Francis Timlin wrote:
Jan Sjostrom previews Liam Scarlett's "Viscera" for the Palm Beach Daily News.
Palm Beach Daily NewsAnd, with a big smile, a preview for Criticaldance.
Tonight
"Viscera" --World Premiere (Scarlett/Liebermann)
"In the Night" (Robbins/Chopin)
"Ballet Imperial" (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky)
I arrived in Florida late last night and I'm greatly looking forward to this series of performances. I haven't seen any kind of live performance in about six months, so this is exciting. In addition I'm hoping to see Veronika Part (ABT) in DC next weekend. MCB is famous for high energy enchantment and ! Veronika ! is of the Heavens. This should make for a wonderful contrast.
Possibly the closest dancer to ! Veronika ! at MCB is the depthfully poetic Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg, who will be dancing a very 'artful' duet in the middle of a whirlwind at tonight's West Palm Beach debut of Liam Scarlett's "Viscera."
Also among the women, ,Jeanette Delgado (the company's star firecracker and much more) along with Helen Ruiz (corps de ballet (talent is everywhere at MCB)) will also be dancing this lead at other performances. Jeanette Delgado, along with Sara Esty, will be dancing the second 'ballerina' as well. I believe that Jeanette's sister, Patricia Delgado, whom I like very much, also 'starred' in this, but she isn't listed for any West Palm Beach performances. (She is injured according to the Miami Herald. I hope that she is fine again as soon as possible.)
(Casting for all four performances has just been anounced and can be found here.)
http://miamicityballet.org/performances.php(referred here by posts at balletalert)
The other two works, "Ballet Imperial" and "In the Night," are very interesting to me as well since I've seen them both magnificently performed by the Mariinsky. MCB, of the Joy of Life, and the Mariinsky, of the Heavens, make "Ballet Imperial" so different, yet equally compelling. If you think that equating in any way the MCB and the Mariinsky is a bit extreme, Liam Scarlett has this to say.
"[MCB]....the most talented group of dancers I've ever worked with .... the company really needs to be shown to the world....you guys can elevate yourselves to one of the best companies that are in the world today."
(thanks bart (balletalert) for printing this out from the video interview cited above)
"....you guys can elevate yourselves to one of the best companies that are in the world today."
I, personally, think that they 'Are' and have been for a number of years -- "one of the best companies that are in the world today."
I've also seen "In the Night" beautifully done by the Mariinsky and the Paris Opera Ballet and look forward to seeing how the MCB does with it. It would have been perfect for Haiyan Wu, former MCB celestial 'classcist' (now at Oregon Ballet Theatre). Some of the company's more 'sensitively' beautiful stars, Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg, Mary Carmen Catoya, Tricia Albertson, along with Jeanette Delgado, Katia Carranza, Callie Manning and Jennifer Lauren will be doing their distinct interpretations. "In the Night" is a poetic masterpiece, which also contains some real physical challenges. The MCB interpretations should be very interesting, hopefully wonderful, to see.
Among the men I will quickly mention Renan Cerdeiro (poetic, a personal favorite) and Kleber Rebello (speed of light! plus), both from Brazil, both with the company for only a year or two and both made solists last year. They have added greatly to the male presence of Renato Penteado, Carlos Miguel Guerra, Jeremy Cox, Yann Trividic and the many other fine men dancers.
One reviewer from the Miami performances greatly praised the Corps de Ballet. I guess that I just take them for granted, but will try to watch them as carefully as possible this time around.