In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
No Sally, I have not been in Bagni during the month of August and I don't think that there are any performances as such. It is a ballet school with top ballet masters, choreographers, etc. I understand that it has been very successful during the past two seasons.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Here's the main site with lots more info.
[url=http://www.blamour.it/]Blamour Stages Internazionali di Danza[/url]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Thank you Juliancoll for doing this search. I only saw the announcement in the local Proloco page when looking for future events. Certainly, this site gives plenty of information and some great photographs. The venues are superb for the event and Bagni di Lucca is not too hot in summer which makes it an ideal place for this... plus it has the spas and the thermal swimming pool.... and the river pools, of course. I heard about these events when I was there in June, talking to the locals who were saying that this prestigious event had a lot to do with the fact that "prima ballerina" Svetlana Zacharova holidays regularly at Bagni di Lucca. She has been honoured several times by the town for her assistance in promoting Bagni.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Gala I realise it's a school but students give performances at the end of term in general so it would surprise me if this particular school didn't. I believe at the opera school in Sulmona they do. For sure at Covent Garden.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Yes, Svetlana Zacharova - recently watched a recording of her in Le Corsaire with Igor Zelensky - stunning. Ballet is a passion, however, I have usually preferred the Kirov over the Bolshoi.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=juliancoll;93834]Yes, Svetlana Zacharova - recently watched a recording of her in Le Corsaire with Igor Zelensky - stunning. Ballet is a passion, however, I have usually preferred the Kirov over the Bolshoi.[/quote]
Difficult choice!!!! I think it all depends on the particular performance as the level is so high!!!!! I also have a passion for ballet and studied for several years under Madame Mikhoulina, a former Bolshoi dancer herself... but my father pulled me out of the classes when I mentioned to him that I would not mind becoming a professional dancer... He was terribly old fashioned and he would have never accepted seeing me on stage.... Well, other times..... Anyway, dancers have such a hard life that perhaps he made the right choice on my behalf.
Besides the Russians, I particularly like Julio Bocca, although he has now retired as a dancer and devotes his life to teaching. I also like two fellow Spaniards, Igor Yebra and Alicia Amatriain (she is with the Stuttgart Ballet).
I still love ballet enormously.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Sally Donaldson;93830]Gala I realise it's a school but students give performances at the end of term in general so it would surprise me if this particular school didn't. I believe at the opera school in Sulmona they do. For sure at Covent Garden.[/quote]
Sally, I guess that it will be more difficult in this case as it is not a regular school and students come from all over Europe and they would have different levels. It would be very difficult to organise a performance. I do not know whether it would be possible to see them at work during their lessons, as that would be a treat in itself. I will find out next time I'm in Bagni and I will let you know.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Don't put your daughter on the stage Signore Placidia? Never had a ballet lesson in my life - two left feet, ingrown toenails, athletes foot, fallen arches, 0.5 cm too short and a tendency to be 25 grammes too heavy made sure of that!
Anyway, I preferred horses. :smile:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I too had ballet lessons as a child. I even performed on stage!!! I remember the costume clearly. - a knee length dress, full skirted with big roses on a white background, lime green bodice and white organdie puff short sleeves. Can't though remember what I was dancing to but there was an ovation!!!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
On the other hand, I was thrown down by a horse in a very undignified manner. I still like horses and I do love polo (watching only as I do in the case of ballet).
Anyway, it is great to see that a small town such as Bagni di Lucca is able to stage such an interesting event and for all of us, ballet lovers, it is great to see that this wonderful art is well alive. Also, I know that the presence of both Zacharova and the summer ballet school have prompted some young local people to learn ballet. And this is the way we can get our future stars.....
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
If anyone is interested in Zacharova, here is a short sample of what she can do in "Don Quixote"
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9sEcsTheek&feature=related]YouTube - svethlana zacharova-don quixote[/ame]
There are also some short scenes from Swan Lake.
Dazzling!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I found this - I think it is part of the recording I saw
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQvyQc68-u4&feature=related]YouTube - Le Corsaire - Pas de Deux with Zakharova and Zelensky[/ame]
And then - I found this!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiIst40or60&feature=related]YouTube - fonteyn and nureyev, corsaire pdd[/ame]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Thanks for this it was a real treat. My opinion is:
Fonteyn vs Zacharova: Difficult to say who is the best. Also we should keep in mind that Fonteyn was much older than Zacharova... which means experience but less flexibility
Nureyev vs Zelensky: Definitely Nureyev
À vous.....
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Sally Donaldson;93841]I too had ballet lessons as a child. I even performed on stage!!! I remember the costume clearly. - a knee length dress, full skirted with big roses on a white background, lime green bodice and white organdie puff short sleeves. Can't though remember what I was dancing to but there was an ovation!!![/quote]
I could bet it was the Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker suite by Tchaikovsky.... It has always been a classic for all ballet schools.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOzgVldYvps&feature=related]YouTube - Waltz Of The Flowers[/ame]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Ah yes that's the one Gala. Many thanks for posting the music. Very pretty images too.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Moved to : Italiauncovered.co.uk
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Good choice, Oneto15! He is certainly the best in flamenco dancing since the times of Antonio Gades, another marvellous Spanish dancer.
Italy has produced a number of ballet stars such as Roberto Bolle, Carla Fracci, Alessandra Ferri or Sabrina Brazzo to name a few and let's hope they keep on delighting us with more stars, perhaps someone who will be attending the courses at Bagni di Lucca.
Anyway, here is another fine example of what the Italians can do:
[url=http://www.weshow.com/uk/p/33784/roberto_bolle_and_sabrina_brazzo_don_quixote_ballet]Video: Roberto Bolle and Sabrina Brazzo - Don Quixote Ballet - Dancing - WeShow (UK Edition)[/url]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Ah yes. I was given a tape by The Gipsy Kings many years ago as a present. Though I confess I haven't got round to playing it yet!!!. This guy is truly wonderful. Cheers Peter. Have you seen him live by any chance???
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Moved to : Italiauncovered.co.uk
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Oneto, I too love the gypsy kings, but as far as ballet goes you will go a long way to beat this chap. Carlos Acosta.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VypGB0o7CpU]YouTube - Carlos Acosta - Diana and Acteon[/ame]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
What a magnificent performance by Carlos Acosta!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Sally, very good advice from Oneto15. The Gipsy Kings are superb and I think that you will also enjoy Paco de Lucía's more classical approach. You have some information here:
[url=http://www.pacodelucia.org/]PACODELUCIA.ORG | Web oficial del Artista[/url]
Well, this was supposed to be a short thread just to inform about a summer ballet school at Bagni di Lucca, but it has gone into a full discussion about ballet, music, flamenco, guitar.... the works. Nothing wrong with this, it is good to see something like this, very stimulant.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
And if you want to see the female answer to Joaquín Cortés, watch Sara Baras. Simply superb!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwushBt_Hpw]YouTube - Sara Baras - El Albaicín[/ame]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/theatre/2007/10/should_carlos_acostas_life_be.html]Should Carlos Acosta's life be made into a film? | Theatre & performing arts | guardian.co.uk[/url]
As we are discussing the arts, what do you think? I would pay money to see this, but who would play him?
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Thanks for this piece of news. I think I share the opinion of one of the readers of the paper who says that, unfortunately, ballet would not interest a large audience and that, for that reason, we do not have to worry about who would play Acosta as the film will not go ahead.Let's face it, the ones interested in ballet.... we are a small minority and I wonder how many people in the world know who Acosta is.... Financially, they would be better off making a film about Beckham, Cannavaro, Ronaldo or even Maradona.... They will sell more tickets.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Very polished performance by Sara Baras, but Carmen Amaya beats her (and anyone else) hands down!
Raw and natural.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivac4nkYObw]YouTube - "...y ahora que baila la suegra" Carmen Amaya, Los Tarantos[/ame]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
For all ballet lovers, the famous pas-de-deux from Sylvia with British ballerina Darcey Bussel and the Italian Roberto Bolle. An absolute gem!!!!
[url=http://www.weshow.com/es/p/4827/sylvia_con_darcey_bussel_y_roberto_bolle]VÃdeo: Sylvia con Darcey Bussel y Roberto Bolle - Danza - WeShow (Edición España)[/url]
Have you been to any of the performances in the past Gala???