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Mayerling79

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  1. I saw saturday night's performance and was truly thrilled by the quality of the whole production! The entire cast brought the 1957 choreography production alive. Flowy, punchy, eye-catching! The dancing was up there as well as the very difficult singing. Being a fan of the 1961 film version and of the orginal Jerome Robbins choreography, I really enjoyed my first "Broadway" experience of West Side Story. Jessica Soza (Maria) and Anthony Festa (Tony) duets were incredible, and I liked Penelope Armstead-Williams as Anita and Pepe Munoz as Bernardo. Dance wise, I thought Mark MacKillop (Riff) and Luke Hawkins (Action) were superb. Great acting aswell. The gang choreographies under the direction of McKneely have the energy and the oomph required for the job. From the top of my head, the comic scene with the cop hat, "crazy boys" were powerful. The PR girls were also great. It was great to have the orchestra too. Leonard Bernstein would have been proud
  2. I also enjoyed the princesses very much, as well as the Act I pas de trois with Siegfried's two friends (in yellow). I didn't like the decor much (if at all). That thing with the roughly painted white/black swans going up and down was rather annoying!!
  3. I didn't catch the name of the dancer replacing Medvedev as The Fool... if anyone can provide this info thank you in advance! I thought he was a strong replacement et very much in touch with his character. Smirnova is just amazing! No other word. Expressive and impeccable technique.
  4. ha yes pointes squeaking... well they probably need the colophane to feel safe on the ROH surface I'm sure they felt self conscious about it as much as us.
  5. hi! I so much agree with you, Meunier! Last night was superb. The dancing was outstanding! I don't have much to add! - Obraztsova literally SHINES throughout, with her smile and her exceptional dancing. Her musicality is so refreshing, her stability and her gracious arms are delighting. It made me smile that you mentioned the first curtain call, when Dmitri Gudanov led Obraztsova to the front of the stage as the curtain was coming down. I thought that was really sweet too. - I particularly liked Kristina Kretova and Denis Rodkin as the bluebird couple as well. I thought she was delightful and I couldn't detach my eyes off her as she performed her variation. - a huge Up for Denis Savin, whose characterization of Fee Carabosse was perfect! I felt like a little girl again. Those characterization and acting skills are what bring one performance to another level. Alexei Loparevich as Catalabutte was also a good addition I thought in all his tall clumsiness. - Yulia Lunkina and ESPECIALLY Denis Medvedev were a couple full of humour in their White Cat and Puss in Boots. - Of course, Ekaterina Shipulina deserved all the applause for Lilac Fairy. She carried the story along and was beautiful to watch dance. Overall very very pleased.
  6. I saw the Friday evening performance (Zakharova/Alexandrova/Lantratov) and the Saturday evening performance (Smirnova/Krysanova/Chudin) and here are my unfiltered and unorganised thoughts - Igor Tsvirko (friday as Magedaveya, the fakir and saturday as the Golden Idol) just steals the show when he is on stage. Moments literally stop when he jumps in the air. He dances his roles with such a passion that you just cannot detach your eyes from him. - I won't spend more time on the Alexandrova accident. It looks like Lantratov misjudged the distance and hit her foot mid air (he glanced right at him with anger just as it happened) Poor Maria, she was brilliant in the first Act. Unlike what Meunier thinks, I think it was with great professionalism then the company kept the story rolling to appear the most seamless. The dance (and the music) always has to go on, used to say my ballet teacher. - I experienced two very different Nikiyas and I tend to come back to Zakharova (although I don't necessarily love everything about her moves). But I found her musicality outstanding, raising her foot until the last bit of the violin arch. I preferred Zakharova's version of the dance at the fire (her arms are so expressive). Smirnova was doing something with her neck/shoulder that I was finding disturbing. When Zakharova started that dance in Act I, the room went silent, as if people had stopped breathing. Smirnova's version of Nikiya is less mature, more sexy, less desperate in her agony. I have to admit I was a little unsettled on friday after Alexandrova's accident to fully 'feel' Nikiya's death, but I found Zakharova's death more desperate and poignant. In Act III, Smirnova was however superb. - Ekaterina Krysanova was perfect in Gamzatti, all powerful dancing in all the role's very demanding variations. She is a delight to watch.
  7. Ok maybe you are right then... about performing outside the RWB (and probably getting paid for it) without seeking permission... However, if dancing ballet is truly what he wants to do with his life, I do hope he gets given a second chance elsewhere once he has resolved his exhibitionism needs There are other non performance-based ways to explore whatever he is looking to explore, I would imagine...
  8. http://www.gramilano.com/2013/07/ballet-dancer-forced-out-for-making-gay-porn-videos/ Just came across this article.. To me, the decision of the ballet to fire the 22 year old dancer is way to extreme. The young dancer was using a fake name for his videos to start with, so he never intended to affect the image of the RWB. If indeed the management of the RWB felt that his activity was not compatible with his duties as a dancer of the RWB, he could have been given some sort of counselling or something. For a young dancer of 22 years, the extreme hours of training and strictness of a dancer's life are something that not everyone can be easily moulded into. Dancers are human beings with their own sexuality (enhanced sometimes by so much training) and their own psychological imbalances and neurosis. A ballet or school management should embrace its dancers's developments and support them in any way it can throughout the years of formation and maturing. It is not only about teaching how to dance. This comes across to me as very hypocritical. We well know that dancers (to name one, the superb Nureyev) can be extremely needy sexually and constantly working on ones body definitely opens doors (at least mentally) to self exploration of sensuality in many forms... I do not mean by this that dancers would/should necessarily all act on their fantasies (everyone deals with things differently), but in the case of this young dancer, this was most probably just a phase through which he was trying to balance out a frustration and exploring something new.
  9. I am not sure there is a point in saying he should or shouldn't have done this or that. He obviously had heavy feelings weighing on his heart and at that particular moment, had to express his pain by which ever mean, words or action. Being "lost" in translation in Tokyo may have also triggered the bold cry for support and help, and the urge to take the weight off his chest. Johan and Alina are not my all time favourite dancers but RARELY have i felt so MOVED in their PRESENCE. They breathe such a HUMBLE and GOOD-HEARTED VIBE around them that I could only fall at once for them. I wish them the best in the world and hope to see them accomplish so many beautiful things to come in the world of dance. BLESS THEM
  10. A little belated personal thoughts on the Boston Ballet programs of last week... The week has been hot and busy... Choreographic highlights: - Bella Figura byJiri Kylian Only my third experience with Kylian's work (after 27'52'' and Petite Mort), his choreography feeds now organically through me and I think his language is becoming clearer and more beautiful to my eyes. I recognise elements of his vocabulary, his ability to create a stunning atmosphere on stage through expert lighting, breathtaking costumes (the red japanesy skirts are gorgeous), and his use of drapes and black curtains that split the action on the stage.. The army of bare-chested dancers (both female and male dancers indeed dance topless) didn't shock me at all. It was most likely his view to put men and women on an equal foot aesthetically and present the dancing bodies as such. I also loved the baroque music by Marcello, Vivaldi... - The Second Detail by Forsythe Wow. Crisp, playful, extremely precise and coordinated. It felt almost experimental and beautifully strong and orchestrated. I loved it. - Serenade by Balanchine It was created for Balanchine's first American students in 1934. Whereas I find myself sometimes under-moved by pieces by Balanchine like Jewels, Serenade has transported me with its freshness and evocative mood. There is of course no narrative but it feels extremely atmospheric. The ensemble choreography was superb and complex with dancers detaching from the group to perform individual parts, then regrouping with new dancers. The mystery was captivating. About the dancers of the ballet, I must say I was impressed by the amazing quality of the dancers! So refreshing and projecting so much energy. Personal favourites were Jeffrey Cirio, Lia Cirio, Bo Busby and the young Dusty Button. They should definitely tour in London more often!! Thanks for 2 beautiful evenings!
  11. Meunier, I really liked Fanfare LX aswell! The piece is choreographed by Douglas Lee from the Stuttgart Ballet. Nice duo with a powerful soundtrack by MIchael Nyman. Punchy and full of "red" energy (like the tuniques). Lot of portes and rotation around each other, hips sticking out at an angle, and beautiful extensions.
  12. Wow. I went home with one extremely powerful memory: Jasmin Vardimon's (in-between) for the National Youth Dance Company. The translation of the music (Ben Frost's "We Love You Michael Gira" and "Schillar in China" by Sigur Ros and Hilmarsson) into movement was outstanding. Dancers aged 16-20 invade the stage standing on wood logs, as trees? Soon they get cut down and violently stabbed so that they fall one by one to the floor. The piece goes on beautifully, feeding its force from the group energy. The music is breathtaking and the choreography projects an extraordinary power. Vagabond Crew (breaking dance company) is More than Just Break dance! Under the choreographic expert eye of the French Mohamed Belarbi, the ten or so dancers unite to impersonate a 10-headed alien. It's creepy, strong and gorgeous. This is all Beyond their clearly impressive physical prowess and they deserved all the applause they got. To be followed...
  13. I saw the evening performance on thursday too (June 20, 2013). I agree with Minder about the repetitive aspect of Cameron McMillan's "Dream Weaver" although the piece remains for me one of the highlights of the evening, together with the superb performance of Marcelino Sambe in Brandstrup's "Ceremony Of Innocence". In "Dream Weaver", there is indeed a lot happening on stage, and a lot of group composition ( I was thinking the painting by Theodore Gericault "The Raft of the Medusa" ). Movements happen in canon, sometimes they dance sans-musique and all you can hear is the dancers' breathing and the sound of their footwork. According to McMillan's words themselves, the piece is about influences from the past that are layered and weaved into the present. I also sensed an intense sensuality (sexuality?) in the choreography (lot of portés). The repetition of movements and of entire choreographic fragments has almost a hypnotic effect disconnecting us from reality. Brandstrup's work was to me very nostalgic and melancholic. Memories of youth, loss of innocence, it seemed as if Ed Watson was watching his past years from his chair. Again, I absolutely loved Marcelino Sambe!! Bravo!
  14. I was passing through NYC in my recent trips, and was lucky to spot in the ABT program a matinee performance of Romeo & Juliet, casting the sweetheart Cory Stearns as Romeo and Gillian Murphy as Juliet. After so many beautiful Mayerlings at the ROH, I must have been going through MacMillan withdrawal, so I booked myself a seat. Having never seen Murphy or Stearns perform live, I was rather excited. The pair worked quite well together, playing it out like two adolescent lovers until a tragic unavoidable end. Alastair Macaulay at NYTimes said about Cory Stearns "he has what I want to call heroic sweetness" which I found very accurate. He is playful, young and innocent. Gillan Murphy was also very expressive and her acting moving yet simple. There is a moment in act 3, when she sits on her bed and stares for a minute or so (nothing happens, it is very cinematographic!). We realise the thinking process that goes on in her mind and the decision she makes. The PDDs were intense and beautiful, I was in particular moved by the dance of Romeo with a "dead" Juliet. The only low point for me was probably the decor, which was very brown, heavy and cardboard-ish. Oh and a MAJOR low point was the audience behavior!! Oh my god, some people were shameless and literally talking during the dancing. It was very disturbing and unnerving! It made me love ROH even more! It's nice to be home. Below is the rest of the ABT cast for this season's R&J at the Met. Juliet Romeo Mon. June 10th @ 730 Diana Vishneva Marcelo Gomes Tues. June 11th @ 730 Polina Semionova David Hallberg Wed. June 12th @ 2 Hee Seo Roberto Bolle Wed. June 12th @ 730 Xiomara Reyes Herman Cornejo Thurs. June 13th @730 Paloma Herrera James Whiteside Fri. June 14th @ 730 Natalia Osipova David Hallberg Sat. June 15th @ 2 Gillian Murphy Cory Stearns Sat. June 15th @ 8 Julie Kent Roberto Bol
  15. Well... I am speechless, without enough words to say how beautiful last night was. A night devoted to two beautiful and high shining Etoiles.The evening was filled with contrasts, smiles and tears. Alina and Johan were both vulnerable yet strong in their performance, dancing in total emotional sync and impressive artistry while enacting Rudolf and Mary for us. They filled the room with so much love and grace, that it was hard to contain our tears when the music stopped. The flowers thrown in thousands was our best way to express our gratitude for all the beauty and dance they gave us. The entire cast (Kobayashi, Hay, Morera, Maguire, Avis, Rosato...) was so moved to share the special moment with them and throughout the ballet, it really seemed as if they were dancing their personal 'goodbyes' with Alina and Johan respectively. The pair was really sweet to come out after the performance and greet some of their admirers outside the Stage Door (Alina came out carrying two boxes of chocolates for us). The stars will shine on and as we say in French "ce n'est qu'un au revoir..."
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