Above is Sandra Fortuna, in evening wear for the Saturday evening Gala at Yuletide Ball, January, 2015.
It was a moment for which many were waiting--Mirko and Edita in the flesh, in person, close enough to reach out and touch. But it was they who did the
touching. They could touch a musical string or/and an emotional string in
the spectator's heart.
It started with the VW music playing I Am Sailing and one of the famous
backbends. They interpreted the music w foxtrot. What impressed me as unique
in their style was the extreme effect of 'lift'' and rise, especially on
Edita's part. They danced a simple extended, very extended actually, weave
with a right shape and eventually a left shape. It was beautiful interpretation and
development but with simple, readable, recognizable structure. That was
followed by a continuous wave around two sides of the floor-nothing unusual
or beyond special, but then into pivots with one of those so lovely rounded
head rolls that got the crowd roaring. The exit to this dance used a very
precisely planned, series of feathers, though the effect and mood were
casual, with solo movement in mirror, reminding me of the Protopopovs. They
kept the mood going by getting back together again and dancing with those so
exciting extreme shapes. Oh my, she has red soles! Final wrap up was a
standing spin that went on and on and from which he released her to the
crowd's delight expressed through a big standing ovation.
2-So what would be a good way to describe these unique dancers? 'Go all the
way, give it all you got.' Our demonstrators are giving us the expected
fashion show, but the fashion is not over the top, extreme in any way. Their
2nd dance will be danced in a simple multi-sized polka dot dress, with him
in striped pants-with shirt. They treated us to lifts, high kicks, pivots, runs,
hops, skips and all the usual crowd pleasers for the quickstep-but they were
able to evoke an old-time theatrical character as though that feeling was
born to them. The music had a one note dead stop that our dancers expressed
and for which the crowd expressed appreciation. The whole dance was
lightness, fun, exuberance and joy of movement and togetherness. Was that
the intent? Well, that was what came across. There doesn't seem to be
restrictions or limits to what this couple can do through partner dance.
Then suddenly, she's in a split and he's dragging her down the LOD-they
sure know what to do to raise a response from their audience and they time
it all perfectly. Near the end, the dancers began to evoke the flavor of the
Peabody. They used the solo mirror effect again at the end and finished back
to back. No one could have watched this without smiling all the way through.
3-She re-enters the dancefloor in a sweet, pink, chiffon, babydoll dress and
takes a seat on a chair. The music is in Italian and though I don't
understand the words, it is obviously about love. The actual dance following
some small lifts and interaction was simple natural and reverse turns-the crowd
loves the basics as well as all the tender expression and the pure athletic
ability of these two. Their series of reverse pivots was danced
exquisitely. To dance with this much apparent abandon takes an immeasurable
amount of trust, intuition and control--seems at first like oxymoron...The
dancers chose to end in a line on the floor. They bowed to the 3 sides of
the floor, circled then sat back on the chair. It was a very sweet ending to
the dance and I especially enjoyed the way the end recalled the beginning.
4-They waltzed to a song we all know very well, Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady. This
time they entered from the on deck area. It came across to me as a swan
song. They started again with a basic amalgamation, and again one had to
appreciate the emphasis on rise and fall, particularly the rise and upward
stretch. The dancers released dance hold just before the musical verse said,
"touch you, to hold you," Again our audience who really are showing respect
for the exceptional athletic coordination and control of the dancers are
responding to a tender moment in the dance. Edita in first
position maintained perfect balance while Mirko ran around her for several
measures--it was so easy to recognize the uniqueness of this choice because
the dress was not The Dress taking front and center. Nothing they
do looks complicated but everything appears to be full of precise planning and intense feeling. Can't
help imagining all the fabulous moments of perfection and rapport these
dancers have to have experienced through the years of dancing together. I
would say the entire audience appreciates them having shared a part of that
with us.
5-Mirko speaks from the heart about the Dance for the Cure and Beata
Onefater's' situation. Then they do the tango with incredible passion, but
we were expecting exactly that. She marched onto the dancefloor and lie
down in the center. The heart beat in the music; Edita's ribcage
reflected the beat. Then Mirko entered floor with no shirt. Ok, everyone is
appropriately impressed. They treat us to the kamikaze. Talk about impressing your audience and giving them a show! Their
tango bodies appear as taut as a a bungee cord with incredibly staccato
movement. They perfroomed a couple of 'tricks' to which the crowd did not
react--they were probably too stupified. This dance was clearly in the mode
of "Give it all you got, take it all the way." Near the end they danced a
series of fallaways against the LOD, went back to the center and did the
old-fashioned death drop. Great, she started with her heart beating and
ended with a death drop.
It was a moment for which many were waiting--Mirko and Edita in the flesh, in person, close enough to reach out and touch. But it was they who did the
touching. They could touch a musical string or/and an emotional string in
the spectator's heart.
It started with the VW music playing I Am Sailing and one of the famous
backbends. They interpreted the music w foxtrot. What impressed me as unique
in their style was the extreme effect of 'lift'' and rise, especially on
Edita's part. They danced a simple extended, very extended actually, weave
with a right shape and eventually a left shape. It was beautiful interpretation and
development but with simple, readable, recognizable structure. That was
followed by a continuous wave around two sides of the floor-nothing unusual
or beyond special, but then into pivots with one of those so lovely rounded
head rolls that got the crowd roaring. The exit to this dance used a very
precisely planned, series of feathers, though the effect and mood were
casual, with solo movement in mirror, reminding me of the Protopopovs. They
kept the mood going by getting back together again and dancing with those so
exciting extreme shapes. Oh my, she has red soles! Final wrap up was a
standing spin that went on and on and from which he released her to the
crowd's delight expressed through a big standing ovation.
2-So what would be a good way to describe these unique dancers? 'Go all the
way, give it all you got.' Our demonstrators are giving us the expected
fashion show, but the fashion is not over the top, extreme in any way. Their
2nd dance will be danced in a simple multi-sized polka dot dress, with him
in striped pants-with shirt. They treated us to lifts, high kicks, pivots, runs,
hops, skips and all the usual crowd pleasers for the quickstep-but they were
able to evoke an old-time theatrical character as though that feeling was
born to them. The music had a one note dead stop that our dancers expressed
and for which the crowd expressed appreciation. The whole dance was
lightness, fun, exuberance and joy of movement and togetherness. Was that
the intent? Well, that was what came across. There doesn't seem to be
restrictions or limits to what this couple can do through partner dance.
Then suddenly, she's in a split and he's dragging her down the LOD-they
sure know what to do to raise a response from their audience and they time
it all perfectly. Near the end, the dancers began to evoke the flavor of the
Peabody. They used the solo mirror effect again at the end and finished back
to back. No one could have watched this without smiling all the way through.
3-She re-enters the dancefloor in a sweet, pink, chiffon, babydoll dress and
takes a seat on a chair. The music is in Italian and though I don't
understand the words, it is obviously about love. The actual dance following
some small lifts and interaction was simple natural and reverse turns-the crowd
loves the basics as well as all the tender expression and the pure athletic
ability of these two. Their series of reverse pivots was danced
exquisitely. To dance with this much apparent abandon takes an immeasurable
amount of trust, intuition and control--seems at first like oxymoron...The
dancers chose to end in a line on the floor. They bowed to the 3 sides of
the floor, circled then sat back on the chair. It was a very sweet ending to
the dance and I especially enjoyed the way the end recalled the beginning.
4-They waltzed to a song we all know very well, Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady. This
time they entered from the on deck area. It came across to me as a swan
song. They started again with a basic amalgamation, and again one had to
appreciate the emphasis on rise and fall, particularly the rise and upward
stretch. The dancers released dance hold just before the musical verse said,
"touch you, to hold you," Again our audience who really are showing respect
for the exceptional athletic coordination and control of the dancers are
responding to a tender moment in the dance. Edita in first
position maintained perfect balance while Mirko ran around her for several
measures--it was so easy to recognize the uniqueness of this choice because
the dress was not The Dress taking front and center. Nothing they
do looks complicated but everything appears to be full of precise planning and intense feeling. Can't
help imagining all the fabulous moments of perfection and rapport these
dancers have to have experienced through the years of dancing together. I
would say the entire audience appreciates them having shared a part of that
with us.
5-Mirko speaks from the heart about the Dance for the Cure and Beata
Onefater's' situation. Then they do the tango with incredible passion, but
we were expecting exactly that. She marched onto the dancefloor and lie
down in the center. The heart beat in the music; Edita's ribcage
reflected the beat. Then Mirko entered floor with no shirt. Ok, everyone is
appropriately impressed. They treat us to the kamikaze. Talk about impressing your audience and giving them a show! Their
tango bodies appear as taut as a a bungee cord with incredibly staccato
movement. They perfroomed a couple of 'tricks' to which the crowd did not
react--they were probably too stupified. This dance was clearly in the mode
of "Give it all you got, take it all the way." Near the end they danced a
series of fallaways against the LOD, went back to the center and did the
old-fashioned death drop. Great, she started with her heart beating and
ended with a death drop.