Well again I’m sitting at an airport noticing that my last post has been more than a month ago. Hmmm. My plane from Tokyo to Frankfurt is late for three hours, what can I do ;).
Anyway yesterday I had my show in Tokyo which went really well. After my vacation period in Varna (what? I am on vacation…impossible! hahaha) I got back in shape and went for a week to Japan to perform first in Takamtsu and then in Tokyo and now I’m heading back home.
4 days in Frankfurt to recover from the Jet-lag and get back in shape for class.
(As you might or might not know there are different kinds of ‘being in shape’. To be in shape for rehearsing is different than to be performing. Then again for every performance and for even every Pas de deux you need different shapes, as different muscle groups are needed to perform. Actually it’s logical. Different kinds of jumps, different muscles, different shape.)
Well after that i am going for a week to Vilnius, Lithuania to prepare the role of Solor, which I’ll be doing there in December for the first time. My partner will be again Miki Hamanaka as Nikiya and Natalia Ledovskaya as Gamzatti.
After that I will be in Vienna for a week to visit friends and do some trainings there.
And I guess then I’ll be writing again to update you ;-).
By the way I have good news for my Mexican followers and friends. As it is planned I will be very probably performing in Guadalajara on September 26. Stay tuned for updates and news concerning that show.
…shows on different countries I am stopping by at my parents place in Frankfurt, Germany, as I currently am. Since my last post one month ago I’ve been around quite a lot. I’ve been to Seoul in Korea, Taipei in Taiwan and to Astana in Kazakhstan. Tomorrow I’m leaving for 4 performances in Italy: Roma, Florence, Treviso and Acqui.
After all that I will relax and enjoy myself in Varna, Bulgaria for two weeks watching the competition and swimming in the black sea. I repeat, I will not dance in Varna, not in the competition, nor in the gala.
PS: Photo was taken by the New York based dance photographer Eduardo Patino
“Le Spectre de la Rose is a ballet of the Ballets Russes based on a choreographic poem by Théophile Gautier. The music, by Carl Maria von Weber, was taken from his short piece Invitation to the Dance. Choreography was by Michel Fokine and set and costume design by Léon Bakst. It premiered on April 19, 1911 by the Ballets Russes in the Théâtre de Monte Carlo.
The story is about a debutante who falls asleep after her first ball. She dreams that she is dancing with the rose that she had been holding in her hand. Her dream ends when the rose escapes through the window. The dancers at the original performance were Vaslav Nijinsky as the Rose and Tamara Karsavina as the Girl. …”
Youtube was a great help. I was able to watch so many great dancers performing that piece. I could see, compare and decide what I like and what I don’t like in every performance. You get a couple of clips right beside here, so you can get an idea about the piece:
Manuel Legris:
Baryshnikov:
Nureyev:
Ruzimatov:
These are just a few and there are even more on Youtube to watch.
This piece of dance is pretty delicate to dance since it’s pretty different from what I’ve done. It’s far more important how you move and involve your arms and hands.
What is really dangerous is that all the big names of ballet history (starting with Nijinsky) danced that piece already and as an audience it is really tempting to just be lazy and start comparing. Who is jumping higher, who is doing which version etc…, but in the end please keep in mind there is no perfection possible in any art form and therefore comparison is useless.
I don’t know how about you, but for me it’s important if a performance/photo/painting/show, plainly said any art piece, gives something or not. This giving may be private or public, strong or weak, delicate or bold, but if you’re satisfied with this ‘present’ please be satisfied. There is no need for comparison.
Oups, I got kinda drawn away from my main subject, but whatever…just my two cents ;-).
If everything goes right I will be able to perform it the first time in Taipei on June 20th and 21st.
I just returned from my last performance in the Vienna State Opera.
I am sorry again that I was gone from blogging for some time. Last weeks have been nice. I was working on La Spectre with my mother and sorting out a lot in my life besides ballet. One thing is sure now. I am leaving Vienna as my residence and the ballet company as of May.
…
Here is a list of my performances in the months of May and June:
May 04th - Stars of the 21st Century in Toronto, Canada
May 14th - Hommage a Rudolf Nureyev Gala in Malaga, Spain
May 20th - Full Don Quixote in Kasan, Russia
May 23rd & 24th - Gala in honor of Rudolf Nureyev in Kasan, Russia
