cubanmiamiboy

I'm sorry for the confusion about the male dancer. I was actually watching the two performances of CCBM at the same time, the one with Gutierrez and Miguel Angel Blanco, and in another window the one from the day before with Adiarys Almeida-(currently a Principal with the Corella Ballet)- and Taras Domitro-(SFB)-which is the second clip I posted.

I was just watching this clip of Hayna during the Black Swan PDD. Oh, how did I love her here...That triumphant malignant laugh during her pose at the last sautee in arabesque at the Coda was worth the whole performance. AND the fouetees, AND the pirouettes...and yes, I DO TOO love her physique. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCX_2i0DG9c Domitro looks beautiful too here-(for those in San Francisco, watch him... Edited to add: Domitro's clip is from the previous day performance with Adiarys Almeida.

CCBM 09 Season @ The Fillmore Theatre Program I. Le Corsaire. 02/28/09- 8:00 P.M Lorena Feijoo/Taras Domitro 03/01/09- 5:00 P.M Hayna Gutierrez/Miguel Angel Blanco http://www.cubanclassicalballet.org/programI.html

According to the SAB website...: "In the second and third years, students begin developing musical sensitivity by listening, learning musical terminology and history; and they become familiar with composers, especially those associated with dance".

Oh, yes...and yes. I have been pretty amazed at how unfamiliar with ballet history many young dancers seem to be when engaged in a conversation on the subject.

As per "aura", I can only think of Part.

Thank you all for the references! (specially to rg for the always great photographic help... )

I'm very happy to hear about Kent's maternity, but I certainly regret not getting to see her Giselle in ABT's upcoming Miami run...

This is another pic of Mme. that i would like to identify Any help will be appreciated-(choreography, music, costume design, etc...) thanks! http://home.comcast.net/~thomas.o.lee/Alicia.jpg

This is a bad staging job, I agree... Yes, they do. I'll try to get a clip of the moment. This is it. It's ALL about this... On the other side, I think one of the main reasons Alonso's Nutcracker works for me and the dancers is the conflict of the Primera Bailarina/Primer Bailarin cease to be. Since Act I we see Clara and the Nutcracker dancing as much enjoyable classical dance, so there's not anxious waiting for THE PDD. By the time the Sugar Plum shows up, there's a general feeling created in the audience in which one wonders if the other bailarina/bailarin will surpass the main couple's dancing. (This besides the third couple, the Snow Queen/King)

CCBM had Clara pretending to take off her shoe, but didn't do it for real. During the confusion during the battle she subtly retrieved to the left wing and bent over simulating the act, when in reality she took a third shoe that had been placed on the floor for her-(hidden to the audience). She threw in to the mouse and then kept on dancing...

No doubt about it my friend...! (But ditto with the non-convincing feeling relating the rotating bed and the flying thing at the end. Never been a fan of those devices)

Miss Ana Lobe. A native of Havana, Miss Lobe studied ballet at the National School of Ballet, where she graduated in 1982 as Ballerina-Professor. Immediately she joined the National Ballet of Cuba, under the direction of Alicia Alonso, where she danced classical and contemporary repertoire. Consequently, she toured internationally with the company and participated in all International Ballet Festivals in Havana from 1982 to 1990. Ms. Lobe was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer in 1988. In the same year, she won Certificate as finalist in the International Ballet Competition of Varna, Bulgaria and in the 1990 International Ballet Competition of Jackson, Mississippi. As a result, she was invited to dance with the English National Ballet in London by director Ivan Nagy. Ms. Lobe danced with the company during the 1990-1991 season and participated in galas for Alicia Markova and the late Princess Diana. During her career, Ms. Lobe has been partnered among others by Jose Manuel Carreno, Olivier Munoz, Ramon Thielen and Fernando Bujones, director of Ballet Mississippi during the season 1993-1994, while she was a member of the company. Since 1994 she has been Principal Dancer with Cleveland San Jose Ballet, under the direction of Dennis Nahat, dancing all the lead roles in the company's classical and diverse repertoire. In addition, Ms. Lobe has participated in the PBS videotapes of the International Ballet Competition in 1990 and Blue Suede Shoes in 1996. During the 1999-2000 season she performed the title role in Roland Petit's masterpiece, Carmen. The critics have acclaimed Ms. Lobe for her technique, musicality, presence and acting abilities — in Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Carmen, Coppelia, and Romeo and Juliet, to mention just a few of her roles. She continues performing as a guest artist nationally and internationally. Ms. Lobe teaches master classes and workshops throughout the country, where she exposes the diversity of schools and knowledge that have been fundamental in her career. Her training in Cuba with Laura and Alicia Alonso, Loipa Araujo, and Karemia Moreno among others, Ivan Nagy in England, plus Luk de Lairres, Bujones and Dennis Nahat — all have helped to build and enrich her dancing career. Ana Lobe is currently on staff at Sharron School of Dance, Royal School of Ballet and Dance Institute of the University of Akron, where she teaches ballet, stages classical repertoire, and provides new choreography for her students. In addition, Dance Institute presented the 2003 Outstanding Teacher Award in recognition of her excellence in dance education. She lives in Ohio, and has been out of the official CNB roster since the early 90's. http://sharronsschoolofdance.com/analobe%20copy.jpg http://www.current.org/prog/prog714p.jpg http://www.current.org/prog/prog714q.jpg I hope this was helpful.

Hey, thanks for posting these here. Interesting stuff. So much dancing! I'm used to seeing mostly mime during these parts — and the Christmas tree growing in the first clip, of course. If this is your standard, I bet most other productions bore you quite a bit. ...well, yeah..certainly. Oh, and i forgot to mention the mice too, which are also danced on pointe by adults...A plus-(on my standards) Here...a glimpse. Hmmmmm......I think I'll pass. Not sure why that one clip is called a "mime" scene. A lot of sword swishing, not much else. True. That's why I used the quotation marks-("mime")-...I guess there's the intention to "tell" something, but giving the most weight to the dancing...Yes, it is not the Nut's extended mime used by Balanchine which is so familiar by American audiences.

Hey, thanks for posting these here. Interesting stuff. So much dancing! I'm used to seeing mostly mime during these parts — and the Christmas tree growing in the first clip, of course. If this is your standard, I bet most other productions bore you quite a bit. ...well, yeah..certainly. Oh, and i forgot to mention the mice too, which are also danced on pointe by adults...A plus-(on my standards) Here...a glimpse.

Ok...I finally found a clip of Alonso's rendition of the party scene. Be the judge of the "infantilizing" issue here. Clara is Primera Bailarina Annette Delgado.

I loved her Sugar Plum Fairy... Here's the whole PDD. Her Cavalier is Primer Bailarin Romel Frometa

http://www.anettedelgado.com/1.html

A unique Cuban troupe has taken dancing to new heights, as a therapy that is transforming the lives of some young disabled people. For all those doing this marvelous job, THANK YOU!

Amen.

I know it shows enough to be considered by some as "out of place". Still, I can't think of it as being harmful in any case. I just thought of it as...edgy, risky and...beautiful. Then, I know it was enjoyable by many others.... I thought about taking it down, but then decided not to.

How can't I...? Well...I just don't Oooh, I would never dare thinking to do so in a million years...

It's amazing how what was "new" at a time then became increasingly "old", and now it's back to be fasiohable after the "new-old" is loosing it's "new" aura...

Why can't they keep both at the same time...? Definitely future generations should be able to know about what was being done during that era which was, at the end, a top winner time in Ballet. As i see it, the more is preserved, the better. The more ballet options, the more visual pleasure...