Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Giannina

Rest in Peace
  • Posts

    846
  • Joined

Posts posted by Giannina

  1. Welcome to both our new members; it's very nice to have you with us. You will find all kinds of informatiion on the board, from performance reviews to breaking news. Enjoy!

    Giannina

  2. Welcome to Ballet Talk, Laclos Austen; we are very happy to have you with us. This is a welcome forum where we like to get to know our new members a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your dance history, and what you are doing now? We hope you'll enjoy investigating the board; lots of information here. We also hope you'll keep us informed about dance in Brazil.

    You might also enjoy our sister site, Ballet Talk for Dancers; you can access it at the upper right hand corner of this page. The site you're on now is for fans (as well as dancers) while the other site is for dancers and dance students. If you register on the other site please use the same name so that we know who you are.

    Giannina

  3. I read this thread after rg's latest post. I recognized Carolyn George! I was a very lowly student at San Francisco Ballet (I was lousy) while she was a very lofty student there (she was wonderful). At my age I can't remember what I had for dinner last night but I remember Ms. Geroge!!

    Giannina

  4. Welcome to Ballet Talk, Jamil; it's very nice to have you with us. With your broad background in ballet you have much to share with us. We hope you'll participate in our discussions and share you experiences and knowledge.

    Giannina

  5. Let me put it this way. Went last night. I have a ticket for tonight for the same program and I'm not going!

    The offering was "Etudes" and Tharp's "Rabbit and Rogue".

    I think I've seen Etudes perhaps twice. I should love it because I love basics and barre work, and I love Czerny from my piano lesson days. Well ... there were moments. Like Wiles zooming across the stage while doing pirouettes and then nailing a balance that lasted forever. One of the males leads (Stearns and Matthews; the one with the dark hair) had a pas de chat interlude (I'm bad on steps; the one with the beats) in which he did that step all over the place at machine gun pace. Now I'm not a fouette fan but about a dozen people were doing fouettes with doubles and other variations thrown in; it's just fun to watch.

    Rabbit and Rogue. Oh, dear. But leaping to the fore were Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg in their first pas de deux. Murphy was simply gorgeous; classical while being sexy and "cool". That pas de deux's choreography was different from the rest of the ballet's choreography ... more classical without quirky Tharp movements thrown in. I also liked Elfman's music. Herrera and Saveliev were the other couple. In her supported multiple pirouettes she was doing them on her own with Saveliev there to make sure she was upright ... he didn't have to spin her.

    Giannina

  6. Welcome to Ballet Talk, ginnywithag; it's very nice to have you with us. Glad you've been enjoying the board; we hope you'll also enjoy sharing in our discussions. We all love ballet, and we especially love to TALK about it!

    Giannina

  7. You did indeed say thank you, adrika; you're welcome. We're very glad to have you with us on Ballet Talk. We hope you continue to enjoy reading and learning more about ballet as you study the site; all of us here share your love of ballet. We have a sister site, Ballet Talk for Dancers, which can be reached at the upper right hand corner of this page. There you'll find forums designed for, among other things, adult dance students; you may find this interesting as you decide whether or not to take up dance classes again. If you register on that forum use your same name as on this site so that we know who you are.

    Giannina

  8. I LOVE your closing line!!

    Welcome to Ballet Talk, Makvala; we're very happy to have you with us. You have an artistic nature and I'm sure you'll learn quickly about the ins and outs of ballet. Enjoy what you see without worrying too much about whether it was stellar or not; it's still beautiful, especially if you go to ABT and NYCB. We hope the site gives you all the information you need.

    Giannina

  9. Welcome to Ballet Talk, Katalina; we're very glad to have you with us. And welcome back to the world of ballet; we hope we can help you with information and discussions. Re: DVDs. We have a forum dedicated to ballet videos, etc. If you post your DVD questions there you'll get more answers since this forum is just for welcome new members and doesn't get much traffic. Enjoy!!

    Giannina

  10. We have some good discussions going here, but since this is a welcome forum it doesn't get much traffic. If other topics come to mind put them on a pertinent forum and they'll get a larger audience; they get lost on Welcome.

    Giannina

  11. Welcome to Ballet Talk, ElizabethC; its very nice to have you with us. You will find all kinds of ballet news on this site and I'm sure you'll enjoy exploring our various topics. You'll find reviews for ABT (and other companies) in our Recent Performances forum, and also in our American Ballet Companies forum which lists ABT specifically.

    Giannina

  12. Welcome to Ballet Talk, Angelica; we're very happy to have you with us. You've had a long history with ballet and we look forward to having you share in our discussions. We have a sister site for dance students, Ballet Talk for Dancers, which can be accessed at the upper right hand corner or this page. There you'll find many adult students; you might enjoy participating on both sites, and if you do register on that site be sure to use your same name so that we know who you are (don't want to lose you!).

    Giannina

  13. Yes, Paul Kay. He was almost as tall as Kobborg. Had I never seen this ballet before it wouldn't have been an issue; he was very good. I'm comparing to Grant and Sleep (with Royal) and some of the shorter dancers with ABT whose names escape me at the moment (it's 12:15 a.m. forcryingoutloud).

    Giannina

  14. Royal Ballet May 23

    Dances at a Gathering featured NYCB's Yvonne Borree as the girl in pink. I thought she was wonderful. Her final pdd (with Martin Harvey, bless his soul) was achingly beautiful. Leanne Benjamin is a marvel of a dancer; she never disappoints me. She was the girl in green, the role Cuthbertson danced Friday. Each danced it entirely differently, and each was superb. Acosta was the boy in brown, and looked better than I've seen him in years. Obviously I don't see him much but ......

    Cojocaru was supposed to star with Kobborg in The Dream. She danced only half of "Gathering" last Fri, and now she's listed as injured. Marquez substituted for her. Benjamin starred last Fri. and tho her technique was perfect, as always, I didn't find her the perfect Ashton dancer. Marquez was more "Ashtonian" and it was a lovely performance. That final pdd is so beautiful and so lush; the ballerina really has to melt as she dances it. The best Titania I've ever seen is Sarah Wildor; I've yet to see one who matches her. Paul Kay was Puck ... the tallest Puck I've ever seen. Most of the Pucks I've seen are smaller men and I've gotten used to seeing him as a pixie; Kay was very good and proved to me that the role is open to everyone.

    I love this company. I wish I knew the dancers better, but it's always a pleasure to "mind the gap" (the Atlantic!) and come to see them.

    Giannina

  15. May 17 performance of Dances at a Gathering and The Dream by Royal Ballet

    I’ve seen “Dances…” only a few times so I’m not very familiar with it. It’s a lovely ballet but for the first time I saw the choreography as Robbins/Broadway. Kobborg's opening solo set a standard that the rest of the ballet found hard to equal. Cojocaru was the girl in Pink but another girl shared the role; both were ushered in by Kobborg for their bows after the rest of the cast had bowed. Cojocaru was wonderful in her pdd with Martin Harvey (yes, he’s alive and looking great). Also of note was Cuthbertson. I took my daughter and she loved Rojo. Equal to the dancers was the pianist who has a monumental job in not only playing Chopin but adjusting his tempo to the dancers’ tempo.

    I first saw The Dream with Royal Ballet and I still think they have the best presentation. Leanne Benjamin and Edward Watson starred. I love the opening 45 seconds of this ballet, and it sets the tone of the evening. This is such a lush ballet: from the Fairies to the swooning lovers to the sublime final pdd. Benjamin danced beautifully but I don’t find this role perfectly suited to her. Watson is gifted but I found him lacking tonight. Nevertheless, they, and the rest of the cast, gave us a wonderful evening of ballet.

    Saw a familiar face as we exited. Leigh!!!

    Giannina

×
×
  • Create New...