cubanmiamiboy

SPDD is a very actively performed PDD within Cuban National Ballet. It was one of the Balanchine pieces that made the Company's ground, imported by Mme. Alonso along with Apollo, Theme & Variations and Waltz Academy. One can easily find it to be performed almost in every season in Havana.

To keep this going...Printscess question.

From an interview with the late Michael Bjerknes by Alexandra Tomalonis: A.T-"But there’s so much pressure to do this. 'No tutus and toe shoes for this troupe! They’re going beyond the rigid confines of ballet' — you read this over and over and over. M.B-I think that’s a lot of crap. I know with a lot of people that do that, it’s because they can’t."

Wow, what a great interview, Alexandra...! ( i MUST quote a segment from it that was just great ) RIP Michael Bjerknes

Such beautiful words...

Lovely Square Dance! The unanswered question, again... Giselle's Peasant PDD in or out...?

Gaite Parisienne Giselle's "Peasant PDD" included or not?

dirac, LB has always been a big time winner among the Florida Grand Opera productions, (although Tosca was veeery popular this season). Isn't Musetta specially lovely...? (always loved her character )

Tonight i went to see La Boheme at the Artsh Center. I must say that i just saw the best Mimi I've seen in years, thanks to the powerful voice of Cuban soprano Elizabeth Caballero. If somebody have the opportunity to attend one of her performances, please do so. The woman is amazing. Joining her in the cast were James Valenti as Rodolfo, Jill Gardner as Musetta, Troy Cook as Marcello, Corey Crider as Schaunard, Tom Corbeil as Colline, and Stefan Szkafarowsky as Benoit and Alcindoro. The orchestra was masterly conducted by Alberto Veronese, artistic and music director of the Puccini Festival at Torre del Lago. Bravo! http://www.elizabethcaballero.com/caballero%20press.htm

Thanks to Leigh Witchel ( ) for sending me this link. A very interesting article on the newly life of the last defectors from National Ballet of Cuba. Cuban Ballet in Exile Some of the world's best dancers hang out at Costco, then perform Swan Lake... By Janine Zeitlin Published: April 10, 2008 "The National Ballet of Cuba has felt the trio's absence. Friends tell them so. "They say, 'Oh, now there's nobody who dances as good,'" Miguel Angel says. "It's painful. I miss them a lot."The Cuban stars, who were lauded for their Swan Lake performances, are San Francisco-bound. The company has extended contracts, but a spokeswoman declined to discuss the details until visas are granted.For now, the trio will dance with the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami.One afternoon in March, when asked about his hopes for the future, Taras, wearing a black AC/DC shirt and sitting on the couch in their Pompano Beach home, replies simply: "Success." http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2008-04-10/ne...allet-in-exile/

Can't vote on FarrellFan's question...(never saw them dancing...), so i'll get one from bart...(is that allowed?... ) Petipa. Vladimir Vasiliev or Ivan Vasiliev? plus...

Not only two companies Andrew...!! According to memory, (and i'm sure some names slipped my mind), the following cubans are all currently principal dancers, and all coming from Ballet Nacional de Cuba. The Girls Lorna Feijoo-Boston Ballet Principal Lorena Feijoo-San Francisco Ballet Principal Xiomara Reyes-American Ballet Theater Principal Hayna Gutierrez-Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami Principal Adyaris Almeida-Cincinnatti Ballet Principal Dalirys Valladares-Monterrey Ballet (Mexico) Principal Alyhaydee Carreno-National Classical Ballet of Dominican Republic Principal Lisbell Piedra-National Classical Ballet of Dominican Republic Principal Viengsay Valdes-National Ballet of Cuba Principal Annette Delgado-National Ballet of Cuba Principal Barbara Garcia-National Ballet of Cuba Principal The boys Carlos Acosta-Royal Ballet Principal Jose Manuel Carreno-American Ballet Theatre Principal Rolando Sarabia-Miami City Ballet Principal Carlos Guerra-Miami City Ballet Principal Joan Boada-San Franciso Ballet Principal Nelson Madrigal-Boston Ballet Principal Reyneris Reyes-Boston Ballet Principal Cervilio Amador-Cincinnatti Ballet Principal Lienz Chang-Roland Petit Ballet Principal Osmay Molina-Puerto Rico Ballet Principal Angel Laza-Monterrey(Mexico) Ballet Principal Daymel Sanchez-Monterrey (Mexico) Ballet Principal Taras Domitro-Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami Principal Miguel Angel Blanco-Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami Principal Joel Carreno-National Ballet of Cuba Principal Victor Gili-National Ballet of Cuba Principal Romel Frometa-National Ballet of Cuba Principal My boys and girls... Updating this list...: Yat-Sen Chang-English National Ballet Principal Aroniel Vargas-English National Ballet Principal

There is also Osmay Molina, who was a Principal Dancer with National Ballet of Cuba and has made guest appearances with Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami-(there's a lovely clip on Youtube of him dancing the Cavalier in the Sugar Plum Fairy PDD with Lorna Feijoo, currently a Principal Dancer with Boston Ballet). Molina is a great "danseur noble" and has an amazing stage presence. As per The Art of Classical Ballet School website, he's currently dancing with the boricua company. http://www.theartofclassicalballet.org/Alumni.html

I thought it would be interesting to post the "official" view of the Herald...If in a wrong thread, please move it... DANCE REVIEW 'Swan Lake' superb with new Cuban trio Posted on Mon, Feb. 25 BY JORDAN LEVIN Cuba's loss of three ballet dancers is the world's gain -- and, at least for this past weekend, Miami's. Taras Domitro, Miguel Angel Blanco and Hayna Gutierrez, the young principal dancers who defected from the National Ballet of Cuba in December, dazzled cheering audiences at the Cuban Classical Ballet's performances of Swan Lake at the Fillmore Miami Beach on Saturday and Sunday. It wasn't political enthusiasm, but spectacular dancing. Domitro in particular seems bound to be a star. He's a jaw-dropper -- impossibly high leaps, sky-high extensions, endless legs, landings that float, superb line, effortless power. When he soared out in the Black Swan pas de deux on Saturday, he seemed to defy physics by going even higher in midair. He's only 21, and this was his first Swan Lake, which meant his Prince Siegfried could have used more nuance and depth. But he largely made up for it with youthful intensity -- when he broke down to follow his Odette, fellow Cuban and Cincinnati Ballet principal Adiarys Almeida, into death, he broke your heart. Gutierrez, who danced Odette/Odile on Sunday afternoon, was also a revelation. She's a superb physical and dramatic actress, with a beautiful finish and dignity. As Odette, the doomed white swan queen, she had the loveliest liquid quality, pouring like water into deep penche arabesques, arching backward in exquisite yearning. Her fervor made for potent chemistry with Blanco, her Siegfried and a fine, tender partner. As Odile, the Black Swan, she slipped between fey seduction and malevolent command; she has spectacular balance, and her fouetté sequence brought the house to its feet. Tall, long-legged Blanco is elegant and powerful, with convincing emotional gravity, but he's not electrifying. The compact Almeida is tremendously strong and musical, but you could feel her working, and her quality didn't seem quite right for Odette. They would not have looked this good if they hadn't had a substantial frame. It's easy to paste guest stars into a semi-amateur production. Instead, the Cuban Classical Ballet gave us a passionate and professional performance, which made up in commitment and understanding what it occasionally lacked in production values or technical achievement. It's the most artistically significant effort yet from Pedro Pablo Pena, the company's co-director and indomitable Cuban ballet supporter. What has lifted him over the bar is co-director Magaly Suarez, the longtime Cuban teacher -- and Domitro's mother -- who choreographed this Swan Lake and coached these dancers into a company full of life and personality. The corps de ballet was energized and unified musically and stylistically. Suarez used her dancers' talents well, and compensated with entertaining staging and choreography when they didn't have top-drawer technique. There were lots of fine soloists, notably hilarious, high-flying Raydel Caceres as the Court Jester; exquisite Kate Kadow, willowy Jordan Elizabeth Long and smooth-spinning Joseph Gatti in the peasant pas de trois; Grace Anne Powers back-bending to the floor in the Spanish variation; and Gleidson Vasconcelos' sharp Neapolitan dance. There were shortfalls, such as annoying noises from the National Symphonic Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, valiantly conducted by Jose Ramon Urbay, another Cuban ballet exile. But overall, this Swan Lake had more life than the lavish but turbid production that the American Ballet Theater brought us last winter. Cuban Classical Ballet is a company to watch.

From a recent interview with 88 y.o Mme. Alicia Alonso: -How would you like to be remembered? - I’m telling you there is a future ahead. Ask me in two hundred years...!

Right, i couldn't go to the Miami performance of this program last weekend , but they will be repeating it on Sunday April 20 in Palm Springs. I'm planning to go...once i figure out how to get there. (I'm dying to see Hayna again. A friend told me that she danced Don Q. PDD and her simple nailed fouettes at a perfect a la seconde were out of this world) http://www.cubancbmiami.com/performances/programiii.aspx http://www.coralspringscenterforthearts.com/events.cfm Cheers for my boys and girls... !

Hi...!..Sadly, there's not too much information out there on the company. About its Artistic Director, cuban dancer and choreographer Miguel Campaneria, this is what is available: "Mr. Campaneria started his ballet training at the National Ballet Academy of Cuba under Alicia Alonso and Azari Plisetski. He joined the National Ballet of Cuba where he became a soloist. Later on, he won the bronze medal in the junior category at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. He has danced with American Ballet Theater, Pennsylvania Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and was a principal dancer with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and Ballets de San Juan. In the 1990's he started teaching and served as ballet master of Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico. In 2004 he became the artistic director of the National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico".

I'm with you on that. His Moses in The Ten Commandments was one of the characters i remember the most among some "de rigueur" movies that were shown on church when i was a kid... RIP, C.H.

Grrr...why wasn't Sarabita cast for the Miami performances...?!?!

...well, it involves some dead rats for sure...

Vikharev Roland Petit's Carmen or Alberto Alonso's Carmen?

Adam Willis ears sticking out or totally covered with the mid-partition romantic hairdo?

The question of THE QUESTIONS...!

As per tonight... "Cardiac teratogenicity of trichloroethylene metabolites" by Paula D. Johnson, DVM, MSa, Brenda V. Dawson, MD and Stanley J. Goldberg, MD, FACCa. It's a very interesting clinical study on how metabolites of trichloroethylene (TCE), dichloroethylene (DCE) and other related compounds are responsible for fetal cardiac teratogenic effects seen when TCE or DCE is consumed by pregnant rats during organogenesis.

Fracci. Alberto Alonso's Carmen M. Plisetskaya or Alicia Alonso?