pherank

5 minutes ago, Josette said:

I was there.  She was superb and had the most successful characterization in making the two roles different that I have seen.   

Yes, it was a great performance. The Costa Mesa crowd tends to be "clap happy", but much of that applause was deserved. I knew of Kondaurova because she was the first really believable 'contemporary' dance performer the Mariinsky had. I think those early tours were partly intended for Kondaurova to prove herself as a classical ballerina. She was an up-and-comer at that time.

6 hours ago, Josette said:

Madrid may need a dose of Swan Lake.  I know that Los Angeles certainly does, as the last time we had Swan Lake at the Los Angeles Music Center or Segerstrom Center of the Arts was around 2012.   I was advised by an excellent source that we would have Swan Lake in 2025, but that season has not yet been announced officially, so we wait a bit longer for confirmation ....

Classical ballet in LA has certainly struggled. You have just reminded me of the time I went to see Ekaterina Kondaurova and the Mariinsky perform Swan Lake in Costa Mesa, because I wanted to see a traditional version of Swan Lake. Seems like a lifetime ago.

1 hour ago, Helene said:

SFB has had great dancers non-stop for decades, an embarassment of riches.

Like PNB, the SFB audience has enjoyed watching young dancers come from the school and work their way up in the ranks.

Lauren Strongin "is a certified instructor for the Dance for Parkinson’s program, has interned with the SF Ballet in their wellness department, focusing on mental healthcare accessibility for dancers, and has designed costumes for SFDanceworks and other companies. Lauren has managed social media and marketing for several small companies. Currently, she is a stager and trustee for the Liam Scarlett Trust and is completing her degree in medical anthropology at Stanford University."

https://www.sfdanceworks.org/advisory-board

Earlier this year, Strongin was stager/repetiteur for Liam Scarlett's Hummingbird at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. And last year she staged Scarlett's Frankenstein on the Joffrey Ballet .

Regarding Frankenstein: former SFB soloist (and Joe Walsh's wife) Lauren Strongin is a stager and trustee for the Liam Scarlett Trust. Earlier this year, Strongin was stager for Liam Scarlett's Hummingbird at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. And last year she staged Frankenstein for the Joffrey Ballet.

3 hours ago, Josette said:

The director's husband is featured disproportionately in photographs by SFB online (there's a new one from Mere Mortals that I could not believe had been chosen) and on Facebook, and, if you add the director's brother-in-law, it's even more disproportionate in comparison with the other male principals.  And I. Hernandez is dancing Swan Lake with Osipova.  

Houston Ballet is performing  The Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda, and Theme and Variations next season - all perfect for Angelo Greco.  He will be missed in SF and has a devoted following there.  I especially loved him in Rhoden's Let's Begin at the End and Robbins's Other Dances, both of which he was paired with Frances Chung. 

And Kuranaga will obviously miss dancing with him. The fact that Greco has spent the better part of a year not dancing, has made a difference. Rojo is free to bring in "her own people" at this point, especially with various dancers leaving the company. It's not a wonder that dancers get depressed and worried when they are sidelined for a season. It's a little different when you've danced for the A.D. for a number of years, but with a new A.D., they're looking to be impressed by the dancers right now - Etonne-moi! Rojo is used to Isaac Hernandez being her "star" to parade around. The mistake here is, San Francisco has done well without these "stars" for decades. The audience is less gullible in that respect.

On 4/10/2024 at 9:25 AM, Phrenchphry11 said:

I feel like of the works they've done this season, Broken Wings and MADCAP represent the company and its skills much better.  Maybe even Midsummer, given the American choreographer and several dancers in the company with Balanchine training.

All good suggestions, and I feel like an audience would be lucky to get to see SFB perform A Midsummer Night's Dream. That's a great show. But touring with a mixed-rep for every other night would be worthwhile too - then they could really show off their impresssive range.

On 4/10/2024 at 11:33 AM, its the mom said:

Many times, it's the theatre that requests the ballet(s) to be performed. Perhaps it was Teatro Real's choice?

That's very possible. Certainly you would expect the theatre to know the local audience. But Madrid is a sophisticated arts town, one would think the dance audience would enjoy seeing SFB's range of talents.

3 hours ago, Josette said:

Aaron Robison also danced with Houston Ballet. 

Thank you! I knew there was someone else from the present company that had danced with Houston. 

Masha is back in business after having her first child (daughter Cleo):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0rX_f-oWor/

Good programming overall. "Manon" is an obvious one to bring into the rep. The Dutch program is an interesting idea. Glad to see a Scarlett ballet returning - he had a good relationship with SFB. Program 2 is right up SFB's alley, so to speak. I have to agree with others that the season is rather "heavy" and not necessarily kid friendly. And nothing much comedic here. The encore of "Frankenstein" seems like a placeholder, and probably should have been a Robbins/Balanchine mixed bill. "Serenade"/"Glass Pieces" would have been a good season-closer.

Angelo leaving feels to me like he's going down "to the minors" to deal with injury rehab issues. [Sorry to sound like I'm dissing Houston Ballet] But there's something going on there. Houston is one of the companies that SFB has had a close relationship with in the past. Joe Walsh and Lauren Strongin danced there.

Great to hear that Cauthorn and Andre are returning.

Nice commentary, Josette - thanks.

On 4/4/2024 at 4:12 PM, Josette said:

The email also said that the company will be performing this fall in Madrid:

"SF Ballet will tour to Madrid this October with eight performances of Helgi Tomasson's Swan Lake at the historic Teatro Real, one of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe. This is SF Ballet’s first international tour since 2019, and its first visit to Madrid."

Of all the things that make the company distinct, and all the things that SFB does well, why choose Swan Lake? And only Swan Lake?

Kimberly Marie Oliver is now a mother - congratulations to her:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2-FIf9r298/

SFB released this video with some highlights from the various performances:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRxtxbHivdQ

On 3/18/2024 at 8:41 AM, Terez said:

I saw the 3/17 Sunday matinee, after having assumed I wouldn't be able to make any of the performances. It was SO much fun, and it felt like a dream cast, with Jennifer Stahl and Wei Wang as Titania/Oberon, Elizabeth Mateer/Stephen Morse and Frances Chung/Myles Thatcher as the lovers, Alexis Francisco Valdes as a surprisingly wonderful Puck, Nikisha Fogo/Daniel Deivison-Oliveira as Hypolyta/Theseus. Everything just seemed perfectly cast. I loved seeing Elizabeth Mateer ace the role of Helena. I hadn't realized before how funny it could be, the way a lovesick Helena drapes herself over a patently uninterested Demetrius. The laughter in the audience was unexpected (but fun!), and that's what I get for watching the streamed version 2x back in 2020, filmed without an audience, and thinking I "knew" the ballet. The orchestra was typically amazing and wonderful. They were the "artist" in the 1pm "Meet the Artist" series, and it was enlightening and enjoyable to hear Martin West dissect the score and talk about Mendelssohn (versus Mozart - a fascinating compare-and-contrasts of both composers' work from their teens) and see the orchestra actually playing, for once, instead of hidden in the pit.

The costumes -- wow. Just dazzling.  Boy, I'm SO grateful I got to see this program (and this performance) after all. What a fun treat. Oh, final shout out to Norika Matsuyama as the dazzling Butterfly. Just love her warmth and energy.

That's great you were able to go, Terez. 😀
Were De Sola and Robison in the Act II Divertissement?

Just now, Josette said:

There was no strain when Wei Wang partnered and did overhead lifts with Wona Park in Swan Lake when I saw them dance beautifully several weeks ago, and with depth of feeling that was not there when they first performed the roles a few years ago.  And I do regret that Ben Freemantle and Max Cauthorn decided to leave SFB.  They were each so talented, unique, accomplished,  and had everything going for them.  

Wei Wang has really developed his lifts over the last 3 or 4 years. He looks good with a small partner like Wona. He had numerous scary moments in the early days trying to lift dancers like Sofiane Sylve. And Angelo Greco lifting Jen Stahl was terrifying. 😱
That said, all the best dancers develop their bodies over time, and learn about all the nuances of their jobs. They get better. Or they don't stay in the company.

21 minutes ago, PeggyTulle said:

I don't know if Misa's (re)hiring is a good example. She performed a lot of contemporary works at Boston Ballet, which is known for its contemporary repertoire. I think Mukhamedov has fallen into the semi-tall soloist trap that a few others managed to avoid almost due to luck or happenstance. For example, WanTing was promoted to principal after being cast at the little mermaid. Jennifer Stahl was promoted after a slew of contemporary-esque leads. But neither have been cast in the traditional leads since (Odette, Giselle, Kitri, Aurora, etc.). The "tall" girls rarely are (although I think that's just bullcrap). Perhaps that's one more reason (in conjunction with the knee injury) why Sasha M.'s career has stagnated; promoting one more tallish woman to principal who wouldn't be cast (by the AD at the time) in classical lead roles just doesn't make sense. But I'm glad to see both Sasha M. and Jen Stahl cast as Titania. I count this as progress.

I didn't mean to suggest that Kuranaga had never done contemporary works, but rather that they were not her forte, nor her interest. And when was the last time she did something contemporary at SFB that was memorable (in a good way). Anything from the recent new choreography festivals?
Anyway, my point is that she was being allowed to stick with classical roles and dance with pretty much the same partner, Angelo Greco, throughout - which is something Tomasson never would have allowed in the 'old days'.

'Tall girl' issues is it's own can of worms. It always seems laughable to me because they're not really that tall.  😉
It's more about the guys that they are dancing with. SFB had a number of 'tall' men over the last 5, 6 years. But most have retired or left the company.

Esteban Hernández and Wei Wang are never going to be able to heft the women in overhead lifts like Tiit Helimets, Ulrik Birkkjaer, Davit Karapetyan (who was just STRONG), or Aaron Robison, for example.  Losing the up-and-coming stars like Ben Freemantle and Max Cauthorn hurt, a lot.

14 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

Isn't it true that Simone Messmer had a conversation with Helgi Tomasson about why he couldn't give her a principal contract when she joined the company? After all, Mathilde Froustey had been hired as a principal even though she hadn't held a comparable rank in Paris, so Messmer had hoped for the same.

I also remember that Sascha Radetsky left ABT to dance as a principal in Amsterdam, but when he returned to New York it was once again as a soloist, and that's the rank with which he retired.

Mukhamedov is now in her early thirties, so the window for moving to another company to dance as a principal is closing. That's not to say that she couldn't dance for another ten years. And there have been dancers promoted to principal in their late thirties. But another company may be wary of hiring a dancer her age with a history of injuries, especially when they have their own up-and-comers rising through the ranks.

All true, I believe. I remember reading something 'official' over the last year, stating that Froustey had been brought on as a soloist, and that wasn't my memory of events at all. And Froustey's original posting said:

'It is time to announce that from the first of July I will become "Principal Dancer" at the San Francisco Ballet for the 2013/2014 season!'

Someone was trying to rewrite history, but why?

Messmer no doubt needed to prove herself, in Tomasson's eyes. But she's someone that has struggled to find a place that was a good fit. SFB definitely demands that the dancers be 'team players', mutually supportive, and well-rounded in their dancing skills. That last requirement didn't really change under Tomasson until he hired Misa Kuranaga, who was not all that versed in contemporary dance. But she was the exception that proved the rule. It's hard to say if Rojo is going to be working with "specialists" more than Tomasson did.

Christian Lacroix's designs arrive from Paris | A Midsummer Night's Dream at San Francisco Ballet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Op_SVlfZX8

3 hours ago, Maromeo said:

Do you guys really think dancers say that to directors? 

How is SFB known for its rehab program? Would a dancer take choose to go there for that? 

I wish there was a way to know these things... 

A.D.'s are not unapproachable - they're just ex-dancers who have gone into management.  😉
And that said, an A.D. is going to be able to spot dancers having physical issues immediately. Dancers in the past attempted to hide and 'dance through' injuries, but thankfully the culture is changing, and dealing better with reality - at least at the big North American and European companies.

SFB has been proactive in dealing with the difficult reality of professional dancing - that dancers get hurt, a lot, and need proper physical therapy and conditioning to deal with it. I suppose it wasn't that long ago when big companies only had a single doctor to refer dancers to. SFB is better set up these days:

Company Physicians
Richard Gibbs, MD & Rowan Paul, MD, Supervising Physicians
Michael Leslie, PT, Director, Dancer Wellness Center
Kristin Wingfield, MD, Primary Care Sports Medicine
Frederic Bost, MD, On-site Orthopedist
Peter Callander, MD & Keith Donatto, MD, Orthopedic Advisors to the Company
Active Care, Lisa Giannone, Off-site Physical Therapy & Conditioning Classes
Leonard Stein, DC, Chiropractic Care
Kurt Gorrell, Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach
Audrey Tseng, Wellness Center Manager and Certified Athletic Trainer

Lisa Giannone in particular is quite well-known in the athletic community for her injury prevention and rehab work with dancers and professional athletes.
Mathilde Froustey used to make videos of her training and rehab sessions. There's a Pointe Magazine article about Lisa Giannone's facility (but you have to be a member to read the whole story):

https://pointemagazine.com/peak-performance-through-personal-training/
 

Completely off-topic, but Sasha Mukhamedov decided to dress up like Lisa Giannone for Halloween last year:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzFELyPPNOf/?img_index=1

Lisa Giannone's facility, "The Garage", just happened to have posted a photo with three of the SFB dancers currently going through rehab pictured:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz69zOoSFMu/

Former ballet dancer Jaime Diaz (life partner to Sasha De Sola) is also involved in training SFB dancers and helping with rehab. Here's WanTing Zhao working out at Diaz's gym:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4GZS1YRYaa/

And Sasha Mukhamedov too:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C14qfglxADX/

MIsa Kuranaga and Angelo Greco are apparently going to be dancing the pas de deux (at least as of 4 days ago):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4O77YfPIIs/

On 3/1/2024 at 9:49 AM, Maromeo said:

Sasha Mukhamedov was a principal at Dutch National so it's odd that she would want to be at San Francisco Ballet doing less...

It's actually not that uncommon, when transferring to another big company, for dancers to have to go through a trial period of at least one season before being announced as a new principal. I think everyone expected Mukhamedov to be promoted right away, but unfortunately there were hangups. She's been struggling with injuries for some time. It's entirely possible that Mukhamedov told Tomasson straight up that she wanted to be in the company but was shaving physical issues, and couldn't be dancing leads each program. SFB is renowned for its rehab program, so that would be one reason to come to SFB, besides the versatile repertoire.

On 3/6/2024 at 4:49 PM, Josette said:

I wish they would let us know about the lead couple casting for the Act II pas de deux, which, for me, is the highlight of the ballet. 

 

Yes, it's interesting they are holding back on that information. Hopefully this isn't due to unexpected injury.

The one bright spot was that they made the excellent digital recording of the 2nd night's cast for streaming, which included the Frances Chung / Ulrik Birkkjaer duet - that was truly one for the ages. I'd pay good money to see that again.