oh maya.....

I can't begin to even count how many times I've referenced or talked about Maya Plisetskaya on this blog.  She was (and is) just too amazing not to mention all the time.  The main reason why I speak of her today is because I met a really lovely couple at the restaurant where I work tonight.  We started talking about ballet, and it turns out the woman used to dance herself!  We got more into talking, and I found out that she was once Maya Plisetskaya's student!!!!!!  I literally almost dropped the tray of margaritas in astonishment.  This made my day so much to know that I came into contact with someone who has come into contact with my most favorite ballerina EVER.

Never heard of her, or want to learn more?  Definitely check her out on wikipedia.  I consider myself quite an expert on Plisetskaya, and Wikipedia accurately does her justice based on the knowledge that I have from reading her autobiography.

oh maya....

she is just too gorgeous

with jorge donn and bejart's company

the cover of her autobiography, I, Maya Plisetskaya

Still don't believe me about how amazing she was?  Watch these.... Oh and by the way, did you know she premiered in Alberto Alonso's Carmen?  And that she choreographed Anna Karenina?  And to this day, is still noted as having the best Dying Swan?  I could go on and on and on...

Her famous Dying Swan.  Ignore the annoying intro.  This is from 59'

THOSE JUMPS!

Habanera's variation.  Just think, we wouldn't be watching Zakharova dance this today if it weren't for Maya!

Humpbacked Horse with Vasiliev

I could keep going with all these videos.  So please enjoy and investigate for yourselves.
xox
Rachel

ohhhh my toes

Ohhh yes, my toes.  And everything else on my body as well!  I think I'm almost over this injury.  I can almost do petit allegro and parts of grand allegro.  I'm sooo relieved to be able to do just simple tendus (which I couldn't one month ago, let alone stand on it).  This past week I've been collecting and filming different videos for a last minute over-the-sea audition. 

This week I also danced in Serenade for the first time in more than two months!  That's partially why I have a HUGE knot in my left calf (my good leg by the way...).  I've also got a badly bruised toe nail, blisters, and lower back pain (as always of course).  But, this is my life.  I'm used to it.  Unfortunately the knot in my calf came in a bad time though when I was trying to record my fouettes =/

Currently obsessed with the style of this sketch...

 

 

Tumblr is so awesome for finding really cool and random pics.  Here is a link to my TUMBLR
Most of it is random ballet, art, music, fashion, and of course the random funny stuff.

my own random:

Gosh, I so tired from work and ballet!!  Going to massage my calf, read some more of Bag of Bones and then off to bed!
xox

"days go by"

"days go by" dirt vegas. super super old, but in love still

Spring is among us here in Pittsburgh, yet it's supposed to SNOW tomorrow?! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
Anyways other than the upcoming weather...

I had the opportunity to go home for a few days last week, which was so so so great!  I loved seeing my family, and eating my mom's food (unfortunately my stomach is protruding from my tights).  My uncle took me to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC.  Originally we had wanted to go to the Met (since it's one of my favorite places), but alas the Met is closed on Mondays.   But it worked out because I've never been to MoMA. 

Diego Rivera Exhibition revisits the MoMA since it's first appearance in 1931.  These are just a few of his murals displayed there currently:

Agrarian Leader Zapata. 1931. Fresco, 7' 9 3/4" x 6' 2" (238.1 x 188 cm). The Museum of Modern Art. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Fund

"The Uprising" (1931) by Diego Rivera. Fresco, 74 x 93 3/4 inches. (Museum of Modern Art)

"Indian Warrior (1931) Water based paint on plaster fresco mounted on cement
41 x 52 1/2 x 3" (104.1 x 133.4 x 7.6 cm)
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, Purchased with the Winthrop Hillyer Fund.

Impressionism and Post-Impressionism (my favorite of course, as always):

Claude Monet "Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond" (1920) oil on canvas, 78.7 × 502.4 in

Henri Rousseau, Exotic Landscape, (1908), oil on canvas

Pablo Picasso. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. (1907). Oil on canvas, 8' x 7' 8" (243.9 x 233.7 cm). Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest. © 2005 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Marc Chagall "I and the Village" 1911. Oil on canvas, 6' 3 5/8" x 59 5/8" (192.1 x 151.4 cm). Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Giorgio de Chirico,

"Gare Montparnasse (The Melancholy of Departure)"

Paris, early 1914. Oil on canvas, 55 1/8" x 6' 5/8" (140 x 184.5 cm). Gift of James Thrall Soby. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rom

Vasily Kandinsky,

Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 3

1914. Oil on canvas, 64 x 36 1/4" (162.5 x 92.1 cm). Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Gustav Klimt, "Hope II" 1907-08. Oil, gold, and platinum on canvas, 43 1/2 x 43 1/2" (110.5 x 110.5 cm). Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder and Helen Acheson Funds, and Serge Sabarsky

Henri Matisse "Odalisque with a Tambourine" Nice, place Charles-Félix, winter 1925-26. Oil on canvas, 29 1/4 x 21 7/8" (74.3 x 55.6 cm). The William S. Paley Collection. © 2012 Succession H. Matisse, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New Yor

Amadeo Modigliani, "Reclining Nude" (1909) c. 1919. Oil on canvas, 28 1/2 x 45 7/8" (72.4 x 116.5 cm). Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund

Pablo Picasso "Violin and Grapes" Céret and Sorgues, spring-summer 1912. Oil on canvas, 24 x 20" (61 x 50.8 cm). Mrs. David M. Levy Bequest. © 2012 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

These works are just ones that I had alot of interest in.  If I had to have a Top 3, they would be: Exotic Landscape (Rousseau), Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (Picasso), Reclining Nude (Modigiliani).  Rivera's exhibit was incredibe because they had all his blueprints for his large murals.

After the museum, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Newark (one that is known for its fish, since I'm a pescetarian).  We had really good sea bass, not-so-good grilled calamari, flan, and of course sangria.

Of course what wouldn't a post be without advertising for Pittsburgh Ballet?  haha Ok, here ya go:

Performances are all this weekend.  Click HERE for tickets.

I honestly have not seen any of the rehearsals, so I cannot say what it will be like, other than that the women playing Swanilda are beautiful!  One of them, Christina Schwaner has just been promoted to Principal dancer, and she's so lovely.  If you're new to ballet, this is a great classical ballet to start with.  It's very funny and great for kids as well.

Today I danced Serenade for the first time in like two months!  It was challenging and I had to mark several things, but I didn't get hurt, and I made it through!

Happy dancing everyone,
xox
Rachel