cubanmiamiboy

Can somebody shred some light on which is the ballet from which this photo was taken...? (Note that in the description of the pic it says "Military, political" on the subject. ) http://cgi.ebay.com/Cuban-Alicia-Alonso-Ig...1QQcmdZViewItem

Oops, didn't intend to be "non-flexible"-(although i know i am, and very often)-but you're right dirac. So reconsidering my words, "One out of four mature women getting pregnant...?, good ratio."

From Caitlin Sims' interview to Carlos Acosta. Pointe Magazine, June/July 2008 Issue. CS: "What is your greatest fear? CA: Losing my sense of reality and forgetting where i came from."

I don't agree. I always thought that one of the most beautiful episodes of the whole thing was when Miranda decides to keep her baby, while the rest of them would support her, no matter what her decision was...included conservative Charlotte, who showed up to bring moral support not even knowing that the abortion didn't occurred... Also, Miranda calling herself a "flotation device" while being frustrated about having gasses all the time was hilarious... One out of four middle aged women getting pregnant...?, good ratio.

I went to see it on Friday night and loved it. The only show available on the premiere night was at 1:00 a.m, and it was showing in 5 different rooms at that hour at the same time, all jam packed...The theater was filled with tons of girls wearing high heels "a la Carrie"-(well, nothing different than a regular night in South Beach)-and people applauded enthusiastically at the end of it. I had a great time. Any other confessions...?

Hey, hey...what such fun nights did these great troupe gave us over the weekend! I went last night, and Eddie's kids were all over the stage having a great time, transmitting the audience pure pleasure with their contagious energy. I should share my grateful feelings about the performance, related to the fact that i went with the crankiest mood after a not very pleasant long working day and i sure left the studios with a smiling face. They made my day, and i sure appreciate it A LOT. The performance started with "All Part of the Camping Trip"-(Stephen Satterfield/Infected Mushroom), a modern creation-(not my strongest/favorite field, so i really can't be that detailed or informative about it and the like, so please forgive my narrow-by-choice knowledge spectrum.. ). Still, there are two things i want to mention about this ballet. First: Daniel Baker showed-(besides a beautiful line, as he was shirtless the whole time)-great partnering skills. I've noticed it before, and i think that this is a quality that even some great stars lack very often. Second: The subtle lesbian atmosphere of the ballet's pseudo-plot, very well recreated by Elizabeth Keller and Kristin D'Addario-(beautiful long legged dancer!). Also dancing this piece were Callie Manning, Leigh-Ann Esty, Jennifer Lauren, Sara Esty, Cindy Huang, Bradley Dumlap, Chaz Meszaros, Peter Doll and Michael Breeden. After that i had my night's blast, personified by Haiyan Wu and Yang Zou in the "White Swan PDD"(Tchaikovsky/Petipa). Oh, this adorable couple danced it absolutely beautifully!. Their interpretation was that of pure lyricism, and they sure stole the show, as the audience gave them the most prolonged and enthusiastic ovation of the night. They looked so convincingly in love during the duet...and after the show, while walking around the lobby holding hands . Wu was my leading lady of the night, all delicacy, style and technique purity. After that we had a piece called "Chasing"-(Vitamin String Quartet/Amanda Tae), a short cute thing danced by everybody's favorite, charismatic Jeremy Cox plus Alex Wong. They did it in street clothes, and it involved lots of running and playing around the stage like two kids. I liked it. Afterwards we had "Folly"-(Randy Newman/Sara Esty), a happy 50's dancing inspired piece, in which Jeannette Delgado was, as usual, all radiant smiles and strong technique-(wow, this girl is really something , as energetic as she can be !). She danced with Peter Doll. After that they showed something called "Us, We're not"-(Nine Inch Nails/Mikhail Nikitine), a modern work which i didn't care too much about. I think the only thing i liked about it was the costume's choice, sexy black outfits worn by Bradley Dunlap, Katie Gibson and Deanna Seay. And then the first Intermission. To be continued...

So, in which stage of musical accuracy does the Komleva/Abdyev '77 version fits into...?

Ricooooo!!!

Aurora, I've always wondered myself about this and many other steps sequences in some of Alonso's choreographies which she always claim to stage carbon copy upon those that she danced during the 40's and 50's at BT and Ballet Russes. Specifically about this backward sautees sur le pointe en arabesque penchee, i just had a wonderful glimpse today while looking at the extra footage on the "Ballet Russes" movie. If you click on the the clip of Mia Slavenska's Kitri variation, you'll see the same exact sequence of steps being perfectly performed, leg raised the whole time at a perfect 90 degree, smiling face, fierce hops. It really gave me the chills to see, for the first time aside from the cuban company, this step performed by such a legend and way so back in time, and to realize how carefully has been Alonso in the preservation of such an old fashioned, but lovely, technical oddity.

Agree.

Paul. the Cuban style comes from deep within the Cuban spirit, from our joys and from our sadness. Some people are turned inward. Cubans are always out, sensual. What looks natural on the Russians, done by Cubans would have looked mimetic, like a mannerism .Mme. Alonso alywas refused Russian ballet teachers except for character dances-(they explained cubans how to dance czardas and mazurkas very well). That's also a reason why in the past, CNB discouraged her own dancers from taking advantage of Soviet scholarships. Unlike the Russians, who emphasize arm work, or the Danish and Americans, who focus on legwork, Cubans use their whole bodies to dance. But gracefulness does not make -let's say-Sarabita less macho than any Habanero out in the street. When his partner walks in, their dance becomes flirtation. It took Sarabita eight years of training to dance like that and Fernando Alonso ( ) more than 20 to develop the system to teach him how to do it. This is from an interview with then Mme.'s husband, Mr. Pedro Simon: ''When Lázaro Carreño (Jose Manuel's uncle) did go study in Moscow, we had to spend months after he returned just getting him to dance like a Cuban again. It was a constant fight with Alicia.'' Paul, I've always thought, back when whe she was dazzling in Havana, before defecting, that she should had been dancing at ABT. Ok, i said it. (BTW, did you see her coda with Acosta from Diana&Acteon, doing that diagonal of fouettes avec le tir a l'arc? )

HI, amiaow, and welcome to BT!. Well, what can i say about this event...? I would DIE to assist, and mingle with such legends as Madame Baronova ( ). I've always been fascinated with this ballet troupe, and i have their movie always ready to play while at home. I love it, and I've always thought that very little tribute has been paid to this amazing company and its stars. They deserve way more. The glamour that they brought to the art form is priceless. I wish we could have some of that in our nowadays ballet companies. Enjoy the event for both, you and me!

There's a poll on the "Best Dressed" ones at the end. Strangely, Irina Dvorovenko-(pictured with Maxim Belotserkovsky and who i think is the most beautifully dressed of them all )-didn't make it to the list. Julie Kent-(also out of the poll)- looks lovely and classy too, as usual.

...loved that Helene! he,he

Interesting. I'd been wrong for a while about this fact. As the dancers at the premiere were Alicia Alonso (as the accused) Diana Adams (the Mother), Muriel Bentley (the Stepmother), Ruth Ann Koesun (the accused as a child)and John Kriza (the Pastor), i assumed that they all had been the first cast choice. Now digging a little after Mel's clarification-( )-, i realized that Nora Kaye was supposed to premiere it, but she fell ill, so that's why it was Alonso who actually did it. However, no doubt that Kaye danced it afterwards with great success by all accounts.

I've always wanted to see it. Just looked it up on wikipedia, which said it was in ABT's 2007 season, but I missed reports of it. Gillian Murphy and Julie Kent in lead roles, it said. Morton Gould is not much heard by now, but his music definitely had its moments. ..and for who did Ms. De Mille choreographed the role of Lizzie..?

...and here's another photo from backstage. It shows Adiarys Almeida and Joseph Gatti (ex Cincinnati Principals and future Ballet de Espana founders) wearing their "Satanella" costumes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/26624336@N06/2506945564/

I'm posting this wonderful clip that fellow BT'r fadedhour sent me, which shows an interview with Boston's Principal Ballerina Lorna Feijoo about her rehearsals for the upcoming season's Swan Lake (which she couldn't do at all due to an injury). It also shows wonderful segments of the rehearsals. Scroll down until the May 14 stories, and click on the headline "Boston Ballet Principal Dancer Lorna Feijoo" I hope you all enjoy it... http://www.wgbh.org/gb/?item_id=3581635 fadedhour!

bart, some of the kids were really little, 7, 8 y.o..really cute They just used the thrones, a simple backdrop and lots of space for the dancing. Just perfect. (Please companies out there...take note!) I suggest to watch for Alexander Mitiaev and Yoalli Sousa (leading couple in "Allegro Brillante", particularly Mitiaev, along with Gabriela Gonzalez and Aoi Anraku (Aurora/Desire), particularly Anraku. Sure i did, Mr. bart. Here they are: Sarah Hochman/Nicholas de la Vega Lauren Lane/Jacob Hoover Carolina Rendon/Pablo Papacostas Carling Talcott/Jesus Rodriguez bart, some of the pieces, like Sylphides, Pas de Trois from SL and La Bayadere Valse didn't use the original choreography. The choregrapher Yury Vodolaga just used the music and recreated it with his own stuff, mainly for the youngest members of the school.

I started two new books. First, the fascinating Villella's autobiography "Edward Villella: dancing for Balanchine in a world of pain and magic" and then the school related "Combined neuroleptic malignant syndrome and the central anticholinergic syndrome" by J Neurol.

And i also have one with Mme. Alonso from her BT years, no fan either...

Yesterday i started Eddie's autobriography, which has captivated me right away. I wonder if there's already a thread on this book...? If so, please redirect my post . If not, i would like to hear your experiences on its reading.

Great pic. I love Toumanova's expressive face. She also has a modern aura that always amazes me... Was there any back then...? (I notice that nowadays the fan sometimes dissapears from the variation)

On Saturday i went to the Miami City Ballet 15 th Annual Student Showcase Performance. The program was held at the the MCB studios, which was packed. I came in a little late, rushing like a maniac-(as usual, after work)-lights already down, and as seats were'nt assigned (first come first serve), i spotted an empty seat right in first row, facing the seat-leveled scenario. I sat in there, and when i looked next to me, Surprise!, my neightbors are Eddie and Linda Villela. I said hi, and asked them if the seat was reserved for a friend or something. Eddie, very nicely, told me "No, no, please stay, it's ok!"...(what a shame i didn't bring his autobiography, which i'm reading at the moment). So the program went on as follows: Allegro Brillante. Balanchine/Tchaikowsky. Yoalli Sousa Sanchez/Alexander Mitiaev. Students of MCBS. Coppelia variation. Petipa/Delibes. Franz: Eric Paz Sleeping Beauty variation. Petipa/Tchaikowsky. Princess Florine: Madison McDonough Flames of Paris variation.Vainonen/Asafiev. Mireille de Poitiers: Natalie Jimenez. Pas de Deux. Lapshin/Tchaikowsky. Corps of Ballet. Come and Get it. Maldonado/Madonna. Aura BArriga, cloe eiber, natalie Jimenez, Madison McDonough, Eric Paz, alexandra Trujillo. Big in Japan. Malm/Waits. Students of MCBS INTERMISSION Flower Festival at Genzano.Vodolaga/Paulli Students of MCBS Les Sylphides. Vodolaga/ Chopin. Students of MCBS. Swan Lake Act I "Pas de Trois". Vodolaga/Tchaikowsky. Students of MCBS. La Bayadere Act III "Three Shades Vals". Vodolaga/ Minkus. Students of MCBS. Le Corsaire excerpts. Petipa/Pugni. Renana Cerdeiro, Tegan Rich, Alexander Ferreira, Keryn Breiterman, Stephanie Burkin, Natalie Arja, Alexandra Mller, Danyla Bezzara, Melanie Kunes, Stephanie Silva. Adv. Jazz Piece. Maldonado/Brittney Spears. Students of MCBS. INTERMISSION. AURORA'S WEDDING. Petipa/ Tchaikowsky. Aurora: Gabriela Gonzalez. Desire: Aoi Anraku. Lilac Fairy: Carolina Rendon Finger Fairy: Carling Talcott Canary Fairy: elizabeth Sykes. Slow Fairy: Suzette Logue. Jumping Fairy: Jessica Wright. Bluebird: Jacob Hoover. Princess florine: Nicole Stalker. Pus'n'boots: Nicholas de la Vega. The Cat:Yoalli Sousa. Red Riding Hood: Melissa Bosomworth. The Wolf: Rysoukie kikhushi Corps de Ballet. What a beautiful night. Everyone was so excited. Parents were there in the audience, as well as fellow students, who were screaming and whistling at their piers with great enthusiasm. From time to time, Eddie would mumble "Amazing!", and he and Linda were looking at each other with such proud faces. They were really enjoying the spectacle. Among all the performances, i specially want to highlight George Balanchine’s “Allegro Brillante”- (another first timer for me!)-, which opened the program; Yoalli Sousa and Alexander Mitiaev danced the principal couple, bringing a nonstoping motion flowing throughout the piece; they were beautiful to watch, and i hope to see more of their dancing in the future. (I think they're ready to be in the Company). Le Corsaire Excerpts was also a display of the row bravura these kids are fully infatuated with. They interchanged the roles along the piece, so right now i can't remember who was the girl who did the fouettes at the PDD coda. Well, still, they all did a great job, so that's why i wrote all their names. Hey girl , if you were the one who did those tricks, keep the good work going!. And then, dessert. "Aurora's Wedding". Wow. What can i say, if my friends and i all decided by unanimity that they did a better job on this piece than the company itself!. This is true, i'm not kidding. The fairies, Lilac, the characters variations, the PDD, EVERYTHING was done with such happiness and pleasure, that the air was flowing with excitement. Gabriela Gonzalez and Aoi Anraku (which i just saw last night walking on Lincoln Road and stopped to congratulate them) were superb on the roles, and all the technical tricks were accomplished without problems, even those 3 dreadful fish dives. Florine (Nicole Stalker) and the Bluebird (Jacob Hoover)were also great, the last one doing the right ammount of brisses voles, which delighted the audience. And finally, all the characters variations with no awkward stuff going on, Red Riding Hood and the wolf (Melissa Bosomworth/Rysoukie Kikhushi) and Pus'n'boots and the cat (Nicholas de la Vega/Yoalli Sousa) not being cut off, as in the majority of the productions (Thank you!). Lilac, Caroline Redon, did her job beautifully, giving a sense of closure to the whole production, as she'is supposed to do. Kuddos to the King and Queen . They looked regal and dignified, and specially to the Cannari qui chante fairy, Elizabeth Sykes, very cute and light while dancing her variation. Well, again, my congrats to Eddie, Chairman of the School Faculty, and specially to Linda Villella, the School Director. By the end of the Performance, as they were leaving, they couldn't hide their happiness and enjoyment. Same here. Bravo!

I own this book, in which Miguel Cabrera offers an exhaustive analysis of CNB, among a very complete research of its repertoire by year, all the way back to 1948. It also contains many pics of the company dating from the 50's to the 90's. Other interest publications also on CNB's website are: Alicia Alonso's "Dialogue with Dance" Miguel Cabrera's "Alicia Alonso: Reality and Myth" Maria del Carmen Hechavarria's "Alicia Alonso: beyond the technical" Pedro Simon/Francisco Rey Alfonso's " Alicia Alonso: Orbit of a legend" Miguel Cabrera's "International Ballet Festival of Havana (1960-2004): a date between Art and Friendship" "Cuba in The Ballet" Magazine. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=e...D1%26ie%3DUTF-8