cubanmiamiboy

I have a vague idea that one can contribute to expand those Wikipedia things...but i have no clue whatsoever on how...nor that i intend to...(i'm below 0 on my computer knowledge... )

Before the controversial Carnival Center opened and MCB was based on the Beach's Jackie Gleason, they used to do a once a month sale at their box office. It was $ 10 dollars tickets for College Students and seniors who lived on the Beach. It was on a monday morning, (which back then was my day off), and i used to buy all the tickets for all the performances that i wanted. Around noon the tickets were gone already, (there used to be long lines). Now they don't do that anymore...

Bart, how can somebody getting paid $6.50 per hour afford a ballet performance ? . Budget affects it for sure. Opening up a little, i must confess that if it wasn't for some contacts that provide me with free tickets, i wouldn't be able to go as often as i do. I sure miss the full accesibility...

Oh that's brilliant. I think they would look great together. mmm..so what are we doing with Zakharova and her up to ears extensions...? (She's been his favorite for a while now) Pas de Trois...?

I need to apologize for my delayed posts on Program III, but when in Pediatric finals, i had to get over the temptation to be nearby the computer and Ballettalk...i go out and study in the Public Library... "Pas de Dix". Saturday March 1/08 PDD was also a first timer for me. Somehow i knew that this was going to be fine within my sometimes not to broad taste spectrum, due to its XIX Century feeling being one of Balanchine's three treatments of beautiful Glazunov's "Raymonda" themes . Again, curtains rose and there were the couples , the female dancers richly costumed with tutus by Haydee Morales after Karinska against a simple backdrop implying Ballroom environment. (I'm loving Morales' sense of tradition, bravo Haydee! ) This time Deanna Seay (I missed Catoya on the role, Jack! )and Rolando Sarabia were the white-clad soloists showing some precision work, much of it for Seay en pointe. It appeared to me that there was a dropped pointe derrière kick in one of the later sections; I've notice , however, that Balanchine's choreographies (at least what I've seen so far) are tricky and many times purposely off beats and off balances , so that it may be the viewer,(me and my too critical eye this case, even not being able to do a miserable plie myself) rather than the dancer, who’s off balance. Done with some demanding solos for the eight-dancer corps, as well, PDD was another easily-passed test of stamina for Eddies' troupe. The Dancers Ms.Seay, a beautiful proportioned Principal ballerina, looked perfectly at home in her role . Being already 10 years as a Principal with MCB, she really stood out there with the sparkle and clarity of her dancing and with the lovely resiliency of her pointwork. (Again, the earlier technical observation maybe occurred only in my head...IDK). There was an appealingly sensual feeling on her solo variation and she really filled the stage with her radiance and apparent joy in dancing, though there were moments when her extensions to the back needed to be cleaner and more daring. Her partner this time was my all time favorite Sarabita (aka Rolando Sarabia). Sarabita, as usual, as always , as just what i expected , was a standout with his perfectly projected "Danseur Noble" manners, his attentive dancing service to his ballerina and his always impeccable pirouettes and slowed down perfect endings . With no doubt, as he ages, even lacking his early years extreme flamboyancy , he has acquired a calm air that perfectly supports his clear classical technique and a style noticable for its confidence and airiness (even carrying a rather built up physique, as somebody mentioned earlier). Note: I loved the chemistry between Seay and Sarabia. Both are experienced dancers who really know how to "get you" without struggling with extensions up to ears (in her case) . As for him, i just pray that he gets casted in Swan Lake next season... The other four couples were Zoe Zien and Ezra Hurwitz, Jennifer Lauren and Daniel Baker, Kyra Homeres and Michael Breeden and Leigh Ann Esty and Daniel Sarabia, (Rolando's brother). I really need to mention them because they were perfectly coupled, and they were all smiles and joy through the whole ballet. Again, my reverence to Juan Francisco LaManna and his Opus One Orchestra with its magnificent interpretation of the Glazunov's music. The hungarian spirit was at ita full blast. Bravo again, Eddie! Oops! :blush: , yes, thank you for the observation. I just saw the clarifying post...

I confess that I also like to imagine story elements to certain Balanchine ballets. Not plot so much as an emotional context for situations. It's great to hear that there was a full house. In West Palm my impression that a significant part of the audience is made up of people who know these ballets from New York City or other northern locations, many of them (us) recalling them from the time that Balanchine himself was alive and creating new work constantly. What about Miami? Were you able to get a feel about the audience -- what attracted them to this program? how knowledgeable they were? is there a cross-over from the large audience that grew up with and continues to follow the fortunes of Cuban style ballet? Oh, you can tell there's two totally different type of audiences here in Miami, bart. When the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami perform, usually at the Jackie Gleason on the Beach, the house gets full packed mostly with cubans, the majority of them familiar with the technique, productions and choreographies from the Cuban National Ballet on the 60's and 70's. This people are generally baby boomers, and for what i can ovehear during intermezzos, they carry a powerful choreographic memory, and often compare the new defector stars with those from the past years, (Esquivel, Mendez, Pla, Araujo and so on....). It's also interesting that the most of these people don't live in South Beach, and they come basically from South Miami, where most of the cuban community lives, defying the horrible traffic and messy parking situation of South Beach. Now, i don't see this same people when the MCB performs at the Arsht Center. This is a totally different audience, the majority of them, in this case, wealthy americans and socialites from Bal Harbour and Coral Gables, along with a growing number of mixed younger people. During intermezzos i barely hear any ballet conversations around, and still, the house gets full...I also notice an increasing number of young couples and middle class families going this season to the MCB. At the Jackie Gleason you still hear the circus-like roaring and whistling when a great step is being done...at the Arsht Center, you hear polite but insistent round of applauses...

...hey, it can be also to celebrate a particularly good one too...!!!

Miami Performances: OK, so this was a great week end. I went to see the Saturday 2nd. and Sunday 3th performances. I will subdivide my posts on the two days due to a lack of time. I’m sorry for this but I’m sure you’ll be all benevolent with this ballet amateur. Here... my two cents. Saturday 2. Serenade: Considering myself a total novice (in progress, if IMO) on Balanchine, i went to the Arsht Center with great expectations and full of hope. For some reasons, i was particularly almost begging to the dance muse to get me a pleasant ballet night. Oh, she certainly sent my prayers to the miamian troupe and they took good care of things. So, i need to say it out loud and right away. They were marvelous!!!. There was a full house last night, and i had a great orchestra seat. When the curtain rose, i couldn't help but gasp...The blueish ethereal vision of the female dancers in formation, perfectly symmetric arms dramatically raised against a bare backdrop was more than evocative. The ghostly images started moving to the First Movement of Tchaikovsky's score, "Piece in a Form of a Sonatina: Andante non Troppo" and then "Serenade" officially took over all of myself. I've always been a strong advocate of plots in ballet, so it's still challenging to watch something like this without trying to give the dancers and the choreography a story, a context. I know...this is Balanchine, and it's plotless, but while watching this first piece, i kept remembering how Mme. Alonso always remarked that that was something that Balanchine respected when Youskevitch and her interpreted "Theme and Variations" ...their choice to dance it with a love story quality feeling, and Balanchine himself being curious about it and finally approving it, although it wasn't his primary idea. So here i did the same and took the liberty to "see" things here and there. I guess that this is a personal choice, which i fully took advantage of, while getting immersed in the magnificent displays of lyricism of the female corps (sylphs, willis...?) under the moody ethereal light of the moon...(I think I'm going too poetic...let's keep this more "factual") Something that i appreciate in "Serenade" was the opportunity to see a variety in the hierarchy of the dancers, dancing all together with no distiction (a challenging thing also for me, being an follower of the ballet star system tradition). So here, some Principals, some Soloists, and some Corps dancers impressed me with the extremely high level of their endurance, technical skills, focus, and versatility. It is imperative, i think, in a ballet such as Serenade, to be ever-so-airy and ever-so-dreamlike. Wow, these dancers had to switch tempo, mood, and physical and dramatic tension all the time. The girls constantly were breaking and re-forming into elaborated patterns, emulating the turns and leaps of one another, eventually forming a dynamic circle by the end of the first movement. The cast of choice here were beautiful Jennifer Kronenberg, Amanda Weihgarten and Mary Carmen Catoya, which was substituting Jeanette Delgado. The male leads were Principal Jeremy Cox (taking the place of the originally casted Soloist Yang Zou) and Corps dancer Neil Marshall as the “dark angel” Mary Carmen Catoya was, as usual, all bravura and pure technique. She has always impressed me with her high jetes ,(and she gave us some of those here), secure turns and clean landings. She has a dramatic projection that contrast with her tiny little body. I’ve been following her dancing for a while now, and without a doubt she is nowadays one of the most prominent figures of MCB. If only there was a star system…(again with the same thing...? I know, time to shut up Cristian…) Anyways, she certainly stood up among the other four when “Temma Russo” started. Then there is Jennifer Kronenberg , who s getting more physically attractive every time I see her onstage. Somebody mentioned it before, and I couldn't help but smile at her offering of beauty. Her face is something that makes you feel distracted from her dancing. This is usually even more accentuated when she dances with her husband, Principal Carlos Guerra, which was a no show during the whole program. Still, she possess, as Catoya, a strong technique, although being a bit colder on her dancing. She was the girl that falls onstage, and her falling was carefully done , not to much risks taken…Then there was Jeremy Cox. He is one of my favorites , having the rare quality of looking very attractive onstage even being surpassed in height the most of the times by his female partners. He always attacks the choreography with defying attitude, and that really shows, specially on bravura segments. I remember that he did an excellent job in “Rubies” along with Tricia Albertson as the leading couple in the past. The fine lead casts also included on the second movement Jennifer Lauren, Sara Esty, Ashley Knox and kyra Homeres. Neil Marshal is kind of unknown to me…maybe some others here have seen him dancing before…? Finally, I was moved by the beautifully projected finale to “Elegy”. The image of the dramatic grand procession of the fallen Kronenberg being carried off was of incredible simplicity and beauty. A must to mention is the Orchestra. The Magnificent Tchaikovsky score was interpreted with excellence by Conductor Juan Francisco La Manna and his Opus One Orchestra. There were extremely lovely and sensual string solos and they received a well deserved part of the final ovation.”Serenade” was all that I expected and more…I would really like to see it again, (too bad they don’t do more than one weekend), as it has many layers and nurtures the soul with a quiet, but resonant quality. Haydee Morales recreation of the original Karinska's were very effective in conjunction with John Hall's elaborated lighting design. Well done, Eddie...!!! “Pas de Dix” and “Bouree Fantasque” coming next…

Going this weekend to the Arsht Center. (Miami goes last this time ah...? . ) Will be reporting back...

Thank you, Gina for your beautiful recounting...We'll always remember our lovely "Yuyi" fondly... This is old news, but i wanted to post it anyways... Havana, Jul 3 (acn) The Legion of Honor Order, which is the highest decoration granted by the French government to personalities in the world of Arts and Culture, was granted post-mortem to Cuban ballerina Josefina Mendez (1941-2007). French ambassador to Cuba, Marie France Pagnier gave the award to Victor Gili, the son of departed Josefina Mendez. Gili is a first dancer of the National Ballet of Cuba, as his mother was. Josefina Mendez, who died of cancer early this year, has been dubbed one of the "Four Jewels" of the Cuban classic dance along with Loipa Araujo, Aurora Bosch and Mirta Pla. Videos of the most outstanding moments of Mendez' career were screened during the awarding ceremony such as her performance of "Giselle" along Etoil Cyril Atanassoff, at the Opera of Paris in 1972. Known for her classicism, superb technique, and dramatic flair, Mendez won bronze and silver awards at the Varna International Ballet Competition, as well as honors in France, Italy, and Brazil. In addition to her performing career, she founded Cuba's National School of Arts, where she developed the Cuban technique and coached most of todayÂs great local dancers. France's Legion of Honor Order was created by Napoleon Bonaparte back in the 19th century. It is usually awarded to French personalities; however, a few personalities of other nationalities have been honored as well. In Cuba, Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso, filmmaker Alfredo Guevara, writer Miguel Barnet, and doctor Rodrigo Alvarez Cambra have been awarded the Order. http://www.mujer.notiemail.com/arte/articu...mp;Idsubctg=200

I SO have to pass those glass doors of the MCB studio and stop watching the adult class through the window...one of this days...Now I'm totally embarrassed after reading your story.

So if "Indochine" (even being a foreign language film) won for Best Pic.,(not Best Foreign Language Pic).. and Loren and Cotillard have won, even playing in foreign language films while speaking language other than english... 1-What criteria do they take to decide that a film is "foreign" ..? 2-Is the whole thing totally international, meaning that any film from anywhere in the world can apply for the golden idol in every category...?

But now I'm confused. I always though that the awards, with the exception of the "Best Foreign Film" were supposed to go to "nationals" (meaning United States-based) as a requirement, including awards to actresses and actors. And now i see Cotillard (French) and Bardem (Spanish) competing in the same categories with the americans...Or is that they can sneak in because the films in which they participated are "national" ? (meaning being the nationality of their producers American, no matter the director's, the actors' or even the language in which is presented, as far as i know)...which lead me to ask myself the nationality of Cotillard's and Bardem's films respectively...Who are their producers...?

he,he...take about a wide spectrum...(which words did you use for your searching...?)

Cate also screamed in "Elizabeth.."...a little

BTW...i went to talk to her backstage, and...there will be news. I wish i could talk about it, but i know the rules...

Here's an update on the Company's 2008 Season Program. 08/Season Programs II-III-IV Manuel Artime Theater-Miami. April 5-6/May 10-11/ 2008 Coral Springs Center for The Arts. April 20/ 2008 -Bayadere Suite -Harlequinade PDD -Esmeralda PDD -Le Spectre de la Rose -Don Quijote PDD -L'apres-midi d'un faune -Le Corsaire PDD -Grand Pas Clasique ...plus the cuban work Majisimo. Aha...good for my boys and girs...

I know...when given a role, i think they look right away for the screaming scenes...if there's not enough, I'm sure they get nervous. I'm a little tired of the screaming stuff, to be honest...

L...?, la,la I'm the lowest of the low around here. I'll say no more. ...he,he...see?, there's nothing hidden between earth and sky ...

Mmm...yes, sweeeeeeeet for Daniel Day-Lewis...Congrats!!

Sunday 24 matinee: A Swan Lake that will stay forever in the minds of those lucky enough to have seen it. For now i have only three words and five emoticons... Hayna , you rocked!!!! Will report later, when i calm down...

How could I ever have forgotten Jose Manuel Correno? (sorry, my key board doesn't have the Spanish tilda for the N). Now I am sure you are happy Crisitan!!! Yes, how could you!!. . Now i'm totally happy...

I would have probably skipped the posting on this performance, since I'm so dissatisfied with it , but it would be unfair to tonight's Siegfried, Taras Domitro, the latest defector of the Cuban balletic exodus... This company is doing an immense effort to "continue" the tradition of the Cuban style and school in America, but something is not working. So far what i've notice they do is using by memory Mme. Alonso's versions on choreographies and revamping them, mixing them with substitutions on what they think are theie weakest points , with a weird result. Watching this Swan Lake tonight gave me the same impression as if i had ran into a very old friend who's in a profound physical decay but which i still recognize (barely) in certain mannerisms and signs. The old choreography that i remember as the palm of my hand was there...but changed, altered, due to an abvious lack of high technical demands that it requires. So let's review it. First, i gasp in dissapoint when i see a program change. Ms. Lorena Feijoo, the cuban SFB principal who is a member of CCBM also, is injured and will be substitued by Ms. Adyaris Almeida, the former CNB-Cincinnatti Ballet principal and former teen dancing partner of Rolandito Sarabia when both graduated from the ballet school at the same time. Oh well, i'm already predisposed. Act I started, as expected, with a "Pas De Six"as the Waltz. Here they performed just as i remembered, copycat, with the last triple series of over shoulder lifts followed by the three couples fish dives at unison...this is usually very effective, but it looked dangerous here, although no accidents happened, thank God. Then we had the highlight of the Act, the "Pas de trois", . I have to mention , specially, the two girls, Jordan Elizabeth Long and Grace Anne Powers, (which i saw doing Myrtha last year in her debut, at 14 and has a beautiful romantic line and perfect supple). Very nice Ms. Powers. Siegfried, Mr. Domitro, did show up already and is seated watching, as usual...(Domitro looks veeeery young, almost like a teenager). Speeding things up, the Queen enters, very regal, older, much more in the character than that young girl from the ABT's SB. Transition to Act II without intermission...Lakeside, Rothbart shows up looking-(thank God)-very much like the big winged green owl fromn NBC and not like the ET/Alien look of other productions I've seen...Odette gets in the scene. Is Adyaris Almeida, . Note: About her i will just write what i liked...will omit the rest for obvious reasons. Going quick to the Love Duet we saw that her strengts are her very fast entrechats and batteries , precise balances and a lot of drama...(oh yes, mucho drama) .She also delivered a totally Alonso's style swan transformation at the end of the act. People, (he,he) went wild...oh yes, they remember very well...About Domitro, they arranged a solo for Siegfried set to the Tempo di Valse music from the original Act I (- the "Merry Makers PDD"-) . He did some beautiful jetes-menages...Intermission Act III. Zcharda and Mazurka are identical as those from Cuba. Rechoreographied are the Tarantella and the Spanish. I missed the two sets of entrechasixes from the italians... Let's skip all the rest, princesses and all...not interesting. So, ta-dah...Black Swan!!...Oh God...this was just...something. Did i see Gorski, Alonso, Petipa or what...? Oh yes, it was everything all together, and then, what everyone is expecting...the Coda. So here she comes and boom!, she opens with a set of quadruple pirouettes and repits it a couple of more times more while doing very extravagant fouettes, leg at a perfect 90 a la second all the time. She turns really fast, but travels really fast too..I'm scared. Then, she stopped...on pointe. Good, people is screaming and i'm happy.(- i was really afraid she was gonna fall). Audience is still going wild. Finally The Odile/Rothbart transformation reveals...Almeida reveals her histrionic qualities running all over the place while laughing , malevolent . Audiee screams in delight. I'm smiling...She totally fooled me. I didn't get the sautees sur le pointe en arabesque penchee that fallows the fouetees in the cuban version. Grrr. But still, she knows how to put lots of drama...Oh, yes, no fainting Queen. Shoot, i like the fainting Queens... Transition to Act IV. All new choreography. In Cuba Alonso resolves quick the whole thing, resuming the act as a much shorter transitional epilogue with the sovietized happy ending. Here they wanted the real thing...the whole act including its colective suicide...everbody goes into the mattress and i wonder if they're scoring their jumps back there. Hers was fabulous. Absurd final...one doesn't know when we see the couple on top of a rock that moves center stage what happened to them, if they're alive or dead...or if this is heaven or ...Well, who knows...Note: I missed the very effective Siegfried/Rothbart fighting and Rothbart's spasmodic death onstage... Music: The orchestra was a disaster. The score couldn't get any slower. Why didn't just played a nice Fedotov recording instead...? (And this observations goes for ALL companies and productions, if i may say) Costumes: Medieval inspiration. Well done. Corps: Aceptable. Scenography: Let's not even go there... P.S- I'll go to today's performance, but i must confess, i'll skip Acts I and II...Will get there just in time for the sautees of the Black Swan Coda. See, Hayna dances today, and (-this is from her own words-) she'll perform them. I sat behind her last night.

Anthony Dowell is a good dancer.... but handsome? Probably not. Orlando Salgado in his time (1970's) Ballet Nacional de Cuba is the picture of a beautiful male dancer. Aha...! Yes...you're totally right, he along with Fernandito (Jhones, -RIP-)... agree?

L...?, la,la