cubanmiamiboy

I just went to see this. I'm surprised it did not disappointed me as I expected. The whole theatrical setting didn't bother me at all, although I could had been happier sans that fantasy of a waltz. Knightley was decent, if not wonderful. She had her moments and her "moments". Someone needs to get her to abandon her teeth-clenching cliché though. It gets too repetitive. Still, I definitely sympathized with her youthful Anna. Let's make note that Knightley is even two years Karenina's senior-(28 vs. 26). I loved Law as karenin-(he was for me the highlight of the film), and Vronsky was exactly as I had pictured him from the novel, at least physically, if not that emotionally vulnerable as he's portrayed in the film. Oh, and I would say they sort of overindulged in Knightley's dressing up game. Too much fashion show.

I'm going!

By now I'm sure Miss Gregory would had been my favorite ballerina among the Kirkland/Makarova/Harvey/Gregory grouping. Just my type, a wonderful "a terre"/legs of steel fierce dancer. I'm sick of the current weak ankles/pointes trend. She reminds me A LOT the Cuban ballerina type. Brava!

OMG...what a beautiful ballet...!

I disliked the whole thing so much that the 3D factor didn't make it any worse or better. It was very "whatever" to me...

...uuh...what..?

I can't really tell you much about in terms of specific steps, but from what I got in the last MCB staging, I noticed a general slowed down feeling to it, particularly in the female variation. I recall the ballet being somehow faster, sharper, edgier...with not too much ondulating port de bras as I saw here. The finale also suffered,in my personal view, a slowing down. I recall it as a rather crazy tableaux, with faster turns, and almost no time to realize what was going on. It could be the fact that I really got to get deep into its structure via video here in the US-(Kirkland/Misha)-and so what I had as memories somehow became a fast blur, but I honestly feel that the whole ballet is being danced slower anyhow. About the gargouillades, they are always a challenge to the ballerina,and not only in this ballet. Let's take, for example, Ivanov Sugar Plum Fairy variation. Clips show the gargouillades clearly in the diagonal sequence as performed by Markova, whereas Danilova chooses to do simple pas de chats. Leslie Collier also do them, but I'm not sure Yoshida does...(gotta check the video, as I might be wrong...)

That is why once I said that if the Cuban ballet company could have kept all the emigrees, both men and women-(the Carreno brothers, Acosta, Sarabia, the Feijoo sisters, Reyes, Boada, Almeida and many more)-it would then be the best company in the world. On a different note, I hope someone will post a recording of that staging at one point on YT.

It just looks so...cheap on the site.

My first and only encounter with Anna karenina in film was the 1967 Russian film with a wonderful Tatiana Samoilova in the title role-(and a young Maya Plisetskaya as Betsy)-, so she will be my point of comparisson with Knightley when I see this.

"Like a Broadway spectacular,..." Why?!, I mean...why? Isn't the ballet idea so..."whatever" so the performance has to be compared to Brodway to be appealing...? Aggh... http://www.miamicity.../nutcracker.php

Lovely!

...which is exactly my point about the Mariinsky, Natasha. How is that this Imperial stage has given up one of its jewels...? I can understand that Vainonen's version is still venerated-(every other Russian touring company offering Nuts have more or less a rendering of it)-but...don't we think it is really time for the Mariinsky to show the world the ballet in all its Imperial splendor...? The real candy canes, Mother Commedia's divertissement, the parade of matryoshka dolls, the wonderful, still preserved Grand Pas, even the giant bee in the apotheosis, but more important...the REAL LIBRETTO-(party offered in act II by Fee Dragee to her hosts). After what I saw last night, I could see the old stage screaming for it...

Aggh...

Let's not forget all the Fedorova-(an Imperial dancer herself)- continuity too via BRMC and BT, America's first pre 1917 clues on the ballet...mostly preserved in the Grand Pas. Ah...that damned candelabra..!

I just came across this very interesting exchange of comments in a Cuban ballet site about the recent re staging of T&V done for Viengsay Valdes and Osiel Gounod for the gala offered to Igor Youskevitch during this past Havana Ballet Festival. I think you will like what it's been discussed here. C.Peón Posted November 19, 2012 at 1:54 a.m. Cuban television just transmited the gala featured as a posthumous tribute to Igor Youskévictch on the 23 Ballet Festival of Havana. As I could not go to the theater, I was able to see it now . One of the choreographies presented was "Theme and Variations", created especially by the great George Balanchine for Alicia Alonso and Igor Youskevitch, an extremely complex work from a technical, artistic and musical standpoint. It's well known known to lovers of dance the anecdotes of what happened during the preparation of this immortal piece, like the challenges thrown at the dancers by the choreographer, thinking they could not do with the steps required. Alicia and Igor, as it is known now, faced the challenges without much difficulty. For that reason, my question is...how is it possible that there were Viengsay Valdes and Osiel Gounod the artists chosen to dance such work on such occasion? In my humble opinion, both are the least suitable as interpreters of this arduous ballet. It is necessary and indispensable, if you remember rightly- (even knowing that it will be impossible to achieve perfection)- to have dancers who possess adequate academic training, even more in the case of the female variation. This is not to state that they were ineffective, but I think they are rather suitable for other choreographies for example, as interpreters of "Don Quixote" or "Coppélia". Again, the case of "Theme and Variations" was not a good choice. Reply Carlos Ortega Posted November 19, 2012 at 9:00 PM I would like to explain to C. Peon that for this staging the original version of the ballet was carefully reconstructed by Alicia Alonso herself. "Themes and Variations" has been continuosly danced around the world, but from the its premiere to date and by decision of many companies and dancers who not dared to plunge the technical challenges put the master, the choreography has suffered severe changes and alterations in order to minimize the risks involved if danced in its original form. Hence, Alicia decided on this occasion to stage the ballet with the same steps of its premiere night for which going to old preserved video materials was necessary. One thing is the line and another is technique. Ballerina Viengsay Valdes does not has a "perfect line", which is often not necessary to dance certain ballets. Even further...many times those so-called "perfect lines" ballerinas lack the proper technique. In the case of this staging of T&V, this absence did not detract at all from her brilliant interpretation. Valdes is considered today by ballet teachers, by Alicia herself, and by national and international ballet criticis a dancer with great confidence and technical mastery, so it was logical that she was chosen for such a task. Osiel Gounod is a living example of the ascending branch of our BNC male dancers. Maybe many viewers ignored the technical challenges that this ballet had, and the way it had been continuosy-(and wrongly)- morphed into the bland academic posturing in which is oftenly presented today, so watching it live in the theater I had the opportunity to face for the first time since way back in the days, the daunting choreography and the daring final minutes collecting the super efforts made by interpreters to made honor to the original strong choreography in a decent way. Any of our first dancers could had assumed such challenge, but it was a safety card to put Viengsay in there, as it was. Reply C.Peón Posted November 20, 2012 at 4:10 PM It was never my intention to diminish Viengsay Valdes or Osiel Gounod, IMHO. I know they are excellent dancers certainly having demonstrated it in the past, but they were just not suitable for this ballet. I say this with great respect to both. Please do not feel attacked as it was not even remotely my purpose. Thank you! Reply Carlos Ortega Posted November 20, 2012 at 8:37 PM Dear C. I didn't feel attacked at all. I'm from the old ballet days days when going to see a ballet performance was a gift from the gods, no matter who danced. Actually, your name name reminds me of a great soloist called Clotilde Peon. Many times I saw her dance. In those days we used to have great dance marathons of 12 showings of Swan Lake and the same with the rest of the classics. The analysis that I make about choosing Viengsay and Osiel is a little deeper, and I do not rely on my personal taste and criteria, but rather on information that came to me via other viewers. On more than one occasion when sketches were made of the future gala to Youskevitch it is said that Alicia mentioned that for this time all of the original choreography steps were to be put back in place in homage to his former dance partner and his centennial, Alonso stated that the ballet had been gradually undermined for the sake of easiness and that she felt it was her duty to 1-honor the fact of such piece having been dedicated to her by the maestro and 2-honor the challenges imposed by him to the dancers taking the roles.

To start with, the very Imperial stage that gave birth to this ballet, doesn't has it. The Mariinsky DOES NOT has a Nutcracker. The libretto is completely gone,the structure of the ballet altered to unprecedent levels. Yes, the big complain of the Nutcracker either in the XIX Century or now is that balletomanes have to wait until the very end to see the Prima perform the formal Pas, but until now, I have seen by both Alonso and Balanchine that this can be fixed without having to alter the story and its characters. Whereas Mr. B chooses to make it more children-inspired and speed up the ballerina variation earlier in the second act, or Alonso decides to have three ballerinas on pointe in the begining, the middle and the end of the ballet-(Clara, Snow Queen and Fee-Dragee)-with their respective partenaires and a formal pas each one, they still preserve the second act as what it was envisioned by their creators: a feast from Dragee to her guests, who are always seen onstage watching the dancing and enjoying the celebrations. In the Mariinsky this is all lost. The second act is merely a set of divertissements with no hostess and no guests from a foreign land. What a mess. Instead we have Masha/Clara/Sugar Plum all in one dancing a pseudo version of the Rose Adagio, even using some men from the previous Waltz of the Flowers. The ballet is weak in its dancing aspect, true, but its main fault is structural.

I just came from the 7:30 showtime. What a disaster...the Mariinsky is in desperate need of a XIX century reconstruction...

Oh, I thought that he played Vronsky. Isn't Law too young to play Karenin...?

That would be Jude Law, right...? the one time carrier of the "Sexiest man alive" title...

"Reasonable doubt" maybe...?

Oh, I can't...since I never got to see it. The reason I dismissed it is basically because my interest in dancing has/had always to do basically with tutus and pointes. I have rarely enjoyed anything from any other dancing artform, including flamenco-(which bores me to death), tap, jazz, ballroom, all that riverdancing thing and right on the very bottom, barefoot contemporary stuff. That said, I have also had past experiences with Taylor's works, and they have had nothing to offer me. I know it is my limitation, but that's how it is, so why should I keep trying...? The dancers could be wonderful, and enjoyable to me in other areas, but certainly not in Taylor.

Has anybody seen this...? I had the heads up this morning, and plan to go tonight. Downer is...I'm sort of tired of Knightley in every other XIX Century heroine role... Any clues...? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_RNJTR0zDU&feature=player_embedded