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Ana Sophia Scheller (featured artist) will join Miko Fogerty (speaker) for a brain tumor benefit performance in Cupertino, CA. Read about it at this thread: https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/45031-dancing-for-a-cure-2019-november-3rd-2019/ Scheller's related Instagram posting: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2eQF_BAoSI/

Ana Sophia Scheller (featured artist) will join Miko Fogerty (speaker) for a brain tumor benefit performance - Dancing for a Cure 2019! Sunday, November 3rd at 4pm Visual & Performing Arts Center Theater, Cupertino, CA Scheller's related Instagram posting: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2eQF_BAoSI/ Featured Artist ANA SOPHIA SCHELLER Principal dancer of National Ballet of Ukraine, Kiev (starting from September 2019) Former principal dancer of NYCB and San Francisco Ballet List of performers (Alphabetical) All Star Kung Fu (Chinese Kung Fu) Arabesque (Middle-eastern Belly Dance) Ballet Folklorico Mexico Danza (Mexican Dance) Bay Area Ballet Youth Company (Classical Ballet) Chelsea and Ray (Argentin Tango) Dimensions Dance Theater (African Dance) Flux Vertical Theatre (Vertical Dance) Hai Yan Jackson Chinese Dance (Chinese Classical Dance) Koko De La Isla Flamenco (Flamenco) Madhuri Kishore Kuchipudi Dance School (Kuchipudi Dance) Mambo Groovin' Latin Dance Theater (Fusion Bachata) Mannakin Theater and Dance (Contemporary) Natyalaya Kuchipudi School of Dance (Kuchipudi Dance) Peninsula Ballet Theatre (Classical Ballet) Silicon Valley Stompers (Clog Dance) SJDI Adult Ballet Performing Group (Ballet) SJDI Youth Ballet (Ballet) Sneha Patkar (Kathak Dance) Stephanie Herman (Contemporary, Jazzy, Lyrical Ballet) Yu Xin Ballet School (Ballet) Zouk SF (Brazilian Zouk Dance)

A look back at her online career and its impact on her development as a person, personality, brand, etc. Who Would I Be Without Instagram? An investigation. By Tavi Gevinson Photographs by Eva O'Leary https://www.thecut.com/2019/09/who-would-tavi-gevinson-be-without-instagram.html

A friend of mine is a community radio DJ in San Francisco, and at the 50th anniversary time, he played some audio tapes his older brother had recorded at Woodstock. It was an odd mix of crowd noises, conversations, PA announcements and music from the main stage. There was something disorienting about hearing the same music available on soundtracks, but from an entirely different 'perspective', as it were. The recordings were picking up things that were not always obvious on the main soundtrack. I remember Creedence Clearwater Revival sounding really good in this bootleg audio (although they didn't even make it on the original soundtrack album). Side note: Roger Daltry of The Who has stated that they were not wanting to follow CCR on the stage because CCR had played so well that night. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/arts/music/roger-daltrey-who-woodstock.html

I got my Choreograph Your Own subscription tickets last week, and I was able to choose my own seats - I don't remember being able to do that in previous years. But maybe my memory just isn't working again. ;) Definitely a good thing to be able to choose your own seats. https://www.sfballet.org/visit/ticket-options/subscriptions-and-packages/cyo

Sasha De Sola posted the following 'survey' question to Instagram: "Thinking about how technology and social media has inevitably changed the way we interact, and more specifically how we view and share our art form. What do you think? Has this helped or hindered ballet? Or perhaps somewhere in between? How can we be better about protecting the integrity of our art form while inspiring and building new audiences?" https://www.instagram.com/p/B2UcNcIHNNs/ Feel free to reply if you have an Instagram account.

Photographer Robert Frank has passed away: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/arts/robert-frank-dead-americans-photography.html

Thanks for that information, Eduardo. She's definitely been focusing on traditional ballet roles, and doesn't seem particularly interested in creating new roles or dancing contemporary works. At least not at present. I think she's reached the 'dancer contemplating the end of her career' stage. Scheller seemingly wants to dance famous roles while she still has a chance to do so.

FYI: Ana Sophia Scheller is dancing again - she recently participated in the Gala Internacional de Ballet de Buenos Aires 2019, and, she will be dancing Odette/Odile again with the National Ballet of Ukraine, Sept. 20th 2019. a

City Ballet The Podcast begins with the following 3 episodes: Episode 01: Welcome to City Ballet The Podcast Join Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford as he kicks off City Ballet The Podcast with hosts Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, Music Director Andrew Litton, and Corps de Ballet Member Silas Farley. (17:21) Episode 02: Hear the Dance: A History of New York City Ballet (Part 1) How did New York City Ballet come to be? Join Corps de Ballet Member Silas Farley as he goes deep into the history of Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine’s groundbreaking company. (30:28) Episode 03: Hear the Dance: A History of New York City Ballet (Part 2) New York City Ballet’s history doesn’t end with George Balanchine. Corps de Ballet Member Silas Farley continues to recount the history of the Company and the integral roles Jerome Robbins and Peter Martins played in furthering the legacy of one of the world’s premiere ballet institutions. (30:23) http://podcast.nycballet.com/

Thanks, PeggyR. I completely forgot about the TBD.

Agreed. LoA is traditional Hollywood (or Pinewood Studios) in that respect - they take an event/story from real life and completely rewrite it to suit studio/producer/director's purposes. Allenby in the film isn't all that much like Allenby in reality (neither is Lawrence, Faisal, etc.) At least people who knew the actual characters complained a great deal about the treatment. But the film characters are all composites and metaphors once the film team is through with them. Thus the "art of cinema". I find Quentin Tarantino's rewrites of history to be even harder to take, but where to draw the line for the sake of dramatic storytelling and 'entertainment'? It really seems Hollywood's main focus is to create fables from life - never to try and reproduce actual events, but to make them mythic.

I don't think Lean was in agreement with these attitudes - he just lays them bare. There isn't a "side" that isn't problematic. But maybe that's what you have issue with? That Lean doesn't know how to go about suggesting solutions? He definitely doesn't go there. Lawrences "development" (or dissolution) is central to this situation. In his case, he attempts to do good by the Arabs, who will be given their freedom, "because I'm going to give it to them". But Lawrence is never really in a position to control events on that scale. And neither are the diplomats and politicians (but they don't really know that). Thus the 1st World War, the Arab Revolt, etc. Europe and the Middle East are both in a terrible and violent muddle at the time depicted, but Lean seemingly answers that with the idea of a man of significance 'emerging out of the nothingness' (this visual metaphor occurs in a number of the desert scenes). That would be Lawrence, the bastard son whose fate is 'unwritten', but it could be any individual. At least I think that's what Lean is suggesting. Imperialism, as shown by Lean, is largely a Man's Man's Man's World. Which leads us to a glaring absence: there's very little place for females in this world. We see few women in the film - I only remember seeing women in the scene at Auda's tent and tribal dinner, and the great scene of the women's war calls from the hillsides when the men ride off to fight. I wonder how the British felt about Lean's depiction of Imperialism, back in 1960 - 1962 when the film was written. Winston Churchill was still alive at that point, and was maybe 5 years out of office at the time the film project began. The British Empire was certainly in collapse, but how many people saw that as a negative in 1960?

World Ballet Day 2019 will be on Wednesday, October 23. SFB and NBofC can't participate at that time, so big disappointment already. And what's with the moving date? Normally when a national or "world day" is established a particular date is chosen (or at least "first Wednesday in October", that sort of thing). But WBD has been October 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and now 23rd. Does it make it easier for companies to participate when the date moves? I find that hard to believe - if the world comes to know that the "first Wednesday in October" is WBD, then companies stand a real chance to budget/schedule for it.

We can't assume anything yet, as she's only just joined the company. Right now the dancers are going through the very grueling Summer/Fall rehearsal period. SFB dancers have to do about 90% of rehearsals and 100% creation of new ballet roles during the July - November period. It's all performances and touring after that. Not all dancers like this regimen and leave. I hope Mikhamedov has a positive experience working with the SFB artists and staff, but who knows?

Frances in the studio (en pointe) with baby Forest: https://www.instagram.com/p/B190u9KA-5W/

Yeah, the small theater feels a bit disrespectful. Such is life, for the 'classics'. By ending, I assume you mean the last scene when Lawrence is being transported in a staff car, and they pass a group of Bedouins on camel, and then a motorcycle passes Lawrence's car (to presumably unite with the opening scene of Lawrence riding his motorcycle). Much of the film shines a light on Imperialism (be it British, French, or Turkish), but I love the quiet, minimal scenes and introspective interludes. Stillness is an important element in the film, and that's not typical of 'epics'.

Studying abroad for a year? ;) That's actually a great idea and should be a more regular happening. But in the U.S., the dancers generally have 1 year contracts and that makes it impossible for them (except to cut ties with the original company). The European dancers often have contracts that run for a few years, or an entire career, so taking a 'sabbatical' would be easier to set up. That's how Mathilde Froustey was initially able to come to SFB - she could take a year off to explore other things. But once she decided to stay at SFB, she naturally lost all her lifetime benefits as a POB dancer. EDIT: I just noticed that Mikhamedov's Instagram page reads, "Former Principal with Dutch National Ballet". If she hasn't really severed ties then she should get rid of the "former" part.

A great observation by Jennifer Stahl, San Francisco Ballet principal, from the Dance Magazine article When It All Goes Wrong: 5 Dancers Share their Worst Performance Ever "On the opening night gala for my first year as a principal dancer, all of my insecurities flooded in. I got so nervous. I was performing Jerome Robbins' In the Night—the second pas de deux—and I put so much pressure on myself that I was in my head the entire performance. I completely self-sabotaged. Instead of celebrating my first opening as a principal, I really cracked under my own pressure—I slipped, I was shaky, all these little things went wrong that had gone smoothly in rehearsal. But it was kind of a great start to my season, in a way. It highlighted this horrible habit of mine: I realized I was not present. I thought, Wow, that was actually a very selfish performance, because I was so wrapped up in myself and what I was feeling that I took away from what I was giving the audience and what the role was meant to be. I decided that going forward, I would approach my performances as an artist, completely immersed in the work, instead of as a dancer just thinking about how I'm presenting myself. I've had to play some mind games—staying as calm as possible, telling myself 'It's not about you. This isn't about your struggles or insecurities. This is for them.' " https://www.dancemagazine.com/dance-performance-bloopers-2639822007.html

Tweeddale is too new to have had anything to do with this subscription drive's marketing. https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/44842-sfb-names-kelly-tweeddale-as-executive-director/ But I have to think they are being very purposeful in choosing the word "program" over "ballet". As far as getting good seats is concerned, it all depends upon your preferred locations in the opera house, and, the day of the week you attend. Wednesday and Thursday can be good "off nights" and so decent seats are sometimes available. Also the Sunday matinees. I've sat in first row center at Pacific Northwest Ballet (which is pretty remarkable for an out-of-town attendee), but that's pretty much impossible in SF. I've managed to get seating in the side box seats in SF, and that was fun, but mostly I stick to the orchestra ring for my "extra" tickets - prices are cheap, and if you sit half way back most of the stage is visible. And it's close enough to the stage that details don't get lost. Even sitting in the front row of the Balcony is much too far away for me - I don't want to be peering though opera glasses for the entire performance.

Balletomanes are a pain. ;) SFB doesn't make it really clear what their ticket substitution rules are for subscription packages, and I haven't had to deal with that much. Mostly I'm just buying additional tickets at the last minute - I tend to go to SF for about 4 days so I can see ballet (and other things) for Tuesday through Friday, or Thursday through Sunday.

Just in: Forest Tan Flaherty💚 Likes: mama’s milk, baths, burps, long walks Dislikes: being too cold, being too hot, being hungry, and soggy diapers Status: single and ready to mingle (after you’ve washed your hands😉) https://www.instagram.com/p/B14IY01AK1W/ Congratulations to Frances Chung and her husband! There's photographic evidence that Sarah Van Patten has had her 2nd child as well, so congratulations to the happy parents, and brother.

Yes, tickets are for programs. I don't know of any company selling individual tickets for each of the ballets on a mixed rep night. That sounds 'difficult' to manage. If you live far out of town, say Chicago, and can't be flying to SF very much, then it make sense to wait for the individual tickets to go on sale. I assume that will happen around October. Personally I prefer being able to choose my own seats (that's my big issue with standard subscriptions - the purchaser chooses a section to be seated in, and the number of seats, but SFB chooses the actual seats to be assigned). So I always end up buying individual seats (with discount) for additional casts of a particular program - if travel allows.

Brunilda Ruiz founding member of both the Robert Joffrey Ballet and the Harkness Ballet, has passed away: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/30/arts/dance/brunilda-ruiz-dead.html I assume Ruiz and Helgi Tomasson danced together at Joffrey and Harkness. Tomasson may well make a formal statement about Ruiz' passing.

The great mystery of 2019. ;) The subscription drive hasn't ended yet. Mostly, SFB is hoping people will sign up for at least the "Choreograph/Choose Your Own" subscription, which I recommend. You do have to make at least a $75 donation, but if you buy extra tickets, you receive them at a discount, so the donation tends to pay for itself.