cubanmiamiboy

Oh, well...what about the fact that i sometimes have to explain to some of my clients that Cuba, where i am from, IS NOT A COUNTRY SITUATED ANYWHERE WITHIN THE CONTINENTAL SOUTH AMERICA, AS SOME SEEMS TO STRONGLY BELIEVE, BUT RATHER AN ISLAND JUST A FEW MILES AWAYS SOUTH OF SOUTH FLORIDA?!?!?! Talk about fifth grade geography.

wiley has little to say about the PAS DE SIX.

his translation of the poster for the first production in 1877 lists "In the third act:"

number 13 [as in the 13th number in the whole ballet up to this point, according the moscow poster] "Mlle Karpakova I, students Savitskaya, Mikhailova, Dmitrieva, Vinogradova, and Mr. Gillert II - PAS DE SIX." TCHAIKOVSKY BALLETS, p. 343

part of the confusion over the history of the ballet comes, i suspect, from the fact that no. 17 in the 1877 score, originally named "Scene - arrival of guests and waltz" was renamed in 1895 to become "Waltz of the prospective brides" thus making for much confusion when considering the '77 score and it's no. 19 - i.e. the PAS DE SIX in question here - which is variously described in the notes to 20th recordings as "variations for the visiting Princesses"

i've heard a number of people familiar with burmeister's 1953 staging of SWAN LAKE [see below] often refer to his use of the PAS DE SIX music the 'pas des financees' even tho' petipa, after cutting this Pas altogether called the earlier number, the 'scene' (no. 17), his 'waltz of the perspective brides'

as the '77 poster notes that both karpakova I (probably as odile?) and gillert II (as siegfried) were intended to take part in this pas/6, along w/ four student dancers. just what all this was meant to indicate of the plot, and what characters these students were meant to represent, is unknown so far as current SWAN LAKE scholarship has it.

Swan lake Original title: Lebedinoe ozero. Chor: Vladimir Burmeister (Acts I, III, IV) and Petr Gusev (Act II) after Ivanov and Petipa; mus: Petr Chaikovskii; lib: Vladimir Begichev and Vasilii Gel'tzer; scen: A. Lushin; cos: E. Arkhangel'skaia. First perf: Moscow, Stanislavskii and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater, Apr 25, 1953, Stanislavskii and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater Ballet.//First perf by Paris Opera Ballet: Opéra, Dec 21, 1960. Scen & cos: Dimitri Bouchène.

Thank you, Mr. R.G for your always wonderful explanations.

Not to be contrary, but may I ask how you know? Is it notated?

Oh, sorry for not being very clear...this IV Act only exists in my mind...

also, is just that i'm not particulary fond of the "Vals bluette"... , and i have a tendency to see choreography (IN SWAN LAKE'S IV ACT), second to music...

I am a needlework artist in upstate New York, so I get to make a lot of trims for ballet costumes and the occasional costume piece.

Niamh S.

Welcome Niamh!..That's interesting what you do. You could perhaps bring up some subjects for topics on ballet costumes. I think it would be interesting...

Here is a great article giving some interesting insight to the MCb collaboration with Elvis Costello and Twyla Tharp....

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content...ee_no_2_co.html

I’m a little disappointed that a rock band will be on stage for the dance along with an orchestra, but perhaps the scenario for the ballet requires it. I would have hoped that were Costello to make another attempt at a ballet that he would try to just use the orchestra, as he had done with Il Sogno.

Putting a band up there sounds crutchy, and I imagine its appearance will have to be integrated with the action or it’s just going to be a distraction. It also seems to say: This is a piece of celebrity performance art, and therefore you’ll excuse us if it’s less than Stravinsky.

This sounds really interesting and innovative.... I have to wonder how the dancing is going to be incorporated around such a thing. Hmm...

Hmmm...

Hi carbro:

Does it adds...?...Well...the fiancees contest WAS PART OF THE STORY SINCE IT WAS FIRST CONCEIVED ...Giselle wasn't interested in Hilarion neither, and he's still there, so is Abderrakhan in "Raymonda", and so on...Besides, isn't the ballroom scene a party FOR S. TO PICK A WIFE AMONG...EEHH...SOME PROSPECTIVES ...?...Only one candidate, (the lady in black), doesn't sound right to me, and leaves S. with very few choices...(forgive me, again, Petipa ). I just don't like the fact that the storyline was somehow altered for the 1895 revival, and the whole concept changed from "picking a wife in the ballroom a la Cinderella" to "here comes Odile, which S. is gonna choose right away no matter what"...It looks forced to me. This is all even without getting into the subject of omission of some beautiful music, "Andante con molto" included.

Those who have read my posts know that Mme. Alicia Alonso is my idol. I also usually admit all the critics regarding her political oriented position in Cuba. I know... But there were also political oriented ballet creations...oh, God, they were SO BAD...and those old enough to remember this kind of phenomenom in the Soviet Union before 1989 can give testimony of what i'm tallking about. I remember, particulary, one HIDEOUS creation during the 60's and 70's..."AVANZADA", that had Alonso and some other female dancers dressed in green cuban militar uniforms to describe the "new" woman/comrade in the socialist society.. on pointe...IT WAS AN ABOMINATION, TOTALLY HORRIBLE AND BORING TO DEATH...

Mariano should know what i'm talking about...

Siegfried actually does dance with the fiancée-candidates, two at a time, during their introductory waltz.

I would have left the fiancees variations and their strong logical sense and meaning of their characters in the storyline rather than the national dances, which i really don't care about too much...(forgive me Petipa! ). I would also

( )have preserved the russian dance and its sensual cadenza for Odile as a way to catch Siegfried attention before the PDD. The TPDD would have stayed as well.

Then S. takes off with O., presumably to talk about quantum physics in the garden or something.

Although I've never seen it, I'm pretty sure that my favorite Act IV is the one from 1895.

Interesting. On the other side, i would say that my favorite IV Act is the 1877 one with ALL THE T. MUSIC AND NO "VALS BLUETTE" ON IT!!. It also has an extremely elaborated choreography for the corps, with an effective and smoth final transformation of swans into human form during the suicidal-related apotheosis...

I was listening to my ipod on a trip from Belize and came across this wonderful piece of music. It's the second variation from the pas de six .

Sometimes i wonder also about the nature of this "Pas de Six"...Six princesses?, what about their story?...Was Siegfried supposed to dance with them, or they were supposed to be solo variations?...What about the "Andante con Molto"variation...was it intended to denote a particular dramatic issue regarding one of the princesses...? Was Odile contemplating the whole "Pas" in the original T./Reisinger production...? ANY INFORMATON WHATSOEVER?

I hope Mr. Mel Johnson or Mr. R.G would show me some clues...

speaking of Snow pdds.... has anyone seen the snow pdd with Eddie Villella and Patty McBride? It is phenominal

Where can i see it?...is it comercially recorded?

Natalia:

I searched amazon.com but could not find that announcement. There is, however, another DVD which is "Alicia Alonso: Giselle, La Leyenda", but that's another story. Do you think a link would work?

I think "La leyenda" is based on the Alonso/Plisetsky production...

Wu and Zou Yang danced in MCB's Sleeping Beauty last season.

Hi figurante!

It must have been out of Miami, and just the PDD, because i think this is the first time that MCB does "Aurora's Wedding"

(I could be wrong, so correct me please if i am)

(if I didn't spend all our money on ballet training for our aspiring prima ballerina

Hi, and welcome ! . I'm sure every cent you're spending in your aspiring prima ballerina is well worth it...KEEP UP THE GOOD SPIRIT!!!.

Rolando Sarabia will have a new website up by early next week. We will post the website for everyone as soon as it is ready. There will be photos, information, and opportunity to send personal messages to Rolando. Thanks for all the support.

IBH Management ~ Richard d'Alton, Manager

www.internationalbh.page.tl

Wow..those are excelent news...He's such a high caliber dancer...When i left the island in 2001, he was at his peak with the BNC, and he just had been ranked as the "new Baryshnikov". It's been tough on him for a while with all his knee injuries and surgery and personal situation regarding his ex position at the BNC ,but now that he joined the MCB i really hope that this will be a new chapter on his life with lots of success. I will be there, for sure, at every of his performances, to scream and whistle like i used to do back in Havana. He SURELY deserves it. And for his upcoming web site, BRAVO RICHARD D'ALTON, AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORKING !!!

Glad I'm not the only one who hates Balanchine's bed!

God, i SO HATE that bed WANDERING AROUND BY ITSELF!!!. ..For some weird reason, everytime i have to get throught it i can't stop thinking about "The Exorcist"!!!!

here's a brief interview with 2 of MCB's established dancers, who are performing at The International Gala of Ballet Starts in Cincinnati. Haiyan Wu and Yang Zou of Miami City Ballet are also partners on and off the stage. The locations where the two have performed individually and together, including Russia, Denmark, Turkey, Israel, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, France, Peru, Germany and Italy, make a veritable world map of stages.

Thanks for this information, bart. It is for sure something too look at, since they will probably be dancing "Diamonds" here in South Florida too...

"I always want to bring the best I can to my audience."

Mrs.Haiyan Wu

Good! That's always very nice to hear, so let's hope for some serious Wu/Zou job!

The 1980 one (with Vasiliev) has already been announced at amazon.com

When watching Alonso's videos, I am sometimes so overwhelmed by the austerity, ocasionally hardness, that often dominates her face, that I find it hard to get beyond them.

Hi bart: I thought of your perception when i found this quote from Mme. Alonso

"The difficulty was in dancing with partners, knowing where to find them without my eyes on the stage. They sometimes used special lighting effects to guide me. But the biggest difficulty was always coming off the stage, trying to find the wings and the curtain drops,"

Thanks for the reminder ... to re-visit the John Waters film.

Yep.... ah, and let's not forget (now that we're in the John Waters subject), to take a look back at "Pink Flamingos" too ...thanks for the reminder...Now, back to topic, any thoughts on the new movie anybody...?...What about John Travolta's part...? ( I haven't seen it, since i'm not particulary interested in "Hairspray", but since there's a topic already about the musical...)

Hello everybody! My name's Maximilian and I'm from Milan,Italy,

Ciao Maximiliano!!!...

That was a beautiful report on your life as a student. I really wish you the best in the future. You're very young, and have endless chances. Just enjoy what you do as much as you can, and the rest will come naturally...

I was amazed one time at another Maximiliano, (Guerra, the argentinean dancer). Perhaps i'll get to see you too one day all famous on the stage...?

Keep up the good working !!!!

THAT WHOLE ABT'S "SWAN LAKE" PROLOGUE, (STUFFED SWAN BEING GRABBED BY ITS NECK INCLUDED), IS JUST PLAAAAAAAAAINLY AND HOOOOOOOOORRIBLY HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDIOUS!!!... PETIPA MUST BE ROLLING ON HIS GRAVE!!!!! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE, TAKE IT AWAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!

Hello friends! I am a dancer in New York. My friend welcomed me to this website the other day, and I was compelled to join! Looking forward to discussion!

Hola!. Hope you enjoy this place and its wonderful people...

WELCOME HOME!

i like the feathers....

I like them too...

The second one was a Gala for the 150th aniversary of the ballet "Giselle" in 1991 where Alicia (71 years old!!!) participated with all other prima ballerinas of the company, alternating in the title role, in the same performace!

Hey Mariano...you just took me back in time...i was one of the lucky people that was at the Lorca the day of that all-stars cast "Giselle" (MEMORABLE!! ), and i even remember me and my friend Bismart ( ) breaking the doors of the San Rafael entrance along with that human mass wanting to watch the performance...Anyways, back on topic, those are great news about the Vasiliev/Alonso production going on DVD . It was a brilliant duo , and it sure deserves to go public... If you get any news about it, please, let us know.