cubanmiamiboy

Thanks for sharing those wonderful memories, Helene. The show is just done, and it finished with a SPECTACULAR live Nativity scene-(which I just heard has been playing with the same costume design and scheme as it was originally in the 30's, as well as the scene of the wooden soldiers, which dates from 1933). They're interviewing a girl, which is telling about the grueling process to become a Rockette, whom have to be rigorously trained in ballet as well as jazz and tap of course. Oh, I have to go and see it in NYC...definitely!

I woke up too late to catch the Vienna's New Year broadcast, but I left the TV on and soon enough the Rockettes show started. I had heard of them, but had never seen them, and I'm LOVING it...!! They look so vintage, but so updated at the same time, and the show itself is so beautiful. Interesting enough, right now they're doing a Nutcracker segment, where the second act divertissements are being danced, and the dancers are bears with tutus..!! Love it...and now I want to see them live...

I hope that 2011 will bring marvelous things for you, your family and your loved ones. May all your wishes come true, and that God bless you all with good stuff... THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING SUCH GREAT COMPANION!!! Love: Cristian

Oh, we're not...? (oops...)And what about that "most beautiful male dancers" thread...?

I'm replying to my own post to add that just as I think that a well based, pertinent opinion on such public domain's affair-(e.g-dancers/actors body image)-could be relevant in some cases, I also believe that EVERYTHING in life-(including criticism)-ought to be done with a basic amount of taste and class-(at least that's the only way I would take it seriously...otherwise everything would be in the lines of Howard Stern, which at the ends gets sort of uninteresting...even boring). Macaulay's remarks-(all the "too many sugar plums" stuff)- were completely unnecessary and childish, and not funny whatsoever, and in my own perception, even completely out of reality!-(but again, this is me, a guy who loves womanly looking ballerinas, and who gets very shocked at the sight of the Somovas or Whelans). If the same words would have been pronounced by a 6 year old kid, then MAYBE I would have laughed, but in a grown adult, and ballet reviewer who's just trying too hard to be witty...? Not at all.

In Cuba he is a mulato-(racially mixed people of Spanish/African descendants),a TOTALLY respectful term , BTW...(I'm never sure how to call the English equivalent here...it always seems to sound very controversial... )

The exact situation happens with actors, just as Patrick stated. Howard Stern recently had to face a huge wave of criticism-(not that he cared..he never does, BTW)-after making remarks about Oscar nominated Gabourey Sidibe's weight in his radio show. I honestly don't get it. The girl's weight-(just as, let's say, Lara Flynn Boyle's)-is out there and exposed for everyone to see, and if praising and embracing and admiring words are allowed, why is that the other side can't voice theirs...? We are certainly getting VERY afraid of the so called "politically correctness" term, and race and weight are right there on the top of the list, but believe me...having to hear only one, "official" side at the end goes beyond boring...it gets VERY dangerous. I know it by experience.

"RAZ: So, what is the weirdest one that you've seen? Mr. MACAULAY: The weirdest, maybe one of the worst, which is called "Nutcracker: Rated R," which was in New York. It tried to be wacky, alternative, very sexy, very naughty. Occasionally, we'd get more or less bare breasts than mice and other characters. Their snow scene becomes a cocaine party with a snow queen passing around a white substance".

I notice that the welcome page still bears the Ballet Talk name. Will it remain like that...?

BTW...I just found this post by bart from last year, and look how different things are from today... See...? 10% last year vs. 90-( )-% of today. That's life...always subjected to unexpected changes...

I loved that...and I believe it.

"The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol"...(which I finally ventured in English, having read them in Spanish back in the days...)-and Octavio Roca's "Cuban Ballet".

A while ago I did a personal "edition" of the Nutcracker, making my own imaginary production out of different scenes from the several DVD versions I had seen. To be fair, I should rework this, for which I hadn't had such a high dose of Balanchine's, which I honestly came to appreciate after the video with Kirstler. So here is my second edition-(and I hope the definitive one... ) ACT I The concept of an adult Clara. Vainonen. Lezhinna proves that this is possible without having to look too bizarre. The overture. Balanchine. Love Nuremberg's view from the roof tops. The opening scene. Vainonen. The outdoors sequence with the snowy sidewalk and the guests arrival is beautiful. Sets for the Silberhaus house. Balanchine The party scene. Vainonen. Love the party kids dancing around the Christmas tree, and of course, the girls in pointe shoes. The life size dolls divertissements. Two choices here. Balanchine's Harlequin and Columbine-(love all this Commedia dell'Arte stuff) Alonso's re-introduction of the three "Petroushka" characters, and their original little stories... The Battle scene. This is a tough one. I really like the innocent, vintage feeling of Balanchine's, but also Baryshnikov' choreographed Nutcracker movements, and Alonso's stylized mice on pointe. It could be a mixed of the three...i guess. The transformation scene. Vainonen. Love the beautiful PDD between Clara and the Nutcracker-turned-Prince here. The Snow Scene. Sets: Vainonen Alonso-after-Fedorova-for-BRdMC Snow Queen/King PDD. Snowflakes' choreography. Balanchine. One of the strongest points in his version. Just glorious, amazing, beautiful!! Act II Sets: Vainonen Introduction to Confiterimburg. Alonso's parade of Matryoshka dolls. Sir Peter Wright's introduction of BOTH the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Coqueluche to welcome the special guests. Balanchine's mime of the little prince, telling the story. (Essential for the coherence of the whole thing). National Divertissements. Spanish Dance. Balanchine. (Lourdes and Nilas were beautiful) Arabian Dance. Balanchine. Great speeding of the music, which usually gets sooooooo looooooooong in many stagings. Also his Odalisque has a more interesting choreography than the extensions-showing ones from other productions...AND pointe shoes. Chinese Dance. Balanchine. Love the porcelain-doll feeling of his characters, and the box concept. Also the grand ecartes for his male lead here. Danish Dance. I can't decide here. I have three strong candidates. Baryshnikov. There's this cute couple of shepherd/shepherdess, with the little story of the guy disguising as a wolf and scaring away the ballerina. Balanchine's with his lovely ballerinas and Vainonen's delicious rococo Pas de Trois for the three kids. A tough one here. Russian Dance. Balanchine. Historical based and very exciting to watch. Mother Cigogne. Balanchine. Love his polichinelles-(something I discarded in the past, IMC) Waltz of the Flowers. Balanchine, of course..the other strong point of his staging. Just BREATHLESS. Also love his Dewdrop. Special mention to Vainonen's romantic, closer to the original choreography with the waltzing couples, also great. Grand Pas de Deux. Ivanov choreography, Sir Peter Wright's staging. Always my winner, as you all know. The beautiful adagio, the two variations where they go, the whole thing. Also love the rococo feeling of his costumes. Grand Finale. Balanchine. He really knew how to present all the characters at the end, and the only version with a real "apotheosis", with the flying troika. As you can see, my current options difer greatly from those of my pre-NYCB-DVD times, which can be viewed HERE.

So, sadly, it looks as if the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami had its swan song right after their Don Quixote performances. The Nutcracker, which was announced in their website, never happened. No update on the same website was ever available related to this, and even after the non show, the dates were still posted. RIP, CCBM (Edited to add: Oops...I just double checked and saw that there's a whole new season planned, so let's see what happens... ) Now, being out already and mentally prepared to have a theater experience no matter what, I instead went to the Lincoln Theater's own swan song. Yes, after a very productive live as a home of the New World Symphony, they have done their very last performance before they move in January to their brand new, glamorous Frank Gehry's Concert Hall. Will post details later on.

I came to this thread to relate Anthony's question to one of my own. In the NYCB Nutcracker DVD Darci Kirstler does two consecutive jumps right before her final coda during her celesta variation. I notice that in MCB this two jumps are substituted by two sissonnes, but whatever she does in the DVD is more airy and beautiful. Can someone tell me how is this jump called...?

Re: Part. I was dissapointed with her performance down here. She looked too rounded for the adult Clara role of Vainonen's version, and she was shaky in her dancing...

I just came from a lovely Nochebuena with close friends and my mom. This is a Cuban celebration, which places the Christmas fiesta on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day. Actually, this is a very old tradition that comes from Spain. During my grandmother's times, the whole thing was to have a whole family reunion and a late, late dinner-(roasted pork, yucca, rice and beans, fried plantains, etc...all very greasy and yummy)-, and then, at midnight, they would all go to a midnight Mass nicknamed-(don't laugh)-The Rooster's Mass-(La Misa del Gallo)-, for which it was originally so long, that by the time it was over, the roosters would be out there, awake and singing already as the sunrise approached... There are still some churches here that offer the midnight mass, but I'll pass on this tradition. Instead I'll go tomorrow, as I always do. Temperature is cold in Miami...65 F.-(yes...that's cold for us down here... ) MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! Christmas Carol "Resuenen Armoniosos" by late Baroque Cuban composer Esteban Salas-(1725-1803) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb520tQF9vQ

But the thing is that Benno has physically disappeared from many stagings-(just as Raymonda's Clemence and Henriette or Marianna from The Nutcracker)-but Prince Coqueluche is still there in the majority of the productions that choose to retain the Sugar Plum Fairy concept-(even if in a diminishing way, as in Balanchine's). It is the stripping of his original name and title that puzzles me; even the character being there, suddenly he's not a prince any longer, but merely a supporting cavalier...not fair.

I know! Yes...what a pleasure. I'm loving it too...thanks Canbelto!!

Is the Sugar Plum Fairy's companion's royal title even mentioned at all in any production nowadays...? How is that he became just "her cavalier" and disappeared from the beginning of Act II welcoming party...? This is one of the things I like from Sir Peter Wright's production, that the Prince Coqueluche is there with the Sugar Plum Fairy-(even wearing a crown, thus showing his royal status)- when Clara and the Nutcracker Prince arrive in Confiturembourg, pretty much as described in the Ballet Alert page of the ballet... "At the bell-like sound of the celesta, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier, Prince Coqueluche enter and perform a short bit of double work, supported by a few coryphees, and true to the narrative style of Act I, she begins mimed instructions to her court to prepare for the arrival of the ruling Prince". http://www.balletalert.com/ballets/19th%20century/Nuts/prod.htm

Fracci's Sppessivtseva's solo-(which she chose to honor up until the devilish last diagonal)- is probably one of the best ones filmed out there. The way she stands after the last pas de chat, with no shyness whatsoever, but with a triumphant face and demeanor tells a lot about her unique characterization. Brava!

I have the same inquire. I've accessed that site a lot in the past, and have gathered great info from it.

. When pointing to a specific variation/role, I sometimes refer to the name of the dancer who originated it-(if I happen to know it)...you know, as a matter of tribute. Thanks for the answer, major...!

...which , according to Danilova, were created specially for Spessivtzeva when she danced the role in Diaghilev production. Miss Olga must have been something!!

I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did...