Anna Pavlova Gala in London

Photo via Turn of the Century

By Juliana Araújo

Whenever  I watch a ballet of the classical repertoire, I remain totally amazed. The scenery, the music, the costumes, the pantomime, corps of ballet synchronicity, and the incarnation of the character … Well, I simply love it all. However, I do get equally amazed when I watch a ballet gala. The beauty of the galas is the taste of surprise, the novelty, the dichotomy between the classical and modern styles. The surprise about the costume, music and especially the opportunity to see new works without the scenic composition. Only the essentials. In the galas, there are so many other things to be  noticed. This is when we can see the qualities of the dancer, her training and technique. Apart from her and her partner in the spotlights nothing else exists.

Prix de Lausanne 2012

Photo via Prix de Lausanne

By Juliana Araújo

Created in 1973, the Prix de Lausanne is one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world for teenagers aged between 15 and 18, which aims to reveal the artistic potential young dancers while promoting their academic education through a strict health policy for participants.

Alexei Volodin`s Nutcracker

Photo via Batchtrack

By Juliana Araújo

I have mentioned here that love listening to ballet music played on the piano when I spoke about the Russian jewel, Karen Kornienko. However, about two weeks ago, I received an email containing a video containing the Nutcracker Suite played by another gem of classical music. It is Alexei Volodin, a pianist born in Leningrad who began playing piano at nine years old and eventually developed his own way to perform the pieces.

When arts and politics meet – The Companhia de Ballet da Cidade de Niterói close-down

“An artist must bear in mind that he or she is part of his or her country’s life. And it is his or her job to provide examples that inspire new vocations”  - Ana Botafogo

Photo via Nikiti Cultural

By Juliana Araújo

As usual, I came back home from work and switched my computer on to read the news of the day. I had in mind to write up a new post for my blog, probably on the worldwide Nutcracker productions as Christmas time approaches.

Polina Semionova & NavyBoot Swiss SS11

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• British newspaper The Guardian published on 4 September last, a video which features prima ballerina of the Staatsballett Berlin (Berlin State Opera), Polina Semionova doing a commercial for Swiss shoe brand NavyBoot Swiss SS1. The commercial was produced by Ben Strebel and Michel Comte. In the film, Polina shows her virtuosity and proves that she is not only a classical repertoire dancer. In addition to the video, Polina posed for Michel’s lenses along with Swiss model and actress Melanie Weinig, which resulted in the production of give aways postcards. This piece of work is of such good taste that it was impossible not to publish it here. I hope you enjoy it.

• O jornal britânico The Guardian publicou no dia 14 de setembro último, um vídeo no qual a prima ballerina do Staatsballett Berlin (Berlin State Opera), Polina Semionova aparece fazendo um comercial de sapatos para a marca suíça Navy Boot Swiss SS1. O comercial foi produzido por Ben Strebel e Michel Comte. No filme, Polina aprensenta toda sua virtuosidade e prova que não é apenas bailarina de repertório clássico. Além do vídeo, Polina posou para as lentes de Michel juntamente com a modelo e atriz Suiça Melanie Weiniger, cujo resultado foi a produção de cartões postais para distribuição. O trabalho é de tamanho bom gosto que foi impossível não publicá-lo aqui. Espero que gostem.

• Le journal britannique The Guardian a publié le 14 Septembre dernier, une vidéo dans laquelle la danseuse étoile du Staatsballett Berlin (Berlin State Opera), Polina Semionova apparaît en faisant une publicité pour la marque Suisse  de chaussures Navy Boot Swiss SS1. La publicité a été produite par Ben Strebel et Michel Comte. Dans le film, Polina montre toute sa virtuosité et prouve qu’elle n’ya qu’une danseuse de répertoire classique. En plus de la vidéo, Polina a posé pour les lentilles de Michel avec la mannequin et actrice Suisse Mélanie Weinig, pour la production de cartes postales pour la distribution. Le travail est si bon goût qu’il était impossible de ne pas le publier ici. J’espère que vous l’apprécierez.

Paul McCartney’s Ocean’s Kingdom

“Like the rest of my generation, I grew up being a huge fan of the Beatles so I was thrilled to meet him. After I got to know him a bit, and knowing of his great love of composing classical music, I asked if he might be interested in doing something for New York City Ballet, and I am ecstatic that he has agreed to write a score for us.” - Peter Martins

“I am always interested in new directions that I haven’t worked in before. So I became very excited about the idea… What was interesting was writing music that meant something expressively rather than just writing a song. Trying to write something that expressed an emotion – so you have fear, love, anger, sadness to play with and I found that exciting and challenging.” - Paul McCartney

By Juliana Araújo

The winter season in New York City Ballet began Sept. 13, 2011 at Lincoln Center. Among the traditional ballets such as Swan Lakeand the works of Balanchine, the great news of the moment is Ocean Kingdom, the new ballet  choreographed by Peter Martins and with music composed by Paul McCartney, who invited his daughter Stella McCartney to create the costumes for the piece.

A Double Dose of Ballet

Guilherme Duarte de Menezes & Vitor Duarte de Menezes via Ballet.co

By Juliana Araújo

Whenever I can, I follow  the Prix de Lausanne performances. Last year, our dearest Mayara Magri won the competition. Beyond that, the Brazilian twins Guilherme and Vitor Duarte de Menezes also caught my attention.  The brothers were finalists in the competition but they did not receive the final prize. Since I started to follow the boys’ development, the more I  watch them, the more I get carried away.

First Position: A Ballet Documentary

Photo First Position

By Juliana Araújo

First Position is a documentary that portrays the backstage of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), which is one of the largest ballet competitions in the world of ballet, where the main prize is a scholarship to a school of the winner’s choice.

Within approximately 90 minutes, the filming crew portrays the participants’ physical, emotional and financial difficulties. During the shooting, the film director, Bess Kargman, followed six young dancers of various nationalities between 9 to 19 years old, including interviews with parents, ballet teachers and choreographers.