cubanmiamiboy

Mr. Alonso was the REAL creator of the Cuban school syllabus and methods-(not Alicia, as it has been widespread said). Alicia was his first product, and he kept molding her, integrating and experimenting with everything they both had learned since sailing to NYC in 1937 after getting married at the early age of 15 and 16. He's also responsible for the creation of the second major ballet company in the country, Ballet de Camaguey, which he did after having fall from grace with Alicia and exiled from his own company and city. MCB Carlos Guerra comes from Ballet de Camaguey. It is also important to note that Fernando and Alberto's mother was a fervent supporter of the creation of ballet in Cuba, and the fabulous mansion that has served ever since as the ballet headquarters in Havana, and where Alicia seats today as supreme chief, was the Alonso's residence. If we have a great ballet company today it is mainly because of Fernando. Alicia's part comes into the equation after she returns to Cuba in 1959. RIP Fernando.... Fernando and Alicia in BT's "Undertow", 1947

I'm in..! Send me a PM,fadedhour, so we can maybe meet during intermezzos...

Nice.

As a record...(bad video, but still, worth to see the WHOLE ballet...) A very young Toto Carreno in the role, and the late great Josefina Mendez as Terpsichore... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZh72OYSjo

Peter Quanz' "Double Bounce". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3-yvpQMYVA

An interesting documentary on Gounod... Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKmWGhuA3DI Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLY2Rp8VBGM ...and a lovely Coppelia PDD with him and Valdes... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI3WzEPa15E

I can't imagine how hard must be to run away in one's life time twice from your place of residence due to political oppression. That seems to be the case of Eduardova, first from the Bolsheviks and later on from the Nazis...

Aggh..!

Well, now we are chic and have the "Jersey Shore" filmed here...

Villella certainly had issues with a place and a group of people-(the board)-in a time lapse of 25 years, but even if he's not here anymore, Miami was DEFINITELY the hand that fed him for quite a time .No reason for such vitriol...at least no so public.

Is he questioning-(or diminishing)- the very source of his income...?

http://www.balletmunicipal.com/historia.htm

Karsavina is very clear as to what the treatment of the title was back in Imperial Russia. In "A portrait of Giselle" she can be seen trying to remember her rank in the company when she danced the role. When asked by Dolin if she had achieved the rank, she answers..."No yet...", just to reply shortly right away ."Oh, yes, I was a ballerina"

Those on scooters and bikes must be living here in South Beach. Those coming walking must have had parked theirs cars, for which there's not reliable public transportation from and to Miami Beach.

You can easily spot Jeanette Delgado, Trividic, one of the Esty twins-(hard to differentiate them)-and blond Swatosh.

South Beach style..! . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5OclWhfltY&feature=player_embedded#at=38

The heroine's name and last name has varied as follows: Hoffmann= Marie Stahlbaum Dumas= Marie Silberhaus Vsevolozhsky= Clara Silberhaus

1- I think the MCB/Cuban ballet issue is hard to peel away from social issues that exist. 2- Villella created MCB as a Balanchine company. He flat out states in that interview that the Cubans have a different style, and he doesn't want that. 3-...it does seem incredible that a ballet company in Miami with so many Cuban ballet dancers passing through as they defect does not use them. 4- I do know that the social context plays a role in some people's concerns. I took the liberty to highlight four points in Birdsall's quote that basically resume all that is floating in people's minds around here. Just look above.

Maybe not "redefined", per se, agree with that, but that it needs to re assess its surroundings and acknowledge specific real situations for better marketing purposes, it does needs to.

But that's exactly what I'm saying does not has to happen. In fact, I don't believe at all that approaching in a larger scale the experience, coaching potential and dancers coming from "there" should be threatening at all to the well established dance style of MCB...(or perhaps it would...?...Or perhaps he thought it would...? humm...) It is also possible to counterpoint with "Ms Alonso didn't want to....Mrs Alonso doesn't like.....Mrs Alonso didn't accept...." . Thing is...is the words and actions of Villella via the interview what is being analyzed here.... About Alonso much more has been written and criticized also at lenght...AND it should be noted that the results of the "Mrs Alonso didn't this or that" mantra could be very beneficial to MCB. As per right now it is not happening.

Helene and bart...good ballet is good ballet. MCB needs good dancers and good teachers. Miami is, was, has been plagued with all of it for many years, and it should not matter that they were trained in Havana. MCB is Miami's company, and still, how much advantage has is taken of the human potential THAT IS HERE right now so far...? Near to zero. How many Cuban dancers have passed by this city after defecting from Havana...? Too many to count. How many are currently employed by MCB...? Only Reyes-(Guerra does not come from Alonso's company). How many professors...? NONE. The fact that the repertoire and style of MCB is based on Balanchine has nothing to do with the fact of the company's powers purposely ignoring for years such potential. As I said...stories beginning with "Villella didn't want to..", "Villella doesn't like...", "Villella didn't accept..." and the like I've heard for years from countless insiders. It is truly shameful. I hope Lopez shows more wisdom about all of it...

Villella had a particular way to treat the bulk of the ballet environment here in Miami. He never seemed to care about involving his company in the Ballet Festival..."Why is that MCB does not participate in the Ballet Festival..?" is a common question that everybody wonders. He never gave pre performance lectures in Miami..they were just reserved for Broward and WPB...he has continuously ignored the great potential coaching and teaching of wonderful golden age ballerinas that are struggling around this city without a decent place to pass their knowledge. If someone had had the vision to link the great force behind the Cuban ballet community-(which includes rich donors, a distinctive audience, a continue influx of defecting dancers and a wonderful array of aging CBN ex members that could had been precious if placed within the wings of MCB)-Miami could be one hell of ballet community. As per now, both ends are as separated as they can be. I know many people is against the idea of MCB becoming a satellite of Alonso's network, but if done with good vision and intelligence, that should not be a problem at all. The idea should be to attract defecting dancers to stay in Miami, and instead they keep coming to just jump somewhere else...somewhere where they feel more "at home". Stories I know many, but because of the board's policies, I can't really mention them here, but believe me...the situation is really bad in that aspect. Donors are more or less in the same boat.

It is a strange feeling after reading the interview. As an outsider, 12 years resident of Miami, I can't help not to disagree to what Villella says. I definitely felt the same the only time I went back to Havana after I left, and I certainly feel it every time I come back from ballet trips to NYC. Thing is...as a part of a community that has indeed benefited from the efforts of different organizations-(MCB included along with Michael Tilson and his orchestra, the residency of the Cleveland, the Art Basel, etc...)- to change this view, and after mostly repeating yourself that the situation is indeed changing, you feel, after the reading, that you've been lying to yourself and tho the whole world when indeed the real situation is otherwise. Discouraging is what comes to my mind.

"I feel like I’ve been culturally deprived for twenty-five years" [Miami]- "It’s a resort town, a clubbing town, it’s very shallow culturally" Oh, we all know that. It is just a little hard to realize that there's never a step forward about changing such vision-(one that I happen to share, BTW). At the end of every story you end up knowing that, once again, real, deep rooting never happens over here...even after 25 years...(sight in frustration)