cubanmiamiboy

This is beyond everything and anything I've ever seen, heard or read in ballet... At 1:12 here's your "born Odetta". I just can't imagine the frustration of all the capable female dancers being relegated to seat in the background and force to contemplate the unfairness of this world... 3:33 is so disgraceful that it becomes sad...

Batoeva!!

How sad...

I saw this yesterday at the cinema. What a disappointing experience-(from the 3-D perspective). The brightness of the image was completely doomed by the glasses, and the unidimensional effect went on and off a few times. At times I took them off-(the device I was handed were not the usual disposable ones, but instead a heavy reusable set), and in general I really didn't see that much of a change from a regular projection. That said, here're some thoughts on the production and the dancing. Osipova is DIVINE. It is rare to see a BALLERINA that can carry on with such gusto and excellence all the styles, and able to go around the world dancing with so many companies and adjusting to different stagings and choreographies. I'm certainly not missing her upcoming Sylvia, as I see her as one of the few currently true representers of the now almost extinct wave of international dancers of the past that were not afraid to go around and dance, dance and dance and experiment with all ballets, styles and approaches-(Markova, Alonso, Fonteyn, Nureyev, Misha, and some others). If anything, I really see Osipova's success in Giselle as a major thing, given that this is usually the forbidden territory for many ballerinas, due to either not wanting to move from their confort zone/company or simply because they are not convincing in the role, having tried it at some point sans success-(there are names here, of course, which we all know).Osipova came out of her cottage as if belonging to the air, and on the air she stayed during the whole ballet. The definition of ballet BALLON should be linked in Wikipedia with a video of her, so people would recognize-(or remember)-what being suspended on the air looks like. Her movements were quick, fast, and not mannered-(or at least definitely less mannered than other dancers that, lacking the real dancing skills and so relying in endless poses and silly mannerisms). Her act I girl was sweet and girlish-(and this rare praise comes from me, who grew up preferring the more restricted, old fashioned approach of the Cuban ballerinas inherited from the Markova/Alonso lineage). I really liked a detail she added during the sequence when she kneels to the back of an oblivious Bathilde to touch the fabric of her rival to be dress. Right away after feeling the fine fabric, she then touches her own dress here and there, looking at herself with embarrassment, as if realizing with sadness how different the two of them are. I really liked this. Also, her madness scene wasn't just a repetition of that other one on Youtube where she rips off violently her gift from Bathilde from her neck, which got tingled on her hair and thus applying real force, every bid of the prop flying all over the stage. This time she took it off her neck with barely a single motion, leaving it behind with not too much drama, concentrating instead in the upcoming madness that will fallow. Her Act II was as ghostly and ethereal as it can be. Her grand pirouettes during the initiation scene were perfect, fast, centered, secure-(oh, how I wished she could do the Cuban version, elevating herself into a double attitude pirouette en dehors after the turns...I can just envision her). Her adagio was dreamy, and during the initial sequence her arabesque penchee-(one of the most terrifying moments to any ballerina)-were executed with great ease. We know how shaky many dancers get when transitioning from the arabesque into the low penchee, many of them not really being able to lower themselves down too much). And then...the entrechats sequence. Oh my...NEVER have I seen such beautiful executed said sequence before. She went for the slow approach-(instead of the quick, super fast version chosen by many ballerinas)-but there were OUT OF THIS WORLD! . People even grasped at them...they looked almost as something against gravity. Well, now that I established by devotion for Osipova's Giselle, let me give a quick review of the rest. Sarafanov started on the weak side his performance. I'm really thinking by now that the type of manly dancers that are built and look like MEN onstage instead of boys are almost extinct-(NYers, cherish your Marcelo over there…there are not that many like him around anymore). His best moments were when he was doing his solos-(especially during his own wonderful entrechats sequence in Act II). Otherwise he didn’t really convinced me either as the fake peasant Loys-(his costume was totally wrong here…nothing to do with a peasant)-or his lukewarm Albrecht during the confrontation scene-(Bathilde looked more like his mother rather than his fiancée..). Koundarova was beautiful as Myrtha, although she couldn’t take my eyes out of Osipova-(something many Myrthas are able to do with their Giselles). She did a very nice job though. There were certain things I miss during this production, and here’s a brief list. 1-The Peasant PDD was gone 2-Berthe’s mime scene on Giselle’s fate was gone 3-Hilarion’s killing sequence by the willis was not effective enough. It was slightly shorter on music-(for a complete musical rendition of the scene, Het National Ballet has it, and beautifully done). Also, the willis choreo during this moment was not aggressive enough. The stager went for a slooow turning and soft port de bras for the corps, instead of the usual hard pointing and effective fast turning of the women for Hilarion to go to the right wing and die there. 4-BIGGEST MISS: WHERE IS GISELLE BEING CROWNED AS THE QUEEN OF THE HARVEST?!?!. Now, THAT is an iconic moment of the ballet. The whole act I corps revolves around the harvest, and many of the most famous studio portraits of dancers, from Grissi on, show them during this very moment. Oh no…a huge mistake to had got ridden of this. 5-Giselle’s initiation scene was less effective by showing Osipova emerge from her grave sans veil. Usually, it is the combination of the quick musical strings passage, along with Myrtha’s commanding gesture with her magical branch toward Giselle’s head that makes the veil disappear, showing the new ghost in all her white glory. Mariinsky…return the veil to Giselle. On the good note, it was refreshing to see the original fast music re instituted to the end of the ballet-(instead of the slow, less effective Pavlova-era one so so commonly used) Everything said, I officially declare Osipova as a GODDESS of dance.

A fresh infusion to the CCBM is about to happen. The Miami Herald has announced that the last wave of Cuban defector dancers from Alonso's company will perform here, in a gala that will include PDD's rarely seen in Miami, like Diane& Acteon, Les Millions d'Arlequin, La Bayadere and Sleeping Beauty. For the ocassion, Cuban Arionel Vargas, Principal dancer of the English National Ballet along with his wive, Roberta Marquez from the RB will perform. Also, veteran Alyhaidee Carreno will also travel from Dominican Republic to dance with Raydel Caceres, Principal dancer at Festival Ballet Theater, in Orange County. Will report back. http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2013/05/17/1478690/bailarines-cubanos-desertores.html#

Remember Natasha...? Wearing no glasses, no canes, so alive an upright and charming, with a glass of champagne on one side and his patner on the other one..! Lovely Freddie...

In another note, the other day I was laying on the beach almost next to Rebello.. Congrats to the Brazilians!

bart...Trividic was barely used-(at least ever since I started following the company). He always looked particularly taller than the average short height of Villella's dancers, and as memory serves, never danced the leading role in any of the classical/romantic repertoire works staged by the company-(Giselle, Coppelia, Swan Lake white acts, DQ, Aurora's Wedding or even Nutcracker, although I might be wrong). My French friend always complained about this-(he really wanted to see his fellow countryman onstage). What I remember the most about him was his "Faune.." with Patricia Delgado. It was really very lyrical and beautiful.

Cuban theater golden rule. Patrons cease to have rights over a seat right after the second the lights go down. If someone gets lucky enough to gain access to the auditorium-(a very rare case)-during that very moment, with the lights already off, he/she has to look for an empty seat if there's already someone seated in his lost assigned seat, for which the theater allows for a couple of minutes for the audience to fill out the empty spaces-(moving forward as they want).. The outcome...? NO LATECOMERS WHATSOEVER. After those minutes of re arrangement, with doors locked for good and everybody seated and in silence, then the overture starts...

How funny...canbelto. You reminded me a conversation that I had maaaaaany years ago with a friend of mine, a ballet lover. I was still living in Cuba, and my mother, who was here, had send me a video of a Russian SL. We watched the VHS at my place, and at one point my friend commented "Oh, look...just like all the Russian ballerinas, doing attitudes instead of arabesques". Wow...and that was a zillion years ago...

After all my traveling, i declare Miami the top jewel of the bad audience behavior crown. All the way from theater management polices down, late comers constantly interrupting ballets, galas etc...candy wrappers being slowly unfolded and folded all over the place, cell phones and electronic devices on,along with ring tones sounding during concerts, full scale text messaging, and so on and so forth. Overtures...? Please, that's time to kill and talk and eat and drink before the "show"-(the word "performance" is non existent over here)-starts...Situation is so bad in the sunchining state, that Michael Tilson once loudly crashed his baton against the music stand, interrupted the orchestra, turned around and screamed at the cell phone offender.."You turn that thing off ...NOW!!!!" Shame...? Maybe to some...but many others laughed-(let's link this to the laughing thing of that other thread)- at the incident. Bienvenido a Miami!

Could anybody please explain what happened to Skorik's right foot at 5.05? Her weak foot gave up on her. Gosh...is there a complete performance where she doesn't stumble, falls or something...?

To all women of this board, best wishes!

Alonso said that Balanchine purposely speeded up the tempo in the T&V premiere-(which was, for what I've read, his debut as a conductor). She said they were dancing madly fast and ended up breathless, but the outcome was an exciting, wonderful performance. It takes a great conductor and great performers to challenge each others in order to deliver a good product.

And then you hear more and more the "oh, I danced this or that, and it was a lot of fun!" -(in, let's say, R&J), or instead of "I love my husband...he's wonderful father" or something along the lines, you get the "I love him, he makes me laugh all the time!" and so on and so forth... I definitely think people are more and more confused when faced with performing arts in the dramatic side. It's almost like they don't know how to react. One time I was at a screening of Bunuel's "Viridiana" and there was a whole raw ow women behind me that couldn't stop laughing during the most dramatic moment, even during the famous rape scene. I mean, ...really..? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks_zMxtqVT8 Just recently, the most liked scene of "Dances at a Gathering" by MCB, according to the general laughing, was the duet of the two men challenging each other in their dancing-(there's a comic touch to it). People were like, "Oh, NOW we're talking....ha,ha,ha!!"

Sandik...just like you, I've been doing an ongoing study of the laughter phenomenom. People seem to feel the need to nervously laugh all the time about everything, everywhere. Classes in school need to be fun...programs on TV are permeated of silly comedy. Lately, when I go to see a film, no matter how dramatic it is, theres's always the omnipresent nervous laughter at the most strange moments. For some reason, everytime I have to suffer the improper laughing at dramatic moments, I think of Balanchine's words to Von Aroldingen in "Elegie" setting up the right tone..."You are European, you know how to mourn"...

And I'm glad she has proper and promptly defenders besides us the detractors. Something that everybody is definitely entitled to...

I had a crush on John Kriza, too. Could have been my first crush, as well. ...and I wonder why...?

C'mon Natasha, "meh?!" LUCKY YOU to have all those Giselles..! .

Skorik is the tipe of dancer that conciously exploits the stillness of infinite beautiful poses thru performances, which doesn't necessarily equals movement quality.

Another two approaches... Edited to add: Re watching Skorik, I realize that during the final diagonal she was as in on the verge to stop altogether, or fall....the last pirouettes were painful to watch.

Madonna is in her own skin in the look-(as well as the pseudo-goth, S/M, leather/dominatrix etc...). She's a child of the trend for real, and has been carrying it forever. Everybody else looked as in a costume. Debbie Harry and Vivienne Westwood, even at their age, carry it wonderfully too... 1981 1991. "Girlie Show" tour 2001. "Drowned World Tour" 2012. "MDNA Tour" Debbie Harry 2013 Vivienne Westwood 2013

Skorik was clearly tired right away.

This topic has been widely debated here in various threads, and there's lots of info around. This is one of them. Take a look. http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/21553-marie-petipas-lilac-fairy-variation/page__hl__variation__fromsearch__1

Metropolitan Museum of Art's yearly Costume Institute exhibit's 2013 gala kick off. The theme: "Punk: Chaos to Couture" Some Red Carpet sights...you be the judge. Madonna in Givenchy SJP in Giles Deacon Beyonce in GIvenchy