recollection is, for me, the very key, the essence and center of the title of this thread. "Holding up over time" doesn't happen with a lot of frequency. I'm sure the majority of balletomanes here have seen hundreds, if not thousand, of performances by countless companies, and then, at the end, you can always detect just a handful of names that come up as having stood in people's mind more than 20, 30, or even more than half century ago, as we've seen in this very board. I'm sure those same balletomanes have also seen a gazillion of technically achieved-(and probably superior, I'm not saying the opposite)-bailarines and ballerinas who have danced with impeccable technique, but only those who have managed to have that other inner quality to wow and to stay engraved in our brains and in paper via formal critic have made the cuts. As I say..I detect just a handful of names that gets to be repeated over and over in BT's threads, whereas they belong to the old BT, BRdMC, RB, NYCB, ABT and so on... I think two classical examples of this are Fonteyn and Danilova. How many times we've heard and read, even by some of their contemporaries, that they were ballerinas who were not able to achieve a certain technical level that others had around them at the time, but still somehow managed to go down on history as two of the greatest...? Edited to add: If the title of the thread would have contained the "in the technical level" phrase as a modifier, then probably many of those big names would not be able to make the final cut.

Let's make an update...from her MTV's 1991 Marie Antoinette to, let's see...YESTERDAY'S Super Bowl. Miss Ciccone, ne 1958... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyfdoZldrS4

with regards to Alonso, technically, when in her prime (not when she kept performing after she ought not to have) she has always struck me as someone who COULD hold their own against modern dancers. Her extensions aren't the same, but I see that as as mucha matter of choice as ability perhaps. I wonder if in her case its a sense of DRAMA--writ large, that seems out of keeping with modern sensibilities. Because her technical abilities really were ahead of her time. Definitely, Alexandra. The best example of your statement is the clip I just posted. I've seen that very variation danced countless times by countless ballerinas, both live and in video, and the ONLY one I've seen up to that level of technique-(particularly during the final speedy diagonal, almost now difunct I suspect due to its difficulty)-has been Mme. Fracci in the video with Bruhn. NONE of the dancers I ever saw in Cuba, from the late Josefina Mendez to Miss Viengsay Valdes were able to achieve such perfection in that variation as Alonso does. And I suspect that THAT particular video wasn't an isolated case, IMO...

Maximova, definitely... Markova...? Alonso...?

We definitely have to agree to disagree here, Aurora. One of my biggest complaints on current ballet is the lacking of that brisk quality, the fast accent, the energetic approach and fast tempo so characteristic of mid-century dancers, nowadays so lost by giving way to a perfect placement/position/pose that takes foreeeeeeeeever to complete sometimes. Of course, there were exceptions of great technicians that were able to achieve both. I never saw, of course, Mme. Markova's dancing, but from all accounts, she was one of those rare examples. They say Alonso was capable to get both approaches too. The old videos of the Soviet ballet contains countless examples of what you see as a minus-(included Vladimirov and Struchkova above)-but I see the end product, after the pros and cons as a very enjoyable performance rather than a perfectly placed/posed one. Basically, the balance goes, for me, to the good side. The point of the series of passes in Kitri's variation, rather than showing straight knees, as you say, should be, for me, to show Kitri's sparkling personality. When that is lost, even with the straightest of knees, everything is gone, and the performance becomes a boring, robotic, lifeless class exercise. Kitri, then, blends and dissolves in pure technique and becomes everyone else: Giselle, Odile, Raymonda...who knows, who cares...it's all the same. I mean...let's just compare next...

When thinking and talking about sharpness and brisk movements, I always point to Raisa Struchkova...I think this Kitri variation is the most perfectly executed-(and fastest)-I've ever seen live or in video. My standard for "sparkling", that is... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLwWbwJ5ubg

dirac, thankfully this time FGO didn't go for weird/minimalistic settings. They just slightly moved forward the historical context from Belle Epoque to full blown roaring 20's setting, but it worked. I was pleased. This is their 71th Season without interruption, and going strong!

I just bumped into this clip and found it lovely. I would be happy to get to see this kind of work in "gala nights" instead of the most of the contemporary/forgettable/weird stuff being presented lately...

What I notice a lot, included in this last clip, is a tendency to not extend the working leg all the way a la seconde, but to keep it bent at the knee. It is really rare to find nowadays a ballerina extending her fouette to a perfect 90 degree angle, as it Miss Suarez does here next...

Ah, but let's make note of a little detail on the technique level, for comparison purposes. A while ago I inquired in this board about the apparent extinction of certain step used in the Cuban Black Swan Coda, those backward traveling sautees on pointe, vs. the flat foot version used by everyone else worldwide. The step can also be seen in the Kitri variation danced by Slavenska in the bonus footage of the BRdMC documentary, AND by Fonteyn in the coda of the Aurora's Wedding PDD from the Royal Ballet DVD, the same one that has her Sylphides with Rudi. Well, it seems that the substitution is happening now with Anyuta. Whereas Maximova does the step in its difficult version, in full pointe, Obraztsova chooses the flat foot position, which prompt me to wonder...are contemporary ballerinas weaker...? Mme. Maximova, @ 1:23. Miss Obraztsova @ 4:02. Anybody, any hint, or comment..?

Markova and Princess Margaret had the same beehive for awhile, I think. Of course, dirac...the ever present, wonderful bouffant!! http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/3279028.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=45B0EB3381F7834DB1560261E94759B0696EE9406F731F5F03AA0CF64F13FC89 http://www.thisisannouncements.co.uk/images/81/47/5904781_large.jpg?1250876624

Natasha's out, Genya's in...time to move on, Koundarova...

I'm with you on this, BB. I'm dying to see her in the role, particularly her mad scene, which should be a total challenge for such overly bubbling personality. I must confess being a little partial to the clips I just posted. The steps are there, but there are little romantic details missing...a head/torso subtle tilt,,,some port de bras-(can we get rid once and for all of all those "spaguetty/twiggy arms", just as two different posters in two different threads called them...? )- or even that particular, stiffness that makes the lithographies-inspired romantic poses so beautiful and unique within the art form. Let's see...the clips are from some years ago. Maybe they've worked on those details.

Will do, Helene, although it will be a tough weekend to just pick MCB over. http://www.seraphicfire.org/tickets/ http://www.nws.edu/EventDetail.aspx?EID=551 http://www.arshtcenter.org/tickets/calendar/view.aspx?id=10335 https://www.browardcenter.org/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=AFE0BE0D-1D08-4632-9EE1-E8F25CA9D19C

Edited: Double post.

The ballet of ballets...Giselle. While Program II is still active-(Fort Lauderdale performances still ahead)-Giselle is right behind the corner. I thought about opening this thread now so we can discuss it in advance... I know...I can't wait...Giselle is so beautiful...

Just a quick note to congratulate our own Cuban/Miamian diva Miss Elizabeth Caballero's last night triumph as Magda in La Rondine. Cristal clear voice, powerful coloratura registry, she has it all. Looking forward to see her in many more roles ahead...! http://www.elizabethcaballero.com/

Ok...it's got to be my comuter then. Now another link shows in dirac's last post. When I point the mouse to it, it shows the phrase "powered by text-enhance". It must be one of those internet things I don't know anything about. Last night I was downloading updates and that thing might have been included without my knowledge. Oh well...

dirac, I haven't seen Davis' film, but among the other three ladies, it was Close's performance the one that stood the most in my mind. Hers is a more intimate film, with way more screen time for the leading lady, dialogues and focus on the inner struggles of its heroine/hero, whereas Iron Lady has more of a big Hollywood flick flavor in its story telling of such huge historical figure by a hugely venerated actress. It is hard to decide, because Streep was amazing, but Close's story and characterization is a very sensitive, beautiful created one. Go and see it, and let me know. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGX_JKjG1dM P.S. BTW...something weird is happening to this post. When I took a look at it, I discovered the words "mind" and "one" appearing as links. I didn't do that!, and then when I click on it, it shows some bogus propaganda that I don't know nothing about. What is that?! I tried to edit it, but there's nothing weird in the draft, and it keeps showing it, at least in my computer. Can anybody see it..? How can I get rid of it...?

Has anybody seen "Albert Nobbs"...? I saw it yesterday, and I think La Close to be a tough contender for La Streep on it...