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Ben Freemantle mentioned on Instagram that he danced his first classical pas de deux (as Prince Desiré) at Stern Grove. I hadn't thought about it before, but it's pretty unusual that he was promoted to Principal without much experience in classical lead roles at SFB. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0e4_VSgFQV/

Coming this Fall: San Francisco Ballet on Film and Television series "Ballet, film, and television may seem like disparate art forms with little relationship. But in fact, the ability to preserve dance on film has had a major impact on the preservation and dissemination of the art form, and the transmission of dance on television in the 20th century was instrumental in popularizing the art form in the United States. But what impact have television and film had on San Francisco Ballet in particular? How has this relationship changed as we’ve moved from film to television to the internet? And how are dancers and choreographers exploring today’s multifaceted media landscape? Early Days September 22, 1–3 pm The Dance Boom September 29, 1–3 pm New Modes, New Media October 6, 1–3 pm https://www.sfballet.org/season/events/ballet-insights

Fogarty is teaching some ballet master classes this summer - so she's not completely absent from the ballet world: August in South San Francisco and San Jose: https://www.instagram.com/p/By0_WTIBizu/ https://www.sjdanceinternational.org/programs July in Panama: https://www.instagram.com/p/ByeTmpGBwsz/

Stern Grove photos from Misa Kuranaga:

Her Instagram page still reads, "New news soon!", but she updates the page frequently so I'm sure she'll make an announcement as soon as her plans are finalized. She has been in recovery from an injury suffered early last season. She seems to be in good spirits though, so I don't get any feeling that she won't reappear on the dance stage.

And so it begins: "Today we started working on Emeralds together" Sasha Mukhamedov enjoys the Bay

I certainly understand about the need to get more butts in seats, and offering more performances generally. Extending the Nutcracker season is the time-honored method to pay for everything else. I love old theaters myself (for their architecture/interior design), but decent site-lines in the seating are so important for dance performances - that alone would make me switch venues.

Nice tribute to Ulrich by Mathilde Froustey: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ULT_8nnCY/

Atlanta Ballet moves its Nutcracker production to Cobb Energy Centre: https://www.ajc.com/news/nutcracker-move-from-fox-theatre-cobb-energy-centre/pkc9MxLM1gOlcWH65ezeWJ/ 'Some of the technical aspects of the show will be easier to perform in Cobb, said Jacobus. The Cobb Center has a bigger loading dock and more storage capacity in the wings. “They have all the accoutrement of a high-tech theater.” In addition, seats in the orchestra at the Cobb facility are raked and staggered, producing better sight lines, he said.' Is this a good thing? Or bad?

SF Ballet post to Instagram and Facebook about Ulrich: From Joshua Kosman’s poignant obituary in @sfgate of arts critic Allan Ulrich, who died on Monday: “In 2001, Ulrich immersed himself in a marathon of San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson’s “Sleeping Beauty,” taking in four different casts over three days; the experience, he wrote, “left even this veteran in a besotted state.” We’ll be thinking of Allan and appreciating his insight, thoughtful opinions, enthusiasm, and dedication to the field this Sunday at Stern Grove when SF Ballet dances a pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty. “As a critic and advocate, Allan Ulrich for decades celebrated this company—its dancers, its history, and its productions. His absence will be felt deeply here in San Francisco, both within the Company and the dance community at large.” —Helgi Tomasson https://www.instagram.com/p/B0RLO0AFvia/ “As a critic and advocate, Allan Ulrich for decades celebrated this company—its dancers, its history, and its productions. His absence will be felt deeply here in San Francisco, both within the Company and the dance community at large.” —Helgi Tomasson

I was very sorry to learn of Ulrich's passing. He was a good writer, and a well-informed one. His reviews always had a certain weight to them that the other Bay Area arts critics couldn't quite match. The ranks of knowledgeable performance arts writers just keep dwindling...

I enjoy seeing the rehearsal footage, but there's always stops and starts, and unintended humor or frustrations. It's nice to be able to see some continuous performance footage so we get the flow of the choreography. There are a few moments, however, when Nedvigin or Kochetkova disappears off camera - that wasn't very good planning of the camera positions. But generally, it's watchable and enjoyable.

That's a bummer. I understand now why Kochetkova mentioned that the Joyce Theater has air conditioning. ;) The crazy weather seems to be ruining quite a few events on the East Coast.

Well put, and your thoughts on Bel's biographical piece are very interesting. Perhaps a video version of Bel's presentation will end up on YouTube one day. Who knows? I guess one could argue that dancers are primarily a "vessel for ideas", and rarely the idea maker. And that is a tenuous position for any artist to be in. Bel and Kochetkova may have been hoping to capture that fragile state to some degree. I'm sure Kochetkova would be happy that you're taking the time to consider what it was all about.

A worthy project, indeed. We tend to hear about these things after the fact though - I wish SFB would mention this sort of thing in their calendar, or in the Events section of the website. It's just nice to know about all the extras that the company is involved with.

Casting: Stern Grove Sunday, July 28, 2019 – 2:00 pm Scotch Symphony Choreography: George Balanchine Music: Felix Mendelssohn Conductor: Martin West Mathilde Froustey, Joseph Walsh Dores Andre Rubies Pas de Deux from Jewels Choreography: George Balanchine Music: Igor Stravinsky Conductor: Martin West Piano: Natasha Feygina Misa Kuranaga, Esteban Hernandez The Sleeping Beauty Pas de Deux Choreography: Helgi Tomasson after Marius Petipa Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Sasha De Sola, Benjamin Freemantle Diving Into the Lilacs excerpt Choreography: Yuri Possokhov Music: Boris Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Yuan Yuan Tan, Carlo Di Lanno Hurry Up, We're Dreaming Choreography: Justin Peck Music: Anthony Gonzalez, Yann Gonzalez, Bradley Laner, and Justin Meldal-Johnsen Dores Andre, Joseph Walsh Elizabeth Powell, Luke Ingham Norika Matsuyama, Hansuke Yamamoto https://www.sfballet.org/season/casting Kuranaga dancing in Rubies - there's a preview of the coming season.

Artists love "troubling". ;) But many people mistake that for art, which is really a different thing, and not dependent upon a particular feeling or impression. I suppose Kochetkova wanted to appear brave, and honest, for allowing the Bel piece to go forward as is, but the audience might still be left with the wrong impression. Her technical abilities were certainly appreciated. There's a documentary out there somewhere about Sylve's move to NYCB, and someone remarks that having Sylve in class with the SAB-trained dancers would keep them nervous - the other dancers would have to up their game. That was seen as a positive development. But what was missed (when she left) seemed to be her classicism. A huge part of Sylve's 'agenda' - and Kochetkova's orientation as well - is the creation of new works and support for today's choreographers. I think it was a bigger deal for Sylve to work with David Dawson again - on Anima-Animus - than to perform yet again in a purely traditional war horse ballet. This new Dawson Swan Lake duet may not be a success, but it is something more to be tried. Moving the art form forward is a major concern for both these women. That's what makes their adventures interesting to me. Onward and upward...

The Bel piece does sound a little cringe-worthy - unless you happen to be a true "fan" of Kochetkova, I suppose. The social media crowd may eat up that type of thing. It sounds like an exercise in icon-making which I'm not crazy about myself. As I mentioned to someone else, it may not be an 'accident' that Sofiane Sylve appears in the program. New York had as much trouble understanding her artistic approach as they do with Kochetkova's. It may have been a conscious choice on Masha's part to add Sofiane to the program as a celebration of the alien/other.

SFB posting: "Results are in! And we’re thrilled to announce that SF Ballet School has awarded 12 scholarships at the School’s first-ever auditions in Mexico. Held in Guadalajara and led by SF Ballet School Director Patrick Armand, the auditions are part of the multifaceted arts event Despertares Impulsa, created by Isaac Hernandez and his brother, SF Ballet Principal Esteban Hernandez. Thanks to everyone who played a part in these auditions. We look forward to seeing some of these talented students on the SF Opera House stage one day!" https://www.instagram.com/p/B0CKbrTDDHd/

Latest post by MK on this subject: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0EmGO3hfN4/

Thanks very much for the comments, Tutu. I'm glad someone from the forum was able to attend. If only Seibert had dug deeper into the situation with his analysis because the issue is a big one for the ballet and contemporary dance world: Having to act as 'curator' to express oneself artistically is a tricky business. Any dancer having to rely upon other artist's choreography to present a program of 'personal' work is laboring under a disadvantage. I know that Kochektkova specifically chose choreographers of the present day, and preferably new pieces to perform, which is always a risk. Chances are, there's going to be forgettable choreography in there somewhere, and not a seamless interweaving of masterpieces resulting in an organic whole. Seibert seems to think that the program primarily expresses something about Kochetkova, but Kochetkova's own descriptions of the Joyce Theater program reveal that she wanted to represent contemporary ballet in 2019, and not focus solely on herself. The Jérôme Bel piece may be biographical, but I bet that was his choice and not hers. Obviously the choices made reflect something about Maria Kochetkova, but it's pretty much impossible for the choreographers to avoid expressing there own world view - and artistic impressions and preferences - in their choreography (and then there's the costume designs which also involve choices make by a third party). So the dancers involved can only do so much: they perform the pieces, but is it fair to say that these individual ballets are the expression of these dancers? Whose artistic vision is being presented? One or many? I can understand why the program ends up being a lot of short pieces - it can't be too taxing a performance or Kochektkova would risk not making it through the program run. ;) But then you get a gala program which never feels very "full".

Thank you Nanushka! The Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet is really helpful too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiFK4Df1hx8 "The essential video dictionary of all classical ballet movements performed by some of the greatest names in American Ballet. Teachers and students alike find the Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet the most innovative and dynamic tool ever developed for learning and studying the movements of ballet. 4 1/2 hours on two DVDs, this set includes over 800 variations in Russian, French, and Cecchetti styles. Many of the movements are shown in slow motion with multiple camera angles and voice-over narrative description. This engaging program demonstrates the complete language of ballet:Positions and Directions Barre Linking Steps Center Practice Pirouettes Adage Allegro Batterie Pointe Musical Enchainements. For easy reference, a printed index of all the movements and variations performed is included. This comprehensive guide is demonstrated by four of the most outstanding figures in American Ballet: Kevin McKenzie (Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, former principal dancer, ABT) Georgina Parkinson (Ballet Mistress of ABT; former principal dancer, Royal Ballet) Merrill Ashley (former principal dancer, New York City Ballet) Denise Jackson (former principal dancer, Joffrey Ballet)"

Aaron Robison just had surgery done on his left ankle to correct Os Traigonem Syndrome: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_s_lTF8K-/

Obviously the A.D. makes the decisions about who is dancing for the company. If for some reason a dancer looked particularly 'displeasing' to the audience there would probably be some bad press, but the A.D. is still likely to notice the issue long before the audience does - and do something about it.

Froustey and Walsh will be dancing together in Scotch Symphony https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_95u7Hhqh/