cubanmiamiboy

In today's paper the syndicated columnist Miss Manners is asked a question about standing ovations.A standing ovation seems almost de rieueur at concerts, etc., these days, no matter the caliber of the performance.Is it considered rude to sit and applaud when others are giving a standing ovation? Or is this a time to "go with the flow" even if I disagree with the other audience members?

Coming from a tradition of a baseball stadium-style feeling in terms of popularity, massive attendance and noisy latin ways of showing devotion for ballet performances in Havana, i usually applaud to exhaustation and whistle and scream "Bravo's" and even go all the way up to the orchestra pit to make sure that i'm heard all the way up on the stage by my favorite ballerina or/and male dancer..BUT JUST IF THE PERFORMANCE DESERVED IT...if not, i still stand up and quietly applaud, but just enough for one courtain call...That's the least that should be done , I THINK , in terms of politeness, (in case we believe in the concept), and still the performers get the whole idea . THIS IS MY PARTICULAR POINT OF VIEW, AND IT CAN , OF COURSE, BE VIEWED IN A DIFFERENT WAY FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE BASED ON DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES.

I can't think of another major performer still in a position of cultural power whose experience goes back so many decades. Alonso really was "present at the creation" of serious classical ballet in the Americas.

bart for your aknowledgment of Mme. Alonso

According to Mme. Alonso , she based her Swan Lake choreography for Ballet Nacional de Cuba on "what was being done on the ABT during the 40's", where she boosted her career. Now, i know that she has also based a lot of her choreographic works in her close past collaboration with the Fokine/Fedorova team and her Ballet Russes experience. IIn the "Ballet Russes" documentary there is a little, almost hard to detect, moment in the movie when Baronova is talking about Toumanova , and while describing her technique some short clips are shown. Ond of them is from the Black Swan coda, and it clearly shows Toumanova finishing her fouettes, then her partner's pirouettes in passe position and right then a little snippet of her getting into arabesque position in the left wing, facing the camera, and starting to jump, obviously on pointe, backwards. I will try to find a clip of this.

Hey all,I tried to find an answer in here, but maybe I'm just missing it.I remember someone mentioning in a forum (on here? Im not sure!) that the hopping backwards arabesques in the coda of the black swan pdd are meant to be on pointe. I had never seen it done that way. Thanks!

Aurora a little while ago i posted the same question here, but in the opposite direction. My only knowledge of the segment contains the series os sautees sur le pointe en arabesque penchee, and when i came to US i found the other versions....

Does anyone know the source of the hops on pointe in this variation?

This is the link to the thread i started on that matters...i hope it helps you find the answer to your question.

http://ballettalk.in...showtopic=25032

Is this a cuban thing?

I think it is...at least i haven't seen it in any complete production of any big company. For some unknown reason, cuban balletomanes (me included), call the step "vaquita", ( "little cow", God knows why ), and there are always a big expectaction among the Havana public for the Black Swan , in the same level of the 32 fouetees. Aren't they lovely...?

and why only cuban dancers seem to do it?

I was told once that it was a "cuban choreographic irreverence"

Good news! The emailed MCB Insider Newsletter reports that there will be orchestra at all repertory programs

mmm...yummy!! that's always nice to know..!

Both versions are danced wonderfully, although I found myself looking more closely at the purity of Laurent Hilaire and Isabelle Guerin, partly because I could see it so clearly defined in the filming.

Hi bart, and thank you so much for your wonderful and detailed analysis!

Well, now that i know that i won't see any original Petipa/Minkus on the reconstructed "lost act" , and that my Nureyev POB version is very well liked among the experts , it's obvious that i will be looking up to rg's suggestion , the 1991 Kirov Komleva/Abdyev production...(it's only on VHS on Amazon, and currently unavailable). BTW bart, ever since i saw for the first time the Nureyev's POB video, i've also been enchanted by the Guerin/Hilaire duo..

Did the POB version end with Nikiya and Gomez reuniting in the afterlife (the 'Hollywood' Happily Ever After ending) and was it in four acts? I saw the May 2006 ABT performance which used the Makarova production, and that exactly was how it ended. I find it a little too sugary, and would like to see another version.

On the contrary, i've never seen the "lost act"...and all the reviews that i've read don't give to the Makarova's vision too much sympathy... What about the score...?...one can always make it at least music-worthy

(Who are these creatures? Why, they are the enchanted Jackson Pollock Maidens doomed forever to haunt MoMA after hours unless the hero keeps his vow never to be beguiled by the charms of representational painting again!)

Oh, God!!...the more i read about the NYCB version, the most intrigued i get about it!!

Thank you all for your always wonderful expertisse advisement!...I think i'm gonna keep busy doing some "Bayadere" researching homework ...

I, too, would go with the Kirov/Komleva/Abdiev version.

I just ordered it

Of course, I'd say get all of them.

Good idea...will do. So far this is what i've found:

The Makarova staging for the RB (1992) with Altynai Asylmuratova and Irek Moukhamedov.

Another Makarova staging for the LSB with Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle.(any thoughts on this one?)

A 1996 VHS Bolshoi production with Nadia Garcheva and Alexander Vetrov.( ..?)

Your favorite 1991 Kirov production with Gabriella Komleva and Rejen Abdyev.(ordered already)

but if you have to make a first choice, then I'd lead with that one. (Komleva/Abdiev)

Well, in fact i'm gonna be comparing all of them with my own first choice, my old Nureyev's POB copy with Isabelle Guerin and Laurent Hilaire.

all again!

quote]

Cubanmiamiboy, can you tell us more about them?

It was back in Havana 2001, when i went to a performance of Danza Voluminosa, (Voluminous Dance), which i had some reference from a friend who had told me about a little, and also from having seen his director Juan Miguel Mas dancing in a contemporary dance company before. Now, I had been told that they were not a "typical" dance company in terms of weight..( i knew that Mr. Mas was a little over what is considered "normal" for a dancer), but when i saw him i was shocked at first. HE WAS OVERWEIGHT!, and little did i know that they were all actually OBESE. I also noticed lots of surprised faces around me, and i most confess it took me a little bit to get used to the physique of the dancers. Then i tried to concentrate on the story. They presented "Fedra", the tragic griek myth of this woman who loves Hipolitus, the son of her husband Teseus. Now, they did it in a way where they mixed this classic story with afro-cuban mythology, identifying the role of the griek Afrodita with Oshun, the yoruba goddess of love and sex. At the end, they danced to the resurrection of Fedra and Hipolitus in a climax of caribbean rythms and music WHERE THE HEAVIEST OF THE FEMALE DANCERS HAPPILY SHOWED UP WEARING MULTICOLOR BATHING SUITS !. It was very colourful and vibrant, and their happiness, along with the flokloric music, was contagious. Now, it is true that their leaps and jumps were limited, of course, but on the other side, their arm movements were elaborated and elegant. I also remember that at first, when the courtains went up, some people laughed in disbelieved, but after a while the laughing stopped and the general feeling and atmosphere started to change. By the end EVERYBODY was enchanted with the work, and the whole theatre gave them a rounded extended applause along with lots of "Bravos"...I would say that the average weight of the dancers was around 100 kg. It was moving to see them bowing over and over, all sweaty and exhausted, but with such proud faces. I also remember obese people from the public being moved also, screaming and clapping like crazy. It was really magical.

I never saw them dancing again...and never heard of them again until now. It makes me proud to know that this non typical cuban company is still working hard out there, and that they are still sending their message of capability, acceptance, and humanity within the very competitive, and sometimes even ferocius, world of dancing. BRAVO!!

Why do you think the POB version is inaccurate?

Hi Alexandra...No, in ANY WAY (God forbidden!) do i doubt of the accuracy of the POB version, when actually that's the only one i've ever seen, and i happen to love !....I just thought that maybe, with all the new restagings and revivals and reworkings based on the Stepanov notations that has been taking place lately there was something out there that can be consider superior by the experts and that perhaps i'm not aware of. If not, i will be very happy to be still updated in terms of "Bayadere" accuracy with my old VHS of the POB... Thank you again for your response. As an amateur, I always like to relay on the expertisse...!

I was wondering about "Bayadere" on DVD. My experience with the ballet in video comes basically from the only copy I own, the beautiful Nureyev staging for POB, but maybe i'm getting behind the times, so I want to update myself on this matters and get a hold on whatever is considered now the most accurate version . Any suggestions...?

Thanks...!

I LOATHE:

... Pedophile Drosselmeyers.

...If some idiot brings in the Wehrmacht and renames the family Stahlhelm, I bring out tomatoes.

... Narrators - shoot them all.

...the Snow Queen/King (let them melt into oblivion)

... If this tendency keeps up, Fritz will soon be Heinrich Himmler Stahlbaum!

... Drosselmeyers who seem to be ready to burst into

Giselle at any given moment.

i most admit that, although having a different opinion about the Snow PDD and the children, i couldn't stop laughing...!!

That was great, Mel!

Moderator NOTE: The following post by cubanmiamiboy has been moved from "Links." The article and the topic definitely deserves a thread of their own.

James McKinley in the International Herald Tribune on a company of fat dancers:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/29/news/journal.php

Danza Voluminosa. What an inspirational story. I saw the works of this company back in 2001 in Havana, and i clearly remember how amazingly light was the dancing of its members. They were clearly well trained.

-I'd much rather see that than a hospital bed with ruffles glued on to it rolling its dreary way around the stage to cymbal clashes

This is supposed to be a holiday ballet which is beautful, makes children excited about the magic and the music and the overall festivity..

Wow...this is an old thread, but i just can't stop reading it...Well. i guess i really have a totally different vision of the "Nutcracker" from national Ballet of Cuba. First, over there is not a seasonal ballet, hence it is performed as a regular ballet with productions off december, as there is not official acknowledment of Christmas. Then, there are no children involved in the production... all the characters are played by adults, "a la" 80's Bolshoi style. Also, no dark designed Drosselmayers. He is just a respectful old uncle without any complex freudian characterization. Finally, no "love story" feeling among characters whatsoever :(Clara/cousin, Clara/Nutcracker and so on) .So, straight to the point, the public's whole expectation from a Nutcracker performance is to go see 2 technically superb Fokine-based PDD, the"Sugar Plum Fairy" and the "Snow Queen/King".

There's a DVD of Don Q with Nadezhda Pavlova and her then husband Gordeyev.At the end as a bonus there are scenes performed by Maya Plisetskaya and Maris Liepa sometime in the 60-s. During PDD Plisetskaya does perform fouettes.

there too some breaks with tradition have been made, such as the swamp-thing Von Rothbart who appears in the prologue

Oh God, yes !...and specially when he grabs that stuffed swan by the neck.. I coudn't believe it when i first saw it , and i would say that this is certainly not "traditional Swan Lake".

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. Alonso in video often strikes me as having the movements of Giselle with the personality of Myrthe. I admire, but don't warm up to her. (Apologies to cubianmiamiboy!)

No apologies bart! , considering that i agree 100 % with your feeling, even being her hardcore fan. I started going to Mme. Alonso's performances when she was already way past her prime, and i also started noticing that kind of "harsh" look. Then i elaborated my own theory. She started loosing her sight even before her 20's so by the time i got to see her dancing,( and by the time she did this GPDQ), she was already almost blind. An extraordinaire ballerina that only could rely on a super technique (oh, those "battements", and "port de bras"...and that turnout!) paired with a perfect choreographic memory, but without being able to comunicate too much with her eyes...yes, there's definitely a hardish look on her face...but i always think that is a "looking at nowhere" expression due to her blindness...I have also have talked to her...and she definitely projects this "halo" of distance...

Maybe I need to take an Alonso review class ... What videos would you recommend?

there is not to much comercially released of her on the market. The most i own is from recordings made by my own from cuban TV back from before i left the island, but you can try this:

-"Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina Assoluta" (in amazon.com)

Tracks:

1. Opening Credits

2. SWAN LAKE: Black Swan Pas de Deux (Alonso, Plisetsky, Guffanti)

3. ROMEO & JULIET: Bedroom Scene (Alonso, Plisetsky)

4. GISELLE: Act II Pas de Deux (Alonso, Plisetsky)

5. COPPELIA: Dr. Coppelius and the Doll Swanilda (Alonso, Pares)

6. DON QUIXOTE: Act III Pas de Deux (Alonso, Plisetsky)

7. Pas de Quatre (Alonso, Pla, Araujo, Bosch)

8. LA FILLE MAL GARDEE: Lisette Keeps her Love a Secret (Alonso, Plisetsky)

9. OEDIPUS REX: Bedroom Scene (Alonso, Lefebre)

10. La Peri (Alonso, Esquivel)

11. CARMEN SUITE: Variation & Habanera (Alonso, Plisetsky)

Bonus Features - 1. "Black Swan Pas de Deux" (Alonso, Youskevitch) - December 4, 1958

2. "Pas de Quatre" (Alonso, Hayden, Kaye, Slavenska) - April 1, 1960

Additional Product:

Booklet in English - Track Listing, Essay - "Alicia Alonso * An Appreciation", Stills/Photos

"Giselle" 1964. DVD. A poor quality B/W release with Azary Plisetsky as Albretch and Mirtha Pla as Myrtha. (in Amazon.com)

Also, you can find some clips on youtube. Just type Alicia Alonso. (i just saw "La Peri")

I'm opening this thread to discuss the movie The Lost City, in which San Francisco Ballet Principal Lorena Feijoo has a featured acting and dancing role.

With all my respect, I would say that a better product could have been delivered on this project. Personally, i didn't even feel identified with the whole atmosphere of the movie, and although substituing La Habana with San Juan( Puerto Rico) seemed to have been their only way (i assume) to recreate the look of the "lost city", one can always tell that this is the vision of somebody WHO HAS BEEN TOLD how La Habana used to look like, rather than coming from a living experience. Telling the horrible story of exile, family dissolution and dramatic social changes takes a little more researching than what seems to have been done to make this movie...

Hint: The ultra-modern La Habana of 1959 was reather similar to the US culture than to its colonial past from Spain. Those country style-Godfather-look-alike family reunions, with women sewing on rockingchairs ... mmm, not very convincing .

I came across (on Youtube) a remarkable 1960 Bell Telephone Hour performance of the Grand Pas de Quatre with (in order of variations) Nora Kaye, Melissa Hayden, Mia Slavenska, and Alicia Alonso.

When searching on Youtube, look for "ALICIA ALONSO GRAND PAS DE QUATRE."

HI bart!...

Amazingly, i just also found this video this morning, around the same time you did!...(i search everyday for new Alonso footage online )...wow, what a performance... . I've always been particulary fascinated by those great ballet dames, their lives, personalities and dancing styles, so this video is just an amazing experience on the old romantic school in this era of spandex and sometimes sports-like dancing styles...I also found that it's included in the DVD "Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina Assoluta",available at Amazon.com , which also include some footage of the "Black Swan PDD" with Igor Youskevitch, another legend and Mme. Alonso's former partner . Of course, i ordered it right away...

I know that there are other posters here on Ballet Talk who had the chance to see all or most of these performers on stage. You might enjoy remembering them here.

I saw Mme. Alonso doing "GPDQ" many times, way past her prime ...first with the "four jewels" (Mme. Mendez, Mme. Plat, Mme. Bosh and Mme. Araujo) indistinctly, and then with some other younger figures...Mme. Alonso ALWAYS doing Taglioni ...

For comparison, there are some other versions available as well, including a much more recent Ballet Nacional de Cuba performance by Josefina Mendez, Aurora Bosch, Laipa Araujo, and Mirta Pla.

This version is also in that same DVD.

My moment is in the Alonso/Youskevitch 'Giselle'. In Act II as Giselle throws the lillies over her head, Youskevitch invariably caught them in mid-air during a grand jete. I wince every time I see the latter day Albrecht's bending down to scoop the lillies off the floor.....

Wow.. .is it on DVD?

Why has no one mentioned the Alicia Alonzo Giselle? It is very distinctive, and although one marvels at her age when it was filmed, I think it is lovely.......

Well, Juliet, if nobody has mentioned Mme. Alonso's "Giselle" yet, then it's my duty to do so !, considering that i just can't get enough of her and everytime i can i try to pass the message of her artistry to whoever wants to receive it ...The last Giselle i saw with her (AT THE AGE OF 73 AND NOT HER LAST ONE! ) in 1993 was as unique as every single one of the maaaaaaaaaaany others that i saw from this XX Century ballet living legend. What can i say that hasn't been already said about her "Giselles"? Only that one can't have a whole accurate idea of this phenomenom just from the 1965 B/W DVD with Azary Plisetsky. Alonso's Giselle live were different everytime you would go and see it...sometimes more shy, sometimes with a little bit more of a "flirt" and sometimes she even would make you "guess" earlier in the first act that something terrible was about to happen later on..like a secret that she shared with the public.

Why NBC hasn't released any other "Giselle" performance on DVD, like the one with Vladimir Vasiliev, is something i don't know, and it's a pity. For now, this is the only recorded version on the market, and it doesn't really describe her in this role as she deserves...

Among all the works that will be presented, my biggest expectation is "Jewels". I've never seen the whole ballet live , but i'm familiar with the Opera de Paris production, so that will be an interesting comparisson. In "Aurora's Wedding" i'm hoping to see Mary Carmen Catoya dancing . She's my favorite, followed by Katia Carranza. The Tharp/Costello production sound interesting too...so let's see what happens...

Also, this version is danced with the music of the variation 5 -moderato-allegro simplice- (one of the "prospective fiancees/princesses" variation) of the III Act "Pas de Six", (not my favorite...i prefer the Drigo's interpolation/T."L'Espiegele")