Josette

What a shame that SFB misspelled their excellent dancer Mingxuan Wang's name as Wuan. (Hoping for a correction.)

MCB isn't the jury?

I just got an email from SFB as to their 2019/2020 roster of dancers. Among other items, Misa Kuranaga is joining as a principal, and Sasha Mukhamedov, lately a principal of the Dutch National Ballet, is joining as a soloist (seems odd, considering that she has danced Odette/Odile, Giselle, Aurora, Nikiya and Gamzatti, Cinderella in Wheeldon's Cinderella, also to be danced in the coming SFB season; and, yes, there are only so many principal contracts . . . but still seems odd). Also, Ana Sophia Scheller is no longer on the roster.

Announced on the company's FB: Brendan Saye promoted to Principal Dancer. Ben Rudisin and Donald Thom to First Soloist. Jeannine Haller, Siphesihle November, Kota Sato, and Calley Skalnik to Second Soloist. Andreea Olteanu and Rui Huang are retiring from dancing with the company. Also, as many of us know, the divinely soulful ballerina, Xiao Nan Yu, retires after 22 years with the National Ballet. Shene Lazarus, formerly of the San Francisco Ballet, has announced that she is joining the National Ballet in July of 2019; and I am informed that there is another dancer joining but it is not officially announced.

This is exciting news. I just watched her on the Boston Ballet website, and she is beautiful and moves like quicksilver. Angelo Greco had posted on FB that he was looking forward to dancing with her on Sept. 7 at the Monterrey International Ballet Gala 2019. I hope to see them in Romeo and Juliet together next season.

So thrilled to read your post, meunier fan, and your appreciation of the remarkable dancers of San Francisco Ballet.

How long have I been waiting for Tom Forster to be promoted to principal status? Since I saw him in the corps in The Sleeping Beauty Vision scene, Kirkland version, in 2007. I'm with you, Roberta.

Yes, they have quite a time where he subjugates her before Des Grieux runs in, and then Des Grieux and Manon run off to the swamp and the last scene.

Does Forster perform the jailer/gaoler in Act III?

Those photos of Lauren and Aaron are from Act II of Giselle.

Yes, it's possible.

I would love to see Gary Avis in Enigma Variations and as Dr. Coppelius.

Thanks so much, JMcN, for your most interesting comments about this work.

Out of curiosity, I just read four reviews from 2016 by British press of the Northern Ballet's production of Marston's Jane Eyre, which reviews are on the whole positive.

variated, go to the Wednesday performance. It will be wonderful. Seriously, Ulrik Birkkjaer's beautiful performance in Chamber Symphony in itself is worth the price of admission. The principal males cast in Symphony # 9 are thrilling on Wednesday: Robison, Walsh, and Wang. There is a passage when these three principals are dancing the same choreography and the energy level and quality is fantastic. And then you will have Wei Wang do those entrechats like they are nothing . . . . sigh. Also the casting for the three women in Chamber Symphony and for the leads in Piano Concerto #9 includes exceptional and unique principal dancers, and will allow you to see Sofiane Sylve and Angelo Greco in the latter ballet - neither of these dancers should be missed.

That Nutcracker video is a gem.

Fantastic! Thanks so much for posting, Xiaoyi. I am astonished (and thrilled) that Nuñez is performing. There is also an invitational orchestra rehearsal on the afternoon of Friday, July 5th. I wish we knew what dancers from the company will be performing the following weekend in the two Wayne McGregor-LA Phil performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Digressing from the topic, but I also liked Betty Hutton [and Eddie Bracken] in Preston Sturges's "The Miracle of Morgan Creek," which was shown on TCM last week.

The Dante Project must be what we are seeing one-half of this July in Los Angeles as a co-production with L.A. Philharmonic.

Thanks, California!

It's wonderful that the promotions take effect for the London performances.

RIP, Doris. Day. I remember first seeing her on TV in the movie Tea for Two when I was growing up, and I have adored her ever since.

I generally found her dancing lacking in any musical phrasing and musicality in the many times I saw her with San Francisco Ballet. Though others greatly admire her, for me, she was one-note, had two facial expressions, tension in her hands and neck, and her dancing was not interesting to watch and I would find my attention veering off to watch someone else on stage. I did enjoy her dancing during her first two years with SFB, then her apparent overstressing of technique became prioritized over her initial lyricism and incipient artistry during her first seasons and she often danced "tired." I once saw her "Russianize" the second movement of Symphony in C, and I was groaning at the liberties taken where some of the steps were subtly changed and danced to a ponderous tempo. This clip is interesting because her arms are freer than they were a year ago, but the dancing lacks crispness as a whole for this segment of Theme and Variations. But perhaps this is just a stage rehearsal.

Los Angeles Opera is performing The Magic Flute through December 15, 2019, so that seemingly explains why there is no Nutcracker at the Music Center this December.

Double dose in Southern California of Mariinsky and La Scala with Nunez. I've not been a fan of the Mariinsky or in the Bolshoi in Jewels in the past, and will try to keep an open mind. San Francisco Ballet is dancing Jewels in spring of 2020. It'll be interesting to see the Wuppertal Pina Bausch Tanztheater again. Thanks, California. I'm a subscriber and did not see an email.