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Fall Season @ State Theater Oct 16-27


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I echo all of the above thoughts on the Wheeldon Cinderella...except that the old-fashioned quality of the visual presentation is precisely why I love this ballet (as seen on the recent Dutch DVD). Wheeldon truly pushes the envelope with regard to 'telling the tale' we've seen before. For example, I love how the Prince's back story is almost as important as that of Cinderella; the Prince appears throughout Act I, not just popping up at the Ball in Act II. A lot of the Act I music for stepsisters is now employed to tell the tale of the Prince, for example. There is less of the Stepsisters and nasty Stepmother (deliciously evil Larissa Lezhnina on the DVD!), yet enough for us to understand their unique characters.

There's a lot of story-telling and mime BUT also lots of dancing. In other words, it's not a 'mime, bells-and-whistles Kiddie Show' like Wheeldon's earlier Alice in Wonderland. Balletomanes expecting generous dollops of adult dancing will not be disappointed.

Also - look for a very funny moment in Act I when the young prince and his 'best buddy' Benjamin are considering potential fiancees from other lands...we see the women's portraits hanging above - fiancees from Spain, Russia and Bali. Through the magic of lighting/projections, the women reveal their true characters, no longer so beautiful. In Act II, these ladies actually appear at the ball but the Prince & Benjamin are ready for them.

Finally, watch out for a magic tree that grows at the foot of Cinderella's mother's grave. Watching the special effects linked to this tree is worth the price of admission. As I mentioned earlier, this is a gloriously-designed and conceived production. BEST Cinderella, IMO, beside the Ashton.

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The remaining mixed bill casting is up.

Program B OPENING NIGHT – Saturday, October 19 – 2:00PM

Trio
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Martin West

Mathilde Froustey*, Joan Boada
Dana Genshaft, Ruben Martin Cintas
Damian Smith*
Frances Chung, Taras Domitro

INTERMISSION

Ghosts
Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon
Composer: C.F. Kip Winger
Conductor: Martin West

Maria Kochetkova, Vitor Luiz
Lorena Feijoo, Ruben Martin Cintas, Shane Wuerthner

INTERMISSION

Suite en Blanc
Choreographer: Serge Lifar
Composer: Édouard Lalo
Conductor: Martin West

Vanessa Zahorian, Tiit Helimets, Sofiane Sylve [This, no doubt, is a mistake; it ought to be a second male dancer]
Frances Chung, Esteban Hernandez*, Francisco Mungamba, Wei Wang, Lonnie Weeks
Sarah Van Patten
Davit Karapetyan
Yuan Yuan Tan, Tiit Helimets
Sofiane Sylve

Program A – Saturday, October 19 – 8:00PM

Trio
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Martin West

Vanessa Zahorian, Vitor Luiz
Sarah Van Patten, Tiit Helimets
Anthony Spaulding
Maria Kochetkova, Davit Karapetyan

INTERMISSION

Ghosts
Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon
Composer: C.F. Kip Winger
Conductor: Martin West

Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith
Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets, Shane Wuerthner

INTERMISSION

Borderlands
Choreographer: Wayne McGregor
Composer: Joel Cadbury and Paul Stoney
Conductor: Martin West

Maria Kochetkova, Jaime Garcia Castilla
Sarah Van Patten, Pascal Molat

Frances Chung, Carlos Quenedit
Sofiane Sylve, Anthony Spaulding
Koto Ishihara, Lonnie Weeks
Elizabeth Powell, Francisco Mungamba

Program D OPENING MATINEE – Sunday, October 20 – 2:00PM

Suite en Blanc
Choreographer: Serge Lifar
Composer: Édouard Lalo
Conductor: Ming Luke

Mathilde Froustey, Vitor Luiz, Davit Karapetyan
Simone Messmer*, Esteban Hernandez, Francisco Mungamba, Wei Wang, Lonnie Weeks
Vanessa Zahorian
Taras Domitro
Yuan Yuan Tan, Tiit Helimets

INTERMISSION

From Foreign Lands
Choreographer: Alexei Ratmansky
Composer: Moritz Moszkowski
Conductor: Ming Luke

Russian: Sasha De Sola, Jaime Garcia Castilla
Frances Chung, Gennadi Nedvigin
Italian: Joan Boada, Mathilde Froustey*, Dana Genshaft, Dores Andre
German: Jennifer Stahl, Anthony Spaulding*, Luke Ingham, Lonnie Weeks
Spanish: Frances Chung, Joan Boada
Mathilde Froustey, Gennadi Nedvigin
Polish: Jennifer Stahl, Sasha De Sola, Dores Andre, Dana Genshaft
Jaime Garcia Castilla, Anthony Spaulding, Luke Ingham, Lonnie Weeks*

INTERMISSION

Symphonic Dances
Choreographer: Edwaard Liang
Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov
Conductor: Martin West

Frances Chung, Jaime Garcia Castilla
Sarah Van Patten, Anthony Spaulding
Lorena Feijoo, Vitor Luiz

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Wow - Damian Smith is being listed in some of these performances - and he'll dance in Ghosts with Yuan Yuan again. I guess he wants to ease his way into retirement: a little at a time.

EDIT: according to Leba Hertz, Smith will dance the 2014 season and that will be the actual end of things. So good news for those of us planning on catching these SFB performances.

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Damian-Smith-retiring-from-SF-Ballet-after-18-4733560.php

Lorena Feijoo is now being listed in the programs too.

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If you're not on Facebook, here is a discount offer for SFB at State Theater:

Until midnight ET tonight, we’re offering $25 seats for performances at the David H Koch Theater at Lincoln Center tomorrow, Thursday and Friday (Oct 16, 17 & 18) with promo code "ONEDAY25" !

Visit the Koch Theater website at http://ow.ly/pEDIU and use your code to snap up your discount, but hurry: this offer expires TONIGHT (10/15) at midnight ET, or while supplies last. (Code is valid for Orch B and Orch C seats.)
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(Code is valid for Orch B and Orch C seats.)

Oof. I paid $47 for the far (and I mean far) left just yesterday. Wish I'd waited one day for better sight lines at a lower price. wallbash.gif

It might be worth just paying the $25, and selling one of the tickets you have (or get a friend to come along). ;)

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Oof. I paid $47 for the far (and I mean far) left just yesterday. Wish I'd waited one day for better sight lines at a lower price. wallbash.gif

It might be worth just paying the $25, and selling one of the tickets you have (or get a friend to come along). ;)

I've done just that—which means I have a spare ticket.

I don't think I can sell it at this point, so do any BTers want a ticket to tomorrow's show? PM me, and I'ill be happy to drop off at box office for will call.

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Oof. I paid $47 for the far (and I mean far) left just yesterday. Wish I'd waited one day for better sight lines at a lower price. wallbash.gif

It might be worth just paying the $25, and selling one of the tickets you have (or get a friend to come along). ;)

I've done just that—which means I have a spare ticket.

I don't think I can sell it at this point, so do any BTers want a ticket to tomorrow's show? PM me, and I'ill be happy to drop off at box office for will call.

You could watch half the program in one seat, and the rest in the other seat - two different viewpoints. Just an idea. But if one location is clearly superior to the other, I suppose there is no need for that.

In any case, have a great time at the theatre, Tutu.

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When I tried to buy student tickets today (sold out), they told me they wouldn't be selling the 4th ring or doing standing room. Frustrating (especially for those of us who missed last night's $25 deal), as so many of the performances have so few seats left!

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It was wonderful to have SFB back in NYC for a visit. I enjoyed trio very much. The costumes and scenic design are very attractive. For the most part I enjoyed the choreography, except for the cliche-filled pas de trois adagio section. Maria Kochetkova was particularly impressive. Ghosts by Wheeldon was interesting to a point, but not among his best works. However, Yuan Yuan Tan's central adagio was gorgeous. I couldn't stay for Borderlands. It was good to see so many balle talkers there!

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It was wonderful to have SFB back in NYC for a visit. I enjoyed trio very much. The costumes and scenic design are very attractive. For the most part I enjoyed the choreography, except for the cliche-filled pas de trois adagio section. Maria Kochetkova was particularly impressive. Ghosts by Wheeldon was interesting to a point, but not among his best works. However, Yuan Yuan Tan's central adagio was gorgeous. I couldn't stay for Borderlands. It was good to see so many balle talkers there!

Thanks for your impressions, Abatt - It's a shame you were not able to stay for the entire program. Borderlands is 180 degrees from Ghosts, as I recall - it does show off the dancer's abilities to move in increasingly non-traditional, unpredictable ways. (I saw Borderlands a couple of times last season with I think Suite en Blanc first, and Robbins' In the NIght second, and Borderlands was a crazy finish to the program. But the SFB dancers pulled things off in impressive and believable fashion.) Of course, if you're not a McGregor fan, then you probably did yourself a favor. ;)

I hope you get the chance to catch one of the other programs as well.

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I already know from seeing McGregor's works at NYCB and Royal Ballet that I don't like his choreography, so I have no regrets about missing Borderlands. I'm seeing tonight's program too.

I have more of a problem with Mr. McG's music choices - loud electronic music played out of a P.A. system doesn't work for me. But, there are definitely plenty of people of who have responded positively.

Tonight's program should be more to your liking - and 4 pieces! That should feel like a full evening.

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I already know from seeing McGregor's works at NYCB and Royal Ballet that I don't like his choreography, so I have no regrets about missing Borderlands. I'm seeing tonight's program too.

You didn't miss much, if you have time you can see for yourself why you were glad you missed it the first time. I don't know why RB holds him in such high regard, I hope there will be no more commissions from NYCB. ABT, stay away from him, please.

Orchestra thru 3rd ring looked pretty full last night but 4th ring was padlocked. I don't quite understand NYST/SFB ticketing strategy for this tour & don't know how many audiences were turned away because of the closure. 4th ring was not available initially for the POB tour but was eventually opened for all performances.

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Another topic on this board talks about the universality of body movements. I am interested in other people's interpretation of McGregor's choreographed movements, and similar movements of modern ballet choreography, particularly of the arms. I withhold my interpretation at this point to avoid influencing any response.

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I don't like McGregor's works because they seem empty. There's lots of strenuous pulling and stretching of limbs into extreme positions, but no real choreographic content.

With you on this one. Choreography with extreme extensions, in the kind of early Forsythe vein, can be really interesting (see David Dawson), but in a lot of places Borderlands seemed like it was playing on the kind tropes that really emerged about 15 years ago—extreme extensions, rolls through the torso, "O-ing" and "U-ing"—without the underlying structure / innovation that would make the movement compelling.

Gorgeous dancing for the McGregor, though; the dancers seem quite comfortable in the movement vocabulary. And there were moments that did feel choreographically complete, particularly towards the very end.

Trio was pleasant enough (though, abatt, I'm with you on the clichéd second movement). Looked like it was full of tricky technical moments, but corps and soloists alike breezed through them. Loved Ghosts, and loved Sofiane Sylve in Ghosts, and was reminded in several places of Carousel.

Was impressed throughout with the dancers: all (especially women) seemed really strong technically, able to adapt to different styles with aplomb. Looking forward to Cinderella next week!

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Program A - I loved Wheeldon's romantic, moonlit GHOSTS, especially the dancing of Yuan Yuan Tan in the central pdd. Also quite impressive was the powerful Sofiane Sylve in the pas de trois with two men. Not the greatest Wheeldon but, hey, at least it's no commercial-pandering like ALICE or CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS! Just as in the DC tour last year, I enjoyed Tomasson's TRIO, although, amazingly, I missed not only Vito Mazzeo (now dancing in Italy) in 2nd movement but also preferred Frances Chung (in DC last yr) to the overly-coy Kochetkova, even though the role seemed tailor-made for MK. Chung has the sharper technique, which I now can appreciate better after seeing MK.

All I can say about BORDERLANDS: It would make a fine commercial for Fruit of the Loom underwear.

Program B (last night) - In general it was a very long program...not because anything was bad. Quadruple bill of four substantial ballets. I adored the Ratmansky, FROM FOREIGN LANDS, which is a playful pastiche on 19th-C 'character ballet' dances...a special treat for Bournonville lovers, who'll recognize several paraphrases and motifs from some of the Dane's ballets, such as Napoli, Ventana, Far From Denmark, etc. No surprise - Ratmansky danced with RDB in his youth! Morris' BEAUX was a colorful romp for nine males, with wonderful bright (happy) designs by Isaac Mizrahi. Possokhov's CLASSICAL SYMPHONY was the huge surprise of the night. Beautiful inventive choreography for an ensemble of 14, led by the effervescent Maria Kochetkova & -- now on my list of great dynamo-dancing men! -- Hansuke Yamamoto. Audience went crazy for both. The evening ended with Liang's SYMPHONIC DANCES, a pretty 'mood piece' in orange and yellow chiffon for the ladies. Yuan Yuan Tan absolutely in her limbery element, with a plastique that is 2nd to none in the world.

p.s. Yamamoto seems awfully familiar. I know the name and may have seen him before...perhaps with Tokyo's NNTBallet?

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