Terez

I love reading your perspective, Quiggin. They go into such fascinating depth (I'm a little embarrassed to share my own thoughts, as they are so generic in comparison). I really enjoyed both the Divertimento No. 15 and Millepied's Appassionata. Agreed that it was great to see Jaime Garcia Castilla onstage, and looking well up to the task. I didn't mind that that the progression of narrative didn't always develop clearly -- maybe because next to the other two ballets, it was ANY narrative, so I enjoyed that. Lizzie Powell was having a great night. All the dancers who did double duty -- Birkkjaer, Freemantle, André, De Sola -- looked great. (How tired must they have been by night's end?!) Regarding Peck's "Hurry Up," I'm glad I went into the night forearmed with the comments above. It allowed me to appreciate that the lighting was going to be a challenge, without resisting it too much. The music was a thumbs' down for me. The opener, with the little girl narrating -- I had this panicked thought that if the whole ballet was going to feature that voice, I'd have to leave (okay, not that dire). I don't know why I find it SO annoying to listen to words as I'm watching a ballet and already listening to music, but I do. I actually quite enjoyed the open stage, open wing feeling. I was sitting fairly close up, on the stage-left side, and I loved that I could see the dancers moving backstage, getting ready for their next cue. That's a nice boundary to break -- why shouldn't we be allowed more visual access to backstage, if they're going to shake everything else up as well? Agreed that the costumes were washed out by the lighting. They did nothing for me. I really enjoyed, in Appassionata, the costume change, the hair down. It worked for me. All six dancers there worked beautifully together. So great to see Joe Walsh back onstage - I feel like the ballet profited from his exuberant energy that never seemed forced, like it did on some of the other dancers. And Dores is a powerhouse all through "Hurry Up." Again, I think of what a workout she and Birkkjaer got, doing both "Hurry Up" and Appassionata.

I enjoyed reading this article, pherank! It helped me clarify in my mind what I like/don't like about his work.

Thank you, both of you, for this great insight and information. Very helpful (and entertaining to read!).

Is there another thread that mentions when/why David Dawson's amazing Animus Anima got replaced by Justin Peck's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming? It was only last week that I realized Dawson's ballet doesn't show up anywhere at all this season, and as it was my favorite from the Unbound Festival, I'm gritting my teeth in disappointment. There are more than one references online to it still being part of Program 2 -- one of the perils of making programming public in spring/summer, having it go out to all media outlets, and then instituting changes. Feels like salt in a wound to see it mentioned as part of tonight's program. Nope. I'm not too curious about seeing Peck's work, either. It's going to be a propulsive sneaker ballet with tons of clever movement flung at the audience. Or am I selling it short? Am I being an old fogey stick-in-the-mud for not embracing a younger generation's definition of new, exciting ballet? Regardless, I'm looking forward to the rest of the program.

Wow, what interesting (in a good way) casting. It seems like such a different company, casting-wise, from two and three years ago. No surprise, given the seismic shift in roster over that time frame. Nice to see Jaime Garcia Castilla on the cast list. But I'm already feeling concern that the whole season might pass w/o my seeing several of the dancers perform. (Easy solution: go see Program 3. But... no go.) I'll be attending opening night of this one - looking forward to it.

I saw such similarities in Jen Stahl's and SVP's Mercedes in Don Q, I was happy to see her cast here. My hunch is that she will seamlessly transition into the kind of role SVP has performed and excelled in. (Lucky for us!) I found her stunning as the Chosen One in Rite, so I think she has the acting chops to produce a worthy Zeena. Dang, I'd love to see The Fifth Season with this cast, and I likely won't be attending this production, boo hoo. : (

Wow, this was exciting to read, sf_herminator. Thanks so much for sharing! Dang, now I'd really like to see them perform, but it's just too long of a haul for me to go up a 2nd time (plus the ticket price). I saw opening night, and no complaints anywhere. Froustey and Greco did as well as I'd hoped. I adored Pascal Molat's Sancho Panza and Alexandre Cagnat's Gamache. Didn't get the chance in my Bachtrack review to mention the nice job Kitri's friends did. Isabella DiVivo and Julia Rowe were delightful and had great unison throughout. I loved seeing Norika Matsuyama in a soloist role - seems I always attend nights where she's not being featured. She's got such an infectious joy when she dances. And I thought Mathilde was sublime in the "Don Q's Vision/Dream" scene. She imbued such tender warmth in her movements, her interactions with Don Q. Really lovely to watch. And the grand pas de deux was as delicious as one would expect. sf_herminator, I loved the little asides you noticed, of Gamache entering the Gypsy Camp sitting on the horse backward - so funny! I didn't notice that. So happy to hear you give Bona and Joe (yay that he's back!!) thumbs' up. That is indeed exciting. I just love "wow" performances when Helgi is test driving young talent in a lead role. Wish I could witness this one myself.

Wow, Wona Park on the second performance. I have to say, though, I saw her Grand Pas performance on the last day of the Nut run, and I was wildly impressed. Not only did she display the gravitas of the role, and technical proficiency, she had this confident aplomb that carried her all the way through. It reminded me, interestingly, of Kochetkova, the way there was this fearless confidence and strong technique to all she did. But seeing it on such a young dancer is quite a different story. I'll be attending opening night, and am looking forward to the chemistry of Froustey and Greco. I adored her Kitri last time around. And Greco has that buoyant, winning personality that is sure to win over the audience. Would love to see a Park-Walsh pairing. (Apparently I'm not the only one who sees some resemblance to Kochetkova in her.) Alas, I will likely only get to see it vicariously, through others' eyes, so please do post comments!

I don't remember SVP dancing anything last year (my bad memory?), and have just assumed that she prefers not to dance Nut so as to instead save herself for the repertory season. (Or get paid generous sums of money to dance lead Nut roles elsewhere.)

Thanks for the update, pherank! And, LOL, I can't wait to see Elizabeth Rowe and Val Bustamente perform. Don't think I've met them. ; ) Why no Lauren Strongin yet? Is she injured?

Good Lord, I hope not! I'd harbored high hopes for more significant change, like in the drawings, in that SF Chronicle article. And thanks for the news on Natasha, and the Instagram link, pherank.

Love the pics, pherank! Well, reporting in briefly on last night. (I'm supposed to be at work on a "real" review for Bachtrack with a 36 hour deadline, but this counts, doesn't it?) I though Aaron Robison was brilliant, and exciting to watch. Seeing him dance made me miss Davit K a bit less. They share some of the same characteristics, with a presentation and energy that just fills the stage, and a smile/exuberance that felt contagious. He paired well with Sasha, and they both had knockout solos during the Grand Pas. Froustey and di Lanno were impeccable in Snow. I always feel this sense of extraordinary dancing, particularly in épaulement, when Froustey dances. She continues to be one of my favorite female principals. Right there next to her would be Sofiane, reliably excellent as SPF. She is so lovely to watch, and the audience clearly adores her, too -- their roar of approbation during the curtain call said it all. I had this thud of disappointment when I saw the Waltz of the Flowers costumes were the same old tired costumes -- what happened to the aforementioned new costumes?! The dancing was lovely; I've always like the choreography here, even though it seems to always be the one that gets bashed by the critics. WanTing Zhao danced Arabian, and there's no one in the company who does it better. My only regret is that the actual dancing she does is so brief. Steven Morse and Daniel D-O had great synchronicity as her partners. All the dances looked well polished. The Grand Pas couple aside, casting looked very much like last year, down to Land of Snow and Waltz of the Flowers. Maybe that's what made everything look well rehearsed and synchronized. No misbehaving ribbons on French this year, and they (Kimberly Marie Olivier, Maggie Weirich, Ami Yuki) danced it confidently, right on the money. I've resigned myself to the unpalatable blue of the tights/shoes (if Pepto-Bismal were blue and not pink, it would be this color) and as a result, enjoyed this number more than in past years. Nice to see Mingxuan Wang getting some good roles - I think he's been ready for promotion to soloist for quite some time now. Also pleased to see Norika M. getting some lead roles. I've always been a fan of her dancing, the energy she brings to her roles. Surprised not to see Natasha Sheehan anywhere on casting, or in Snow/Flowers. Hope it's because she is performing elsewhere this first week, and that it's not injury related. Same goes for Ulrich B. All in all, a successful opening night. Orchestra sounded amazing, no surprise there, but I harbor such gratitude at their level of proficiency and artistry. I'm going to be attending the closing performance on the 29th, for the first time ever, and it will be a fun comparison, how they sound on the first performance versus the 30th.

Whoops. No new Flowers costumes last night at opening night. What a disappointment. Wonder what went wrong? Maybe the aforementioned SF Chronicle article was premature in its announcement? Clearly the costumes were not ready to be worn. Anyone know if they would change the Flowers costumes mid-run, or would SFB simply wait until opening night next year for The Big Reveal?

Always exciting to see! I'll be attending opening night. This year it will likely only be one performance that I see, alas. Will miss that second chance, later in the run, to spot new/rising talent. Where's Martin West this week?!

Oh, thank goodness, it sounds like there will be new Waltz of the Flower costumes this year. I've never liked the 2004 costumes, never thought they brought any added loveliness to the equation. They seemed rather provincial. And I otherwise love Waltz of the Flowers -- who can resist the music? https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/dance/brightening-up-sf-ballets-nutcracker-flower-costumes