just few weeks ago, there is this ballet company in town..they are called the Les Ballets Grandiva from New York.
What's interesting and different about this ballet company is that all of the dancers are male and they dance the female roles as well! Whoaa..can you imagine a guy with pointe shoes, heavy make-ups, wigs, false eye-lashes and tutus?!!
omg..
it is something really different and special compared to the other famous ballet companies.
not only that, their performances are more on the comedy side. so, they are really funny!=P
but at the same time, remaining the beauty of ballet in it. how cool is that!
read more about them here:
From The Star Weekender
"As a professional dancer for many years and at 5’2” I knew a traditional career was impossible,” recalls Victor Trevino, 49, artistic director and founder.
Victor Trevino
“I’m so small that there were not many roles for me. Like a basketball player, you can’t make the national team if you’re short.”
For a while Trevino pondered how he might solve his predicament and at the same time bring ballet to audiences who might not otherwise attend a ballet performance. He hit on the idea of a comedy. That was how he came to start his own dance company 13 years ago.
“I knew that the comedy aspect would work better with an all-male group. A man playing a woman’s role is immediately funny to the audience. But I also wanted trained dancers with a high artistic element so that it wouldn’t be just another cheap burlesque or drag show,” explains Trevino.
He chose dancers with special dancing skills, and they come in all shapes, sizes and hairstyles.
“I look at special qualities like if they can do many turns or jumps, and interesting bodies. For example, a big boned ballerina and a petite one provide an interesting contrast. To add more fun, I made sure they learnt how to dance en pointe.
whoaa...look at them! i'm totally blown away!
"but anatomically we are not built to wear pointe or even high heel shoes as a man’s weight distribution is more on his heels. But it’s fun and challenging.”
Emanuel Abruzzo
they are not built to wear pointe?! and they are dancing so well on them! don't believe me? go find their videos in youtube! they are just simply amazing!!
Abruzzo explodes with energy on and off stage. His speciality is toe-tapping (tapping rhythmically en pointe using tap shoes — ouch!), but this routine is not part of the Kuala Lumpur repertoire.
Tetsushi Segawa aka Sue Nami ( LOL)
The chap is known for his remarkable turning ability — he’s literally a spinning top.
And how many pirouettes can he do?
“People ask me that all the time and honestly, I’ve never counted them because I tend to lose count after eight!” he laughs. “I always think about balance so I have no time to count, although once someone counted for me and said it was 12.”
His favourite role is playing the female character in a pas de deux from Le Corsaire. At the height of the performance, he does 32 fouettes (one leg is used to whip around to create the impetus to turn) en pointe to rousing applause.
honestly, with all the make-ups and stuff, they do look scary and "omg"...but, from the technique point of view, they are fabulous!
i can't imagine i missed such a big and amazing performance! i only found out about this 1 day before the show ended. how sad!
but, thank God, i found out that there is a very high possibility that they are coming back again next year! so, no matter what, i'm NOT gonna miss it anymore!
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