cubanmiamiboy

Not the same as my list of 5 favorite ballets of all time, although some would make both lists!

Exactly. THAT is my point! ...and thank you for putting it into words.

I would go in a blink of an eye if this was a recon of Petipa's LHBH. But is not, so no.

Aren't there some ballets that we identify as pivotal works in our balletomanne formative years...? Don't you think of certain works when trying to remember those early performances you saw...? Are certain ballets part of a very early repertoire you grew up with...? Can you name 5-(it might be difficult for some of you)-of those ballets that you saw waaaay back and made you feel in love with the art form...?

Here are my five, with no doubt. They were done all the time back in Havana during my adolescent years-(late 80's, early 90's), and I keep treasuring them until today.

1-Giselle

2-Grand Pas de Quatre-(Dolin)

3-La Fille mal Gardee-(Alonso/Hertel after Nijinska's for BT)

4-Les Sylphides-(Alonso after Fokine's for BT)

5-Coppelia

Which are yours...?

In one of Markova's books she relates how she was given the choice on how to perform the final diagonal in Giselle's PasSeul, after Pavlova vs. Spessivtseva-(both were notaded according to her). She went for the latter one, and from there Alonso took it in the early 40's. I believe is not performed anywhere else nowadays but in Cuba, as everyone else does the circle of pique turns.

Stagers can be very strict with this. Osipova has said that she would like to perform said diagonal in Russia, but she would not be allowed by her coach.

Or...(like in the Shapran Giselle video), when they don't feel up to the challenge of certain technical feat...

When I got home the Oscars were running, so while unpacking I had time to watch the best supporting/leading awards, plus the best picture and Gaga's great performance. ;-) And then I worked out..

I just watched this...and is just exquisite.

Why doesn't this link work for me? It says, "Sorry, you don't have permission for that," and "You are not allowed to visit this community." ????

BT for dancers has I think a separate registration.

Flicker on, dear friends!

Flicker on..dear Natasha, flicker on, with no other than Mr. Entrechat himself...Yuri Soloviev!!

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But in changement there is always a change in position. Not in entrechat deux. Entrechats are deceiving to the eye, due to the fast way they are performed. But is easy to see a simple changement on pointe. No crossing on air...only change of position. At the second Koundarova performance she neither crossed nor changed her position in the diagonal, which is why I think there were simple sautees-(which can be confused as tried entrechat deux...she might even tried to perform some before going for simple sautees). I still think Kolegova's are entreechat deux.

In the slow mo. video of Kolegova, she barely crosses two-("deux")-times her foot on air, which is why it looks like simple sautees, landing in the same position. When they do changements-("cambio", "change")- is easy to recognize because the position of the foot at landing is the opposite as when they start the jump. I say Kolegova's are entrechat deux because she "crosses"-(just a few times maybe in the beginning of the diagonal)-her foot two times before landing. She obviously does not perform four-('quatre")-crosses before landing.

I noticed the clanging only of Sat night and I believe that I noticed the bottom set of metal circles were loose...something had not been secured or came loose. It's in my "notes" loud and clear even from way up...as is your amazing "Bravo!" after the A2 adagio, Cubanmiamiboy. (Ha ha)

Yes, the whole raw of metal clings hang only from the top. Very noisy. And about my "Bravo!", I channeled my inner CubanHavanaBoy!.. ;-)

Those are basically entrechat deux. And yes, without the slow motion they look like simple sautees. In thus video, Kolegova's would go to sample #1

Giselle...!!!

I sat in row O, and I had wonderful views at all times. By the way...I invite you all, with your eyes and minds fresh from the DC performances, to re visit the recon. I did this morning, and I definitely can say that it gave me a way better view on how greater this original scenario is compared to the Kirov/Mariinsky version. Countess Sybil, in the opening scene, looks and acts with much more command on the whole situation, and looks way more human-like than the frozen smiled one of the Russian production. She has much mime, and in general her character is more colorful and important than the mainly walker "queen-like" from K. Sergueev. Then, the fact that Abdherrakhman doesn't appear until the dream scene makes much sense to me. I find awkward than the the chief enemy was so well received at the de Doris household, even with a smiling Sybil while he is making unwanted advancements toward her niece. Finally, the White Lady. Her deletion also weakness the story, as the supra natural element is absent. Only during the dream do we see non real characters in the Mariinsky version, so the whole thing tries to have a "realistic" touch that fails to be. Raymonda looks and shows better with the mysterious, fairy tale element on. And about the costumes and backdrops, well....there's not even comparison. La Scala's is a sumptuous production.

Here are my picks from last night's Oscars:

Best dressed:

Julianne Moore in Chanel.

Sofia Vergara in Marchesa.

Jennifer Garner in Versace.

Worst Dressed.

Olivia Wilde in...(?)

Heidi Klum in..(?)

Jennifer Lawrence in..(?)

Hello Nastasia, and welcome to BA! Very glad to have you here, and take a time to browse our forums. Lots of interesting information there! ;-)

This version with the saracen introduction in act I and the non WL element, can be somewhat confusing. Sometimes you wonder why is that the enemy (he is a muslim chief during the times of the crusades...the same ones that de Brienne is fighting on)- is received with smiles and courtsies in the de Doris celebration. The original libretto is way more substantial and clear. BTW, Natasha...the metal things hanging in Abderrhakman's costume were there for all performances. They are indeed noisy, particularly during his pdd with Raymonda.

I was seated very closed to the stage, and I don't remember very well Katya's diagonal on her first night, but I went to scrutinize her second performance, particularly said diagonal. Only sautees were done, with no changements. In the recon. clip Novikova does what appears (to me) entrechat trois, no quatres. The absence of the White Lady is certainly a miss in K. Sergueev production, and yes..she shows up in Bessmertnova's video, although maybe she is gone by now at the Bolshoi. If we count her appearance in Grigorovitch (Bolshoi), POB (Rudy), ABT (Holmes) and La Scala (Vikharev), she is definitely a presence to miss in the Mariinsky. The White Lady is, just as most of the original Lilac, a non-dancing role. She presides over Raymonda's castle and family, and the love story, so forgettable in most versions, benefits from the scale and rhythm of Acts I and II. I really think that for being probably the first time many ballet goers watch this ballet live, the absence of this character is a faux pas.

Sometimes the eye can be deceiving. I would swear that Skorik onky did changements on pointe, not entrechats, while Katya only did sautees. Entrechat sixes are indeed quite impossible to do on pointe. In any case, maybe entrechat trois. On the other side, there is this anecdote of Nureyev i read in one of his biographies, in whicg he was watching a rehearsal at POB, and the danseur was to execute entrechat sixes, and thinking that Rudy was dozing off, he just went easy without putting much effort. Well, Rudy suddenly stomped off his chair, threw something on the floor, interrupted the music and scream at the dancer.."Entrechat six..?!?!...THAT'S ENTRECHAT PISS!!!" ;-)

Cubanmiamiboy, was that your booming voice in front-Orchestra yelling "Bravo!" right after the A1-sc2 Pdd last night, right before the rest of the audience applauded? I could swear I detected your voice from way up in my 2nd Tier seat.

Yes, Natasha. That was me! I rarely get so transfixed as I was by Katya and Danila's artistry in this pdd. This is, along with the Sugar Plum pdd and Diamonds, one of my all time favorite adagios from the whole ballet repertoire. The Cuban company presents it often in gala performances, and it had been quite a long time since I saw it for last time live. I absolutely ADORED their performance, so I just had to shout it out loud.

Flash, flash!! Katya/Danila pas de deux during the dream svene was EXQUISITE

Skorik showed a HUGE improvement tonight from opening night. I noticed she wore less makeup, so her face was less harsh and relaxed. She also smiled more both to the audience and to Askerov, and in general they showed much more chemistry than on Tuesday. She still looked pretty scared when she was lifted, looking down nervously, AND she still struggled to do the sautees on pointe-(she didn't fell off pointe, but did them on the same spot, or maybe advancing just a tiny bit..)

A couple of impressions on some performers from various performances.

Shapran. Less than perfect technique and stage projection. Unsteady during landings and with a face that look as if she is condemned to the guillotine.

A WONDERFUL Kirill Leontiev leading the czarda. Such great spirit and character!

Sofia Ivanova-Skoblikova and her wonderful technique and powerful calves. Brava!

I'm skipping Kolegova's matinee tomorrow-(didn't impress me that much..)-but back at Big Red's evening performance. Hell... she IS Raymonda!!

There must be "the curse of the sautees in pointe" against the Russian ballerinas. Kolegova fell off pointe during her series of sautees tonight.

I saw a Mariinsky bailarin today glancing at the National Gallery Degas ballerinas paintings. I approached and congratulated him for the performance. He was very courteous and smily-(even though I don't think he quite understood my words, he graciously responded to my hand shake..)