cubanmiamiboy

3 hours ago, rg said:

the dismemberment of the dummy limbs of Harlequin is definitely a part of Balanchine's staging and perhaps even of Gusev's...

Yes! I just realized about it tonight, when they repeated the stunt. Tonight was even more violent.

52 minutes ago, Laurent said:

It is important to understand that Legnani was dancing Raymonda in 1898 while Preobrajenska was rehearsing it in 1903, she was thus to dance a new production; in all such cases altering and adapting the text for a new soloist was a standard practice.

Laurent...if you go back a bit on this thread, you will see why I came back to mention this fact. When the Mariinsky came to DC, this section was much discussed, for which some ballerinas obviously did not do the difficult entrechats on pointe, but rather changements. It was interesting to see that they have been quite following into the footsteps of their venerable originals.🤗

In a little note...I hope they somehow fixed the dummy of Harlequin for tonight. They ripped off one of his legs, and I don't think it was intentional...😂

1 hour ago, Laurent said:

There is no need to invoke any contrived explanations, even less so, "to rehabilitate Marie Petipa  as a major Mariinsky performer" in view of  what the serious "students" of the history of Imperial Ballet in Petersburg have already known, and for a long time. The following quote from an article by ballet critic N.Fedorov, published in the issue N° 40 for the year 1900 of the journal Theatre and Art, speaks to us with the immediacy of facts, not imputed "assumptions":
 

(1re means "première"; it was customary to distinguish between dancers with the same last names, by ordinals, thus "Pavlova 2me" stood for "Anna Pavlova", etc.)

One need not, however, to be familiar with the sources, in order to form a clear idea about Marie Petipa, the dancer. The testimony to the limitations of Marie Petipa as a classical dancer is first of all attested by the very text of her Lilac fairy prepared for her by her own father, who was aiming at demonstrating the best the dancer could do, as was the established custom then. And this was when Marie Petipa was 33, i.e., at the height of her powers.

Accounts on the mistery of Marie Petipa and her dancing in SB are as many as contradictory. For instance, Elizaveta Gerdt, the daughter of Pavel Gerdt, says that by the time she appeared as a child in the production with Petipa as Lilac, the variation had been dropped from the ballet because Marie just couldn't dance it, and by the time she herself danced the role, she had to ask Egorova to teach it to her, because she, as one of the last Tsarist Lilacs, had reinstitute the variation.  If I remember correctly, Egorova then danced to a variation created by F. Lopukhov. Also, different accounts appear on the steps both Karsavina and Pavlova danced when it was their turn to debut in the role by 1904 which, if I remember correctly, none included the famous variation we know today. Meaning that apparently at some point in the performance history of the ballet this variation, having been danced exclusively by Marie, had been apparently dropped... but with the rest of the character scenes still retained by Petipa's daughter.

2 hours ago, lacdescygnes said:

. Sorry to report I never as stiff a dancer as Moncho as Myrta. I know the arm positions are different in this version, but the corps and Morejon didn't look as tense! 

I understand what you mean, and I knew someone would notice-(I referred to the issue in a post above). This has to do with the way Alonso and her regisseurs want the ballet, which is essentially the way she remembers it, and the stiffness that you notice is exactly the opposite as the certain freedom of movement and interpretation you are used to see in modern ballerinas , particularly in performers like Osipova. The performances of CNB, particularly Giselle, are plagued by the most fierce ostracism you can imagine. Not one gesture can be added..not one different arm position can be attempted. Alicia wants a carbon copy of a 1948 performance, and that's how Giselle has come. Now... for some, this could pose an interesting, curious point of comparison. 

1 hour ago, Inge said:

I have to admit, I'm a little worried about Boylston's disclaimer here:

'If you approach watching Harlequinade as taking a little trip back in time, I think you will really enjoy yourself and be transported.'

Anyone who goes tonight, please report back! I'm debating whether to see 2 or 3 casts. 

I believe she totally "got" what this ballet is tonight and might represent in the future for both audiences and performers.  If anything, be assured audiences in 10 years from now won't be having deep discussions on how to portray Columbine the same way we do today about Giselle, Odette/Odile, Raymonda or even Swannilda.

1 hour ago, theo said:

 I hope they come back to KC sometime in the near future.   The last time I saw them before this was in NY in 1998. They danced Cinderella. Way too much time between performances.

And that they bring something different. How about the company taking advantage of still having active works in repertoire from the old BT days that have been all but dropped anywhere else...? Triple bill of Dolin's "Grand Pas de Quatre", William Dollar's Le Combat and Lifar's "Aubade", for example..?

On 3/1/2016 at 9:47 AM, MadameP said:

With regard to the diagonale of entrechats4 (or not!), I was not present at the American run of Raymondas, but have seen many Raymondas on the Mariinsky stage in St Petersburg. For the sake of information only, here is a list of all those ballerinas I have seen perform the role of Raymonda at Mariinsky Theatre, and what they actually performed during this sequence.

Lopatkina - changements

Tereshkina - changements

Matvienko - changements

Skorik - changements

Kondaurova - did maybe 2 entrechat4 then the rest changements

Shirinkina - entrechat4

Kolegova - entrechat4

Somova - entrechat4

I just wanted to do a quick return to this issue. According to The Petipa Society, the troubles of doing changements vs entrechats on pointe on this section goes back to the very Petipa times. It looks like Legnani, the original Raymonda, did the most difficult option...the entrechats, whereas les accomplished technician Preobrajenskaya went for changements, and hers is the variation that was notated. Doug Foullington...correct me if I am wrong...?

https://petipasociety.com/raymonda/

Giselle, 1968. 48 YO.

Swan Lake @ 13:30. (1962, 42 YO)

Here's what Alicia has to say in...

Coppelia. 1961, 41 YO.

Some more thoughts.

-Coppelia ought to be the most dancing-friendly ballet ever produced. It certainly epithomyzes like no other ballet the "musique dansante" concept. It is so full of beautiful melodies, one right after the other one. I haven't been able to take them out of my head.

- Dr. Coppelius has a very moving vulnerable moment when he kneels in front of his beloved doll, wishing to bring the life on her. 

- Coppelia has a #metoo moment while in Dr Coppelius arms, sitting on his lap. But she puts him in place right away ! 😎

- Ashley Bouder embodies my ideal ballet physique for a ballerina. Muscular legs, strong ankles and straight pointes. No hyperflexed tibial curvatures a la Copeland-( which takes the beauty of the chainee turns away) or mushy curved pointes/insteps, so prone to get off pointe at any difficulty. Bouder reminds me of the great Cuban dancers of the 80's. Wonderful "a terre" strong-( not willowy)- ballerinas who never ceased to dazzle with their dancing instead of their poses. BRAVA!

- Again... anybody on the "why" Prayer doesn't actually...pray in this version..?

Some variations on the subject.

Are you all ready...?🤗😍

I did a repeat tonight on Bouder. Currently at intermezzo. She's one of the BEST Swannildas/Coppelias I have ever seen. Oh...how I would love now to see her Giselle...😔

50 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

The sets and most costumes are by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, although Karinska is credited with 3-4 soloist costumes + those of the kids in A3.

The men’s corps costumes are based on traditional Hungarian outfits. Trust me, as a Hungarian-American. 😃 

You're right. I looked them up, and they look like this.

https://goo.gl/images/bMf9ys

Some points from the top of my head.

-Lovely production, with a strong vintage feeling. In a black and white picture it could look as something out of Ballet Russes de Montecarlo.

- Backdrops in a "chagallesque" style-(particularly act I)

- I do like the Karinska costumes. The short pink number for Swannilda might look odd to some, but I much prefer it to the huge bell shaped skirts I have seen I other productions. It looks very cute and straight from another ballet era, again..very Ballet Russe's de Montecarlo. 

- I quite didn't get the male costumes for the Mazurka. I'm sure they are probably very historically accurate, but still. Particularly the "pants"

- Wonderful doll sequences. If this was also Danilova's, kuddos to Mme. 

- Waltz of the Hours with the little girls was unexpected to me. And very charming. Quite a continuity from Balanchine of the Imperial stage tradition to do so and get the kids used to the stage.

- Prayer doesn't look the part. Where are the "praying" gestures...?

- Mixed feelings about the "War and Discord" divertissement. Overwhelming costumes-(I think this is the most I have seen in a Balanchine dancing role...even more than the Midsummer butterflies) and sort of repetitive.

- What are all those initials on the bells..? I think I might had seen AD for Danilova, LK for Lincoln K. and GB for Balanchine. Am I wrong..?

Just now, CharlieH said:

She reminds me a lot of Xiomara Reyes in this role. Unforced charm, great technique & lovely lines, despite petite stature.

Yes indeed.

3 hours ago, California said:

 

• I always wonder if Albrecht (Raul Abreu) will do the flying brises (a la Baryshnikov) or the entrenchets (a la Bolle, Gomes, Nureyev, Hallberg, et al.). Neither, it turns out, in this version. Two not-very-impressive double cabrioles and some promenade around the stage. Not exactly under Myrtha's spell. 
•  

Remember this is a production that dates to the 40's. Nothing has been added. The whole entrechats/brise' voles started with the Soviets. I'm sure some who saw the pre-Baryhsnikov productions-(atm711?)- might give credit to this. Same with the over head lifts.

On 5/31/2018 at 9:19 AM, nysusan said:

I had been considering traveling to see him - I am so glad that I didn't!

I saw him in Miami with the tour. Alas, it was a small stage and probably under rehearsed, but he looked completely underwhelming. He came and went and left no remarkable impact on the performance 

I thought some of you might find this full length recreation Alonso did for her company of the delightful Petipa/Drigo creation interesting to watch. 

Enjoy.

At the matinee right now, and Erica Pereira has been delightful. Such a tiny, little thing...😍

3 hours ago, California said:

 

• Albrecht's ending after Giselle returns to the grave was startling. He did a variation himself of fast turns and leaps around the stage and finally flung himself on the grave. Very odd -- as if he were celebrating or having his own mad scene?

 

The original ending of the ballet is the "Lever du Soleil et Arrivee de la Cour", with Bathilde and the court making an appearance with some mime between Giselle, Albrecht and his fiancee. The fast music ending is the original. The slow cut you're used to I believe belongs to a production done for Pavlova's debut in 1903, supervised by Petipa-(even though he was in forced retirement by then). The Cuban production aims at portraying desperation at the end, vs sorrow.