cubanmiamiboy

I guess this is as simple as how much athleticism each of us is able to digest/enjoy in our ballet viewing. Lots of it..?, Maybe some...?, Perhaps just a little...?, probably NOTHING at all...? Well, definitely there is more than one option. As I said somewhere else, even the so called "vulgar" performances/performers are still part of the ballet offering. Some of this displays are not that offensive and can just make you smile if the performer is able to prove that there's a solid technique or artistry or both to complement the trick. Otherwise there's no reason, agree with that...and we're very aware of those examples. They have been generously debated on this board very often. My mantra. Ballet should NEVER be boring. I definitely take "vulgarity" ANYTIME over boredom, not just in ballet, but in all stage performances.

...and she looks as if she keeps adding more and more time to them...! He,he...she's definitely outrageous... I wonder if she will ever get reprimended for those, or being prohibited to do them to such extent...

Ah, that's right, the Peasant PDD...!!-(sorry, it's just that I keep visualizing the Cuban version, which makes it into a Grand Pas de Dix, using the exact same choreography, but for four couples plus two more girls... Now, for the PPDD I can think of several people. All the Principal Women-(nor sure about Wu)- could fill the role-(I love this couple danced by well prepared Principals...please, no fillers here...). If not, the Esty Sisters, Arja, Zien and Lauren could be great candidates. As for the males, I'd go for Zou, Rebello, Breden and Cerdeiro. For Bathilde I can only think of Miss Manning. This role-(just as Berthe)-is one that can really save a performance or destroy it completely if done sans conviction. Manning could be the key here. Few young dancers I've seen with the royal carriage that she displayed as Lady Capulet. Other candidates..? Albertson, Carranza and Kronenberg. And yes, bart...I'm planning a Gissellethon...!!

Aha...thanks Helene for the info! How strange that Villella didn't choose to stage Balanchine's choreography, being so aggressive in his preservation efforts of his master's works. This is very interesting too, for which now I wonder who then is responsible for staging the "traditional" MCB choreography. That info is not given here, unlike, let's say, ABT, where Frederick Franklin is mentioned as the stager of their Coppelia-(a "traditional" one also...?...and a little BTW , what happened to their Enrique Martinez' staging...?) Another Diane & Actaeon "moment"...?

Definitely, bart. I want to see more of Reyes-(whom since joining the company as Principal hasn't danced that much). Ditto with Isanusi, Trividic, Albertson and Patricia. They are all Principals, but they always seem to be relegated to secondary or character roles. Ideal casts for Giselle: Giselle-Jeanette Delgado Albrecht-Reyneris Reyes Myrtha-Callie Manning Hilarion-Isanusi Garcia Zulma/Moyna- The Esty Sisters Giselle-Jennifer Kronemberg Albrecht-Carlos Guerra Myrtha-Zoe Zien (Corps member) Hilarion-Didier Bramaz Zulma/Moyna-Jennifer Lauren, Nicole Stalker Giselle-Patricia Delgado Albrecht-Yann Trividic Myrtha-Tricia Albertson Hilarion-Marc Spielberger Zulma/Moyna-Amanda Weingarten, Zoe Zien Giselle-Katia Carranza Albrecht-Renato Panteado Myrtha-Jennifer Kronenberg Hilarion-Reyneris Reyes Zulma/Moyna-Ashley Knox/Nathalia Arja Giselle-Mary Carmen Catoya Albrecht-Kleber Rebello-( ) Myrtha-Callie Manning Hilarion-Isanusi Garcia Zulma/Moyna-Zoe Zien/Nathalia Arja And please, please, please...let's have someone credible as Berthe!! This little detail can really enhance or destroy the whole atmosphere of Act I-(let's not forget the unfortunate Royals of Aurora's Wedding a little while ago...). Can Roma Sosenko please step in...?

I'm really looking forward to the upcoming run of MCB's Coppelia next season. For us Cubans this beautiful little jewel of ballet is as deeply rooted in our soul as much as Giselle, and even more than Swan Lake. This is a ballet with countless opportunities for everything, from show-stopping tricks enjoyment to wonderful acting all along while having a good laugh during certain moments. Now, I have never seen Villella's production, and reading the footnotes of the next season in the brochure, a question-(actually some questions)- popped in my head. Is this the Coppelia that Balanchine and Danilova staged for City Ballet...? How involved Balanchine was in its choreography-(not its mere staging)...?, or to put it in other words... Did he re choreographed the whole thing-(just as his Nutcracker or his Raymonda segments)...? If so, why is that the pamphlet doesn't name Balanchine as the choreographer, but it notes Saint Leon, unlike B's Swan Lake that even presenting whole segments untouched from Ivanov choreography, still credits him as the choreographer...? Could that mean that this Coppelia is very close to the Mariinsky of Danilova's times and so he just decided to be here a mere stager instead of choreographer...?

Mm...I'm dual about her, at least as per right now. I loved her as the Sugar Plum Fairy, but not so much in Diane&Actaeon... About Coppelia, Kleber Rebello has wonderful character qualities, great stage presence-(very fluid)- and solid technique-(he definitely outshone Guerra in R&J)-, and that's why I point at him as a perfect Franz-(he has that childish, mischievous look the character requires)-but his situation is more or less that of Herman Cornejo, about being a short dancer. The only ballerina I can think of who could look good next to him is Catoya, and she hasn't danced that much lately. I think Coppelia would be a PERFECT opportunity to show him in his full range. Please, Powers That Be...take notice of that...

Giselle will have presumibly Kronenberg/Guerra at opening night, but whom I REALLY want to see is Jeanette-(debuting...?)-in the role partnered by Reyes and then sis Patty with Trividic...and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ...Miss Callie Manning as Myrthaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! As Swanilda I want Catoya partnered by Rebello-(he would be a wonderful Franz for her)- and Carranza paired with Panteado... I think I will e-mail my suggestions to the Powers That Be at MCB...

Doesn't happen in Prokofiev's R & J, or doesn't happen at MCB? Doesn't happen in Prokofiev's score, Jack. The ballet is a long one...three hours, and the dancing sequences can be resumed in the two adagios of the main couple-(balcony and bedroom scenes)-and the parts of Mercutio. Isn't that basically the case of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda, Act II of Nutcracker or Paquita's Grand Pas...? No, Jack, I'm not joking..I LOVE PDD's Galas !!! Just came back from tonight's performance, which I was able to chew slower and with more gusto than yesterday. Some thoughts on it coming up next...off to Ultra Music Festival right now...!!

The waiting is finally over. She'll be back with us to die again of love and madness... WELCOME BACK, DARLING!!! PRESS RELEASE: February 24, 2011 MIAMI CITY BALLET Miami Beach, FL (Feb. 24, 2011): Miami City Ballet is proud to announce its 2011-2012 season: a celebration of dance by the world’s greatest choreographers. The new season also brings to South Florida audiences a World Premiere ballet by Liam Scarlett, the talented young choreographer from London’s The Royal Ballet, and the return of two audience favorites, the full-length productions of Giselle and Coppélia. The holiday season will find George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ gracing the stages in Miami and Fort Lauderdale this December. The 2011- 12 season runs October 2011 through April 2012 at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale and Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. Current subscribers will receive their renewal information by March 1. New subscribers can call the Miami City Ballet Box Office at (305) 929-7010, toll-free (877) 929-7010 or visit www.miamicityballet.org. There is NO increase in subscription ticket prices from last season. Prices range from $69 to $635. In addition, all subscribers are offered priority discount seating to George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™. Program I opens the season with four compelling ballets that run the gamut from classic to contemporary: George Balanchine’s breezy and exuberant American classic, Square Dance; Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, a riveting duet between a young man in a dance studio absorbed by his reflection in a mirror, and a young woman who interrupts his reverie; Christopher Wheeldon’s Liturgy, an intensely sensual and haunting pas de deux, set to the contemporary sounds of composer Arvo Pärt and In the Upper Room, Twyla Tharp’s explosive, signature masterwork – an endurance test filled with power and speed, leaving the audience, and dancers, breathless. The highlight of Program II is a still-to-be-named World Premiere ballet by Liam Scarlett, The Royal Ballet of London’s most successful young choreographer. He has accepted a commission from Miami City Ballet to create his first work for an American company. A coup for South Florida audiences! Also on this program are In the Night, Jerome Robbins’ valentine to love, experienced through three glamorous pas de deux, danced against a star-studded night sky to Chopin’s ravishing piano music, and Ballet Imperial, a Balanchine masterpiece he described as “a contemporary tribute to Petipa, the father of classical ballet, and to Tchaikovsky, his greatest composer.” The final two programs of the season bring to the stage two full-length classics: Program III with Giselle, the quintessential 19th –Century romantic ballet – telling the story of a young peasant girl betrayed by her disguised aristocratic lover and Program IV with Coppélia. The charm and humor of this classic romantic comedy, plus the sheer joy of its Delibes score, have kept Coppélia in the repertory ever since its Paris premiere in 1870. The 2011-12 season will also feature the audience holiday favorite, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ this December at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami and Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. A delightful treat for the entire family, with beautiful sets, lavish costumes, dazzling special effects and Tchaikovsky’s glorious music, featuring a large cast of talented children from South Florida performing with MCB’s international ballet stars. Current subscribers will receive their renewal information by March 1. New subscribers can call the Miami City Ballet Box Office at (305) 929-7010, toll-free (877) 929-7010 or visit www.miamicityballet.org. There is NO increase in subscription ticket prices from last season. Prices range from $69 to $635. In addition, all subscribers are offered priority discount seating to George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™. Group Discounts (10 or more) are available now by calling (305) 929-7001 or toll-free (877) 929-7001. The 2011-12 season is as follows: Program I Square Dance (Balanchine/Vivaldi and Corelli) Afternoon of a Faun (Robbins/Debussy) Liturgy (Wheeldon/Pärt) In the Upper Room (Tharp/Glass) Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Friday, October 21 at 8p.m. Saturday, October 22 at 8p.m. Sunday, October 23 at 2p.m. Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Ft. Lauderdale Friday, October 28 at 8p.m. Saturday, October 29 at 2p.m.& 8p.m. Sunday, October 30 at 2p.m. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach Friday, December 9 at 8p.m. Saturday, December 10 at 2p.m.& 8p.m. Sunday, December 11 at 1p.m. Program II New Ballet by Liam Scarlett – World Premiere In the Night (Robbins/Chopin) Ballet Imperial (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky) Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Friday, January 6 at 8p.m. Saturday, January 7 at 8p.m. Sunday, January 8 at 2p.m. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach Friday, January 27 at 8p.m. Saturday, January 28 at 2p.m. & 8p.m. Sunday, January 29 at 1p.m. Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Ft. Lauderdale Friday, February 3 at 8p.m. Saturday, February 4 at 2p.m. & 8p.m. Sunday, February 5 at 2p.m. Program III Giselle (Coralli and Perrot/Adam) Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Friday, February 17 at 8p.m. Saturday, February 18 at 8p.m. Sunday, February 19 at 2p.m. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Friday, February 24 at 8p.m. Saturday, February 25 at 2p.m. & 8p.m. Sunday, February 26 at 1p.m. Broward Center for the Performing Arts Friday, March 9 at 8p.m. Saturday, March 10 at 2p.m. & 8p.m. Sunday, March 11 at 2p.m. Program IV Coppélia (Saint-Léon/Delibes) Broward Center for the Performing Arts Friday, March 23 at 8p.m. Saturday, March 24 at 2p.m. & 8p.m. Sunday, March 25 at 2p.m. Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Friday, March 30 at 8p.m. Saturday, March 31at 8p.m. Sunday, April 1at 2p.m. . Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Friday, April 13 at 8p.m. Saturday, April 14 at 2p.m. & 8p.m. Sunday, April 15 at 1p.m. George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Thursday, December 15 at 7:30p.m. Friday, December 16 at 7:30p.m. Saturday, December 17 at 2p.m. & 7:30p.m. Sunday, December 18 at 1p.m. & 6:30p.pm Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Ft. Lauderdale Wednesday, December 21 at 7:30p.m. Thursday, December 22 at 2p.m. & 7:30p.m. Friday, December 23 at 2p.m. & 7:30p.m. Saturday, December 24 at 1p.m.

This is a nice surprise. "La Fille Mal Gardee", in Alonso's staging after-Romanoff-after-Nijinska/Hertel, will be part of the first program of our wounded Company. I LOVE Fille-(never seen Ashton, BTW)-so I'll be there, of course. Also in the program "Paquita's Grand Pas". http://www.cubanclassicalballet.org/calendar.html

Let's keep this rolling for Miss Taylor...!! As a Youtube poster wrote..."And THAT, ladies and gentlemen..is how one makes an ENTRANCE!!! ;D" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw9VjbgFI0g&feature=related

Well, well. It was opening night tonight, and everyone was there. The big gowns, the big diamonds, big 'dos and even some furs-(at 73 degrees!). Full house and everything for the company premiere of Romeo and Juliet. I won't extend my impressions of tonight's performance due to several, simple reasons. I don't know too much about R&J, a ballet I have barely seen-(the Cuban staging goes back to 1956, but I never saw it, so I don't really know who's choreography is, but again...1956...at the time when Alonso was aggressively importing all her choreographic background from Ballet Theater, so go figure...). Predictably, opening night was given to the Kronenberg/Guerra duo. Lovely couple, they looked very pretty onstage, as always. I maintain that Carlos always looks good in the princely roles and Kronenberg was very cute too. One can't ask for more chemistry onstage than the one this two deliver-(being a real couple does wonders, right...?). The two dancers that made my night on this performance were Callie Manning-(tall, dramatic, cold and regal)- as Lady Capulet and cat-like Kleber Rebello as Mercutio...VERY relaxed-looking, eating that stage as if it was a piece of cake and with a wonderful, natural sense of humor. As for the rest, not too much to add. I'm not fond of the score-(there..I said it)-nor of the overly adagio dancing and in general, of ballets that don't offer some sugary "musique dansante"-(which we well know doesn't happen here). As I said somewhere else pointing to another ballet, and I repeat myself here..."this a ballet that I can come to appreciate but I know I won't get to love". Ah...and WELCOME BACK, JEANETTE !! -(one of the Gypsies) Edited to add: Apprentice alert!! Let's keep an eye on Chase Swatosh, our blond replacement to Daniel Baker, in the next pic, first from the left in back row. http://www.miamicityballet.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/New-Dancer-10-11-small.jpg

More that Taylor/Clift I'd go for Taylor/Newman for the "Most Gorgeous Couple" title. HOT,HOT!!! Still...hard to decide... http://2.bp.blogspot...l+Newman+10.jpg http://img.listal.co...omery-clift.jpg

And then there are those fascinating broken wrists and some angular, very contemporary positions and movements that make Pavlova's performance a real departure from Petipa's times. Even the way that Pavlova falls on the floor is way less romanticized than that of McKerrow. In McKerrow's performance one can see the modern trending to blend all performances and characters into the XIX Century coding. One of the first things I showed my friend when I started getting him into the ballet world was exactly Pavlova's video of the Dying Swan followed by Alonso's clip of the Love Duet, so he could see the stylistic differences. I believe that that blending trend is the reason behind the confusion among many people when they think that La Mort du Cygne is a fragment of Swan Lake. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUYtaWQ06j4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB4IAdUApPE&feature=related

I'm Team Wendy...!!

That I agree, dirac. That her film career went on decline after certain point, yes. That her start status helped her to get more attention to bump her charitable work, yes. But again, I believe that it is definitely for her tireless fight in the AIDS cause that she's among the great ones, and I think many who didn't get to know-(or will never know for that matters)-her film career will continue benefiting from that other aspect of her life, and THAT'S what really matters. I never knew that much of her acting career-(except probably for Cleopatra and Ivanhoe, not having seen Butterfield 8, Virginia Woolf, Suddenly Last Summer or A Place in the Sun until I was an adult)-, but I certainly always ADORED her for her beauty and now, of course, so much more knowing for her generosity. I suspect that's the side where the most of her admirers stand. The "fading" item is dual. Fading from some aspects and circles-(not the most important ones, IMO)-yes, but shining even more than before in others, no question about it... Just another example of the same situation...? Here... http://www.fondationbrigittebardot.fr/site/homepage.php?Id=2

Oh...I LOVE that novel...!

-(Editting has been conveniently done, Natasha...and thanks for telling me... )

http://www.elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org/ http://www.uclacarecenter.org/Elizabeth.html http://www.uclaaidsinstitute.org/care/etef_legacy.php http://www.amfar.org/page.aspx?id=5532 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/aids/docs/taylor.html http://www.dameelizabethtaylor.com/AIDS.html ...for some millions, there were, are and will be other reasons beside the tabloids and Cleopatra to place her among the very few stars of their lives...

This clip had been for a while on Youtube, but now it is presented in its complete form and with the nice addition of the original music. Enjoy it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4i95gRz1ow&feature=feedu And for a comparisson, here's Amanda McKerrow performing the piece.