cubanmiamiboy

So what's up with Martins' little abdication ceremony at the end of his version...? I'm not sure I like it. And if King Florestan is abdicating, it would be in favor of his daughter and not his son in law! Prince Desiree would be a Prince Consort. If anything, it should had been King Florestan going to Princess Aurora and placing his crown on her, while Prince Desiree could be just be happy to be the consort. Both of them could had then walk up to the throne seats in their new ropes and posed as planned. 😉 Yes....? I was looking into both Perrault and the Grimm brothers' tales, and none of them mentions the passing of the crown. Neither Vsevolozhsky's libretto. But if Princess Aurora becomes Queen Aurora at the end, it should had been in the right way, I think....😎

Ahhh....thanks! I didn't have my program, and not being too close and with my poor vision I thought she was Pereira....being so tiny.😉

It was an exciting performance today. LaFreniere was much better than the first time I saw her. The second run of balances with promenades still better than the first ones. The fish dives without major problems, but still too carefully executed...too slow. Mejia was great as Bluebird, as well as Pereira's Princess Florine. I thought she would get a shot at Aurora. In fact the cast that I would had loved to see over everybody never happened. That of Bouder/Furlan, for major medical/familial reasons. Another Aurora I'like to see is Pereira. Another Prince Desiree, Ulbricht. Pereira was a wonderful Swannilda, if memory serves. But back to today...Mejia's Bluebird landings were plush and silent, and he showed excellent ballon. The Diamond variation is very strange. It looks totally out of place with the rest of the choreography of the other two female dancers, which somehow follow pretty much the Russian/Soviet scheme. Where does that music comes from? I suppose from the many cuts of Marchionesses, Baronesses and other noble women dances from the forest scene..? In any case....Martins went to modern with it. Too much of a contrast with the other fairies. The cats were superb.

You are right. A very tricky step that everyone seems having problems with. It is a super fast turn and down, so quite hard to keep balance. I notice some of the best ending variations are those in which Martins keeps the final beat for a certain arm movement instead of a final turn to pose or jump to pose. Keeping the last bar as an extra for arms gives the performers time to safely place themselves and then a dramatic "ta da!" with arms. Best examples...Prince Desiree's sólo after the vision fairies leave the stage. Rapid chainee turns to pose on knee AND then final bar with arms crossed on chest. Or Bluebird, with sequence of Entrechat sixes to knee TO THEN a final flip of his wings. Poor Lilac has to turn, go down on knee and pose in ONE movement.

Her Queen mom was completely different than anyone else. Full of warm and totally devoided of the much favored aloofness and plasticity. Even with funny accents here and there. When she fell asleep she didn't go all elongated and stretchy. She just collapsed as if she was drunk. I loved it.🤣

Phelan was very sweet. She's a beautiful woman, and certainly looks radiant onstage. Now ..on "Adagiometer" matters, gotta say her balances were secure with no wobbly ankles, but still not on the technical level of Fairchild or the dramatic accentuation of Peck. Same with the fish dives at the Grand Pas. Knees and hands were much more better placed than Woodward's at the matinee, and I could tell much of it has to do with her strong partnering. Still....the three of them were done veeeery carefully.... without fireworks. One thing I have noticed in all ballerinas BUT Fairchild at the dives is that they secure their placement carefully on the one arm lower lift with one bent leg AND THEN , after being positioned, they drag and bend the other leg. Sort of dividing a moment that should be done in a blink of an eye. A moment that should be a flash sweep of arms and legs becoming two. I have also seen this during the fish dives of TchaiPas, where more and more partners secure their ballerinas after the jump in a not too low position and so she , after feeling secure, gives him a silent "ok" to be lowered more, at many times bending her torso-( which one can see it's not the case with the daring Villella/McBride jump/straight body with face almost touching the floor. Anyhow....I enjoyed the night. The cats and Red Riding Hood divertissements are priceless. A very smart move from Martins, I must say.

Agree. I have never liked LeCrone in anything I've seen her, tutu wise. And Carabosse is a problematic role for her. See...this role has been historically associated with men in drag, and the companies that have women on it usually depart from grotesque-witch to imposing bad fairy, a la Maleficent. And I don't think LeCrone conveys that second idea.

Yep...

Sadly...I didn't warm up to her Grand Pas. She looked tense and ended up resorting to a fixed smile. The fish dives were also not good. Her lower leg did wabble the tree times, more obviously on the last, and the lower portion of her body was twisted. I also noticed she got his hand to support hers during the three poses of the dives. That looked a bit like cheating. Fairchild still reigns supreme this run.

I gotta say Woodward did beautifully during the first part in all the hard sections. She boosted confidence in the Rose Adagio...even trying for a longer unsupported balance at the end of the last promenade that made her somehow lose a bit of her center, but with no major consequences. Her Vision Scene was lovely as well. Let's see act II.

Peck/Wai Chan last night. Tiler was exquisite, because one can tell she owns the music. She's a very musical ballerina, so she can play a lot with the little accents with every fiber of her body, particularly neck, face and arms. Now...if we dissect the ballet down to the two most technical moments, the balances of the RA and the fish dives of the Grand Pas, Fairchild was superior. Tiler's first round of balances was a bit shaky, the second ones with the promenades better, while Megan's were perfectly placed, with no rush and slower...even putting her arms en couronne. There was a little scary moment during the fish dives for Peck and Chan as well. The Bluebird pdd was not good, at least during the adagio. He couldn't complete the placement of Florine on his shoulder lift. There were other mishaps all around. Didn't warm up to Laracey's Lilac.

🤣

Peck/Wai Chan tonight. Tiler was exquisite, because one can tell she owns the music. She's a very musical ballerina, so she can play a lot with the little accents with every fiber of her body, particularly neck, face and arms. Now...if we dissect the ballet down to the two most technical moments, the balances of the RA and the fish dives of the Grand Pas, Fairchild was superior. Tiler's first round of balances was a bit shaky, the second ones with the promenades better, while Megan's were perfectly placed, with no rush and slower slower...even putting her arms en couronne. There was a little scary moment during the fish dives for Peck and Chan as well. The Bluebird pdd was not good, at least during the adagio. He couldn't complete the placement of Florine on his shoulder lift. There were other mishaps all around. Didn't warm up to Laracey's Lilac.

Done and done. Finally! 🙏

Sadly, last night was not a match to the previous night's splendid performance. Shaky first round of balances by Aurora in the Rose Adagio. Better ones during the second ones with promenades. Legs all over the place during Act III Grand pdd fish dives, and multiple displaced landings by Desiree in both his Vision Scene and Grand pdd variations. Princess Aurora was almost dropped on her wedding night 😞 Isabella LaFreniere was Princess Aurora. Peter Walker was Prince Desiree.

Can I just start by stating what an incredibly AMAZING Aurora is Megan delivering tonight as I write...? - Aurora's entrance, torpedo style! - Rose Adagio on spot. No shaking. - Vision Scene. Oh so dreamy...! To be continued....😎

I saw both Schevchenko's and Teuscher's performances of their Black Swan pdd the very same day of their performances, via bootlegs. (😎). I'm happy that ABT's fouetteometer has been dusted off and updated. They both did great, particularly Christine's, with her pirouettes a la seconde thrown between doubles-( I don't think I've ever seen this done this way).

Inded, dear dirac! And I'm still due for the Rossini gala, coming up in a few days, Bartoli at its center as well!

I'm currently in Vienna, attending this Rossini celebration. It also marks the much delayed debut of Bartoli at the Vienna Opera house. I saw both La Cenerentola and IL Turco en Italia. Words can not describe the electrifying mood in the house. I have seen rare performances which take you to the descriptions of bygone past times in performing arts. The screaming...the bouquet throwing....the endless curtain calls. And all that and more was what I saw here and now. La Ceci sang Cenerentola as if not 25 years, but 25 seconds had passed since that MET video on YouTube. And she had to sing an encore of "Non piu mesta", as the audience refused to live the theater even after repeated efforts by all, including Bartoli herself and the ushers. The encore she did for her adoring fans with even more embellishments! It was pandemonium. A similar scene happened last night with "IL Turco". La Ceci has that power to really do as she pleases onstage. She flirts with her audience...she laughs...she stops the orchestra at times to really enjoy the results of her high notes and it all leads to a performance of a lifetime. The only thing missing was for her fans to carry her around town in arms or for some Russian Grand Duke to present her with some diamonds onstage. What a woman....what a performer!! Brava Ceci!!

All is well, Buddy. Girl is growing by the minute. Gotta apologize for being so harsh on Skorik, whom I know you adore. And I understand it. Opinions on ballet esthetics have been divided since the beginning of the art form. We're probably pre conditioned from what our brains got from the art form in our first baby steps as viewers. Cuban ballerinas were never tall, willowy or particularly refined in their physique. On the other side, they were fierce devilish turners. And that footprint have stayed with me ever since. Which is why I'm attracted to the flashing ways of the Osipovas and Bouders of this world. But I gotta give you that no one look as refined and poised onstage as the Russians.

Noooo!!!!! McKenzie's SL MUST stay!!! It is THE BEST suicidal Swan Lake EVER!! That way I'll be having both ways, excitement/historical-NYC/Miami for many years to come!-(.and I'm sure I won't be the only one)

Hi Buddy! I must confess my opinion of her is heavily and permanently permeated by my recollections on the first time I ever saw her dancing. It was many years ago down here in Miami in a pdd's gala, where she pulled a tragic "MistyEsque" Black Swan coda that would had made Misty's own take on the segment look like a Prima Ballerina Assoluta's supreme masterclass in fouettes. All I can say is that she hit the pit's foot light all the way to stage right, right next to the wing before her 10 fouette. It was so bombastic and embarrassing that people gasped. Not only that...but she stopped, visibly dizzy, and without a plan B there was a HUGE amount of coda music loudly sounding while both her and her Siegfried looked confused up there doing NOTHING. I had NEVER seen something like that ever before or after in my whole life. As I say....Misty's efforts look like Prima material in comparisson. And also true....I'm not into willowy limbs and posing worship material. I'll take the sturdy short dancer who spins like a daredevil anytime.

Wow. I can't help but think how symbolic this public display of love by Ramasar's peers is, considering how potentially fatal his involvement in the Waterbury/Finlay scandal was. I'm happy that he was able to fight back, to be re instated in the company and to have a beautiful farewell after 20 years with them. Quite an atypical story, I say. Bravo!

Raymonda's issue is having a Christian couple as heroes and a Muslim Saracen as the anti hero, Secondary to that is presenting a Crusader in positive light. Even if a huge percentage of current ballet attending youth is probably unaware of what the Crusades were, I have always felt that when the ballet is stripped of this two elements, it is completely lost...destroyed. I hate the type of thing that Holmes did a while ago for ABT or now Rojo for her company. This efforts cry desperation for avoiding the two main issues. And they look silly and disrespectful to the work and its creators. The last act of Raymonda could be presented by itself in a plotless manner, just as Paquita, in a Theme and Variations fashion. I can't understand why ABT hasn't done them this way.

Time does flies, dear. Some years ago at the MET you had you mom-(may she RIP)- and I didn't have a daughter. Life cycle goes on and on. I was last in NYC for New Year. It was a disaster. All my City Ballet Nuts were cancelled, as were my Carnegie Hall performances. Thank God the Opera didn't cancel, but...the MET masks thing truly put me completely off. I even had a lady chasing me all over the lobby DOWN TO THE BATHROOMS AREA screaming at me to put my mask on. Mind you, I was hiding in a little corner by myself when she saw me from the distance and she came as a bullet and started screaming and pointing her finger at my face. I tried to run away but she kept chasing me. At one point I turned around and asked her..."Ma'am...if you're so afraid of me giving you COVID...why are you chasing me...why are you on my face right now..?!" No. I decided after that trip that I would wait for all the regulations to be over and done with before returning to NYC. And yes...I had also plans to the Mariinsky DC performances. All cancelled now. Hugs to you and Rick, dear.