It is a beautiful weekend for MCB to be performing in LA. I'm attending and will provide some impressions of what I see.

Yes, please!!! And thank you. You get to see the Tharp/Costello Nightspot which proved quite controversial and attention-grabbing when performed here in Florida last season. I wondered if it would be retired gracefully despite the great expense, so it's good to hear that they think it has some kind of legs for touring.

On the other hand, you also get to see the Villella take on Symphony in Three Movements and Tarantella.

Tonight, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion seemed to be quite full (3,500 seats). Edward Vilella gave a pre-performance talk that was well received by a rather large group of patrons. Symphony in three movements was as exciting as it was last season in Florida. Tarentella (Delgado and Penteado) was over the top. The crowd loved it. Wu and Quenedit were mesmerizing in Liturgy. In his pre performance talk with author Elizabeth Kaye, Vilella discussed Nightspot and indicated its intent and success to help bring in younger ballet patrons. This was my first time to see this ballet and I enjoyed it (while the other 3 in my party begged to differ with me). The on stage band coupled with the orchestra was very cool. The music was for the most part very interesting. I felt that the costumes were a characterization of the Miami club scene not a representation of it. One of my colleagues said that parts of Nightspot reminded her of a Vaudeville-like performance. I felt that way too. The crowd seemed to appreciate Nightspot but I am not convinced that they liked it in the same way as Miami audiences did.

All in all, I think that MCB did very good things for itself tonight.

Will write more after tomorrow's performance.

Wow! New corps member (and defector from Cuba) Carlos Quenedit already gets a place in the spotlight like this! He's not even on the website yet! Please, iwatchthecorps, tell us more. Wu is wonderful, but can seem placid and even uninteesting, despite her amazing technical abilities. She sometimes seems to need to draw energy from others to get out of her own amazing inwardness. Daymel Sanchez provided this in the performance I saw last year.

What did you think about the way Wu and Quenedit related to (and played off) each other? Details, PLEASE!

Glad to see the house was nearly full and that Villella spoke. Also glad you enjoyed Nightspot, though your friends did not. Controversy and disagreement help keep a ballet alive in the absence of obvious greatness. And I am concerned about how MCB will amortize that $1,000,000 investment.

Bart,

In the pre performance talk, Edward was asked about how he picks dancers for Liturgy. He made reference to the possibility that the choreographer has first choice (although, I did not think that Wheeldon was involved in setting this piece). Then he indicated that the woman must be lithe and the man must be a great partner. This is the first time that I saw Liturgy. Perhaps the qualities that you mention added rather than detracted from Wu's performance. In earlier discussions, Wheeldon chose not to give Edward any talking points for Liturgy. Edward said that Wheeldon wanted Liturgy to have a mystical quality. That it did.

Regarding Nightspot, Edward was clear that the Nightspot had achieved its intended goal of creating a buzz in the Miami area. He said (with a smile?) that he did not expect it to be favored by NY critics. Elizabeth Kaye watched the rehearsal. She liked it and felt that any ballet goer could understand the story (although I am still seeking an explanation in my own mind).