cubanmiamiboy

Between Thursday and Saturday we had a set of three Auroras, two Desires and two Carabosses. I was actually delighted with Gennadi Saveliev's performance on Thursday with Herrera. Still, on this performance, i had the sense the everything was about her. Now, on Friday , that was another story with Jose Manuel Carreno partnering Julie Kent. I've been watching Carreno's dancing since 1998, and boy, this guy doesn't age. He has the same scenic projection and strength as 10 years ago, and it's like time stopped on him. He looks ageless. All that i hoped to get from his performance was there. Toto is, with no doubt, one of the most charming dancers and partners that I've ever seen. Particularly his performance in the Grand PDD with Julie Kent was delicious. He was a perfect prince, a noble gentleman, attentive and supportive the whole time. No doubt that he's a great virtuoso dancer. Such beautiful hyper extended Pas de cheval, lovely strong cabrioles and perfect 5th position landings. What a gracious and secure slowing down on his pirouettes, all along showing his perfect smile. Never a ballerina looked so secure on those famous 3 fish lifts as Kent did during their night. Toto's dancing was a truly lesson on compelling fluidity in male ballet technique.

(I'm still debating on the Carabosses. I can't decide which one did i like the most, Raffa or Van Hamel )

yummy!!. I wonder how involved Carlitos Acosta will be...

A little update, on BNC's schedule for April: "Grand pas de Quatre" : Alonso afer Perrot/Pugni "Time out of memory": Brian MacDonald/Paul Creston. "Theme and Variations" Balanchine/Tchaikowsky "Flames of Paris". Alonso after Vainonen/Asafiev. ( I wonder if they will do the whole ballet...? ) "Dionaea". Gustavo Herrera/ Heitor Villa Lobos. Good luck BNC!

Kent/Carreno

You know bart?, I brought my mother to two of the performances, one of them with Part as Lilac. Then, after watching the two Belles, she couldn't believe when i told her that a certain Aurora was a Principal while Part wasn't, stating that there was no logic to it at all. And she was totally right.

Duh!, Bayadere, bart!

Sleeping Beauty was, overall, a beautiful spectacle that i enjoyed tremendously. I know about all the controversies regarding choreography/score cuts and the like, but for me, being the first time I see the whole Belle live, it was really rewarding. I liked this production way more that their Swan Lake. So here i am, after having watched three different Auroras and Lilacs and two Desires from Thursday to Saturday. About Aurora, we had, sequentially, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent and Xiomarita Reyes. During SB's supreme test, the Rose Adagio, Paloma Herrera showed, in full display, the athleticism of her dancing, nailing her balances a bit more emphatically than her two counterpart, but then, Ms. Kent danced more beautifully the solo variation. On Kent's dancing nothing was abrupt. Even while in climactic parts her arms were always gentle, courteous. She danced with more sensitivity than the other two. Then, petite Xiomarita was just so cute, light, airy...the more convincing teenager of the three. Her face was also very expressive, her eyes moving in a flirty way from suitor to suitor during the Adagio, acknowledging each of their support gestures with a gracious nodding. She is also a super fast turner, pique turns and chainees being totally achieved. Still, if i want remember the FACE OF AURORA, Kent's comes right away to my mind. I think that without being as young as Xiomarita, or steady as Paloma, she has mastered the art of a truly ballerina. She radiated a regal modesty, a real princess air that i couldn't detect on the others. Her Aurora was all rounded and soft, with curved arms and looks over her shoulder while keeping, during the balances, her knee in the endless attitude derriere position at the right high. Another part where she really shined was on the "dizziness sequence" from The Spell scene. The image of this trembling being wandering around the stage bourreing her way to the enigmatic and elusive music passage, back of the hand on the face, almost ready to faint, to finally collapse in the most convincing way is unforgettable. She really won me. Xiomarita's choice for this segment was a little overdramatic, almost like a lighter version of the madness scene from Giselle. Right there, i thought that she could be great for the part. (Has anybody seen her on it...?) Lilac was danced, sequentially, by Veronika Part, Michele Wiles and Maria Riccetto. Here I want to stop to talk about Part. NOW i understand why the opinions are so divided regarding this beautiful Ballerina. Since the very moment that she was carried to the staged, (with some difficulty by her shorter Knight Grant Delong), she showed her exquisite schooling, beautiful suppleness and unique facial artistry. Watching her was like taking a class on dramatic skills. A detail that i still remember is when she starts the mime/dialogue with Carabosse acknowledging that her protegee will grow and everything else, but instead of dying she will be put to sleep. The gesture of "no, that won't happen" was so beautiful, so reassuring that suddenly, the mime gained total logic and reason to be, something that is not achieved by many dancers.Michele Wiles' Lilac was nice to look at, but not very interesting. (how was her Aurora on Sunday, bart...?)...Then, there was Ricetto...ah, that's another story. She was magnificent. Technique at its best, beautiful pointework and the right amount of dramatic skills to reassure herself as the main guidance of the whole story. The audience rewarded her with a standing ovation at the end. To be continued. Coming next, Carabosse and Desire...

and the Miami Herald said... "...overall, this Swan Lake had more life than the lavish but turbid production that the American Ballet Theater brought us last winter" JORDAN LEVIN http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/431932.html Good job guys!!

Last night I went to my last Beauty. I’ll try to compress the three performances in two reviews, one for production values and the other one for the dancing. So first here's what i disliked: From Act I The Christening Scene. 1-The uniformity of the courtier’s costumes. Bad bad the wires design of the female courtiers headpieces. Diversity is needed, and the headpieces looked cheaply made. 2-King Florestan and wife wearing costumes made of the exact same fabric. Unacceptable. 3-Aurora’s crib and royal thrones. Not grand enough and too cartoonish looking… 3- The blinding burst of light that shoots across the sky landing in the set to get its way along with our old friend the smoking machine. This is not Disney, for God’s sake, this is Tchaikovsky/Petipa!…(oh well, there was always those who were applauding the fireball and fumes with great excitement ) 4- The four helmeted, spidery green-and-purple minions who accompany Carabosse. So what, first there was that horrible Swan Lake’s Rothbart looking more like a Mars creature instead of an owl and now these…things. Seriously, McKenzie should stop watching sci fi films. Seems like he gets too inspired From Act II 5-Lilac’s journey vehicle…This glitzy boat/flotation device/bird/horse/something was Disney in full display. 6-All the noise made backstage to rearrange the sets for the awakening scene while a Halloween-look backdrop –(with skeletons and everything)-is on display. . It was just too much. The score could be barely heard, and people were laughing about it…. From Act III 7-The white&blue stuffed, way too bright and multi layered sets for “Aurora’s Wedding”. Always been an advocate of the idea that subtle elegant designs better suit the dancers, allowing them to offer the choreography to the audience without too much visual distraction. 8-Aurora and Desire's wedding white capes. The fabric was so stiff.. . Nylon was screaming its name out loud… On the other side, i liked...: 1-The sets from The Christening scene 2-The fairies costumes and headpieces. 2-The sets from The Spell scene Act I. Also the villagers and four princes costumes. 3-Sets and costumes from Act II Dancing review coming next...

Artspatron07, Joseph Phillips danced one of Carabosse's Minions on Friday, and he repeated the role on Saturday plus that of a villager on The Spell scene. Mr. Ilyin wasn't listed on those 3 performances.

It is indeed beautiful. It's by cuban musician/composer Rembert Egues and coreography by Alberto Alonso. Caridad Martinez, (whom i have mentioned before as an example regarding black dancers getting their way to the top) originated the role of the doll, and Fernandito (Jhones, RIP) that of the soldier...I got to see them when i was a kid, and they were adorable.

Charming Lise, we're in the same boat... Out of your seven choices, i'll take D&A, BS, M and DQ. To the list i'll add Tchaikowsky PDD and Flames of Paris PDD (BTW, did you ever get to see Munecos with Cary and Fernandito ( RIP) ?

I went last night and saw Herrera in the role and controversial Part as Lilac...Will go to see tonight's performance and also Toto and Xiomarita on Saturday night. Will report later. Note: Part is ASTONISHING BEAUTIFUL...

And now i'm trying to work on the pics...let's see...thank you all for the encouragement.!

My usual appologies for being delayed...School, always school...but here it goes. Bourree Fantasque When i was reviewing all the discussions on the"Bourree Fantasque" revival by MCB, I thought that all the amply discussed formula of this ballet about inverting conventional ballet style would appeared too "Unconventional", specially within Miami's audience. (I always think that newyorkers have the bennefit of Balanchine's tradition on these matters, they've seen all this works before, so they can relate, compare and understand better). But against the odds, i think Eddie's troupe succeeded because, with no pretentions, they basically succeded in capturing the humor of the first movement, with its tall girl-short boy duet and more important, the right neo-romantic perfume on the second, even the dancers not being too experienced in the Romantic Ballets . As some said earlier, however, a ballet created in 1949 for the New York City Ballet cannot be danced in the same way by Miami City Ballet in 2008 , but still, such a ballet created by such a genius, like water, found its own level. Thus, the miamian ''Bourree,'' did work. The present casts add their own touches but , as some reviewers has confirmed, still remain faithful to the original choreography. FIRST MOVEMENT The opening duet played off the now well known and amply discussed discrepancy between a tall girl and a short boy. The short boy on Saturday 1 night performance was Corps de Ballet member Alexandre Dufaur, and he was charming: cleverly athletic and full of self-deprecating good humor. His partner that night was Soloist Andrea Spiridonakus, who handled the flashing footwork admirably. However, on Sunday2, Corps de Ballet member Allyne Noelle and Soloist Alex Wong (everyone's but me new favorite, as i observed) played down the tall-girl, short-boy comedy aspect more convincing , bringing out a new playful quality.Noelle equaled Spiridonakus technically and turned out to have a real gift for comedy, (i still remember her well done portray of the "pin up girl" from Rubies whe they did Jewels). She just beamed with personality , being a delightful surprise as a delicious coquette with her twirling fan and flexed feet. Wong, who is way more appropiate on this role and who often gets misscast, overdid a bit in the mock-stumbles but turned into a convincing lovesick suitor. SECOND MOVEMENT This was my favorite movement. It was sooo romantic. Much of Balanchine's movement themes keep the dancers in ballet's second position, feet apart and oftenflexed for comic effect. In this romantic section, eight women stand bowed in second position, feet apart, and then rotate their torsos and arms upward. Like Degas's ballet girls come to life, and like hands on a clock, they signal the duration of a questing episode.Principal Patricia Delgado,poised and virtuosic, seemed to be longing for destiny and found it briefly in the person of Soloist Yang Zou . She danced mysteriously andwith power..Zou was her secure partner, althought i would loved to have seen Principal Carlos Guerra on the part. On Sunday they repeated the cast, perfectly fine .They danced prettily and precisely ; it would be very interesting to see Delgado in a wider range of roles. THIRD MOVEMENT This last section was led just as correctly with merry bravura.The final couple on Saturday was all fire, with super energetic Principal Tricia Albertson, (my favorite Rubies leading lady) and Soloist Daniel Sarabia, (the promising Sarabita's brother) ,who handily held their own . On Sunday it was Corps de Ballet Daniel Baker who was visibly enjoying himself despite all the difficult one-arm lifts,(for a moment i sensed an almost dropping during a fish dive, which didn't happened thank God) and Principal Soloist Jeanette Delgado (my praised Princess Florine during the past AW), who came out of her customary well-behaved shell and filled the space around her with bold breathtaking projection. SO... Dancing under glowing John Hall's lights, Eddie's troupe joyfully danced to the threepieces, all united by beautiful Chaubrier score offered by great La Manna's Opus OneOrchestra. This 1949 work was presented with its humor and dynamism, dignifyied without being overdone. Laughs were heard here and there, and the difficult choreography with rapid footwork en pointe was donewith brio and joy. MCB's dancers totally met the challenge. For a moment i really didn't know where to look at, specially by the finale, with all the complicated choreographic patterns being delivered at the same time by everyone. Now i really have to mention the rest of the names for BF: 1st Movement: Elice Mckinley, Rebecca King, Amir Yogev, Jennifer Lauren, Cindy Huang, Ezra Hurwithz, Ashley Knox, Leigh ann Esty, Michael Breeden, Ruiz, Sara Esty and Daniel Baker 2nd Movement-D'Addario and Tiffany Hedman, Talcot and Maira Barriga, Dlizabeth Smedley, Christie Sciturro, Katie Gibson, Lisa Reneau 3rd Movement-Kyra Homeres, Zherlin Ndudi, Zoe Zien, Marc Spielberger, Elizabeth Keller, LA Esty, H.Riascos,Chaz Meszaros, King,Esty, Stephen Satterfield, Bradley Dunlap, Amanda Weingarten, Ashley Knox, Marshal and Toshiro Abbley. Bravo to Barbara's designs after Barbara (Matera/Karinska ) Again, Well done, Eddie!!

Thank you Thank you everyone. MCB deserved better, that's for sure...right Eddie? And it's always a pleasure.

Are you talking about the clips also showing some solo fragments of Toumanova ...?

Van Hamel, Raffa, Bystrova...(and i thought i would be seeing Kirkland... ) On the other side, i see they reserved Saturday night, (the most crowded night at the Center) for the cuban couple... Bravo Toto and Xiomarita!!!

I think Part totally epithomizes Beauty- (the concept)....

bart, i think i just erased the "helming" thing!!...I don't know , i just clicked on the "expand" link, and the text appeared in a words format. I edited it and boom!, there it was next... fixed as i did it... So i just went and worked on the whole thing. Here's the link. The expertisse opinions, pleeeease...? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_City_Ballet

bart, i think i just erased the "helming" thing!!...I don't know , i just clicked on the "expand" link, and the text appeared in a words format. I edited it and boom!, there it was next... fixed as i did it...

(BTW, in the pic are Part and Gomes, right...?)

Finally we'll get to see it. The controversial production of ABT's Beauty opens thursday 13 t. Sunday 16. Let's see. The following is from the Arsht Center Website: "RECENTLY HERALDED AS 'ONE OF THE GREATEST AND GRANDEST BALLET COMPANIES IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD' BY THE NEW YORK TIMES’ JOHN ROCKWELL" Big words... So anyways, Welcome back, ABT!!! http://www.carnivalcenter.org/tickets/tick...anceNumber=2000