cubanmiamiboy

7 hours ago, nysusan said:

Yup, around the 3rd or 4th (or maybe 5th) curtain call the audience started singing happy birthday to them. It was quite amazing! Did you start that? If so, Bravo to you!

Yes Susan! I had spoken to an orchestra member-( trumpet)- about the possibility to get the instrument start the melody at the end of curtain calls. But apparently it didn't work. So when I saw that they were leaving already for good, I told myself..." Oh no..the Happy Birthday goes...A CAPELLA!."..and  right there I started screaming the melody. I was in row G center orchestra, and Natasha saw me...(I can be VERY loud and noticeable when needed..😎). Then some around me followed and also upstairs. 

Unorthodox as she might be, Osipova DELIVERS, and delivers GRAND. More to come, but not without first declaring that if you heard a hoarse singing/screaming of "Happy Birthday" starting from orchestra, that was me. I couldn't resist letting those too go without it, and it looked to me like others co joined me along the way!😍

1 hour ago, eduardo said:

Thank you abatt!

Now that you mention 360 degrees I remember the Walpurgis variation, with 360 hops at the beginning, a diagonal in the middle and some more hops at the end, mixed with pirouettes.

No more off topic, I promese.

And Dulcinea's variation from DQ.☺️

As I saw Mme. Kolpakova go pass me last night at the MET, I started ruminating. The thought of her and Makarova both at ABT, but having made it out of Russia in such two different moments of history. And I had lots of questions...

Given than Kolpakova was such an influencing ballerina at the Kirov...how much politically compromised was she back then...? And just looking at the level of ostracism that the Panov endured from their own ex colleagues after they decided to leave Russia, I wonder how Kolpakova took Makarova's defection...and more than everything...how must have been the re encounter many years after and under such different circumstances, politically wise, and to end up working together in the heart city of the system they were both supposed to despise.

Just now, nanushka said:

Yes, as I was saying: different priorities, different values, different answers to the question of what makes a top company. I don't mean to suggest it's all completely subjective (and personally I'm a lot closer in line with canbelto's criteria than with cubanmiamiboy's), but just to point out that a statement like "to be top 5, a company must have X and Y" is itself a value judgment, not a definitive and universally accepted rule.

"Definitive and universally accepted" is not even the round earth theory as per today...😋

52 minutes ago, canbelto said:

ABT is nowhere near the top 5. In order to be top 5 you'd need a school and a specific style and training. ABT has neither. I'd say top 5:

- Mariinsky

- Bolshoi

- NYCB

- Royal Ballet 

- Paris Opera Ballet

A good case can be made for Royal Danish Ballet, Cuban National Ballet, and smaller Russian companies like the Mikhailovsky or Perm Ballet.

I believe the company needs to include at least "Giselle" in its repertoire. And well versed, generally speaking, in the Petipa repertoire. ABT has always been a wonderful world class company. Just look at the array of stars who have been on it since the 40's. Quite unique. It is just that right now its looking very thin, technically speaking.

1 minute ago, fondoffouettes said:

That’s interesting because something similar happened last year — after about three hops or so, she put down her free leg for a moment to help steady herself and then continued with the hops. If I remember correctly, she stayed on pointe when this happened. It looked like a spontaneous correction, not a rehearsed simplification. It sounds like she did something different, but at the same moment, this year. 

So basically she came off pointe after about three hops, then went back up on pointe and continued them? 

Yep.

3 minutes ago, Olga said:

ABT one of the top 5 world class ballet companies? No way. 

I would go as Mariinsky, Bolshoi, RB, ABT and POB.

Let's elaborate on last night. I might be a minority here, but I go to the ballet to watch dancing...superb dancing... devilish dancong rather than acting-(sup'Mr B!😉). I don't except nor do I care too much about finding the next Meryl Streep onstage, although if a BALLERINA can spice her less than perfect technique with a big personality to make for an outstanding career, then kuddos to her-(sup' Mme. Danilova!😉).

I felt that Giselle's technical demands were beyond Abrera's current skills level. And Giselle is, technically speaking, all about those iconic sautees in act one-(sup' Mme. Spessivtseva!😉) and saut de chats and jetes all over the place. And yes, lovely as her acting was during the whole flirting segment with Albrecht, it was obvious by her simplified Spessivtseva's diagonal-(a pre rehearsed off pointe little step after three pointe sautees)- and her total lack of elevation that she should be off this role for good-( along with Seo...along with Copeland). 

All this technical assessment, of course, goes down the drain if she is, just like Copeland, marketable. 

Abrera's performance had the weight shifted toward her portrayal of a shy, visibly shaken, delicate village girl. I think she's one of the few ballerinas I've seen that has gone out of carbon copy offerings. She feels her weak heart giving her the first trouble warning right after Loys/Hillarion fight. She comically points at the floor to Loys when she asks him to dance with her. She happily wiggles her head when she's up the thing before being paraded as the Queen of the Harvest. And she actually voiced a nervous laughing during her mad scene, which truly looked taken out of a frikin' psych ward.

But... even so, that's not what one of the top 5 world class ballet companies Giselle should look like, technically wise.

I don't think Abrera should dance Giselle anymore.  Lovely as her acting is, her diminished technique shows.

Did anybody see last night Boylston's Giselle...? I was there, and even if having been a last minute decision, I am happy I saw it. She was VERY refreshing in the role, both technically and dramatically. I always say that  want I look beyond all qualities of a given performance is the capacity of the artists to entertain their audiences. A boring performance goes in the bottom line for me. Last night Boylston and Whiteside, even if they are not Osipova and Polunin, delivered a very clear, honest and interesting show. Boylston's technical side shone during Act I Past Seul-( covering an ample section of the stage with her sautees on pointe) and her very fast deliverance of the grand pirouettes during Giselle's Initiation scene in act I. One of the things I would say it's obvious is the clear rapport she and Whiteside have. The look very comfortable with each other, and so their interaction is very credible. Teuscher's Myrtha is still a work in progress. She needs to work toward a more regal, less flamboyant portrayal. Many mannered at times, and very short time taken to enjoy and show those elongated arabesques which are Myrtha's signature. I had the impression that Teuscher's wanted to show speed more than anything velse, but in the process Myrtha was a bit lost.

And talking about mannered....there is Blaine Hoven in the Peasant Pas, who never looked relaxed with those uber grinning gestures, and clearly out of breath by the end.  Katherine Williams looked tense as well, visibly concentrated in getting those pirouettes right.

And boy, oh boy...Lanchbery's fantasy really went over board with some orchestration passages, particularly in said Peasant Pas.

Anybody going tonight..? Who's dancing...?

Edited: doble post

Hello all and thanks for your always wonderful reports! I only bought one ticket for this Giselle run, and you probably will right guess which one-(😎), cause I really dont feel inspired enough this year by any other performance-(with the exception perhaps of Bolle's). I might still pop in tonight if I am enough rested-(to be honest...I haven't even check the calendar for the leads). It would be wonderful to see you all there anyhow!😍. I will be hanging at Christian's bar, next to the Chagall. See you there!🤗

7 minutes ago, abatt said:

It seems to me the only good scheduling option is to put Copeland in there.  If Abrera can't perform, I would be thrilled to see Lane, or alternatively, a new Giselle like Trenary or Brandt.  I saw Copeland last season in Giselle, and once was enough.

Aggh. What a mess. I really bought one ticket, for Osipova's Giselle. Other than that I guess I will decide on daily basis if I feel enough inspired to watch any other performance. 

So I just looked it up. Valdes is 42, and that's extreme to American standards of ballet-( and even more for a Kitri).

So he went the same way as Petipa, right...? I know there are many choreographed  "ballet for opera" numbers in the Stepanov. And just like Mr. B's...we might never see them revived...

2 hours ago, atm711 said:

There has been  no mention of the Alexandra Fedorova version (former Mariinsky dancer married to a Fokine) which was based on the Ivanov version.  It was the first Nutcracker that most Americans saw on the Ballet Russe tours.  It was in two acts and had the best Grand Pas de Deux you could hope to see---(NO apologies to Balanchine and Ratmansky!)

Which is the version Alonso staged in Cuba around that same time, leaving intact its grand pdd. Both Fedorova and Leon Fokine were her teachers.

How about Marianela Nuñez...? Is she enough international ...? enough versatile...? Young enough to be a current  technical competition of Osipova or Peck...?

12 hours ago, mnacenani said:

Would appreciate hearing your view on Adiarys Almeida today. Never saw her live, missed seeing her when she danced Kitri at the Kremlin Festival last year when I was there but had already booked something else ..... sigh !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R9fo4cKgNY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOWhG1wtJdE

 

Your typical Cuban ballerina, pretty much in the lines of Xiomara Reyes or Viengsay Valdes. Short, legs of steel, great turner, fouettes and pirouettes for ages... always on spot...but not within the general likeness of current elongated, willowy Russian prototype.

34 minutes ago, vipa said:

Being the greatest of a generation is a big statement. I can't know what to say. Suzanne Farrell was one of the greatest artists I've ever seen in any field. Did she "rule"? I don't know how to begin to answer that question.

Well....Farrell definitely ruled in NYC. Now..at the same time there were other dancers out there from her generation who probably had a more international exposure-(which is probably the same  situation with Peck today). Back in the 60's, 70's, early 80's Soviet ballerinas were still pretty much enclosed, and hence didn't have the opportunity to become international rulers. Great Cuban ballerinas were dancing, but sadly....very few saw them.  If I were to mention names from that generation I would give Fracci and Makarova-(even though I believe Sizova or Komleva were superior).

Nina, yes... definitely a ruler, but she has retired already. I'm trying to get those from today-today. 

On 5/2/2018 at 7:41 AM, Fleurdelis said:

I agree with the notion that Smirnova right now is one of the best, if not the best ballerina in the world today. To me the last 15 years were clearly the era of Vishneva/Lopatkina/Zakharova, and Smirnova is their heir apparent as they have finished or are close to finishing their careers. I also see Cojocaru in a class of her own, incredible combination of  technique and acting ability, plus some magical inner glow that adds a special beauty to her dancing. But not enough of a diva quality to truly rule the ballet world.  Osipova - I recognize her absolute uniqueness and impact, but she comes short on gracefulness and finesse that a ballerina should have. Her physique is both a blessing and a curse, her technique and jumps are unorthodox and unequalled in the history of dance, but she does not have the fine form and lines, which is what for me defines a ballerina, as opposed to a broader concept of a dancer. Lacarra - I find her absolutely breathtaking, unless she dances the classics, where her style is very, hmmmm, peculiar. Yuan Yuan Tan - also in a class of her own, but I saw too little of her and do not know how she dances classical roles. Krysanova -  among the best ever in terms of classical technique and excellent in allegro roles, but does not have the adagio dimension and that ravishing bigger-than-life quality to be considered a generational ballerina. Semionova - for a long time I viewed her as potentially THE BALLERINA of her generation, but her career sort of fizzled after her departure from Berlin, I think it was a major mistake that distracted her and threw her off her path. Obraztsova - does not have the long limbs and the dramatic acting ability to be compelling in half the classical roles: Swan, Giselle, Bayadere. French ballerinas do not travel much, so I can't tell if there has been anyone there approaching anything of Sylvie Guillem's stature. There may be some great ballerinas in Japan, but once again I can't tell, because they do not travel much. I 1am hoping that Alena Kovaleva will redefine the art and prove that very tall ballerinas can too rule the ballet world, though I am beginning to get a bit worried about the trajectory of her development. I am very curious to hear about any other 18-22 year olds who may be destined for greatness these days.

As for the men, to me it has all been about Hallberg and Ivan Vasilyev, two antipodes who have reached the pinnacles of their respective emplois. But I keep hoping that that Baryshnikov and Vladimir Vasilyev somehow chance upon a fountain of youth, they would be just as magnificent by today's standards as they were during their dancing times. Polunin? Take away his bad boy image and the rock star hype surrounding him, and you are left with an example of good English schooling and often sloppy partnership. Not nearly enough for me, though almost all my friends completely lose their minds over him.

Based on hype alone, then Osipova, Polunin and Vasilyev are ahead of the rest. Sorry if I failed to mention anyone else I should have. 

 

You mentioned a key point vital for this discussion, which is how international are or aren't this dancers. From what one can gather in biographies and autobiographies, one key element for the most famous, generation- defining dancers of the past to have come down in history as such wasn't sometimes a superb technique, but rather an ample exposure to transcontinental audiences, companies, dancing styles and choreographers. I'm basically thinking of Danilova and Lifar...who, even if according to many of her peers were not exactly amazing technicians, were able to explore an ample array of the dancing spectrum to a vast international audience....and for a long time-( I believe longevity plays a VERY important role too). Others who were great technicians also benefited from this same international career in a variety of styles-( Markova, Alonso, Nureyev). Hence, Peck is in a great disadvantage with, let's say, Osipova.

Oh Robbie, Robbie...😈

International status weights quite a lot in how do I perceive the ballet world female "rulers" of today. That and the ability to arise interest both in audiences and choreographers.

Ir am so saddened to read about his passing. Mel was one of the first enthusiastic souls from this site that I truly enjoyed debating and sharing opinions with. He had so much knowledge about mid century American ballet and always had a first hand experience under his sleeve to ilustrate his topics. As Atm711 rightfully said, he will certainly be missed along with Carbro. RIP Mr. Johnson.

I can be the first-( and maybe only one)- to scream out a loud "Bravo!" after a dancer's particularly difficult technical favorite sequence, the first-( and maybe only one)- to welcome a Giselle's entrance in places where it seems not to be customary and also one of the first to make a quick exit after the first general curtain call, not staying for the now customary individual calls where milking applauses seem to be more and more fashionable. 

So no...if the performance was a mediocre one, no reason for me to stand, but rather make a quick exit after the first general curtain.

3 hours ago, MadameP said:

Really?  They look completely out on my screen - unless the sound out of synch.    

Hummer...strange. They look synchronized on mine.