cubanmiamiboy

I am SO glad I skipped Bayadere tonight to see Coppelia. More to come, but Ashley Bouder OWNED the role, particularly during the doll sequences. Joseph Gordon was a much reliable partner for her tonight.

And contradictory accounts on whether Marie did indeed dance on pointe or not on the prologue. I think even first hand witnesses-(I believe Lubov Egorova..?)-declared later on that Marie had NOT dance on pointe, despite that famous photo that exists of her in tutu.

No Bayadere interest for me this season. Coppelia will be tonight.

Cubans have ALWAYS been way better turners and in general "a terre" dancers than jumpers. Let's not forget we learn to dance salsa very early, and the core of salsa is the endless turning. Very rare will you find a Cuban who can't dance.

I was there and it was a SPECTACULAR performance.

AND...her variation is not set to the original Amor music, but rather to "Kitri as Dulcinea"s variation music sans the pique turns coda. Of course Valdes must look tired. The woman is 42 and still dancing Kitri, for God's sake!

She never did. During her 20 years in Ballet Theater-( 39-59)- and the occasional guesting with BRdMC only the pdd was in repertoire-( there is a great video of her and Frederick Franklin dancing it on the Robbins video collection). When the full length production was staged in Cuba she was pass 60. https://goo.gl/images/yMbDKD

I Cuba Coppelius shows up in the wedding furious, but he's given money to compensate for his broken doll and he leaves in good spirit. People bid him farewell in a good way.

He comes with his noble attire of cape and hat. The cape is wrapped around so you can't see what's underneath, but the idea is that he comes as Albrecht and emerges out of the cottage in a different attire and disguised as Loys.

I still can't really grasp what happened. They were EXTREMELY close to the wings when he took her up and down right away for her to keep running. Now...this is a very fast sequence. It must look as if Albrecht just grabbed Giselle's essence for a split of a second. Usually dancers don't do much but up and down, but I believe Bolle tried to turn right after putting Seo down and he stood on her way by doing so...? I also think she might exited using the same wing exit where Roberto stood after putting her down. It was very confusing...and fast. But he CERTAINLY didn't drop her.

I have tickets for three Coppelias. I love this ballet, and miss it terribly from my days in Havana. There it was done in a very regular basis, just as Giselle. I have never seen Balanchine's version. What should I expect...? I am very excited!

Some things you should expect if seeing Giselle's staging, from the top of my head. -This production has its roots in three different productions: the Romanoff/Balanchine 1946 staging for BT in NYC , the Dolin 1948 staging for Ballet Alicia Alonso in Havana and the 1953 Mary Skeaping staging, also for ballet Alicia Alonso. All three versions were premiered by Alonso and Youskevitch. -There are musical cuts and/or differences from the standard versions we know. And here are some of them. - Albrecht's entrance is not set to the triumphant music we are used to. In the Cuban version it is set to the main sweet, arpeggiated leitmotif we hear in the overture. The triumphant music is heard when Albrecht comes out of the cottage after having a change of clothes-(another difference with ABT's, which has Albrecht already dressed as Loys right since his entrance). -The Peasant pas de deux is instead a "ballabile for Giselle's friends". I believe four couples plus two female soloists. -Giselle's Pas Seul finishes with the famous Spessivtzeva's diagonal of pirouettes, instead of the circle of piques usually seen. This diagonal was danced in ABT up until Baryshnikov. I don't know of any other company who keeps it today, besides CNB. -Giselle's Initiation scene in Act II has a double pirouette in attitude on pointe right after the Grand Pirouettes. For this reason, expect the Grand Pirouettes to be executed slower than what you are used to. This section is also cut shorter than ABT's. - Myrtha's choreography is different in certain sections. And her arabesques penchees are way slower and deeper. Cuban Myrtha takes her sweet time with her arabesques. You might find some of the tempi extremely slow. - The series of entrechats for Giselle are done in a devilishly fast way, mimicked after Alonso's, which were just like that. If the ballerina is not very good at such footwork, they might look almost non existent to the eye. - The music for the finale, right after Giselle has bid her final farewell to Albrecht is not the very slow ABT-(or the Russians)- have. At some point I recall reading here that the slow ending had been a change for a staging with Pavlova- ( I think it was Mel Johnson). Instead the ending is here the allegedly original...a very fast, quick music section, which has Albrecht running all over the stage to then collapse over Giselle's grave. - Stylistically, you might find this staging old fashioned, and I suppose the poses will look rather stiff and outdated to some. You won't see amplitude, but rather constriction. Many tilted torsos and necks, and a Chopiniana-like formation for the willis instead of the double line on each side of the stage.

I have little recollection of both. I fell asleep on The Tempest, and right now al can recall is Marcelo Gomes looking like Moses with a huge white beard and a ship prop that turned onstage. And La baiser... something similar. A couple of flashes of the work here and there, like the baby/prop being tossed around from hand to hand. Not too much else I'm afraid...😶

She fell right in the beginning.

Post Intermezzo situation wasn't any better or worse. Whereas "Firebird" looked ridiculous, "Rite"-(or whatever the name is)-was very boring. To play devil's advocate, I don't attribute all fault to McGregor. I just happen to agree with a bunch of Imperial era ballerinas who have declared at various moments their dislike for music "non dansante" for ballet purposes. I really believe Pugni, Minkus, Tchaikovsky or Delibes knew very well how to capture the magic of the dance with their wonderful waltzes, mazurkas and haunting melancholic adagios. And Rite's music, for all its iconic history, is not "musique dansante"-(nor that of Agon or Symphony in Three Movements, for that matter, but Mr.B WAS Mr. B). And "Misty The Photographer"..😂 Anyhow...boring as hell, nothing I would try to see again. Only two things worth of mentioning: 1-How elastic and fit Ferri still is for her age. 2- How sexy Herman looked in those briefs.-(😈).

I am at Internezzo. WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT "FIREBIRD"...?!? First, it gets downplayed as a sort of pseudo- comedy, with all those ridiculous dancing innuendos between the "tsarevich" and the princess, so reminiscing of Cinderella's dancing tutor sequence. And that corps in silly green wigs doing all this ridiculousness on stage, like a bunch of spoiled cheerleaders. Jesus Christ...that was painful to watch. And steps and steps and more steps for Ivan...and of course...very busy dragging/contorting choreo for the pdd with the Firebird. And the Berceuse, one of the most beautiful segments of music, which calls for a grand choreo, gets this stupid pas de quatre, with a grand finale that seems to be a rendering of an MGM 30's production titled "Blondes have more fun". Fokine, Stravinsky and Karsavina must be rolling on their graves. Pathetic.

I completely agree, Abatt. As a lifelong sympathizer to the Jewish race cause to merely exist in this world, I am completely appalled by your report. But it has been widely documented that, lately, political correctness doesn't go in every way. It is selected. I am going tonight, and just as I started the Happy Birthday on Natasha and David from the top of my lungs, I might be inclined to boo said section. I don't care. Won't be the first or last time .

I didn't see one GREAT Myrtha this season. They all had problems getting their penchees right. To be honest, all the MCB Myrthas I saw during their last run of Giselle were far more proficient.

And both of them horrid. Vainonen"s and his pseudo-Rose Adagio for the Fee Dragee and that other modern monstrosity whom I can't even fathom being danced at the Imperial stage.

About Prince Harry and the dressing/clothing talk, I long ago decided just to always remember him for this choice. https://goo.gl/images/YPX2xj

Yes, she can be! She's Prussian after all!😍

The blond and the blonder. A very blond Giselle. MERDE!

You see...you see Big Bolle coming out on those mustard tights and the first thing you think of is..."Gluteus Maximus". Last night really made me believe that Bolle is quite a wonder. Either he sucked vampire's blood or something...because he doesn't seem to slow down. Was anybody able to count his complete series of entrechats...? I stopped around 33 and couldn't keep counting. I was too in awe of his beautiful self-( who isn't, right..?😈) Seo, whom I usually destroy on this forum, has all my praise and respect as Giselle. She was wonderful, lyric and technically proficient. Her balloon is beautiful, and her jetes equal any other of the current Principal, with the exception of , of course, Osipova. The night didn't go completely smoothly for her though. Right after coming off Bolle's arms in the section where Giselle appears running the stage as a ghost in front of him for the first time and he takes her up and puts her down quickly for her to keep running into the wings, something happened. They were both very close to the props on the downstage wings, and either he stood on her way in or she took the wrong entrance around the folliage scenery, but she took a nasty fall. People gasped, and she disappeared from view very quickly. I was expecting even for her no to show again, but she did and she completed the ballet with no other bumps. Bolle is at this point like Osipova. They relax at knowing the ballet so well to the point of being able to play with their characters, adding little mimes and subtleties...not worries about steps any longer. I am VERY happy I went to see this.

Downgrading Mme Copeland...?!?! HERESY!!!😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

I need to confess that I am EXTREMELY pleasantly surprised with Seo tonight. Her Mad Scene was splendid. She was not the crazy lunatic a la Osipova, but more the blank minded ward patient. To be honest, I even enjoyed it more than Natasha's. Right now at intermezzo. One word for Bolle? The man RULES! ,😍😍😍😍