cubanmiamiboy

Reading Turgenev' "Rudin" and loving it...!

Re: Orchestra members. Going a little ...One time, while attending a not too memorable contemporary dancing performance with a less memorable score-(won't tell the name of the composer because he seems to be quite popular, but this was one of those works which looks like an uninterrupted, longer version of the pre-performance tuning routine)-I was seated in center orchestra, second row and so had a clear view of the last two lines of musicians from the back of the pit. A couple of them didn't have that much to play at one point, and so they engaged in a lively whispering/muffled laughing interchange. It was very amusing, and they provide me with the right entertainment I needed to get a bit away from the surrounding "music" and "dancing"... But back to the broken heart doomed girl...

Ah...there's no Giselle sans Pas Seul...THAT I know...! Isn't this music generally attributed to Minkus...?

I just discovered this clip of the Pas de Trois coda of that performance-(Sight)-back when the company was still active and alive. Jordan Elizabeth Long and Grace Anne Powers dance with guest dancer Joseph Gatti.

Not my view, but I liked this...

Wishing you all a wonderful day with your Valentine, whoever this person is... LOVE AND BE LOVED!!!! http://www.mothergoose.com/Clipart/valentines/v6.jpg

I'm started to appreciate the fact that thanks to Somova's faults the ballet world has come to detect and appreciate the good stuff much easier, and also that she's a living example and guideline for young dancers of what to avoid. It is sad that she's carrying the scapegoat title, but it is what it is...

Thanks Helene. It was a gorgeous day. The water is still cold, but nothing like a good swimming session in winter time! -(that's my other passion, BTW...is there a SwimmingTalk.com by any chance..? ) Anyway...back to Program III... "PROMETHEAN FIRE" Having such a limited understanding/acceptance/knowledge of modern/contemporary dancing, I'm very pleased to report that I enjoyed Taylor's piece more than what I expected. I mean...the formula can't go wrong. First of all you have Stokowski's blatant, unashamed transcription as a musical background, tragic sounding and everything. Here goes 50% to the likeness side. A very simple, but effective costume design where everyone looks great-("while in doubt, wear black")-, emphasizing the V shapes of the dancers' upper bodies, males and females, and enhancing their muscularity, plus a wonderfully designed lighting scheme with changing shades and spot lights in the right places/moments and then you have another 20 % on the good. Finally, a very pleasant choreography with fluid combinations and symmetric constructions WITHOUT HAVING TO MAKE THE DANCERS LOOK GROTESQUE WITH RIDICULOUS STEPS and voila!...you have the tutu/pointe-dependent guy enthusiastically clapping at curtain calls. Yann Trividic danced the lead both on Friday and Saturday night, alternating with Tricia Albertson-(loved her here!)-on the first night and with Mary Carmen Catoya-(welcome back, girl!)- last night. Very intelligent thinking. Albertson and Catoya are both petite dancers-(Catoya the smallest of them all)- and Trividic is the tallest, more solid bailarin of the company, meaning that he was able to manage both of them as if they were feathers. No shaky lifts, no cheating...nothing. He did a great job. In general the whole company was wonderful here. Usually contemporary choreographies are so crazy and "free" looking that one would never guess in between all the floor rolling, running and confusion if they are doing something wrong or even if they are improvising...(that happened to me while watching the Cunningham's company...I realized that they all could had been doing whatever they pleased and I would had never realized...and I don't like that...I like to feel somehow "in control" even as a watching entity.) Anyway...two thumbs up here! "Nine Sinatra's Songs" definitely has an audience here which indentifies itself with it. The cheering and applause of the elderly sector of the audience was too obvious and loud to ignore, so if it collects the dollars we need to be able to see T&V, then go for it Eddie... The disco ball was to much though...

What I thought inmediately after reading the infamous epiloge was "Homans obviously hasn't traveled enough". "I haven't seen..", "I find performances...", "I have dedicated my life..." Really?! Well, I have news, "I" have also seen, and seen good stuff. "I KNOW" there's a vibrant company/audience on the other side of the ocean from where I live. There are VERY exciting performers out there..."I" have seen them. And so on. I think she suffers a bit from the "NY state of mind". Go out, girl and SEE a little more... !! You'll be surprised... There's nothing dead. There's just a lack of excitement from performances/audiences, but while the schools are filled with people willing to do ballet as a profession, teachers to keep passing on technique and the Valdeses and Osipovas or the Somovas and Cojocarus of the world to keep the heated debate over "circus vs. ballet" or "artistry vs. vulgarity" alive audiences roaring or booing them, then we're fine. Trust me.

02/12 Evening performance. SS- PF- NSS- Will elaborate when I'm back from the beach...Lovely day today!

And then there's that wonderful footage of Slavenska from the BRdMC documentary-(not available on Youtube)-doing those beautiful back traveling sautes/arabesque on pointe while fanning herself...! -(same as the Cuban Black Swan coda, so I wonder if this was a popular step done back then...). She throws her fan to the floor at the end of the variation... . But for me, the most BEAUTIFUL Kitri's variation recorded is Struchkova's. I wish someone would have the goats to go vintage and go back to the old timer crazy tempo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLwWbwJ5ubg&playnext=1&list=PL18EE1C47AEA82AA1

re: the harp variation. Paul...the Cuban version uses the western choreography with the echapes and pas de cheval in the diagonal. Actually-(and I think I've said this before here)-I saw an old adagio in the NYPL danced by Mme. and Franklin from the BR years that not even Freddie himself was able to recall when I mentioned it to him! . "Oh dear..really...? Well, I danced with so many ballerinas, you know..!...where can I see that...?"

It's getting harder to keep up with the arts schedule, but I will...definitely!

Just came from opening night. Well well...let's see. Full house-(always a good thing)- some furs in view -(it's cold for Miami...61 degreees tonight)-and a good seat- (orchestra right, 10th row, first outer seat...YES!). Scotch Symphony was very nice. At first I was trying to make sense of the whole thing, but I gave up after a while. Too many questions, you see...who's the "demi girl"..? Why are those scotchmen being so protective of the sylph...even mean-looking? Why is the sylph mentioned in the programme as a "real girl" as opposed to a mere spirit...? Why are the women wearing sylph-like costumes with that black thing on top...? Are they sylphs too...or human beings...? And on and on. After realizing that there were no answers for all those questions- (and some more)-, I started just to relax, "watch" the ballet and enjoy the dancing -(No, I still don't need that "Oh dear...go home, drink some little wine and read some fairy tales" response...at least no yet. ). The Sylph was Katia Carranza, and "James" -( )-Renato Panteado. Carranza was beautiful to watch and she wore the romantic tutu with conviction. Panteado partnered her very nicely too and threw some attractive steps here and there. But honestly, the highlight of this performance for me was definitely Miss Leigh-Ann Esty as the “demi girl”-(can I call her Effie…?). Miss Esty- (just as her twin sister Sara)-is one of those dancers that radiates lots of energy and convincement in whatever role she is in, and I always enjoy her vitality and high-spirited demeanor onstage. Brava! The sylph wasn’t thrown from her men to James- (as in the Tallchief/Eglevsky video)-; she was merely passed over to him. I wish they had kept the more effective older step though. The romantic PDD was lovely to watch, but I didn’t really see that much of a love story-(if this is the original intention, or if this is just the dancers’ choice of interpretation I don’t know). Still…this is a ballet that I could definitely come to appreciate/like, but not to love, I think. Something on "Promethean Fire" tomorrow- (will go back for a second view with friends and my mom) Edited to add: I didn’t stay for Tharp’s.

Opening night tonight...!-(can't wait to see that Sylph in motion... ) Will report back!

Presented by my Alma Mater...! http://www.miamifilmfestival.com/default.aspx

Last night Miamians- (me included)-had the pleasure to watch an amazing concert as part of the ongoing John S. and James L. Knight Masterworks Season. This time we had internationally acclaimed Maestro Philippe Entremont conducting the Deutsche Staatsphilarmonie- (German State Philarmonic) in a program that included R. Strauss symphonic poem Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche , Beethovens Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat Major" and finally the delicious Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor. Strauss compositions are not my cup of tea…all those continuous changes and repetitions of themes and motifs are just a little too crazy sometimes. Beethovens "Piano Concerto No. 2" is one of those early ones that look pretty much as if Mozart was popping in his hand here and there, although the flashiness- (oh yeah…my thing)-given to the soloist in the first and last movements, as well as the depth of the middle movement clearly show Beethovens stamp. German pianist Sebastian Knauer did the honor, and he was just magnificent. And then…DIVINE Brahms, who needs to be talked about always in a separate paragraph. This was his final symphony, and I absolutely LOVE it, from he end of the first movement, with that tremendous climatic fortissimo storming from the basses, or the second one, the Andante moderato, with that beautiful melody given to the cello to the grand Finale, the Bach styled Allegro energico e passionate. The ovation was so big that Monsieur Entremont had to come back to the stage four times before giving three encores. He didnt announced them, but I identified the first one, the always crowd-pleaser Brahmss "Hungarian Dance No. 1" and the last one, Sousas The Stars and Stripes Forever. The second encore I didnt get… Anyway…the concert started at 8 pm, and three hours later I was walking on clouds on my way to the parking lot. Bravo!!

Yes. She's Tricia. Edited to add: Tricia I would like to see as the Sylph. Catoya should be a good choice too.

I found the playbill with my notes...! -(keep loosing them...it's chronic, you know.. ) Richard...they inverted the order of Acts II and III, so we were presented with Antonia's story right after Olympia's, being Giulietta's the last one after the second intermezzo. The best thing in this production was Elizabeth Futral's delightful turn as Olympia, which showed her gift for acting as well as her technical skills. The doll's dress was a wacky green-and-gold automaton thing, with spiky red hair in a techno fashion. Miss Futral sang beautifully "Les oiseaux dans la charmille" while robot-running all over the place, to then end with a lighted cigarette that was pulled from between her metallic breasts-( )-for a quick post-aria puff or two. That was funny. Then she was again very attractive in Act II during Antonia's "Elle a fui, la tourterelle". Her singing as a whole was confident, warm and secure. LOVED the wild red dress she wore as Giulietta in Act III, with a sea horse headdress and wraparound tail. Canadian tenor David Pomeroy sang Hoffman's role, and and his singing, while somewhat bland, was enough to dominate the other male voices around him. This is Pomeroy's FGO debut, and I just found out that he sang this role at the MET last season. I thinks he should be a reliable, effective Hoffmann over the long term. I particularly enjoyed his "Amis, l'amour tendre" in Act III. I wonder if any of the newyorkers here saw him in the role. As the bad guys, bass-baritone Bradley Garvin was excellent, as well as tenor Matthew DiBattista as Frantz, Crespel's servant in Act II. Mezzo Katherine Rohrer made a fine Muse with a clear voice and solid acting. Now, on the other side, I really HATED the costuming in Act III. This was the most non-sensual bordello ever seen, and it seemed to me that the messy costuming and staging in that act got in the way of the singing. Too bad, because the rest of the opera was, as crazy as it was, overall, quite enjoyable. Elizabeth Frutal and David Pomeroy as Olympia and Hoffmann. http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Photo/2008/11/08/08hoffmann1__1226148535_9714.jpg

They went too crazy with this production though...; there was no boat in sight during the barcarolle section. Instead Giulietta sang the aria while the chorus women were brought in four wheeled stairs that later on were put together to form the complete stairs that Giulietta used to get down from her platform...very weird... . Olympia the doll looked more like a female version of Star Wars' C3-PO...

Tonight I saw one of the weirdest opera stagings I've EVER witnessed in my entire life. FGO's production of Offenbach' opera was extremely strange and surreal. The whole thing-(sets, costumes, lighting)-was more like a colorful nightmare. Still, I wasn't terribly upset, and even managed to enjoy it-(well, at the end this is not "Tosca", you know...?). Cheers for dazzling soprano Elizabeth Futral as Olympia/Antonia/Giulietta/Stella. The orchestra was beautifully conducted by Cuban-American Lucy Arner in her FGO debut. From the FGO website. CAST Hoffmann David Pomeroy Olympia/Antonia/Giulietta/Stella Elizabeth Futral Counsellor Lindorf/Coppélius/Dr. Miracle/Dapertutto Bradley Garvin The Muse/Nicklausse Katherine Rohrer Offenbach/Cochenille/Frantz/Pitichinaccio Matthew DiBattista Luther/Crespel Philip Skinner Andrès/Spalanzani Neal Ferreira Antonia's Mother Courtney McKeown Conductor Lucy Arner Stage Director Renaud Doucet Set and Costume Designer André Barbe Lighting Designer Guy Simard Production Original co-production of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Colorado, and Boston Lyric Opera Sung in French with English and Spanish projected titles

"Bloomer Girl". From the February 28, 1956 TV production, featuring choreography by Agnes de Mille, music by Harold Arlen, and lyrics by E. Y. "Yip" Harburg. Danced by James Mitchell, Lidia Franklin, Betty Low, Emy St. Just, Ray Barra, Virginia Bosler, Scott Douglas, Joan Eheman, Leslie Franzos, Catherine Horn, Carl Luman, Enrique Martinez, Christine Mayer, Darrell Notara, Robert Pagent, Felix Smith, and Dusty Worrall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXoUNQsdcUg I haven't heard any reports from my friends on Alonso's recent stagings of de Mille's "Three Virgins and a Devil" or "A Rose for Miss Emily" for the recently finished Havana Ballet Festival...