Terez

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

My goodness. I didn't see THAT landing!

Ooh, thanks, pherank! Goodness, what fun. Can't wait to see each of them in action.

I've been trying to get into this book but I have to say, it's just not happening for me. Was hoping her writing would draw me in the way Jennifer Homans' book did (when I finally finished that one, I started right up again, the next day, at the beginning. My love for APOLLO'S ANGELS is fierce). There are so many delicious biographies out there, as well (am currently enjoying Carlos Acosta's memoir. Wow!!!), that this ballet book seems to slip between the cracks. But now that I've read the comments above, I will go back and try the musings on Serenade again. I think I'm sort of rushing through the book (it's from the library) and just not settling into her wavelength, her style. If any of you who loved this book feel like there's another chapter that I should give a second look at, let me know!

Just received this press release... What a great job he has done - those are some big boots to fill. (And if this post belongs in "Ballet News," please do move it!) Contact: Julie Begley Chief Marketing Officer 415-865-6600 jbegley@sfballet.org San Francisco Ballet Executive Director Glenn McCoy to Retire Following the 2019 Season SAN FRANCISCO, Wednesday, September 5, 2018—San Francisco Ballet has announced that Glenn McCoy will retire as the organization’s longtime executive director following the 2019 Season. McCoy’s retirement will conclude a more than 30-year career during which he led the Ballet to financial strength and operational excellence. “Working for the Ballet these thirty plus years has been the greatest honor and pleasure of my life, but the time has come for me to step aside,” McCoy said. “My greatest wish is that San Francisco Ballet continues to prosper and be held in the highest regard.” His retirement plans include a move to Sonoma. San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson complimented McCoy. The two have worked closely together for three decades. “Glenn is a friend as well as a colleague. His talent for financial and operational management has enabled me to focus on the company’s repertory and provided the freedom to implement my artistic vision for the Ballet.” Tomasson also expressed gratitude for McCoy’s unwavering support and dedication to the organization. “I will miss him when he retires. We all will. But at least we have these next nine months to work together as we prepare for our touring engagements to Washington D.C. and New York in the fall, the 2018 Nutcracker performances, our very exciting 2019 Season, and preliminary planning for 2020.” “San Francisco Ballet owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Glenn,” said Carl F. Pascarella, Chair of the Ballet’s Board of Trustees. “Under his leadership, the company is organizationally stronger than ever and just finished its best year financially and artistically in its 85-year history.” Pascarella also lauded McCoy for his decision to remain as executive director through the 2019 season. “It is typical of Glenn. He has always put the Ballet first. The long lead time to find his replacement gives us continuing executive leadership and stability as we manage this transition.” McCoy, who is renowned for being genial and self-effacing, said the collegial feeling is mutual. “Working with Helgi, whose artistic vision is so clearly articulated and who continues to surprise you by pushing the company forward artistically without sacrificing our classical roots, is just inspiring. I have been very lucky to work with him, as well as an incredibly passionate and supportive Board of Trustees.” Glenn McCoy’s Career Glenn McCoy’s career in the performing arts spans nearly 40 years of operations management and marketing in ballet and opera. He first joined San Francisco Ballet in 1987, and during his tenure he has held the positions of company manager, general manager, and managing director. He was elected to the position of executive director in April 2002. McCoy has overseen the production of more than 130 new repertory and full-length ballets for San Francisco Ballet and more than 50 domestic and international tours, including engagements at the Palais Garnier in Paris; London’s Royal Opera House; The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.; and the New York State Theater. McCoy supervised SF Ballet’s operations for the critically acclaimed international dance festival, UNited We Dance in 1995, San Francisco Ballet’s 75thAnniversary Season in 2008, and the Company’s Unbound: A Festival of New Works in 2018. He also oversaw the tapings of Lar Lubovitch’sOthello; Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcrackerand Romeo & Juliet; and John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid, which have been broadcast on PBS by Thirteen/WNET New York’s performing arts series Great Performances. Prior to joining San Francisco Ballet, McCoy held marketing positions at the San Francisco Opera and at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where as advertising manager he was responsible for promoting The Met seasons of American Ballet Theatre, as well as other international dance companies including Paris Opéra Ballet, The Royal Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, and Japan’s Grand Kabuki. McCoy has served on the Board of Trustees of Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance. A native of New Bern, North Carolina, McCoy earned his bachelor of arts degree in theater and communication arts from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. ###

Allan Ulrich published his thoughts on Program D. https://www.sfchronicle.com/performance/article/Pita-s-Bjork-Ballet-a-stunning-work-in-12869373.php?r=1 (It's a SF Chronicle article and not SF Gate - does that make a difference? I just now capitulated and paid for a subscription in order to read it.) I'm attending the matinee tomorrow (Saturday) for Program D. Anyone else going to this program, or saw the Thurs night performance? I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, OUCH. But you're right, it's part of the game. How many performances do you suppose Macaulay attends each year/season? I would, however, like to shout out and/or reiterate that Joseph Wharton performed in Program A and it sounds like he did a fine job. Kudos to Wharton!

I did - it seems as though that cast is remaining the lone cast -- or maybe we will see a second cast (for other ballets as well) next week? Both Sylve and Kochetkova were stunning to watch. It's a real delight to see them dancing such similar steps, at one point in unison, and seeing the way their different bodies and personal aesthetics respond. It was uncanny, actually, that at one point their unison was flawless, and it was as if they'd both tapped into the core of the music, the artfulness of the steps, so that their physical differences disappeared and they were like mirror images, the music and steps just flowing through them. ((LOL, don't know if any of that made sense - it was like a prose poem gone bad!)) I was crazy about the costumes and lighting from Dawson's ballet. James F. Ingalls did lighting for every single ballet - maybe for the whole festival - and this one was truly unique, along with a room/box-like set. When the dancers were downstage, the lighting seemed fairly normal, but when they danced far upstage, it almost felt like an optical illusion - their bodies seemed so small next to all the whiteness, and they became more of a silhouette. Again, I'm likely describing it poorly, but it was amazing to watch. And I think that, after the heavy storytelling of Otherness and Snowblind, I liked that this was much more about movement. Everything felt light, airy, sky-bound. It felt particularly poignant, watching Masha, knowing she'll be leaving. And Sylve, as always, is just such a beautiful, classy, refined dancer, resisting any easy categorization. I realize I haven't brought up Cathy Marston's Snowbound. The performances by Van Patten, Froustey and Birkkjaer could not have been better. It really defined the ballet and what people would bring home from it. Froustey, in particular, was this lone ray of sunshine, in this beautiful coral dress, the only dollop of color in the ballet. Which is/was as it should be, but boy, without the joy and buoyancy her character (and Froustey herself) brought to the story, I would have found the ballet to be effective but a little too dreary. But I noticed that all the reviewers I admire had loads of positive things to say about her ballet. Of the three ballets, I'm crossing my fingers that Animus Anima will get slotted into next year's season. But it wouldn't surprise me if Snowbound claimed the spot instead.

Wow, did it bother me that Alastair Macaulay named the wrong dancer in his review. It was indeed Joseph Wharton, and it bothers me every time I see the mistake hasn't been fixed. Oh well, I guess Joseph Wharton can take comfort in the fact that Macaulay thought he was as superior a dancer as Joseph Walsh. So sorry Walsh is still unable to perform, but yes, as someone commented, it is what Froustey, Zahorian and Powell (didn't know this one) went through - and wasn't Lonnie Weeks injured for a spell, delaying a deserved promotion? So happy he did, in the end, receive it.

Reporting in on seeing Program B's Saturday night opener. Pretty exciting vibe, there at the War Memorial Opera House. I saw some of the choreographers, sat near some of the creative team members (maybe scenic designer or composer). It was great fun at the end of each ballet to see the quartet of creators onstage with the dancers. Gave you a real sense of what a big deal all of this is. I didn't attend the 2008 (?) festival of 10 new works, so this was a new, fun feeling for me. I published my review at Bachtrack; hopefully the link is forthcoming on the correct page here, but in the meantime, the link is posted at The Classical Girl as well. Thoughts that don't sound like a duplicate of my review... Myles Thatchers' Otherness was a cute, fun way to start the night; I don't think the ballet would have been as successful anywhere else in the evening's lineup. The swimsuits, swim caps and goggle sunglasses, the preening, brought to mind Possokhov's Swimmer, and I think it had been Thatcher's intention to make it feel sort of mid-20th century, the rigid norms and beliefs of the 1950's. The two separate groups, I'll call them the "pinks" and the "blues" had their own signature moves, but honestly, I didn't catch on that one was "synchronized swimming team" and the other was "swing-dancing, rugby-esque circus clowns" - the program's description, not mine. Which, I have to say, led to problems in interpreting/enjoying the ballet. There was so much story involved; it was so packed with "a riff on gender binaries" and how we perceive those who are different, and how, when threatened with something new and unfamiliar, we pull back, retreat to the comfortable, that I'm thinking more about the program notes than the actual dancing. In writing the review, i was appalled to see how little I commented (and/or retained) about the dance steps. Max Cauthorn looked incredibly dynamic as the Protagonist, the male lead, and I'm just so pleased to see the way he's living up to the promise he showed as a younger dancer, and, indeed, seems headed toward performing at a level reserved for the principals. It was great to see Sean Orza as the "pink" equivalent of Max, and they had a really nice pas de deux at one point. I really like seeing same sex pas de deux. What fascinates me is that Thatcher cast Lauren Strongin as the "pink" leader, for the second cast (or at least this was what was relayed in the program) and that Lauren will at times be lifting her partner (Vitor Luiz?). Wow, would I love to see that cast perform. Jahna Frantziskonis (boy, does auto-correct hate her name) was great fun as one of the lead "blues" - strutting and showing attitude. I was surprised to discover that James Sofranko was the "blue" equivalent - with their swim caps and goggle sunglasses, you didn't really know who was who. My other complaint here was that it became a little preachy and heavy-handed, kind of like a Tele-Tubbies episode, all that pink and blue and unambiguous "we shouldn't ostracize people who are different or think differently". My sense is that less would have been more, and I almost wanted more abstraction, so that the dancing, the dancers' body language, told the story. I think "Ghosts in the Machine' found the sweet spot a little more effectively. Will comment in detail later on the other two ballets. For now, Cathy Marston's Snowblind seemed to be a big hit with the other critics, and I enjoyed it - Van Patten, Froustey and Birkjaer were fabulous and had great synergy - but it was David Dawson's Anima Animus that really dazzled me. Such good dancing - I wanted to name every ensemble dancer in my review, but with an 800 word limit, that couldn't happen.

Didn't see this coming and am so sad. But ah well, it's all part of the game. There are some beautiful young dancers on the SFB roster (and all around the world) so I'll look forward to discovering them (or seeing the already discovered ones test ever bigger roles). They deserve the new opportunities.

What a great thread - I've been absorbed in daily life and too busy to catch this exciting news. Wow - big congrats to all three men. Agree that this is long overdue for Weeks. Pherank, I'm cracking up over the Frankenstein pic. Where do you GET these wonderful pics?! Enjoying all the thoughtful, insightful commentary.