Terez

Well, my goodness, I just learned Yuan Yuan Tan got married this past April. Am I the only one surprised and unaware of this? Learned details in a June 30th article at the Nob Hill Gazette.  https://www.nobhillgazette.com/people/choreographing-a-life-together-yuan-yuan-tan-and-michael-tung/article_34f64728-03e0-11ee-8f62-abe2e5a4b31b.html  Wishing her and her new husband all the best!

On 4/30/2023 at 6:51 PM, Helene said:

Frances Chung and her husband, Brian Flaherty, have a new daughter, Faye Ella Flaherty, who was born on January 25, 2023, and Chung's Instagram post is tagged #nicubaby:

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

Follow the photos and short videos all the way through to see Faye Ella more recently.

 to them, including her big bro!

Oh, WOW. What a glorious, surely challenging #nicu adventure for them. Do we know what the baby's original due date was? So thrilling to watch the video and pics to the most recent ones. Congratulations to the family!

On 5/2/2023 at 9:25 PM, pherank said:

Mathilde Froustey posted some great photos from the SFB rehearsal studio - with son Claude playing on a mat.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrrX5ejPSnN/

Just loved this pic - thanks for posting the link!

Wow. All this change is exhausting me. 😔 (Posted thoughts on Froustey's departure on another thread, so I won't duplicate here. Just... 😫) 

Oh, break my heart. I felt it in my bones, though, that it was coming. I so, so loved watching Froustey dance. I got the sense that Jasmine Jimison is being groomed as her replacement. Having seen R&J with both Jasmine and YY as Juliet, I felt that sense again, watching YY last Sunday afternoon.

I can well appreciate, however, the tug of wanting to be with family, when one is raising a child and the marriage (or new absence thereof) can't provide the support needed. Home is home and France is extraordinary. But, dang. I will miss her.

Echoing what the others said. I too am a SFB fan (although I live 80 miles away, in the Santa Cruz Mountains). Welcome!

Hi Roseann. I, too, am a huge fan of San Francisco Ballet! I look forward to chatting more with you in that section of the forum; always fun to have several voices chiming in, through the season (and the rest of the year too).

Yes, I have seen him dance in some good roles this season, as well. It surprised me, as I feel like I missed out on seeing him all last season, but I'm delighted for him that he's leaving on this high note. The trio of Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio are so prominently featured in this production, with great choreographic opportunities as well as the chance to display personality and wit. Hansuke did great right alongside Joe and Aaron in this performance, which, of course, is saying something.

9 hours ago, PeggyTulle said:

Maria Seletskaja is a former ballerina. 

https://national.ballet.ca/Meet/Leadership-and-Artistic-Staff/Creative/Maria-Seletskaja

This is so cool! Can't wait to read up more about her!

Well, seeing YY as Juliet was the singular experience I'd hoped it would be. Before the performance, Helgi (!) came out onstage, along with Anita Paciotti and Tamara Rojo, to announce Anita's retirement with this final performance. So bittersweet! While YY isn't retiring yet, I did feel like we were watching something extraordinarily precious, through the performance and particularly with the Juliet-Nurse interactions. Made my eyes leak. 😉

The curtain call was also a big thing, and, as I've never before been to the last performance of the last production of the season, I can't know if they were all like this. Very high emotion. Hansuke (as Benvolio) also delivered a final bow, and Helgi came back onstage to bring him a beribboned magnum of Champagne, which clinched the suspicion that he, too, was retiring. (Hansuke and not Helgi. Well. Helgi too. Obviously.) What I found privately annoying, even as I understand that this is the way things are now, were the dozens of people who crowded in the aisles close to the stage to hold up their phones to record the final bows. A real shame for those who wanted to see it in real time but their views were blocked. But, again, I understand that this is how things are now. 

Joseph Walsh was an amazing Mercutio, Alexander Reneff-Olson was a satisfying villainous Tybalt, Aaron Robison paired up wonderfully with YY's Juliet.

Oh, and there was a female conductor, Maria Seletskaja. So great to see!! The orchestra's sound was typically splendid.

Good point, Phrenchphry11, about no bows for the corps. I wonder if it wasn't partly because the show runs so long, they had to keep curtain calls short. Also, the gorgeous, sweeping ensemble piece at the Capulet's ball is relatively early in the ballet. In Nutcracker, "Land of Snow" dancers never get their curtain call, either. Then again, most of them dance again in Act II.

Mingxuan Wang has been dancing really well in a soloist capacity for a long time; I'd love to see him finally promoted from the corps. 

I think Helgi and the other choreographers had more say in casting for this season than Rojo. You figure they've been rehearsing since August, and Rojo didn't officially take over until December. (Please correct me if I'm wrong, for those in the know.) But I agree with you, Phrenchphry, that it's been enjoyable, seeing this mixing around of partners. I particularly enjoy seeing greener dancers being given a chance with a seasoned principal. Always fun to see the end result.

Just love all your comments and thoughts, Josette! What a treat to hear your perspective from having watched four performances in a row. 

Ooh, so nice to hear, Josette! I've become a big Joseph Walsh fan. He's a great, charismatic actor, and always seems to lend so much support to his partner. Not to mention his impeccable technique. I was actually glad to see the Angelo-Misa team split up for this production. Yes, Angelo and Misa have wonderful chemistry together, but the two different pairings for this production seem to be producing great results.

All very, very interesting. I, too, am eager (and trepidatious) to see what the new roster will bring. Agreed, as well, about the guest principal thing. Curious. Well, different. And we all knew "different" was coming.

Seconding the desire to see "Bolero" and "The Queen's Daughter" again. But on the positive side, 2 of the ballets I missed from the festival are on the books for next season. And MADCAP was my favorite as well. 

On 4/19/2023 at 9:29 PM, Josette said:

I am going to the four shows this weekend.  Jasmine should be lovely with Angelo, but I’m looking forward to seeing everyone.   That same email also states that YY Tan created the role of Juliet. I love that she’s closing the season with Aaron Robison.  

Reporting in after opening night, and I think Jasmine Jimison did an outstanding job. In the Balcony pas de deux, and thereafter, she practically became another person. Very exciting to see. Josette, I interpreted the press release in saying that YY made her debut in the role in 2002, not that she was the original for Helgi's production. Regardless, I'm thrilled that I get to attend the 4/30 performance and see her Juliet. Truly a wonderful way to close the season (so soon... sob!).

Will be eager to hear your comments, Josette, about the four performances you are seeing this weekend!

I was shocked too. Did a little hedging in the press room at last night's R&J opening night, but [unsurprisingly] found no hints. Surprise on their end as well, apparently. I so loved the photos of her and Tamara alongside the "Greetings from the Artistic and Executive Directors" message  in the program magazine. I'm sad this clever marketing message of "girl team power" in the ballet world won't continue. I'm sure the Board isn't tone-deaf to that, though, and I'd be highly surprised if the next new ED wasn't a female.

Sorry to hear that about Lauren. What a lovely dancer. And what a brave, affirming post she wrote there at IG. And, yeah, I was just thinking today about not having seen Natasha onstage much this season. She appears smart and very successful as an influencer, so I imagine she'll continue to take that bigger. I remember her early SFB days, that same feeling that she was being fast-tracked. I'm always sad when such a dancer's trajectory changes, but ballet can be a cruel, un-accommodating art. So very hard on the body, the psyche. And each year, new faces present new competition for being fast (or slow)-tracked. Must be a heart-breaking feeling.

Wishing both dancers the very best; I imagine we'll see the roster for 23-24 fairly soon. Am sort of dreading other changes that might be there as well. It is, and will continue to be, a time of change at the SFB.

Loved your comments, Josette and Phrenchphry11. Agreed and agreed! I, too, loved seeing the Hernandez brothers together. Siblings onstage have an extra element of magic going on.

And Phrenchphry11, my lone question regarding the aforementioned "promotion" thing, is "which one first?" Then there is Katherine Barkman, who wowed me in Nutcracker. Would have put her high on that consideration list as well. It was a delight to see her dancing on opening night. (One of the season/spirit leads.)

Agreed, PeggyTulle and Josette!

I'm intending to see this R&J performance; fingers crossed that all goes as planned!

On 3/31/2023 at 11:06 AM, PeggyTulle said:

Looking at the lead casting for the three regular season full-lengths, I pulled this together. 

Men

• Aaron Robison: Albrecht, Romeo (2)
• Angelo Greco: Albrecht, Romeo (2)
• Esteban Hernandez: Albrecht (1)
• Isaac Hernandez: Guilaume, Romeo (2)
• Joe Walsh: Guilaume, Romeo (2)
• Luke Ingham: Guilaume (1)
• Max Cauthorn: Guilaume (1)
• Wei Wang: Albrecht (1)

Women

• Dores Andre: Cindy, Juliet (2)
• Isabella DeVivo (soloist): Cindy (1)
• Jasmine Jimison (soloist): Giselle, Juliet (2)
• Misa Kuranaga: Giselle, Cindy, Juliet (3)
• Nikisha Fogo: Juliet (1)
• Sasha De Sola: Giselle, Cindy (2)
• Wona Park: Giselle (1)
• Yuan Yuan Tan: Juliet (1)

 

Principals with no full-length lead roles: Jennifer Stahl, Frances Chung (maternity leave), Mathilde Froustey (visa issues most of the season, now back and rehabbing), Wanting Zhao (performed earlier in the season, recently had ACL surgery per IG)

Principals with only one full-length lead role: Wona Park, Nikisha Fogo, Yuan Yuan Tan, Wei Wang, Max Cauthorn, Esteban Hernandez, Luke Ingham

Very interesting chart, PeggyTulle - thanks for taking the time to do it! So interesting to see it all at a glance. I really want to see Jennifer Stahl take on a big, juicy lead (although MADCAP made up much for this deficit). And I wish I'd gotten the chance to see Nikisha Fogo dance more this season. I'm still a little bemused/disappointed that she isn't opening-night Juliet.  

I wonder if that's a frustration for the company to lose dancers like Max Cauthorn and Benjamin Freemantle, both of whom (correct me if I'm wrong) got their training at the SFB school, received considerable opportunity and promotions at a fast clip, only to have the dancers, as principals, fly from the nest regrettably early. I'd have thought the SFB would make these investments in the hopes they would reap the benefit for many years. Or maybe it's always been this way, and I'm only now discerning this trajectory (In truth, it's only been 10 years that I've closely followed the SFB). I'm just always sad to bid farewell to a dancer I perceived early on as extraordinary, and felt a vicarious thrill with each promotion. 

Ah well, so it goes in this field, this culture. Silver lining is the excitement of wondering which "wow" dancer will replace them. Because there are always new "wow" dancers rising up.

Well, opening night and Saturday matinee were big fun! I was happy with performances across the board. Isabella did a great job in her first leading full-length ballet role. The Fates were excellent both nights, as were stepfamily Hortensia, Edwina and Clementine. (Jen Stahl, Elizabeth Powell and Ellen Rose Hummel on Fri pm, Elizabeth Mateer, Kamryn Baldwin and Jasmine Jimison on Sat 2p.) I posted a full review at The Classical Girl, and am limited on time today, but I did want to give a shout-out to all the performers. Not to mention the creative team -- each time I watch this production, I marvel at its cleverness, its imagination and whimsy. One of my all time faves. Oh, and a shoutout to Misa Kuranaga and Isaac Hernandez; they aced it, and looked really great together. As did Joseph Walsh with Isabella. 

Wow. This is unexpected. Was crossing my fingers for seeing Nikisha Fogo on opening night, but alas, not to be. 

Agreed on the "wow" on YY, Josette! And that's a Sun matinee - an easy time/day to make a second trip to the city happen. Hmmm...

I'm eager to see a fuller casting list for the first two performances. Guess I just have to be patient just a little longer...

Gosh, I was thinking... someone else for the second performance. DeVivo is a lovely dancer, but wow, sorry I'm not seeing someone like Nikisha Fogo. Guess Katherine Barkman is out for the season -- so disappointing. It just feels like a strange year, no Froustey, no Frances, changing of the guard, etc. I would have expected Wona Park over DeVivo, but I understand that only certain dancers get rehearsed for certain ballets. And I would have loved to see Dores dancing a lead in a classical ballet, but, alas, am only attending 3/31 and 4/1 matinee performance. Delighted, on the other hand, to get to see Joseph Walsh (just love him in this role, and others) and Issac Hernandez, which will be a new leading man for me to enjoy. Have heard good things about him.

Regardless, I adore this production and am very much looking forward to attending both performances!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember reading that the original 1841 version featured a peasant pas de cinq, and it was only Petipa's staging later that changed it to a pas de deux.  ... and now I will hurry back to the notes I've been taking for a Giselle blog, and try to back up my tentative statement with fact!