pherank

This Chinese-language video - with subtitles in English - contains many excellent images and dance cllips about Tan: [ The direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdG2TXdKW30 ]

I believe the Spoleto Festival is over for SFB, and they are now moving on to Paris, and Les Etés de la Danse... Some last few images that I liked from the various dancer postings: Miles Thatcher photograph of Elizabeth Powell in warm-up for Spoleto Festival Sasha De Sola Reynolds posted this image on Instagram - "We are done with the Spoleto tour! Off to Paris tomorrow!"

Courtesy of Tiit Helimets' Instagram page SFB Selfie: Elizabeth Powell, Vitor Luiz, and Yuan Yuan Tan: Helimet's pre-performance selfie with Maria Kochetkova

Allan Ulrich's online article, with photos, that also appears on the SF Chronical website: http://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/Mathilde-Froustey-from-France-to-S-F-Ballet-5600595.php http://www.sfchronicle.com/performance/article/Mathilde-Froustey-from-France-to-S-F-Ballet-5600595.php#/0 A p.r. piece - nice photos - but not nearly as revealing as the Dances avec a plume interview.

Courtesy of Frances Chung, a short video from the practice room at Spoleto: I can see Kochetkova on the far left (when the camera pans back), Mathilde Froustey, Jaime Garcia Castilla? Maybe SVP behind him, Tiit Helimets and Davit Karapetyan behind him, Elizabeth Powell on the right. http://instagram.com/p/qC8ySyp4Qe/ And a photo by Mathilde Froustey - Yuan Yuan Tan and Dores Andre are closest: [EDIT] Kochetkova posted a couple more of these mini videos from class at Spoleto: http://instagram.com/p/qErA1CEUZv/ http://instagram.com/p/qErNyHEUaH/

I agree, and I think that's what Tomasson was seeing as well in her demo videos. He must have had the feeling that Froustey could bring something to the modern ballets as well. I'm sure he is betting that she will continue to grow as a dancer, given the right coaching. Her interview with Amélie at Danses avec la plume makes me think that, yes, she may still learn more and more. There are no guarantees though, but she is surrounded by hard working, focused dancers, and that may be just what she needs.

Hi Mathilde K, I wasn't actually referring to the one channel but all the various videos that come up in Youtube searches. I can remember when I first heard she was coming to SFB, there was nothing to look at to get a sense of her dancing. The newer videos appear on a certain Chinese website, while the Youtube ones are from past years at the POB. [EDIT] Here is a fun video - Mathilde Froustey and Emmanuel Thibault in, I'm guessing, La Fille Mal Gardée (a ballet I've never seen myself). Is this Ashton's choreography, or? http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/TM34hzuRScY/ And, another performance, with Froustey and Pierre-Arthur Raveau: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JshJMAnYHHo

It's interesting how in the last few months all these videos of Ms. Froustey have begun popping up - I recall when there was only a couple to be found. Froustey dancing a variation from Carmen (Roland Petit) for the 2010 Concours: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQQN433gHIg

I like Yamamoto's dancing as well. I have to guess that the issue is with his partnering work - it's not enough to look great in solo work, at this type of company all the men need to partner well. There aren't enough dancers to employ 'specialists' - everyone has to be multitasking at a high level. Which is actually what the company will attemp to show off in this program.

I won't post the link, but Ms. Chung and Mr. Flaherty have an online registery that includes some entertaining items: three nights at Glen Oaks, Big Sur lunch at Taqueria Santa Cruz Gift Fulfilled! lunch at The San Benito Deli Gift Fulfilled! new surf board room service... They were married at a great spot - St. Hilary's Church in Tiburon (Marin county)

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that it is unlikely Macaulay is going to see PNB's The Vertiginous Thrill of Forsythe program. ;) Quiggin's suggestion that "perhaps many of the postmodernist ballet were just holding places, and haven’t aged well and seem thin compared to the new ballets coming down" is almost certain to hold true for the majority of works, simply because this happens with each trend in the arts. It's not possible for every work of say, Arts and Crafts, or Post-Impressionism to be a masterwork - most are not even close. It's the artists that move on though - they don't actually require a critic to announce that it's "Last call for Post-Modernism! Train is leaving the station!

Simone Messmer is cast in two ballets - verrrrrrrry interesting. And Froustey is taking on Within the Golden Hour - that has to be outside her comfort zone. Bon courage!

Kids these days! Liking stuff that I don't like! ;) Arguing about the aesthetics is all part of the game, or art, of course. There are definitely ballets that don't work well, but these particular critics would have us believe that there is nothing of worth in, say, any Forsythe, or Elo choreography. Not likely. I'm more concerned with what the dancers think of the choreography, since they are integral to this art form. I'm not going to say that I'm a huge fan of either choreographer, but I tend to side with the artists: it is difficult to produce a work of 'art'. And it's still more difficult to produce a work of art that people find 'entertaining' (necessary to the stage arts in particularl). And it's incredibly difficult (or just a matter of luck?) to produce art that many people find to be significant somehow to the human race (and for humans to continue feeling that way over the centuries? Don't even think about it). It's the artist's job to try things: explore and take chances, and that means lots of failures, lots of criticism. If Macaulay and Gottlieb want to see something different, all they have to do is create better ballets - and failing that, I suppose they will just have to keep nurturing Justin Peck (he's not Eurotrash!). I just hope Mr. Peck spends exactly no time with either one of them.

I've found that I need to download the CFA videos to watch them - there's something off about the encoding. And, I have to use a generic, open source player like VLC MediaPlayer, not QuickTime which has trouble with the downloaded video. I should add that it sometimes does work in Safari.

I have to agree that Macaulay was a poor choice of reviewers given his already professed dislike for these choreographers, but Gottlieb isin't much better. Macaulay finally gets down to brass tacks with his closing statement - "The works by William Forsythe, José Martinez, Alexander Ekman, Mr. Elo and Mr. Kylian show unpleasing taste in choreography on the part of the artistic director Mikko Nissinen. The casting of central roles in the Balanchine and Nijinsky works added further problems. It’s to be regretted that some of the company’s finest dancers were not shown in better vehicles, and that, this time, New Yorkers saw so few of its best productions." So it's the director's fault, and not Macaulay's inability to appreciate any of the choreography. Got it. To each his own, right? To his credit, Gottlieb comes right out and states his various issues - it just happens to be over-the-top, imo: "The disappointment comes from the unwelcome revelation that although its dancers are devoted and agreeable, it’s a gigantic artistic mess. The pain comes because the company is clearly so proud of its awful aesthetic. They’re up there in Beantown isolated from the realities: Sorry, guys, but William Forsythe is old hat (and was a pernicious phenomenon when he was new hat); Jorma Elo—the Finnish resident choreographer—churns out frantic and empty pieces every 10 minutes; and most of the rest of the repertory on display here is what we used to call Eurotrash—although Europe’s in enough trouble already without having to shoulder the blame for a tsunami of bad art." Nothing worse for an American company than to be associated with "Eurotrash". LOL I may have to change my mind and say that Gottlieb is now doing the best impression of John Martin, not Macaulay. Anyway, to cut to the chase - if all this trashy, loathsome choreography (from Europe) were removed, what would BB be left with to dance? Are they seriously supposed to mimic NYCB and ABT? "Little NYCB"? Why, oh why does anyone need that?

Pretty great interview, isn't it? I'll admit to getting 'assistance' from French speakers to understand it, but there's some really interesting remarks about the differences between life at POB, and SFB; how Tomasson behaves towards Froustey and the other dancers; and the very different pressures put on Principals as compared to Corps or mid-rank dancers at POB (or even SFB). And she makes no bones about SF being a tough town to find affordable living in. (I have to think that is one of the major issues confronting any dancer thinking of relocating to the Bay Area.) I'm acutally kind of shocked that the company makes no provisions to help out foreigners trying to find housing in SF.

A 2nd long interview with Mathilde by Danses avec la Plume (in French) - http://www.dansesaveclaplume.com/pas-de-deux/mathilde-froustey-je-reste-au-san-francisco-ballet-au-moins-pour-un-an-de-plus/ For anyone not reading French, it's always possible to use Google Translate to get the gist of things. But I can say that it does go into some detail about her decision to stay one more year at SFB, and her situation with the POB. A very interesting piece.

I think you are right, and it has been unfortunate that Sylve never formed a really great partnership with any of the men. I see a lot of dancing for Lizzie Powell in this casting - nice!

That does seem to be the 'way the wind is blowing': what with Laurent Hilaire leaving and Benjamin Millepied becoming the director, there seems to be a real effort underway at POB to move on to another generation.

He's doing his best John Martin impression. And succeeding. The issue for me is just that the online article purports to be a review of Boston Ballet, ending their 50th anniversary tour (which is what this thread originally was about), and Macaulay gives them nothing. That's what makes this 'review' mostly just rude, and no one really learns anything from it. As you say, Dirac, there's nothing to see here, really. If anyone wants to learn about the Program 1 performances they will have to look elsewhere.

I quite enjoyed Dupont in Dances although her stage time is relatively short in this role - she exudes confidence, and has that "I own this place" quality which just made me smile. It seems many years have to pass before a dancer reaches that level of self-esteem, and they can just dance unhindered.

Good comments, Drew, but I find myself questioning more and more the notion that going to NYC can provide dance companies with some kind of 'big break', or a nice pat on the head for the regional companies. That idea may be as stale as 90's Forsythe (to paraphrase Harss). ;) It's hard to see how BB is benefiting from this little tour, either monetarily or through good press/vibes, whatever. Time for a new approach - this is afterall the new media age. [i write as a I sit watching POB's Dances at a Gathering streaming online...]

pherank, I'm curious, why do you think it was a diatribe against him and not just his work? I applaud Macaulay for having the courage to call the work loathsome if that's what he thinks it is. Sorry if I made it sound that way, KFW, but I don't think the 'review' was just about Forsythe the person, but definitely against his work, and those who would choreograph in a similar manner. (Whether Macaulay and Forsythe have a history of bad blood I can't personally say - "Macauley's review was nothing but a display of his personal vendetta against Forsythe. In fact, one of the dancers told me that Mr. Forsythe messaged the company and told them as much"). Macaulay always says what he thinks, that's been my impression. I'm not sure if that's being courageous exactly. But if NYC audiences tend to dislike Forsythe then he's just echoing the common sentiment. "It is a shock to be reminded by this Boston program that there are places where the Forsythe climate still prevails" - Seriously? But this thread isn't a good place to discuss Forsythe's place in ballet history. I would like to hear what the NY audience thinks would be the best repetoire for BB to present in NY - what would be truly effective given the all the competion this summer.

Yes, the Macaulay article is essentially a diatribe against 'the likes' of William Forsythe. I don't recall Macaulay ever mentioning particular dancers/performances - it's all about his dislike for these types of ballets/choreographies. But anyway, your questions are valid and of interest - what sort of repertoire should BB bring to NYC to show the company at its best? That's the essential problem for any creative director, but sometimes directors just decide they want to do _____ and not worry about what the audience has to say about it. There are many cases of directors going against the more obvious tastes of a particular regional audience. NYC is always a tough tour audience, but so is London, Moscow, etc. BB probably would have done better with Program 1 in St. Louis, MO, or at least wouldn't have to hear that their program was loathsome. ;) I question their decision to go to NY for their "tour" - why not the rest of the country where BB is rarely seen?

Excellent, Volcanohunter! Very pleased to see the Robbins ballet is available.