“Valdes is a special dancer, one who can bring 2,000 audience members into her confidence with a flick of her eyelashes, and broadcast her joy to the balconies with an enveloping smile and a toss of her arms. In a series of whipping turns, she’s a blur. When she takes a balance, she stops time. Who knows by what combination of muscles, will and inner steel she can remain poised on one leg, on one pointed crescent of a foot, seizing gravity by the throat while the rest of us hold our breath and bars of music roll by and eons pass; the debt ceiling cracks and Washington surely comes to its senses about embargoes and . . . oh yes, then Valdes takes a little breath, stretches her limbs out just a bit more and settles down to earth again.”
– Washington Post dance critic Sarah Kaufman on Ballet Nacional de Cuba’s Viengsay Valdes, in an effusive review of the company’s production of Don Quixote at the Kennedy Center
3 comments:
I live in DC area, and saw this show. Indeed, it was absolutely amazing. The best version of don Q. I have ever seen, even compared to the Boshoi or Kiev companies.
Valdes is top touch dancer, - 1st class. I prefered the Cuban national ballet's version to that of the Marinsky or Bolshoi.
well done. We have seen two nights and each night seems completely sold out. Of course, Washingtonians are huge ballet fans, so this might not be so surprising.
Can't believe that the bushies or anyone in Miami, whatever side of the debate you are on, woudl want to stop this kind of activty. Liberterians and conservatives everywhere should shreek at the thought of their own government telling its citizens what dance companies you can see...
Thank you OB, thank you national cuban ballet company!
This one is great! The quote and the dancer.
Omar
I'm impressed that you were impressed by this review by Sarah Kaufman in the Washington Post of the Cuban Ballet's scintilating performance of Don Quixote in front of the U. S. audience, another triumph for 90-year-old icon Alicia Alonso. In further describing Viengsay Valdes' stunning performance, Kaufman added this sentence: "...Washington surely comes to its senses about embargoes and...oh, yes, then Vadles takes a little breath, stretches her limbs out just a bit more and settles down to earth again."
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