cubanmiamiboy

"May the Powers That Be in this case shred some benevolent light upon this errant soul..." (Alonso to McKenzie.. )

Saw her live once and couldn't believe that particular performance...(to the point of embarrasment, if IMO... )

A delayed for the instructions...!

When I saw my name this week in the monthly schedule listed on the Saturday 14/Sunday 15 night shift list I couldn't believe it. That means that last night, while Lore and Sarabita were channeling themselves into Paquita/Lucien and Lissette/Colin , I was working, and so the situation will be the same tonight too. I can't believe it...I had been waiting for this weekend for months... My mother will go, and she'll tell me....Ah HOW FRUSTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!

The really brave ballerinas used to open the sequence en arabesque, but as they were traveling they would start going into a deep penchee while keeping their eyes fixed on Siegfried-(head pointing up)-and even smiling a la femme fatale. Exotic port de bras was also included, and many times they would get the audience to start screaming "baja, baja...!!!"-(get down, get down...!!)-to which the ballerina's penchee would go as low as they could. That was done in the old times though...(Alonso, Mendez and Charin were the experts on this matter). I even remember a conversation between a crazy friend of mine, a hardcore balletomane, and Alyhaidee Carreno back when she was the main rival of Lorna Feijoo in which he asked her if she, in order to prove herself, could actually START the whole series in deep penchee/6:05 position already and finish them in a 6:00 o'clock, to which she said..."But honey...that's against gravity!!" Ow those were the days...!!

Roger...I actually hadn't seen that coda danced in any other way until a non-Cuban ballerina performed the Pas during one of the last Havana Ballet Festivals I attended before leaving the country. When I realized that the most anticipaded, climatic moment of the coda-(more than the fouettes)- would never happen, I was really struck with dissapointment. Still today I don't get a good "high" out of watching this PDD as I used to...it is not the same without the "vaquitas"... http://www.youtube.com/user/yosva75?blend=24&ob=5#p/u/0/hkxevxVjIlU

Sarabita's journey has been quite a rough one. I always thought that ABT was the company that he would be heading when he left Cuba. Obviously his dancing is not what it used to be 15 years ago when he started as a wonder boy due to many injuries, inconsistencies and absence of a solid home company, but when I saw his DQ here last year with the CCBM-(Lorena Feijoo as Kitri)-he could still pull out some of his old self and thrill the audience with his characteristics beautiful pirouettes a coup de pied with the extra final ronde de jambe-(his signature accent, for which he's a turner and a PARTENAIRE...not a jumper). Anyway...I really cross my fingers so this opportunity could lend to a happy long term outcome... (hint-hint).

Hi Roger...do you know anything on when and where and by who was this particular series of steps introduced in the BS coda ...? (the 1958 clip with Youskevitch only contains the PDD Entree and Adagio). The other clip that shows Alonso performing the step dates from 1964, and by then the only staging done in Cuba had been Mary Skeaping's) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5sxVB_6QGg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zKxEUgcWQQ

Hi Roger...do you know anything on when and where and by who was this particular series of steps introduced in the BS coda ...? (the 1958 clip with Youskevitch only contains the PDD Entree and Adagio). The other clip that shows Alonso performing the step dates from 1964, and by then the only staging done in Cuba had been Mary Skeaping's)

atm711...t is funny, but every time I ask for a certain ballet, or premiere or something from those golden years, I'm POSITIVE that you will contribute to the discussion starting with something like "I saw that", or "I was at that premiere"-(like when I inquired about the Alonso/Youskevitch premiere of T&V). Congratulations on your wedding anniversary with Monsieur Le Ballet...!!

Hey, Roger...this two links will get you to an old thread on that particular issue... Hope they will shred some light on the subject. http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/25032-the-alonso-youskevitch-black-swan/

Sorry about this silly question, but I can't figure out how to delete all read messages without going one by one. Is there any way to just select "all read" and then press "delete"..? (Just as an e-mail inbox ?)

Thanks for the generous thought, ViolinConcerto!! I'm checking it right now to see if this is a new content or if it is a repeated material with a different title.

Started Turgenev's "Sketches from a hunter's album" after being done with Scholl's book on Vikharev revival of SB.

To all the women of this board, Happy Mothers Day, for which they always manage to serve their duties as moms in life somehow...! http://www.ballet.co.uk/albums/jr_bolshoi_giselle_roh_0710/jr_giselle_bukanova_osipova_headonchest_058_1000.sized.jpg http://balletnews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/La-Fille-mal-gard%C3%A9e-Elisha-Willis-as-Lise-and-Michael-OHare-as-Widow-Simone-photo-Bill-Cooper-700x466.jpg http://theballetbag.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/rb-beauty-small.jpg http://www.ballet.co.uk/albums/jr_abt_swan_lake_coliseum_0309/jr_abt_swan_corella_bystova_crossbow_026_500.jpg

I came across this interesting clip of David Lichine and Nana Gollner from 1935. Lichine is a name that always pops up at some point in all the autobiographies of the "old timers"-(Danilova, Tallchief, Baronova, Zorina, etc...). He seems to have had quite a reputation as a womanizer within the ballet world according to some of this accounts. Anyway...I think this is the first time I see him "moving"-(seen pics before, but never a clip). I hope you'll enjoy this strange little film. From the Youtube poster: "This is an early experimental ballet film - choreographed and danced by David Lichine and the beautiful American dancer Nana Gollner in 1935. The score is from Joseph Achron, who also wrote Hebrew Melody. His friend the composer Arnold Schönberg described Achron in his obituary as "one of the most underrated modern composers". This film's creative origins lie in the Diaghilev sphere of influence. Produced by Adolf Zucker, long-lived pioneer of the film industry. Made in 1935, only 6 years after the death of Diaghilev. Lichine danced with and choreographed for Colonel de Basil's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Elegant camera work by George Clemens, who went on to do the cinematography for the Twilight Zone and other popular television shows. The conductor, C. Bakaleinikoff, was a Russian-born composer. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory. Following the Russian revolution he migrated to the United States of America with his older brother, composer Mischa Bakaleinikoff. David Lichine was married to Tania Riabuchinska, one of Balanchine's Baby Ballerinas". Faune - David Lichine Young Girl - Nana Gollner The Chef - Micheal Visaroff The Father - Charles Arnt Music - Joseph Achron Cinematography - George T. Clemens Photographer - Ned Scott Orchestrator - Edward B. Powell Conductor - C. Bakaleinikoff Choreographer - David Lichine Producer - Adolf Zucker Director - Tatiana Tuttle

Oh, I'm not a mod, Richka, but thanks for the flattering assumption...!

Count me among the interested ones! I LOVE stories of those stars from the past, so keep'em coming...!

One of the interesting things from this book is the way Scholl makes a comparison between the reconstruction of the ballet and the reconstruction of the old orthodox churches that were destroyed during the terror and now are being completely duplicated to the last detail with new shiny replicas that, according to him, fail to bring an authentic sense of history and credibility to church goers. Nevertheless, he also declares that at the end it is what happens inside those churches what matters and what eventually will give the building the sense of purpose and level of public affection that is entitled to, and so ditto with Vikharev production. There is also a quote by Diana Vishneva during the days she was dancing the role in which she says that "this production seemed inappropriate for the company, the city and the country", whereas another ballerina reported that "I don't think there's anything better than our old production. Ok, it was not so beautiful, but this splendor now is somehow out of place in our time. It's for New Russians" What I perceive is the generalized idea that Vikharev production has somehow failed to make itself believable to many dancers and theater goers.

Nice. Well deserved, and due for a while now. I was looking forward to see her with Breeden in the Peasant PDD... Rebello can do the honors though...(hint-hint )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5bYzIViJ8

Thanks Leonid for pointing at the Sadlers Wells production. Actually Scholl does indeed mentions it, when listing the sources and productions that Vikharev took into consideration to draw the design of the reconstruction. About Marie Petipa, he chooses to be on the side of those who maintain that she DID dance on pointe, however uncomplex her variation was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR82fgzy6F4&NR=1

The thing is that this is a company with only one danseur noble...Carlos Guerra. Trividic and Reyes seems to be filling the gaps but it is obvious that their prime time is gone. Isanusi was never the princely type, and Panteado has his "moments"-(which is not always). Still, from the dancers that have left, only Sarabita could do justice to the Imperial roles-(and before him, Misha...Seay's hubby). It would have been hard for Wong, Wu, Baker and Sarabita Jr. to get there. Ditto with Rebello. He's the new Wong, but let's be honest. He's phenomenal, but he's too short to be presented as Siegfried or Albrecht...(although I hope someone will have enough sense to cast him as Franz in the upcoming run of Coppelia). I guess that the Delgado sisters are basically left with Trividic and Reyes for Giselle.