Last night I went to my lawyer friend’s holiday party and met one of her co-workers, a Brazilian lawyer named Beatrice. Our conversation naturally led to a discussion of dance, which of course led to a discussion of Samba, and eventually even ballet. She revealed that as a child and teen, she danced with Laura Alonzo’s student company of Ballet Nacional de Cuba!
She remembered Marcelo! Said she never danced with him because he was so “little”; much smaller than she. I was like, “Little?! No, he’s huge, much larger than life!” She said, not then! What’s he like, what’s he like, I asked?! She said, well, when he was 10 he was really sweet! Said his parents always went to the studio with him and seemed so supportive, which was so cute, and so unusual for the parents of a boy dancer in Brazil back then. She said he used to always get partnered with this really bitchy girl who thought she was god’s gift and she was such a prima, always demanding and blaming him for anything that went wrong. But he was so nice, he was always a sport about it.
So, not much has changed for poor Marcelo then? 🙂
Beatrice also got to dance once with the great Jose. Said he was huge back then. She never talked to him, only danced one brief duet once. She still has the picture of him lifting her little body far above his head. How very lucky to have grown up in Latin America…
Tonya, did you see Marcelo in the PBS special about picking the 3 American Billy Elliots? It was just a small bit where he comments about how important it is to have your family support you when you’re pursuing a dance career. It’s the first time I’ve head him speak. It didn’t seem as if he had much of an accent but it was only a few sentences so I’m not sure. Sigh.
I recently friended him on Facebook! hehe I found out he’s very close to the dancers of the Cisne Negro dance company, where I had my ballet classes back in Sao Paulo (and I was friends with the company members too). I think he’s going there this month join in their Nutcracker. He also had a show there a couple of months ago called “Marcelo Gomes and Friends” hehe. Nice guy! 😀
No, Barbara,I didn’t see him on PBS! I didn’t even know about that special 🙁 Aw, sweet! Thanks for telling me.
That’s so cool you guys have friends in common, Dea! And so cool he’s going back to Brazil for their Nutcracker.
Thanks for the info you guys 😀
I found out that my salsa cardio class teacher (who teaches at a dance studio in Berkeley) She was born in Cuba and graduated from the National School of Ballet in Cuba, and she’s same age as Carlos Acosta, and knew him really well! She says that Carlos is her absolute favorite dancer in the world…apparently, they are good friends and run into each other once in a while in Cuba.
That’s so cool, Jennifer! I can’t believe how small the dance world is sometimes.
tonya, I might attend the nutcracker this weekend to see him! I might write something about it if I do! 😀
I’m so jealous Cathy 🙂 Yes, please do write something if you do go!