Terez

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.

Wow. Interesting news to digest. I didn't realize we were already at that announcement time. Love reading everyone's comments. Can't imagine Shostakovich Trilogy w/o Karapetyan, but ah well, time moves along, rosters change, new stars emerge within a role. Agreed that it would be pretty neat to see what WanTing Zhao could do in The Little Mermaid. Pherank, you brought up a good/poignant point in your above comments. All good things must come to an end, eventually.

Thank you both for your comments, Dreamer and SF Herminator. Great to hear your perspectives. I, too, had that "saw it once, which I enjoyed, but didn't need to see it twice" feeling and the Opera House is such a slog from the Santa Cruz Mountains that I just have to give some programs a pass. But I always feel wistful when I let a performance run slip past, especially since the SFB season is so short. I agree that the second year of a performance allows the dancers to incorporate more nuance, refinement, coherence & interpretation. Oh, ugh, now I really DO want to see a performance, particularly because I have this uneasy feeling I will never once see Birkkjaer perform this season. Ah, choices...

Is it my imagination or has there been little media coverage of this run? I saw the SF Gate review but have found nothing else, and I always enjoy reading reviews of productions I know.

I cannot wait! Thanks for posting this delicious teaser.

Well, I was just stunned, seeing this casting list. I have to miss out on the whole run, and I'm worried the entire season is going to fly by without my seeing Ulrik Birkkjaer in a leading role. Do we know how serious Walsh's sidelining is? So disappointing (except that I'm not seeing any of Frankenstein anyway). What a surprise to see Robison on the list - very exciting, actually. Looking forward to hearing others' comments after they've watched the performance(s).

Great conversation, all of it. Thank you, all who contributed.

Aww, I like Froustey so much - this just confirms [one of the reasons] why. You really see that honest, honorable intention coming across when she dances, too. Well... I do. Thanks for posting, pherank!

Wow, what fun to read these comments about the 1/27 shows - thanks, PeggyR! And others, for the informative replies. I saw the matinee on 1/27 as well, and I didn't have any complaints about Scheller's performance - I enjoyed it. But I'm nodding with what you said, PeggyR, about the "here's a moment" thing, which Froustey, for one, always excels at. So do Sarah VP and Sofiane. I was a little concerned that the hand-gripping in the Rose Adagio just before balancing was a little too... grippy. Martin West had to slow down the orchestra not once but twice, and I had this flash of vicarious anxiety of "what if the female simply can't let go?" I wonder if that goes on in their heads, of, "OMG this is taking way too long, I'm blowing it." But Scheller held the final arabesque en pointe nicely solid, for an extra two beats, as if to say, "There, see? I've got this." I agree that Greco's personality is strong enough to overcome the inertia that seems to dog every one of the males dancing the prince. Can anyone report on seeing a really dynamic Prince Desiré? I wonder if I would have felt "meh" about the role, seeing Davit Karapetyan perform it? Alas, not going to happen. Was wondering if Tiit Helimets might be the one to hit all the right marks there? But I was nonetheless happy with Greco's performance, and I thought they did a "vision" pas de deux and Act III grand pas. One thing I was so impressed with were the feather-soft landings by Wei Wang in Bluebird. It made me think that both Di Lanno and Greco might have had softer landings (again, I'm thinking, "Karapetyan would have aced those.") I thought WanTing Zhao was a fabulous Carabosse and she might very well be my new dancer-of-interest to watch. I was disappointed that Jen Stahl didn't dance Lilac Fairy, and I thought Ludmila B was competent but not exceptional. In fact, it seemed rather wrong for Lauren S. to be dancing one of the other fairies in the same performance. I didn't look to see where else she was on the cast list for this run, so maybe she was dancing that role another time. She certainly has the right grace and sensibility for the role. I do think, however, that Sarah VP's opening night performance of Lilac Fairy was exemplary, though. Fun to see Norika Matsuyama as one of the fairies, agreed that Lonnie Weeks is very much ready to be promoted to soloist, and it was fun seeing Madison Keesler both performances as the Countess. Her pantomime and body language was so easy to read without it ever being too obvious. Those ENB years taught her how to do this well, I imagine. Fun to see Thamires Chuvas dancing as Gold Fairy and Kamryn Baldwin as White Cat - haven't seen either of them dancing soloist roles before.

I really enjoyed her dancing on opening night - as one of the fairies, but particularly as the White Cat. Oh my goodness, she was having fun with that role. Which makes me eager to see her as Carabosse. I have a feeling she's going to take and run. I still say no one can compete with her in Arabian Dance - her performance stole my breath when I saw her last year, and the year before (I think it was). There is an intriguing depth to her interpretations of these more unique roles. Or, shall I say, I hope to see that intriguing depth in her Carabosse on Sat afternoon.

Gasp! Just read this news! Well, he will be missed, but what an opportunity, and it feels very right. I know he's been doing this kind of artistic direction on a smaller scale, with a troupe of local dancers, so I know he will do a great job on a larger scale. Best wishes to him, and I hope to see him dance this season before he heads off.

Wow, Pherank, is that gorgeous!! I was so impressed with the pirouette-into-fish dive passage on opening night - it seemed almost risky, the way he grabbed her from the turn and hauled her into a perfect fish dive, but as he did the same thing three (four?) times, picture perfect each time, I guess that's the "daring" Italian side of Petipa's choreography coming in to play. The photo alludes to the only complaint I had about the performance, and it's a small complaint: Carlo was so serious-faced through so much of the ballet, when it would seem he should be more engaged and/or smiling from the middle, onwards. You compare the two dancers' expressions in the photo above. That's being nitpicky, though. Overall, I loved the performance, loved the Act I costumes (I was actually rather "meh" about the Act III dresses for the women. I know it was period-specific and correct, but... meh), loved the sets in both the 17th century act and the 18th century act. I guess they are new to the SFB (the Act III set and not Act I), purchased from the Royal Danish Ballet, which apparently Tomasson staged in 1993 and used the same set/costume designer. Since I didn't see the 2007 run, I can only nod when I hear other reviewers comment that the costumes, while similar (identical?) in design, are much richer. The staircase in Act III was amazing. So much good dancing, the orchestra was phenomenal, everything seemed to go well on opening night. Sasha was a delight to watch. I was so impressed, so happy for her. She did everything right. Okay, not a heroically long unassisted pose for the Rose Adagio, but certainly on the level of highly competent. But she really nailed the excited sixteen-year-old princess mood, and the more somber dancer in the "vision" scene, and that right mix of youthfulness and regal in Act III. She and Carlo did great in their Act II and III pas de deux and solo variations. Great show. I'll be attending Saturday matinee as well, so I'll get to see Ana Sophia and Angelo. Oh, and I really liked Sarah Van Patten's Lilac Fairy. The perfect touch of elegant, reassuring, nothing flashy, but beautiful dancing, and stellar pantomiming. And the other 5 fairies in the Prologue were great, in all the ways they were supposed to be, each one with their own little distinction. Jana Frantziskonis' "Playfulness" was quite funny, w/o ever seeming over the top, which was my attitude when I watched a YouTube Mariinsky performance of it. (Surely that was Helgi's touch, keeping it fresh and not too 19th century over-the-top?) Wona Park was "Courage" and she is indeed a marvel when you consider it's her first season and all the other fairies were soloists, and she meshed right in with them. Impressive.

And I just noticed on the SFB's casting webpage that both Natasha and Wona Park will be dancing the Enchanted Princess in various later (Fri pm, Sat pm) performances. Very interesting, particularly the latter, in her first year with the company.

Loved your review, PeggyR! Very easy (and entertaining) to visualize. : )

Well, I suppose it's good to hear about an opening night change this far in advance so I can mentally adapt. Can't deny feeling some disappointment, and also concern for Joe. Crossing fingers that if it's an injury, his recuperation will be brief.

Ugh, lousy way to spend the holidays! Wishing you wellness - you've got three weeks until the repertory season starts. ; )

I did - here's the Bachtrack link for the review of opening night - https://bachtrack.com/review-nutcracker-san-francisco-ballet-war-memorial-opera-house-san-francisco-december-2017 (they need to shorten their URLs!) And here's a link to a shorter summary of the Wed 12/27 matinee performance at The Classical Girl - http://wp.me/p3k7ov-SN. Did anyone else get to see Angelo and Ana Sophia dance the Grand Pas? Or any of the other newer dancers test-driving the leads? I sure do enjoy watching those.

Omigod, that is so cute, the Instagram video. Thanks for posting the link, Pherank. I saw the 12/27 matinee performance with Ana Sophia Scheller and Angelo Greco as the Grand Pas couple, and though they were AMAZING together. Greco was an amazing Nut Prince - I am thrilled to see how his dancing has refined - or maybe it's simply a different role from the ones I saw him in last year, which tended to be less regal and more boyish/humorous. A really great cast across the board, although in a perfect world I would have liked to have seen a different set of dancers for Queen and King of Snow, as Chung/Luiz were opening night and this one both. So relieved to see Mathilde Froustey looking beautiful and vivid and with that gorgeous upper body presentation. Just love the way she halts a pose for a millisecond (in music it's called "rubato" - is there a ballet equivalent?) before letting it melt into the next movement. So lovely. I was so worried about any pre-performance announcements of cast changes, but, amazingly, there were none. I might even go so far as to argue that this performance was better than opening night. Or, certainly, I'll say that there were no signs of dancer (and musician) fatigue for being the 27th (?) performance of a 30 (?) performance run. And I got a kick out of seeing some brand new faces: apprentice Anatalia Hordov in French and SF Ballet School student (I assume) Adrian Zeisel dance in Spanish. Kudos to them both!

Yes, very poignant and sad in retrospect, because I never once got the opportunity to see him dance last season. Wouldn't have dreamed, as the 2014-15 season finished up, that that would be it for seeing my favorite male dancer. Ah well. Life goes on. Joseph Walsh and Angelo Greco both seem to have that crowd-pleasing dance personality/style going on, (in all positive ways). So, that's reassuring.

Yay, as the casting list stands now (and we all know how casting changes, particularly later in the run), I will see Ana Sophia Scheller and Angelo Greco on the Wed 2pm matinee. And Froustey as SPF. Looking forward to it! I saw opening night, but am now scratching my head over how to comment, other than saying "all did well." No real surprises. I'd seen Wan-Ting Zhao in Arabian last year, maybe the past two years, and I found her just glorious. This year, Ludmila B. in the role looked good but not great. I missed, as well, seeing Jennifer Stahl as Snow Queen - I'm seen her in that role 2x and was dazzled both times. Impossible to complain about Masha/Joe in Grand PDD. Was so relieved there were no casting change announcements, right before the program. Remembering my crushing disappointment last year when Davit K was replaced by Carlos Q at the 11th hour. Norika Matsuyama danced Spanish - I was very happy to see her looking well. I missed her last season (injury reasons, I assume). I'm a little surprised we're not seeing Natasha Sheehan given a chance at one of the lead roles. Wona Park? My goodness. I saw her name on the roster and she danced in the corps, but I hadn't seen a radar on her. Guess I see it now. I, too, saw Mingxuan Wang performing Nut prince last year, a matinee late in the run, and I was delighted at how he did. Not like I'm expecting any speculation about "Who's Helgi going to promote next?" after last year's veritable blizzard of promotions, but he did deliver a great performance, and it was nice to see him do some good dancing on opening night this year.

I just loved seeing them both in Frankenstein. I was all but jumping from my seat in the desire to see him promoted that very night. Very happy he finally was, and now I look forward to the day I can see the same news about Strongin. I really, really enjoyed her dancing last season. What fun that Max was Nutcracker Prince on Sunday. Would have liked to have seen that, but that goes for quite a few of the performances.

Very cool! He's definitely one to watch in my mind, too!

Well, my goodness, I am off to buy the book now! it sounds great.

Here's more casting Thursday, December 14, 2017 - 2 pm Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Rubén Martín Cintas Queen and King of the Snow: Lauren Strongin, Wei Wang* Sugar Plum Fairy: Jahna Frantziskonis Grand Pas de Deux: Sarah Van Patten, Ulrik Birkkjaer*^ Thursday, December 14, 2017 - 7 pm Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Pascal Molat Queen and King of the Snow: Dores André, Luke Ingham Sugar Plum Fairy: Isabella DeVivo Grand Pas de Deux: Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets Friday, December 15, 2017 - 2 pm Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Pascal Molat Queen and King of the Snow: Isabella DeVivo, Max Cauthorn Sugar Plum Fairy: Ana Sophia Scheller*^ Grand Pas de Deux: Lauren Strongin, Wei Wang Friday, December 15, 2017 - 7 pm Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Ricardo Bustamante Queen and King of the Snow: Mathilde Froustey, Hansuke Yamamoto Sugar Plum Fairy: Maria Kochetkova Grand Pas de Deux: Sasha De Sola, Carlo Di Lanno Saturday, December 16, 2017 - 2 pm Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Ricardo Bustamante Queen and King of the Snow: WanTing Zhao, Mingxuan Wang* Sugar Plum Fairy: Sarah Van Patten Grand Pas de Deux: Dores André, Luke Ingham Saturday, December 16, 2017 - 7 pm Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli Queen and King of the Snow: Yuan Yuan Tan, Carlo Di Lanno Sugar Plum Fairy: Julia Rowe Grand Pas de Deux: Ana Sophia Scheller*, Angelo Greco Sunday, December 17, 2017 - 2 pm Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli Queen and King of the Snow: Koto Ishihara, Hansuke Yamamoto Sugar Plum Fairy: Jennifer Stahl Grand Pas de Deux: Julia Rowe, Max Cauthorn* Sunday, December 17, 2017 - 7 pm Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Pascal Molat Queen and King of the Snow: Lauren Strongin, Wei Wang Sugar Plum Fairy: Sarah Van Patten Grand Pas de Deux: Mathilde Froustey, Luke Ingham

Oh, hilarious photo! I myself have a bit of a WBD hangover. It was a treat to watch as much as I did - easily double what I got to watch last year - but my head is pretty crowded with ballet and social media interactions now. Time to drop it all and climb back into my cave. Be back around Nutcracker time! ; )