cubanmiamiboy

Sarabita is currently under contract with World Dance Agency, LLC. http://worldanceagency.com/photos.html

You just won a weekend trip to Las Vegas, all inclusive my man...!!!

Well, well...one never really knows where does a clue will come from, right..? I'm saying this because tonight I saw a ballet sequence in which the ballerina is rehearsing the Initiation scene, and she does rises on pointe during the grand pirouettes to do the attitude-turns...not once, but TWO times...!!! Oh...and the sequence was filmed 62 years ago, BTW...so talk about a modernism..! Does anybody want to guess where does the sequence come from...? (It is quite a famous source, BTW )

Volcanohunter: Here's a very valuable detail from the aboved mentioned article... Q-"There’s very little of the original Nutcracker remaining (in the RB production). What is there? A-The grand pas de deux. Q-And Sugar Plum Fairy solo? A- Yes, with a few modifications that Margot showed me, which Karsavina had showed her." ...and from Alonso's source... "During the mid 40's I was preparing to dance for the first time this classical Pas de deux. Back then I basically interpreted the choreography after learning it from Alicia Markova. Markova's version was reliable in terms of fidelity, as her interpretation was the first one of Ivanov's choreography outside Russia, made in England by Nikolai Serguéiev early in the 30's..." http://www.balletcuba.cult.cu/repertorio/Wc70511bd5161d.htm

Beware of the CNB's material. I doubt that mice hopping around on point is authentic. Also their production includes the Snow Queen , more disreputable material. And the important mime scene from act 2 is missing, replaced by the dancer playing the Nutcracker hopping around and swishing his sword all over the place. Plus the physical production is very, very shabby. Richard: For the two productions I mentioned-(CNB and RB)-my intention was to redirect the OP to the Sugar Plum Fairy PDD choreography-(for me the most important part of the ballet)-which are almost identical, even coming from totally diferent sources.

Mel: What I meant to say was for the OP to wait for other posters who know much more about this matter, including the notations-(like Mr. Fullington). We all know that just a handful of people have had access to them...and even less of them know how to decipher them.

While you wait for some better answers from the real connoisseurs of original choreography and even the Stepanov notations of this board, all I can suggest is to take a look at the reconstructed Russian versions of Sleeping Beauty, Bayadere and Corsaire-(clips on Youtube come and go)-for an idea on how do the works could have looked like back in the days. For the Nutcracker Act II try the clips of the Cuban National Ballet or Sir Peter Wright's for the Royal. As per original librettos, you can find many in Wikipedia, or in Wiley's books.

I'm always amazed on how modern Legat's caricatures look even now. They look just like those political depictions from the front cover of the "The Week" magazine...

Ah...THAT was exciting. They did the much controversial Alonso's finale in which the bailarin, right after spinning his ballerina in fast supported pirouettes-(the last ones using just his left hand)-, throws her into the air, where she then does a quick sissonne just to land into his arms in a daring super close to the floor final fish dive... Bravo!

Miss Gladys Acosta was another non-justified relegation example of that great female force of the 80’s and 90’s. Usually used for more modern/contemporary roles, her beautiful classic line was usually under appreciated by the higher powers but certainly not by the more carefully trained balletomane eye, who would get a thrill to see her as one of the greatest Myrthas or Mercedes of the Cuban National Ballet. Miss Acosta began studying classical ballet in the province of Matanzas at 8 years old. Graduated from the National Ballet School in 1980 she immediately joined the CNB. There she worked as a dancer for over 20 years, reaching the rank of Principal Dancer-(not to be confused with Primera Bailarina, which is the highest one). During this time she continuously danced during the International Ballet Festivals of Havana, also starring in several of the Company’s world premieres. Usually part of the touring company, she also danced in nearly 30 countries from America, Europe and Asia. From the year 2002 she started working as a teacher of the Company. In 2005 she moved to Chile and early 2006 she founded "The Academy" with the dancer Carola Cussen, where she serves as Director of Ballet and teacher of child levels, basic, intermediate and professional Ballet. There she is a member of the Association of Professional Dancers. Since 2008 Miss Acosta is part of the faculty in the Dance and Choreography career at the UNIACC University. Since 2009 she works as a teacher of Classical Dance in the career of Dance Interpreter at Mayor University. Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Gladys Acosta. As Myrtha, Giselle. As Mercedes, Don Quijote. In Step-Text. In Dionaea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPNHNF8PkL8

I saw Lorena with Sarabita last night...and in today's matinee she will dance with Luiz. Will report back.

Just finished Wiley's "A Century of Russian Ballet...(later on will quote some fragments of reviews of the first performances of Sleeping Beauty...the reviewer is hilarious! ). Also working on Zorina's autobiography-(surprisingly humble)- and charming Dostoyevsky's "The Village of Stepanchikovo".

GRACIAS!!!

bart...Sarabita finally gives the answer: "I left the MCB because Balanchine is not my style..." Rolando Sarabia. "El Nuevo Herald". 05/20/10 http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2010/05/19/72...ena-feijoo.html According to the Herald Link... "I will be 22 July to 7 August on tour in Spain with Pedro Pablo and CCBM, dancing with Xiomara Reyes, Lorena and the pas de deux of Corsair,'Sarabia reports". and also to the festival webpage. http://www.festivalperalada.com/cas/2010/p...n/a811miami.htm

Hi! During my upcoming visit to NYC I would like to visit the NYPL and see some archive ballet films. What's the formal procedure to do a request...? Does it has to be one at a time..? Does it has to be in writing...? In advance...? Does one has to be a member of the library...?

Hi. I just came from the second of the four scheduled AA performances here in Miami-(@ the Arsht Center). Just as the first time I saw them, they presented a very energetic program to a full house-(and a much more enthusiastic audience than that of ballet, IMO). The program consisted of three works. First they dance Matthew Rushing's "Uptown", a musical/dancing tale about the Harlem Renaissance and a celebration of African American arts and culture during the '20s and '30s. The audience loved this smart and stylish depiction of some of the personalities, popular dances and, especially, the invigorating energy of the era. After the first intermezzo they did Ronald K. Brown's "Dancing Spirit" , a tribute to artistic director Judith Jamison and an evocative piece that, thanks to the dancers rich, passionate performance, was as much homage to their talent as it was to Jameson. The program closed, after the second intermezzo, with their signature piece, Ailey's "Revelations", with a particularly deeply thought performance of "I Wanna Be Ready" and a wonderful Samuel Lee Roberts ready to explode in the "Sinner Man'' trio. As always, the gospel-stomping "Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham'' finale brought the audience to its feet just as it did two years ago. Loved it, loved it...and this is from someone who's always veeeeeeeeeery suspicious about the absence of pointe shoes in dancing.

By irregular I usually think of signatures that do not fit into the usual duple or triple categories. I've also seen them being referred as complex or asymmetric.

Some Markova's hardcore fans are in the quest of uploading a complete Markova's "Dying Swan" clip that remains dormant deep inside some archives somewhere. Still, this tiny fragment just came out, and I thought that some of BT'rs would enjoy it. So...ENJOY! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg_WKtqONpA...feature=related

Listening carefully to the "Golden Idol" variation music-("Marche persane" or Persian March, originally composed by Ludwig Minkus for Petipa's 1874 revival of the Taglioni/Offenbach ballet "Le Papillon")-I suddenly realized that it is written in the irregular time signature of 5/4. So I have a couple of questions. Would it be difficult to keep the counts for a dancer who can't follow this irregular time...? Are there other examples of the surviving XIX Century ballet repertoire with some type of irregular time...? Thanks in advance!

A great Quiteria... and a great Basilio... I'm going on Saturday night-(maybe Sunday too). Will report back.

...and for the rest, there's always ABT right next door, right...?

I hope to see Isanusi back. As per Reyes, I'm happy to see again a dancer that was very promising in Havana during the early 90's and then suddenly dissapeared. But at the same time, I wish I could see them doing the big roles. And then, there's Jeanette, who was AMAZING as Kitri, and I'm sure would do a marvelous Aurora or Nikiya. Will she ever have the chance...? If so...down here...? If not, that would be a real pity.

Miami City Ballet's new season will face a challenge, the fact of having lost the majority of its male force. Started with the departure a while ago of Principals Jeremy Cox-(the most charismatic dancer of the troupe)-and Isanusi Garcia, the exodus just took a new force after the newest absences on the roster-(Quenedit, Wong, Baker, Sarabia II and Sarabita). As I pointed earlier in another thread, this leaves this already small troupe even smaller, and definitely without some of its best men. When I decided to give MCB a second try after my first exposure/disappointment 9 years ago-(Giselle)-,it was mainly out of curiosity-(and much more after my discovering of BT)- on Balanchine's repertoire. Then, little by little I started to grow a new sympathy not only toward these new to me ballets , but mostly to the great dancers that made me "eat" Balanchine just as a kid gets convinced little by little to "eat your vegetables because they're good for you". I'm sure that I'm not an isolated case, and there are many ballet lovers here in Miami who, even still mourning the absence of the "war horses", took enormous pleasure in the artistry, energy and devotion of these men and women. So now...what? Yesterday I passed by the MCB building and on top of it there's a big poster announcing the 25Th anniversary of the company. Albertson, Panteado, Jeanette, Kronemberg and Guerra are the only ones on it. And thinking of it, I don't really think all of them will be able to carry on the weight of certain demanding roles. Now, I have mixed feelings about this whole situation-(and one can only especulate on the causes of this sudden exodus of dancers)-so I thought about putting in writing some of them. -MCB is a Balanchine-focused company, and there's not too much visible intention to diversify it. -Dancers/audience are not being exposed to the very basis of every T&V, Pas de Dix or Diamonds. Does the 2010 ballet dancer not want to try an Albretch, Odile or Colas at some point before being too old for it...? Don't we think, as ballet lovers, that this highly enjoyable repertoire ought to be preserved so is not permanently forgotten either by audiences and dancers? -Could it be happening that Miami City Ballet has been actually losing dancers and audiences because of it...? Just recently we witnessed the very last perfomances of newly retired Principal Deanna Seay. At this point of Seay's career, I don't think she was offered a proper role to dance her farewell. I might add that she was the ONLY MCB ballerina that I could picture in the role of the Sylph or in Chopiniana. Her very last performance-(along with that infortunate accident)-was "Who Cares...?", which I don't think gave her the opportunity she deserved to show her artistic maturity. I have a friend who's always defending the idea that MCB does not need the war horses and that he's fine with the repertoire that we have down here. What he does not explain is why then does he jumps on a plane to NYC every time there's a Nikiya, Medora or Giselle announced at ABT. I wish I could do that too, but I can't afford it...and so I truly feel that I'm missing a lot. Could a dancer be actually experiencing a similar sense of loss...? Have you, as audience-(or maybe as a dancer)-ever been faced with a company that doesn't fulfill your needs...?

This is sad. First it was ER, which was my favorite...and now L&O... SVU is my favorite...