cubanmiamiboy

And Natalia, remember that while out of the "Royal BOx" at the MET we saw Mr. Franklin coming out and had that delightful chat with him...? That's when he asked me where had I seen that vintage footage of him dancing the DQ PDD with La Alonso...

I'm so glad you enjoyed the performance, Natasha. I wish I could have gone to cheer my people there, but my crazy work schedule didn't allow me to. A little trivia note....back when I was still in Cuba I belonged to the "Lornistas"....(fans of Lorna Feijoo), and so Miss V. was "the enemy"... . Now she's the reigining queen, as I can see. Good for her!! I really wish her the most of success in her carreer. Edited to add: I wonder why Mme. doesn't expand a little "La Magia" to include stuff from "Bayadere" and "Fille"... that would be good...!

Wow...I notice we have moved a little from past times' feelings about the Benois and its winners/nominees...

Today I went to a beautiful concert held by the Alhambra Symphony Orchestra. This is an orchestra formed by musicians who volunteer their time to offer free concerts for the community in the city of Coconut Grove. The menu was as follows: Aperitif: Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila. Always a great way to start the night and to keep you wanting more. Salad -Elgar’s “Nimrod” from “Enigma Variations”. Fresh, melodic, easy on the ears. Lovely. -Holst’s “Mars” from “The Planets”. The right amount of pepper to wake up a little after Elgar. Great. -Williams’ "Fantasia on Greensleeves”. The olive oil. Rich and yummy and perfect to better digest this first part of the concert. Love those folk tunes. Main Course The steak of the night was Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto # 3. It’s not news that I’m a huge fan of Rachmaninoff music, him being my favorite composer among the triumvirate of Russian émigrés-(Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Stravinsky). The honors on the instrument were given by pianist Mia Vassiliev , a lovely, beautiful tiny girl who set that piano ON FIRE. I was really amazed to see how this small creature was able to attack the Rach 3 with such strength and force. Wonderful!

I'm green with envy.

I have said this before, and I don't get tired to repeat it, as long as I keep being asked the question of why do I love ballet so much. Ballet certainly was at one point of my life, one of the VERY few things I could grab on to keep my mental stability. In 1991 I had moved to Havana to start college-(at 16). I had no friends, no family, the city was experiencing the most devastating crisis in the history of the country after the fall down of communism and the absence of the Soviet Union, hunger was rampant in our dorms, and I was down to 120 pounds. That's when I started attending ballet performances. I grew up as a catholic boy, and the sense of spirituality I felt inside that theater was, honestly, nowhere near by as whatever I have ever felt listening to mass. Ballet during those years definitely helped me not to go insane about my surroundings. It certainly spoke to my soul, to my spirit, and after that when I get the question, I ask back "Do you go to church ?" , and if the answer is positive, then I say, "Well, for me going to a ballet performance is like going to church for you". It usually works.

Let me work on my sources... Will be back at you on that.

NO...I hadn't heard his name before, but if he danced in the corps there for a while he must had danced in COUNTLESS productions of Giselle. Like most of the dancers there he must know the ballet by heart...

The concept works, bart. You can check it out in the 1964 Alonso/Plisetski DVD-(along with Berthe's mime of Giselle's fate). It is also in the 1980 Alonso/Vasiliev DVD.

Correction. Wu was a Principal here...Zou wasn't.

Ah...so then this happens before Albrecht's entrance...

I just watched the clips posted by Helene, and I just can't get enough of them...Yes...Giselle is such a wonderful ballet, and this lovingly made reconstruction is just a well deserved, long due homage. Now, in regard to the "lost" scenes, particularly the one with the old villager man advising the group of youngsters to quit their nocturnal fete...where is this scene placed, before or after Myrtha's first Entree...?

The "Andante con Moto" music is also used as a pre-Entree of the Plisetskaya-Bogatirev Black Swan PDD 1976 performance DVD. Plisetskaya dances with Bogatirev sorrounded by her own entourage of black swan maidens...

Ah, you just hit a sensitive key here. Now, that's something I can't take...the current trend on some "ballerinas" not to make an effort to open a fouette in a complete a la seconde. Sometimes the working leg is barely off the floor, in a very poor 35/45 degree angle... Not good, not good...

Thanks for that list, bart...I see that Sarabita keeps sticking with his DQ... .

Just wonderful...!! http://benois.theatre.ru/english/participants/nominees/sarabia/

My pleasure, Bonnette. Dame Markova, Sir Dolin and Youskevitch are three of the most revered names Mme Alonso always speaks about when reminiscing about her career at BT. They are a substantial part of the history and formation of Cuban ballet , for which she always insists that her Giselle was in the beginning as close as possible as Markova, which she idealizes as the paradigm of the romantic projection in dancing. Dolin was always called to refresh the Cuban version whenever she felt necessary to refresh it and go back to how it was danced back in the days-(and thanks to this collaboration, many wonderful scenes were always preserved, like the extensive encounter of the huntsmen with the Willis while throwing dice before Myrtha's appearance). I always think Dame Markova's name hasn't been put where it really belongs in terms of importance within British-(and world)-ballet history. Perhaps the reason is that she really made the most of her career out of England, but only the fact that she was the very first vehicle used for such ballet history making as the three major Sergueev reconstructions for the Vic Wells is enough to place her all the way up. I own many books on her career and some others written by herself, but one of the most delightful ones is "Giselle and I", a beautiful and concise recollection of anecdotes since she started dancing the role during the 30's. I will try to hunt more snippets of her dancing... BTW Bonnette, and a little , can you tell a little more about your recollections on the two Alicias back in the days...? I LOVE reading those stories-(hi atm711 ! )

If you, like me, are fascinated with this dancer, then you will enjoy this tiny fragments too... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdXElXFEO0k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ommhBSesnn4

From the Youtube user... "This is footage of Igor Youskevitch performing the role of The Artist in 'Ring Around the Rosey' from 'Invitation to the Dance'.He partners Claude Bessy as The Model. Music is by Andre Previn." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RxyQzMVp5k&NR=1

Here comes the PERFECT birthday present to myself....

I see it as simple as being completely unmoved by a 6 o'clock develope a la second-(ditto with those distorted arabesques penchees so much in trend nowadays during the Sugar Plum Fairy Adagio or an up to the sky attitude derrière a la Somova in Rose Adagio). It's just not beautiful-(for me)- to see it in a XIX Century ballet-(but certainly possible in some sections of more contemporary works, like Symphony in C Second Movt.) In general I tend to enjoy more the regal, structured placement of dancers like Fonteyn or Collier-(I LOVE the way she projects herself in her Nutcracker dancing...very relaxed, elegant and not showy at all...same with Fonteyn in the Chopiniana video). Now, there ARE those exceptions in which the dancer is just such STRONG technician that some extensions here and there seem to be just a justified part of a whole-(Guillem comes to mind). On the contrary, I believe that if the ballerina is just unable to fulfill the basic technical requirements of a certain piece, then it is just a sin to try to impress with legs over head. When I saw Storik, she danced the black swan PDD with Kolb, and around the 10th fouettee she started traveling out of control all over the stage. By # 15 the spinning was really bad and her working leg very low...and by # 20 she just had to stop mid dancing, while the can-can-type bars were just in its high climax. She had to start inventing stuff onstage, posing and trying to make up for the long time left, while Kolb looked at her with a perplexed look. I closed my eyes...I NEVER in my entire ballet attending years had ever witnessed such a disaster onstage. Then, one wonders...what's the sense on showing some silly high kicks after such an embarrassing display...?

Ooooh, thanks so much for those clips, Volcanohunteer!! What a LOVELY mazurka..! (I just LOVE mazurkas and czardas in ballet...can we get any more "dansante" than that...? ) I think I'm getting it... No more options...?

I want to introduce my friend to the beautiful world of Coppelia-(as a warming up session for the upcoming MCB production, which will be his very first ever). What would be the most satisfying production currently on DVD...? Things I usually consider would be a generous use of Delibes score, a charming costume/sets design and some strong technique, particularly during the Grand Pas... And I KNOW you guys will have some great answers for me...!! So....?

An old thread, but I just discovered and had to add my two cents. Coppelia-(the ice cream parlor)-was, as we used to call it, The Ice Cream Cathedral. Back in the early 90's the lines went for hours to get in, but once you got seated you were up for masterpieces of ice cream. Yum! Coppelia Ice Cream Parlor Havana. One of the entrances-(with the ballerina logo) http://skynet.ohsu.edu/~hersh/cuba/coppelia.jpg The second level http://tommyimages.com/Stock_Photos/Caribbean/Cuba/Landmarks_and_Tourist_Attractions/slides/Cuba_0156-Coppelia_Ice_Cream_Parlour.jpg Coppelia Ice Cream Parlor Miami. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3358/3309103825_f9299b3f7f.jpg Nope...Coppelia was builded under Castro's regimen, during the early 60's. I know the owners of the store in Miami. They just got inspired by the success of the one in Havana and decided to repeat it here-(with great success, BTW...). You can go there and order and seat with your ice cream on glass cups and old fashioned coke bottles. The feeling is very vintage-like, 50's soda fountain style. I love going there.