cubanmiamiboy

indeed it is.

That's the price Mme. Alonso has to pay, sadly...getting to know that her dancers will be defecting one day or another. About the audience, that's another story. One major ballerina defects, two more get the rank next day and the Lorca keeps filled with screams and whistles to the new stars...That's a never ending cycle, (i experienced it several times).

Wow...I remember that Hayna was always a favorite among the balletomanes in Havana, and became first dancer to supply the demands when Lorna Feijoo and Alihaydee Carreno, (both first Dancers), almost defected at the same time a few years ago. A very well educated and refined young lady, IMO. Now, it's all about Viengsay Valdes, and the new sensation, Annette Delgado, (which i have the feeling won't last too long over there.)..Anyways, my warmest welcome, and glad to keep the tradition of the Cuban Ballet School alive over here!!...

He,he...come to the Carnival Center in Miami to see the Bal Harbor society ladies wearing her big furs during 90 degrees nights...

I know, anettefan. I always look for clips of her, unsuccesufully, having just found some little sequences of her beautiful "Giselle". Don't get me wrong, i must admit the technical precision of Viengsay, but she'll never possess the lyrism and beautiful stage presence of Anette. Thank you for the link. Stay in touch, and welcome!

I've always been a strong advocate for a more serious non-seasonal adult oriented staging of the ballet. The following is a fragment of an interesting article of Kathleen Wessels for the Journal Constitution about the Atlanta Ballet Production. "When did "The Nutcracker," and many other ballets for that matter, become so childish? Why must panda suits and pigs en pointe dance onstage with trained artists? Maybe ballet in Atlanta is best supported by families with young children, and companies are adjusting their programming accordingly. But "The Nutcracker" is a timeless, albeit fantastical, story with scary characters (the Rat King is no Barney). Ballet patrons, just like patrons of other art forms, should be challenged with a mature reading of a historical classic. The Atlanta Ballet's highly trained professionals deserve no less." http://www.ajc.com/holidayguide/content/ho...acker_1205.html

Sat. Dec 14/07 Ok, so i'm just back from the second night of the Nutcracker at the Carnival Center, Miami. Actually, i must confess that , as i work until 7:30 pm, i knew i wasn't going to make it thru the horrible Miamian traffic to get in time to Downtown, so i decided just to get in after the intermission (i know, i missed all the I Act little kids party.. ) Oh, but first,as a reminder, i would like to quote myself on the following: The production/choreography Now, i can really start my post which is going to be brief . Wow, I'm really sorry to keep repeating about how dissapointed i am with this Nutcracker production, and with the generalized Christmas cliche in which this imperial masterwork has morphed.. Act I As i said before, i didn't get to see it this time, (no big deal, since i'm aware of Balanchine's omission of the Snow PDD, one of my big reasons to go see this ballet , and I know, Mel, that Pavlova and Clustine have been dead for a while now, but still, i miss that version and the PDD. Act II Now, this is what really upsets me. I read somewhere that the Balanchine version has become the "standard" for the staging of the ballet in America, and it's been praised several times for conserving the little kid's battle mime. Ok, that's all fine, but then, my very big question, which always seems to be left without an answer is: why the new generations of balletgoers for which this "standard' version will be the first one, (and probably the only one ) they'll ever see live onstage have to be deprived of the complete original sequence of one of the most beautiful PDD ever created by Tchaikowsky/Petipa, the SPFPDD...?. I'm sorry, but I'll never understand this truncated version in which theSugar Plum Fairy's celesta variation is moved from its original place following the Adagio at almost the end of Act II to near the beginning just after she makes her first appearance. To keep on with the oddities, then the Cavalier's variation, the beautiful tarantella that comes right after is also cut!, erased!!...adios!!! So we are basically left with the Adagio and the Coda !. Oh,well, at least is not Baryshnikov's version, which totally omits the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, and gives their dances to Clara in a nightgown and the Prince.. God, One of this days we'll have Mother Commedia dancing the female variation! Then there's the issue with the Russian Dance, (or Trepak, as i knew it back in Cuba) Watching the Trepak I could always noted the excitement, athletic display and importance given to folk dances in ballet productions back in the imperial days. According to some literature Tchaikovsky was inspired by the Russian Trepak, a dance with Cossak origins, typically performed by men wearing high black boots and features "prisiadka" -(had to look for the right spelling of the word)- which is the kicking of the legs from a squatting position and some grand ecartes too at the end...Tchaikovsky's Trepak is one of the most recognized examples of art music from the ballet, and then, what do we have instead...? some candy canes... Oh!, and what about the so called Drewdrop.character..Who is she...? what's going on with her...?..What's her story? She seems to be a little out of place. The Dancers: Highlights ; 1-Jeanette Delgado as the Marzipan Sheperdess . Great technique, beautiful feet, killer smile, excelent extensions and great sense of joy while onstage. 2-Deanna Seay as the SPF. Regal and glamorous. Very elegant, with beautiful lines, elongated arabesques and precise balances... 3-The dancer that substitued Daniel Baker in the Chinesse Dance, (can't remember his name now) Excelent. He performed some Grand Ecartes/Russian Jumps that were breathtaken. 4- Finally, I must confess the real reason that moved me to go see the Second Act tonight : to whistle and scream "Bravos" to Sarabita which has always been my idol , dancing the SPF Cavalier , . It's true, he's getting stockier, and he's not using his old signature anymore, those final open wide ronde de jambes after his multiple pirouettes, which are not as superfast as they used to be....But we have to remember that he's been suffering from knee problems and surgeries in the past . Still, Bravo for him!! The corps were manificent The flying device carrying Marie and the little Prince at the end always reminds me of a Las Vegas act. And then, no waking up for Marie to realize that it was all a dream, which i think makes way more sense as an ending... No bart, they didn't

...i'll go one day to Russia... WELCOME!!

Noooooooo... You got it! Uuuh...yeah...He's certainly way toooo different for my so called "anachronic" taste...

My deepest condolences to the Alexander and Bragado-Young families. God, and I just keep thinking :" The last thing Jennifer did on this earth before departing was joining and enjoying the happiness of all those kids and their families on that -for her-last "Nutcracker" . RIP Jennifer Alexander

I don't seem to be able to reach Bourne's upper level of choreography recreation/comprehension/interpretation/sophistication yet. Sorry.

Oh, those "Baby ballerinas"...

I would pay what i don't have just to be able to see Taglioni...even if doing a motionless romantic pose...

Wow...this is getting better. I haven't seen the MCB's nutcracker in a couple of years, not being a big fan, as i have stated before, of the B. choreography. But i'll go this season for sure, just to see the Catoya/Sarabita duo. It's going to be very special in a personal way. Before leaving Cuba in 2001, i made my last trip to the Lorca Theater in La Habana to attend my last ballet performance ever in the homeland. That night NBC was performing "Nutcracker" in its Alonso staged Fokine/Fedorova version. The "SPF PDD" was amazingly danced by a young and powerful Rolando Sarabia and a stunningly precise Lorna Feijoo. I still have vivid memories of the PDD swooning Adagio's climax, when at the end Sarabita rocked the arched Feijoo like a pendulum, the back of her head almost sweeping the floor. (Divine Fokine! ) I'll be reporting back. Amen, bart

Amen. That's totally right.

Not only the checkerboard floor and the columns backdrop...but all this at 46 and blind!

We're just one step away from adding the new category "ballet" to the sports field. As i stated in a previous post, i can't wait to see the black swan in the future Olympic Games...and with no tutus...maybe they are soon to be considered too old fashion and an obstacle to show off the next world goal: 88 pirouettes..how does that sound...? What do you think Taglioni, Pavlova, Fonteyn, Danilova, Makarova, Alonso, Farrell...?

aka my beloved Mme. Alicia Alonso Thank you, Innopac!

I know...BNC PR services are unexistent, and for some odd reason, their web site, very active in the past, has been closed for a long time...and no word on when are they planning to re open it... Sorry for not being more helpful...

The BNC official web site is out of order for now. Here is the last update on their touring schedule. 2007 performances and tour dates Dates City Country Ballets Americas January 6 - January 7, 2007 Havana Cuba Les Sylphides, Sinfonía Para Nueve Hombres, The Magic Flute February 8 - February 9, 2007 Antigua Guatemala Guatemala Giselle February 15, February 16, February 17 & February 18, 2007 Havana Cuba Coppélia February 20 - March 18, 2007 Mexico Tour: Mexico City, San Luis Potosí, Monterrey, Chihuahua, Saltillo, Torreón, Ciudad Juárez, Villahermosa Mexico La Magia de la Danza, Coppélia March 7 - March 25, 2007 Ecuador Tour (various cities) Ecuador Swan Lake, Alfonsina, Coppélia, Tablada, Flames of Paris, Chaikovski Pas de Deux, Diana y Acteon, Danzas de Mozart, Le Corsaire, March 30 - April 1, 2007 Havana Cuba Prólogo Para Una Tragedia, Pas de Deux Mozart Divertimento April 5 - April 8, 2007 Havana Cuba La Magia de la Danza, April 9 - April 15, 2007 San José Costa Rica Tiempo de Danzón, Le Corsaire, Después del Diluvio, Coppélia, El Chueco April 13 - April 14, 2007 Matanzas Cuba Varied program April 22 - April 29, 2007 Havana Cuba XIX Festival La Huella de España, Majisimo April 26 - 29, 2007 São Paulo Brazil La Magia de la Danza May 1, 2007 Maceió Brazil Giselle May 5 - May 6, 2007 Havana Cuba Varied program May 6 - May 7, 2007 Recife Brazil Le Corsaire May 9, 2007 Aracaju Brazil Coppélia, May 11 - May 13, 2007 Brasilia Brazil Tiempo de Danzón, Le Corsaire, Después del Diluvio, Coppélia, El Chueco May 16 - May 17, 2007 Florianópolis Brazil Giselle June 4 - June 10, 2007 Havana Cuba Función de clausura del curso académico 2006-2007 del Taller vocacional de la Cátedra de Danza del Ballet Nacional de Cuba June 16 - June 17, 2007 Cárdenas Cuba Varied program June 22 - June 24, 2007 Havana Cuba Giselle June 28 - July 1, 2007 Havana Cuba Giselle July 6 - July 7, 2007 Cárdenas Cuba Varied program July 14 - July 15, 2007 Havana Cuba Tiempo Fuera de la Memoria August 3 - August 5, 2007 Cienfuegos Cuba Tiempo Fuera de la Memoria October 5 - 7 2007 Havana Cuba 50th Ann. of Tema y Variaciones October 12 - October 14, 2007 Havana Cuba Pas de Quatre, Napoli November 24 - November 25, 2007 Cárdenas Cuba Varied program December 9 - December 17, 2007 Ontario Canada The Nutcracker December 24, 2007 / January 1, 2008 Havana Cuba TBA Europe Dates City Country Ballets May 1 - 20, 2007 Spain Tour: Palma de Mallorca and Valencia Spain Cinderella July 6 - August 5, 2007 Paris France Don Quixote, Giselle August 20 - September 23, 2007 Europe Tour 3: Copenhagen, Madrid Denmark, Spain Cinderella, Swan Lake, La Magia de la Danza November 1 - December 10, 2007 Europe Tour 4: Belgium, Hungary, Italy Don Quixote, Giselle December 14 - 31, 2007 Europe Tour 5: Athens Greece Don Quixote, Giselle Hope it helped...

While reading an online article in the Miami Herald, i found this interesting quote from Mme Alicia Alonso, as a request to President George Bush. "Let us work together so that Cuban artists and writers can take their talent to the United States, and that you are not prevented from coming to our island to share your knowledge and values. So that a song, a book, a scientific study or a choreographic work are not considered, in an irrational way, crimes." . Alicia Alonso

Besides my favorite "Les Parapluies...", i also vote for the chic Claude Lelouch's 1966 "Un homme et une femme"-("A Man and a Woman")- with Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant . This film was the winner of the Grand Prix at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay . Also Aimée was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Lelouch for Best Director. Besides that, I just love its tasteful environment and lovely story, amen its beautiful score. Try it.

Wow!...talk about high extensions...! Thank you Helene for the pics...

I know the feeling. I myself felt frustrated several times back when i came to US and my english wasn't that good, when going to the movie theaters and not having subtitles, so not being able to understand half of the dialogues... The "dead-ghostly" mother is played by great actress Carmen Maura , one of Almodovar's favorite muses and seen in almost all of his old works. You HAVE to see her playing a male-to-female transexual on his strong gay themed 1987 "Law of Desire" . She is FANTASTIC! "Shocking" and "twisted" are mantras-(along with "women" and "neurosis")-in Almodovar's filmography, so be prepared if you plan to watch some of his old movies.

Amen Aurora.