cubanmiamiboy

Wow...let's try to go baaaaack in time.. .so many books made their way through my teen years...but if my memory is right, then i guess the first one that really made an impact on me and i read when i was around 11 was Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights". Ever since i was a kid i had developed an attraction over this kind of obscure, romantic and tragic atmosphere, (hence, my favorite ballet nowadays being "Giselle"). I particulary remember my simpathy for one of the characters of the book, Isabella Linton, who falls in love with Heathcliff ( the main character and a man dealing with his own demons, revenge, love and betrayal), and marries him. She sees Heathcliff as a romantic figure, like a character in a novel, ultimately ruining her life by falling in love with him, who never returns her feelings and treats her as a mere tool . To this day i still feel fascinated with this story. Another book that i remember reading around that same time is the short Dostoievsky's novel "White Nights", which i always recomend to read for its delightful and tasteful ambience and beautiful love story...

I just found this article about the Nutcracker well preserved choreography within the Fokine family, which talks about the the Snow Pas and also the Sugar Plum Fairy PDD, the same one I know from Alonso-after-Fedorova staging for CNB, which comes in direct line from Russia by two ways, via Sergueev/notations-Markova/Vic-Wells and then Fedorova-BR/BT.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-94672003.html

Sorry I didn't catch this on its initial post. I was a bit distracted that day.

There are really two primary versions of Black Swan about. The first "after Petipa" and the second "after Gorski." The latter has more dramatic lifts to it, and the timing of the mimes different. When the Cuban Ballet was being partially supported by Bolshoi dancers, Dona Alicia held her own and more. They did it her way. Heroic political courage and integrity.

Mel for your always wonderful and accurate information! I i said before, that's the choreography i remember from all my years watching Mme. Alonso's version. Is there any complete SL that i can buy that follows this choreography? CNB doesn't have a whole SL on DVD, and I only have a 1965 Alonso/Plisetsky BSPDD . I also found in Amazon the DVD "Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina Assoluta" that contains a 1958 BSPDD Alonso/ Youskevitch, but i haven't bought it, so i don't know which choreography was used, (although i would assume that is either what it was being danced at ABT or Ballet Russes at the time, as it was and still is her choreographic mantra).

Hi Lovebird!

I'm really happy to find there's people out there who loves russian literature as much as i do. Sometimes it's hilarious how people seems to look at it as some kind of "sovietized" taste. Yes, it's true that i grew up in Cuba and that i had a pro-soviet education that has been very influential all my life ,(not only in literature, but also in classical music and ballet). What some people don't seem to realized it's the fact that russian literature was there, in a maximun aphoteosis before the soviets, and yes, even if i had to read Maxim Gorky's "The Mother", and some of Vladimir Mayakovsky's poetry, my love for the classics had grown way past our school standards.

I have a suggestion that you might like: Try to get a hold on "White Nights", by Dostoievsky. It s a beautiful and romantic short novel, that i read yeeeeeeeeears ago, but for which i still have fond memories. It tells the stoy of a shy young man , who is oriented into his internal world, and thus is in real demand of a soulful conversations and love. The action takes place in Saint Petersburg, in a very romantic and fascinating atmosphere . Not only the location is important, but also a time of a day: all actions in the story take place in evening and night time, the famous "leitmotif" of the novel. Keep in touch!

I guess i found the answer to my own question

"I have mentioned already that this version of the pas de deux started basically with what was done at the American Ballet Theatre since the 40s, and my work with Fedorova, Romanoff and Dolin ."

Mme. Alicia Alonso

And it's from the following article:

http://www.cubanow.net/global/loader.php?s.../num6/alice.htm

I found your forum while searching some pictures from Alicia Alonso.

Welcome La ptite!. ..If Mme. Alonso was the reason you're here, YOU'RE MY HERO!! , cause she's MY IDOL!

I really wish you THE BEST experience with this site and its wonderful experts!

Looking forward to read your posts:

Sarabita's pic and biography is already posted at the MCB site! so this is getting seeeerious!!

Daniel and Isanusi are still under "bio coming soon"

Actually, the Snow pas de deux dates back to the Pavlova Touring Company's repertoire from the nineteen-teens. The choreography was, I believe, the product of Ivan Clustine, who also partnered Pavlova. It was a "number" that would include grand music for an adagio, and then be joined by a corps de ballet for the Waltz of the Snowflakes. It was kept in productions of Nutcracker partly in tribute to Pavlova, and partly to avoid the expensive and complex transformation which is supposed to go with that music.

Thanks for your clarification, Mel. I have great memories of this beautiful piece of choreography, and would love to see it again-(it won't be here in Miami, as MCB has Balanchine's version).

Is there any DVD that contains this Pas...?

Do you prefer the sets and costumes (except perhaps the tutus) of a ballet to be closely modelled on designs of the period in which a ballet is set? Or does it not matter to you as long as it works?

Just until 5 years ago, i never saw any other full lenght productions but the ones from my homeland company, Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Hence , when talking about set designs, i guess my senses got used to their financial limitations resulting in minimal backdrops. . That's why when i saw my very first ABT's SL here in Miami, the vision of all that stuffed set, the super opulent costumes and even the introduction of the maypole , i got distracted from the dancing and kind of overwhelmed...PERSONALLY, i like simplicity and i think tradition can be perfectly respected without overstuffing the stage...

There is a rather large Cuban community in Miami.

yes, there is! ...which will welcome them with open arms, yeah!!! Oh, also, let's not forget that Sarabita is a founding member of our own little piece of Ballet Nacional de Cuba in Miami, the Classical Cuban Ballet of Miami, which last year had a wonderful season, "Giselle" included. They're preparing the 2008 season, opening with Swan Lake, and i really hope to see both of the Sarabia brothers on it, so, IN MY OWN OPINION, maybe that's another reason for them to be here in Miami.

Hi, dirac!

"What do i specially admire about Crime and Punishment"?...Mmm, let's see...without getting to deep in the subject of my personal points of view about how often do we liberally apply certain pre conceived so called "standards" to determine what is considered SANE or INSANE about human nature. Let's say that i've always felt extremely fascinated by this sort of cavernous, dark and outcasted characters in life . If not my "idol", i would say that Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is somebody that i would love to meet and try to get to know as much as i could...See, I'm VERY curious!!

Once I had the privilege to assist to a conference offered by Mme Alonso on the subject of her version of the Nutcracker after the version she had danced, a product of Alexandra Fedorova for BRM. Among other things, Alonso stated that she had been very careful in her staging of the ballet, taking what she had learned with Mme. Fedorova and comparing it with the choreography that she had danced earlier in her Ballet Theatre period taught by her by Alicia Markova. Then she proceeded to talk about the "Snow PDD". She stated, that it required a "particular characterization work" and that it was a shame that it had been neglected by the majority of the companies. My question is: What's the origin of this PDD...? Is it another chunk preserved from Ivanov original like the Sugar Plum Fairy PDD...?

Any info will be very appreciated.

Thanks!

Which dancers are -- or have been --in the past the hardest workers? What did they need to work on? How did it "work" out?

When talking about hard work and overcoming physical limitations within the ballet world, i can't think of another name rather than that of my idol's, Mme. Alicia Alonso . When one read of this lady's star rising story back on the 40's while increasingly loosing her sight, to the point of becoming totally blind and then being technically better than ever and give astonishing performances to finally become one of the greatest ballet myths of the XX Century ...is very encouraging.

The news that both Rolando and Daniel Sarabia will be joining Miami City Ballet this season led me back to this thread. A few months after the last post, the following appeared on the International Ballet Competition website (April 2006) --

http://www.usaibc.com/releases/sarabia.htm.

But that's about 15 months old. Has anyone been following Rolando's (and Daniel's) careers since then -- or seen them dance here in the U.S. ?

I will admit that I've been wondering what is bringing them to Miami, beyond the company's phenomenal repertoire, the proximity to Cuba, and the MCB's current shortage of powerhouse male dancers. It's exciting news -- and great for us. But it would be interesting to know the road that led to Miami.

Hi Bart!

Like i said earlier on this thread, i'm just thrilled to be having Sarabita at MCB I've been following his career even before he became a principal at Ballet Nacional de Cuba, and by the time i left the island in 2001, he had became a super powered dancing machine. He was UNBELIEVABLE , almost UNREAL, his pirouettes were ...something i've NEVER seen before ..sooooo fast and with the most elegant and exquisite technique. When i left, besides leaving everything else behind, i also realized with sadness that i was never gonna be able to see him dancing again...AND NOW HE'S GONNA BE HERE IN MIAMI!,

I went to see him last year at the launching of the Classical Cuban Ballet Company at the Gusman Center. I had heard that he had been dealing with knee problems, and was recovering from surgery. He danced the Swan Lake II Act PDD, and despite being a little bit heavier than when i had seen him from last time, it was very moving to me...He danced beautiful. I also saw his brother Daniel (who also will join the MCB), and he's also an excelent performer. My respects for both of them and WELCOME AGAIN!

Oh, God, I LOVE THIS TOPIC!

Well, XIX Century Russian Literature has been always been part of my readings ever since i was a kid. Growing up in Cuba, we had to study it a lot, and then, afterwards, i just started to love it and devoured everything that i could get. Gogol, Pushkin, Chejov, Shojolov, Turgueniev, Lermontov, Lomonosov, (you name it) and then, my favorite bad boy of them all, the one and only Dostoiewsky. About a recomendation, i can't resist but name my favorite title of all times, Dostoiewsky's "Crime and Punishment" (somewhere else i just mentioned that i'm reading for the 11 th time!). Somehow i just can't get enough of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov , and as i get older, it looks to me that the more that i try to know him, the more fascinating and less accesible he turns !

Dostoiewsky's "Crime and Punishment", for the 11 th time!

In my recording of Act III of Swan Lake there is a Russian dance which figures as an "appendix" to the score. In the booklet of my recording (Previn) says that this dance was composed for the ballerina Karpakova.

I happen to love the music, and would like to know if someone knows why this dance is omitted in most productions of the ballet I have seen (Kirov, Royal Ballet, etc). Also if the dance was danced in Russia after Karpakova, and which character in the ballet was supposed to dance it.

Thanks a lot

Silvy

Hi Silvy!

I do too find the "Russian Dance" music fascinating and quite intense! Yes, in the march 1877 Reisinger/Tchaikovsky production premiere , this dance was intended as a solo for Mme. Karpakova. Now, this is quite wird because of the fact that at that time, the Odile/Siegfried PDD wasn't still there, (it was added next month, april 1877 by Mme. Sobeshchanskaya -aka-"Tchaikovsky PDD" in a Petipa/Minkus/Tchaikovsky colaboration). So it was a III Act with a "Pas de Six" of the prospective fiancees, nacional dances, "Russian Dance" PERFORMED BY ODILE AFTER THE "CZARDAS" AND BEFORE THE "DANCE ESPAGNOLE"... AND NO ODILE/SIEGFRIED PDD. I really can't imagine how all this worked and why this ultra-folkloric dance was intended for Odile.

A lot of music was omitted by Petipa in his restaging of 1895, included the "Russian" and the Petipa/Minkus/Tchaikovsky III Act Odile/Siegfried PDD. Most of the companies use the Petipa shortened version, whereas others use some of the deleted music (Like ABT's "Russian Dance" fashioned for a Von Rothbart solo and so on) . Nowadays it's up to the choreographer to be faithful to the 1895 Petipa's vision or not. Some can't resist the temptation to use some of this beautiful deleted music :blush:

As a dancer, I identify more with the Romantic ballets, and was dreaming in my head about an all Romantic repertory, touring, costumes, etc. Giselle, La Sylphide. Les Sylphides- what else would be considered Romantic and who currently dancing would be in the company dancing which roles?

I do too love the romantic era and its ballets. Our company here in Miami (MCB) has Giselle in its repertoire, but it's basically Balanchine-based, so sometimes i really miss my hometown company (Ballet Nacional de Cuba) with its, for some critics, OVER ROMANTICIZED (and for some others old fashioned) vision of its signature piece, Giselle. I grew up listening to Mme. Alonso's strict respect for every single detail related with the romantic period in her choreography of this ballet, from the ears covered/middle parted XIX Century inspired hairdo to the Willis little groups formation "a la Choppiniana", (irreverent to the Mr. Diagonal's -aka Petipa- choreography for some).

Yes, i agree too (Hi Mel!) on the fact that it would be financially difficult, plus extremelly limited, due to the not so extensive offer of the few surviving pieces : (unless somebody would start "reviving a la Lacotte" some titles from which we just know probably the libretto, but choreographycally lost.) So far?, I WOULD SAY , "Giselle", "La Sylphide", "Grand Pas de Quatre","Ondine", "La Peri" "Farfalla", the Bournonville ones and YES , Neo-romanticism too : "Chopiniana". From my humble point of view, i would also include "L'espectre de la rose".

My ideal ballerina?...I have 2 to divide the roles: Lorna Feijoo (Boston Ballet) and Alina Cojocaru (Royal Ballet). I would let them pick the roles.

This is an interesting topic. I live in Miami, and believe me, here, compared to New York, the situation is even worse. We miamians are 100 % car-dependent, there's no public transportation, and our Carnival Center is far from everything. It's awful to see people literally RUNNING through the aisles to get to the parking lots, ( the young ones, the elderly, everyone) , while the dancers are still there, bowing for us and expecting , i suppose, our aknowledgement and approval(or dissapproval), BY APPLAUDING WITH MORE OR LESS ENTHUSIASM, , NOT BY LEAVING THE THEATRE BEFORE COURTAIN CALL.

Coming from Cuba, where it's has been said that entertaining is all about the three B's (boxing, baseball and ballet), we see things in a totally different way. There are not old patrons ( no patrons whatsoever ), with prostate problems to start with,(80 % of the public is less than 40 y.o, half of it being less than 30), there are no parking garages to rush to, because there are not cars (horrible, i know), and then, there's generally nothing really too attractive to do after the ballet, so people just love to be in the theater...the longer, the better. To finish, over there ballet dancers are as beloved as NBA players or pop stars are here in America...people ADORES them with the greatest devotion, so they can hardly leave the stage after the performance...

this is MY OWN REAL, PERSONAL AND FACTUAL EXPERIENCE after 20 years going to the ballet in Cuba and 26 living on the island...

pd. Oh, over there people also applaud after a good movie...generally.

The ONLY times that i've really felt the "larger than life" presence in a dancer has been when Mme. Alicia Alonso took the stage. I only had the opportunity to see her dancing late on her career, but she was just so...GRAND, that just stepping into the stage was enough to erase EVERYTHING around her and drive the audience crazy with devotion. Watching Anton Dolin crowning her as she would bow a la old school/Ballet russes style, totally blind, in her Giselle outfit was beyond description...THAT for me is "larger than life".

Yes, Mel, i actually agree about the ballet being extremely long. It's just that the whole music is so beautiful that everytime i listen to it, i can't help but think about how would it be on stage. I guess i have a very "score-oriented" vision of choregraphy.

Anyways, back to SL. I've read some scholars where they state that "TPDD" had nothing to do with Tchaikovsky , mentioning the whole well known Sobeshchanskaya/Tchaikovsky/Petipa/Minkus ordeal, resulting in the now "TPDD" ( theories of T. merely re orchestrating the Minkus numbers). So, if in the march 4 , 1877 premiere with Karpakova the "TPDD" wasn't still in the ballet, (inserted later on april 26) and if it's known that the "Russian Dance" was composed specially for Karpakova, IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE OF HOW WAS THE ORIGINAL III ACT CONCEIVED? Oh, and again, what happened to the "Tempo di Valse" (2nd variation) of the "Merry Makers PDD" after 1895?

- why was Petipa unhappy with the original music for Odile's variation?

To tell the truth, i don't even know why did Petipa dumped the beautiful ORIGINAL III Act Odile/Siegfried PDD music, (now Tchaikovsky PDD) in favor of the I Act "Marry Makers PDD" one. Everytime i see TPDD, i can't help but think: "this is not what Tchaikovsky had in mind", or "this should be Odile and Siegfried dancing here", and so on. Furthermore,, I would LOVE to see a brave ( and probably unreverent to Petipa's vision ) production with the 1877 uncut full score,(at least on the III Act) even if Petipa has to be adapted. ( at the end, didn't he adapt Tchaikowsky himself...? )

I actually much prefer the original Tchaikovsky variation for Odile. .

HiMinkusPugni!

When you state "the original Tchaikovsky variation for Odile", do you refer to the "Tempo di valse" music? ( Now that i think about it i'm sure that i've heard it here and there in some produccions of Swan Lake, but i can't remember where and by who)

Hey Solor, thanks for your tips!

I just got my Fedotov copy a couple of days ago, and the transaction went nice and smooth.( fast and cheap, about $15 ). Now i'm in the proces of comparing it with the 1877 full score uncut music, (which i have by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, 1992).

Oh, God...this is an old thread, but i can't resist to dig in, being a hardore fan of Mme. Alonso In an interview about her famous recreation of "Giselle', she stated that the first time she was given the role , it was by accident. Alicia Markova, who was supposed to dance that night, fell ill, and Alonso's Giselle was born. Refering to that first performance, (and many others before se created her own version for Ballet Nacional de Cuba), she said that she used to dance the role "a la Markova" (given the fact that Markova has always been her idol), and it wasn't until later on that she began to investigate the character, look at old lithographs of the ballet, understand the way that it had been danced 'till then by the most famous ballerinas of her time, all this in an attempt to go "back in time" to "feel" the romanticism of the plot to finally "DESIGN" her own Giselle and give the role her personal signature (in such a way that she became , for some critics, the best Giselle ever). She also stated that she NEVER danced Giselle the same way twice, saying that she would decide right before the performance how did she wanted that night her Giselle to be, more on the flirt mood , or more sad, or more fragile and sick, or even if she, earlier in the first act, wanted to let the non expert audience "feel" that a tragedy was about to happen later on. Having seen lots of her Giselles, i can give testimony of this. THEY WERE NEVER THE SAME CHARACTER.