dirac Posted July 7, 2024 Posted July 7, 2024 A review of Carlos Acosta's "Carmen" by Deborah Weiss for Bachtrack. Quote What was missing was the development of the characters. Prosper Merimée’s original 1845 novella was very specific in terms of setting the scene. The reader understood the background, the circumstances, the depth of the characters. Here, we are thrown into Carmen’s exploits and seductions with little introduction to the woman. The entire premise of the piece is that she wants freedom and emancipation. She gets it at the cost of her life. However, it’s difficult to feel any empathy towards her as her treatment of men, particularly Don José, is brutal. While we know that she doesn’t want to be tied into monogamy, she wilfully leads on any prospective lovers, while ruthlessly dropping the previous one for the next attractive challenge.
dirac Posted July 7, 2024 Author Posted July 7, 2024 Q&A with Victoria Jaiani. Quote You moved to the United States to attend the Joffrey Academy in New York. How old were you? I was fourteen years old. It was a cultural shock. No friends. Completely different style of dancing, a completely different etiquette in the studio. We used to have assigned barres in the Republic of Georgia. The center was for the best students. If you messed up a combination, you were downgraded spots. I get to the Joffrey school and you stand where you stand. I loved the differences because you could do things in a slightly different way. I quite enjoyed the new ways. You could have a different opinion about développé or have a slightly different timing or musicality. And seeing the different types of dancers. I think it helped me free up my movement and open up my mind to different types of dance.
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