cubanmiamiboy

Amen, JoC, and WELCOME TO BALLETTALK!!! (I'm trying to convince someone to post the Three Graces as the three Muses in some recorded fragments of Apollo. Let's see if he agrees... )

Aha!...modesty apart, but I'm proud to say that I predicted Delgado's brilliancy way before Macaulay... And as per all accounts, she is my favorite current ballerina-(due to her last Kitri/Simphony in C last appearances)

Didn't A. Mitchell sort of paved the path on this matters earlier...?

I'm with you on this, Patrick. Farrah, definitely. Hers was THE HAIR.. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/265115...f69fd5b2f_o.jpg

And then, here is Somova...I don't know, but I still don't find the S-shaped figure attractive at all... http://img477.imageshack.us/i/foto4wi9.jpg/ compared to, let's say, one of my all time favorites...Miss Josefina Mendez-(RIP) http://cubanoticias.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/lago.jpg

Oh, now Miss Turner suddenly looks even more interesting on my eyes...

That would be Zakharova, who bravely held the "Most Controversial Ballerina" title until Somova destituted her... Here she is again... http://www.ballet4ever.blogger.com.br/Svet...on%20Studio.jpg and again... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/t..._-Zakharova.jpg and again... http://www.buccafusca.com/lastgall/Svetlana%20Zakharova.jpg and finally, her famous feet in full glory for us to dissect... http://neverboring.files.wordpress.com/200.../svetlana_1.jpg Well, at least she can be cleared off from being an enhancer-user suspect, I guess...

When I started watching ballet, I didn't quite understand all the buzz about the "banana feet". I also recall that the first time I realized about this was when looking at some younger ballerinas of the Cuban company, for which the usual trend among the older members was the straight instep/leg, and not the S shaped one that now seems to be the norm. If noticed, all the ballerinas that I excerpted in the "Cuban Stars of the 60's, 70's and 80's" threads don't have what it is now considered a "good feet", starting with Mme. Alonso. When I discovered the old Taglioni lithographs, I even came to understood and like more the beauty of the vertical line vs. the curved one, as it resumed the idea of the weightless/suprahuman body who could stand effortlessly on top of a flower http://www.vandaprints.com/lowres/39/main/6/313317.jpg http://fr.wikivisual.com/images/1/1b/Marie_Taglioni.jpg Anyway, one of the things that I enjoy the most in ballerinas-(and I know this can be highly controversial)-is their ability to sustain strong balances with that effortless up straight line, especially if in romantic poses-(Giselle act II, Grand Pas de Quatre, etc...). When a ballerina has mastered this-(and Alonso and her older girls did it to great extent), that's when I enjoy the most the beauty of the whole feet/leg/body. There's nothing that annoys me more than uncontrolled hyper-extended/banana WEAK feet, a la Somova. In any case, I certainly prefer this... http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?img...sa%3DN%26um%3D1 over this... http://www.ballet.co.uk/images/kirov/jr_ba...rafanov_491.jpg

But if you walk away thinking about the absence of beauty in a dancer's foot, then the problem gets worse, don't you think...?

Where is Principal Jeremy Cox?!?! http://www.miamicityballet.org/super_human.php

I liked Fawcett in "Saturn 3" I know...i know... http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/rsz/434/x/...02/18820408.jpg

...sorry about my ignorance, but what does the acronym "OP" stands for...? just curious..

( Am I slightly stuck in the past...? :blush: )

As per a male "Who", get a glimpse of the second clip of post # 1 from this other thread, featuring Cuban Alejandro Virelles. http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=29683

Plus the fact that an over-exaggerated arched does look as if the whole feet is bending and collapsing, hence loosing the clean, upward straight line that I most admire on ballerinas... From here we can go to that other thread about the arch enhancers.

Yes, that was a hell of a battle she put on. BRAVA!

The King of Pop has died at age 50. RIP. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/06/25...l_jackson_.html

Rest in peace, Miss Fawcett. http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/407597_tvgif25.html

I guess this is due to how popular the PDD-(or de Trois)-has became. It is certainly a bravura vehicle, especially for men-(as it is the DQ). Then, at some point they probably got tired of presenting it just as a showcase extract and wanted to give it a proper background. That and the fact that they discovered how more sophisticated and beautiful the original Jardin Animee scene was after the notations is enough criteria to have it considered it a good touring candidate. Personally I don't care too much for the story...(never been a fan of Salgari or any other pirates story maker. Also, comedy acts don't do it for me either...I'm hard at find things "funny" or comic). If you ask me I would TOTALLY prefer to see a fully reconstructed Esmeralda or Lacotte's rendition of "Ondine".

I would swear that there was a post on BT long ago when this "footage" first popped out on Youtube. If anything, I suspect a carefully work of creating this glimpses by putting together a sequencial set of Nijinsky's pics.

Oh, yes... THAT is really an issue. The time frame for which some cultural-generated stereotypes developed is certainly an important issue, due to the fact that what was acceptable and "funny" at one point may not be many years later, or viceversa, and I guess we all can feel somehow detrimentally represented at one point with certain characters of any given ballet, opera, novels or even TV shows. I have a classical example: I can't stand the portray of the Cuban Ricky Ricardo character of "I love Lucy" with all its accent-mocking jokes and clowny cultural-driven mannerisms. Still, I know that this is probably not considered that important for the majority of the public who grew up watching the series. If anything, I don't think the character would be well received by a Cuban audience. And yes, there is the First Amendment, but there's also the risk of public embarrassment when suddenly a "joke" is taken too seriously by someone. Letterman anyone...?

Raymonda...and then, I will quote myself from an older thread on this subject. The world should just stop viciously digging in and arguing on this subject, and just try to enjoy performances more often. I personally agree with Lewis Segal statement that ballet form is racially stereotyped by nature. Let's not forget that the most of today's well known choreographies were created in the XIX Century, and princesses, kings, queens and african slavery were still current at the time. Let's also not forget that Russia was still living in a pre-capitalist stage, and from there they abruptely jumped into communism, without having the time to develop a strong middle class. Hence, the characters on this stories talk about all of these extreme social differences. We shouldn't change anything, and just try to understand a little more the stories and the times when they were created. If Abderrakhan or Othello require a specific darker makeup and characterization because it's intrinsec to the role, let's work on it. If the Willis require some lightening makeup because it's intrinsec to their nature, let's give it to them too. Overall, let's respect tradition, history and accuracy, and soften up a little the subject of race in ballet. On top of everything, I would hate to see choreographies getting lost, mixed up, chopped off or forgotten becaused of lack of comprehensive knowledge and common sense. At the end, I can't forget the fact that i never had the opportunity to watch Raymonda back in Cuba. It's considered racist and offensive, and it has never been staged. Do we want that?

The story of Corsaire includes much to be puzzled by -- and even offended by -- especially when when considers the role that stereotypes have played in the past and even today. However, the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects all such expression, even when some or all of us don\'t like it. I doubt that anyone would even consider bringing such a case to court over here. I know that no court would accept it. Although only the \"Federal government\" is referred to, state and local governments must also follow the First Amendment. [Moderator beanie on] On Ballet Talk, expressing our personal thoughts about the content of a ballet performance is welcome. This inevitably involves our responses to the libretto, imagery, etc., and it definitely includes our thoughts about the politics of any ballet work. However, speculations about causes or consequences, are probably best carried on elsewhere. [Moderator beanie off]