Terez

Well, that was sure fun to watch the grand allegro. Everyone looked so good. I sure have missed seeing these dancers!

That would explain that! Wow, Sasha just had an astonishing pirouette there. And Angelo is just too much fun to watch. I'm really enjoying the vibe of Ricardo B's class. Seems more lively/relaxed than Felipé's.

Would have liked to see Joseph Walsh. And Carlo. And I'm surprised there's no Frances. My guess is that less than 50 dancers are present - what do others think?

LOL, when I heard the "principal" mis-announcement about Jahna, I shot right over to their website to confirm that, yes, it was simply referring to her soloist promotion. Yes, Natasha S. has certainly got a front row spot. She's dancing beautifully. I'm also happy to see Madison Keesler dancing in the SFB studio again. She, too, looks good.

Very sad news to hear, that she lost her battle to leukemia. : (

It's all very, very interesting - such an eventful year for the company. I, too, am happy to see Keesler return - hope she gets utilized in the way it seemed Tomasson utilized returnee Ludmilla Campos Bizalon (?) this past year. Echoing Josette that I'd love to see Strongin dance Aurora. And love to see her get promoted. Do you suppose the marital aspect of the equation is ever looked at, as in "we don't have to worry about her taking a higher position elsewhere b/c her spouse is happy here"?

Ugh, so hard to process all of this. Glad it's official now, though, as opposed to whispers and speculation. Helgi Thomasson's got a tall order ahead of him. I hope he excels in the way he has in the past, drawing these peerless, distinctive dancers to the SFB. Wishing all the departing dancers the best. Am especially sad to see Domitro go - I've quite enjoyed his performing in the past two years. Glad I got to see him as Benjamin in Cinderella (not the mention The Creature in Frankenstein. And the lead in Swimmer).

Yikes. I feel for the people who went specifically to see YYT/Ingham. Then again, that's the nature of any casting. I always steel myself when the announcer speaks before the production to announce a casting change. I saw Frances/Joseph on Fri pm and Dores/Carlo on Sat matinee. Of the two, I'd name the former as more successful, although there was no bad dancing in any of the two performances. Initially thought I liked Jennifer Stahl the most as the stepmother, but then grew to really appreciate how Lauren Strongin offered a subtler, more nuanced interpretation that better fit Wheeldon's ideas that she wasn't "evil" so much as vaguely unlikeable, narcissistic, needy, etc. Fun to observe, too, how mother-daughter fed off each other (the older, more evil daughter, who still managed to be pretty evil). Sasha De Sola was a pitch-perfect Edwina on Fri pm. Both nights, Benjamin was brilliantly depicted (Taras Domitro, Fri; Angelo Greco, Sat 2p). And I was crazy about the four Fates throughout, in both productions. I'm surprised they don't draw unequivocal and universal praise. They never felt like too much to me. And, well, the opening of Act III is so hilarious and brilliant, it easily outshone the rest of Act III. Great production, just loved the music, and for the most part, found Wheeldon's choreography to be fresh, inventive, ever-changing. Although, strangely, the pas de deux seemed to be the least inventive part of the choreography. The final Act III closing pas de deux was devoid of any dramatic tension and felt oddly surplus. I guess happy endings are a challenge to choreograph to, LOL!

Wow, very cool pics! Thanks for posting, Pherank!

Peggy - I know she's been rehearsing it w/Tiit Helimets and I'm inclined to think we'll see their names in the run. (Hope this passes speculation etiquette rules...)

Wow. Just... wow. (Am seeing her as a future YY for the company.)

I agree on all that you said here, Josette! Greco is now my next-best-thing-to-Davit Karapetyan dancer. I hope he enjoys a long, injury-free career with the SFB.

Oh, yay, more casting just posted, and a surprise: Dores André is no longer dancing as a stepsister on opening night (replaced by Ellen Rose Hummel), but as Cinderella on Sat 2p. And with Carlo Di Lanno. Wow - I didn't see that coming. Should be fun! I'm quite fond of all the dancers in that cast. And here is more casting... Saturday, April 29, 2017 - 2 pm Cinderella: Dores André Prince Guillaume: Carlo Di Lanno*^ Stepmother: Lauren Strongin* Stepsister Edwina: Jahna Frantziskonis* Stepsister Clementine: Julia Rowe Benjamin: Angelo Greco* Saturday, April 29, 2017 - 8 pm Cinderella: Yuan Yuan Tan Prince Guillaume: Luke Ingham Stepmother: Ludmila Bizalion* Stepsister Edwina: Elizabeth Powell Stepsister Clementine: Ellen Rose Hummel Benjamin: Hansuke Yamamoto Sunday, April 30, 2017 - 2 pm Cinderella: Frances Chung Prince Guillaume: Joseph Walsh Stepmother: Jennifer Stahl Stepsister Edwina: Sasha De Sola Stepsister Clementine: Dores André Benjamin: Taras Domitro Tuesday, May 2, 2017 - 7:30 pm Cinderella: Maria Kochetkova Prince Guillaume: Joseph Walsh Stepmother: Jennifer Stahl Stepsister Edwina: Sasha De Sola Stepsister Clementine: Ellen Rose Hummel Benjamin: Taras Domitro

Interesting to note that it was Luke Ingham on the casting page as the prince on Fri pm. I guess that happens. No complaints; I look forward to seeing Joseph Walsh in the role. He seems made for the part. They are certainly having a slow time of posting more of the cast list for this program. Or is the 8th program always like this? I'll be attending the Sat 2p performance as well as opening night, and can't wait to see what that cast looks like. Guess I'll have to wait some more... I'm hoping to see Lauren Strongin as a stepsister, perhaps?

Oh, wow, I didn't notice that mention! I was wondering why none of the world premieres had made it to the 2018 season. Agree that "Ghost" would be the best bet, between "Salome" and "Optimistic Tragedy." Although, I did enjoy the performances of the latter two. It's just that there was a lot of explanation involved, both in the program notes, and in the choreography itself, which made it all seem more like dance theater than pure dance. Not a bad thing, mind you. But it would be very interesting to get an audience survey of which one the average person would like to see again. (My rebel answer: Within the Golden Hour. I know, I know, not a world premiere...) Pherank - I wonder how much pregnancy/childbirth/parenting plays a role in a dancer's desire/ability to have an extra-long career, such as what we're seeing with YY. Surely having a child puts challenges on the body. I think that's one reason I was so happy to see Sarah VP dancing so well - I'd been wondering if it might be hard for her to bounce back.

Well, Program 7 was absolutely lovely, and I would like nothing more but to see it all again next year, but alas, 2018 will be a busy season already. I loved "Trio," but compared to "Ghost in the Machine," it was pretty tame, choreographically. I was utterly dazzled by Sarah VP and Tiit H. in the second movement of Trio, tho. i think this is the first time I've seen VP dance all season (and, obviously, last season) and she looked fabulous. Some of those turns with Tiit - wow. Crazy about the way she'd throw her whole body into all of it. So happy to see she still has that distinctive style (and that she's not joining the other principals in announcing a retirement!). In "Ghost in the Machine," Myles Thatcher's choreography was very exciting to watch - I felt like it was fresh, innovative and nicely classical. Although I felt like the "I am a sad dancer" motif that came up midway, with Sasha de Sola looking alone and downcast (as intended) center stage, was sort of overdone. It's like we were spoon-fed "now, this is where the dancer feels SAD and the others respond." Sometimes I get frustrated when a ballet seems too abstract; this time, I felt like it could profit from a little MORE abstraction there, more subtlety. Sort of the dance version of the writer's "show don't tell." Nonetheless, it was a thumbs' up. Ditto, "Within the Golden Hour." Wow, that final ending, where the dancers are connected and gently undulating as the lights dim and the curtains go down. So nicely done. And beautiful costumes, there, and in Trio. Also in Trio's favor was that I'm crazy about Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence." A feast for the eyes/ears. Lots of great dancing; I didn't jot down names (yay, no review assignment!) but I do remember feeling pleasantly surprised that Jaime Castillo Garcia was not not in just one but two ballets. Good heavens, I've seen more of him in the last few months than I have in the last [more than] few years. He looked good.

Just one of those subjective knee-jerk reactions. To me, the caps are aesthetically unpleasing and flatter nobody. Which has its advantages, true; it makes all their heads uniform (but uniformly unattractive, I say). I just love the purity and partial cover the more traditional headpieces in most productions offer. I like seeing natural hair, or something inconspicuous covering it. But Tomasson was looking for something to modernize the production. Have to agree that this fits the bill.

Wow, fantastic photo! (And, oh, how I still [childishly] hate those feather caps.) Joe was a fabulous looking Siegfried - straight out of central casting. ; )

Oh, and I forgot Rebecca Rhodes as the Czardas (sp?) princess. She always has such a lovely smile, on top of lovely dancing.

I did; I saw opening night. I thought Joseph and Masha worked well together, not so much because they had a "wow!" chemistry like I remember seeing last year with Carlo Di Lanno and Sofiane Sylve, but because they are both really good, versatile dancers who seem to rise to the challenge of every role. As Odile, Masha was particularly astonishing. No surprise, huh? As Odette she delivered a nuanced performance, but in the end, she's petite and can't produce that long-legged/limbed/necked image we see on YY or Sofiane. That said, I think she did her opening night lead role justice, and the Act IV was really touching. I found Walsh to be at his most convincing in Act IV as well. The usual visual treats: the corps swans were spot-on all night; not one single complaint anywhere there. The scenery has its usual distractions that I've grown to accept. The foreign princesses all had good runs. A few little mishaps here and there - a dropped fan, a hand reaching down for support by Greco at the end of a really brilliant solo in the Act I pas de trois. (LOL - spell-check tried to change it to "pas de trots"!) Sasha de Sola and Dores André were both in fine form, in the pas de trois and as Russian Princesses - but I think the headdresses in the latter are horrible. (As I find the swan feather caps, as well). Jahna Frantziskonis (sp?) and Esteban Hernandez were quite good in Neapolitan, and Jen Stahl is an amazing Spanish princess. The music, like always, was incredible, every bit as good as what you'd hear across the street at the SFS. Oh, and Daniel D.O. was a good, creepy Von Rothbart.

And it looks like castings for Von Rothbarts are appearing, at least for the first few performances: Opening night: Daniel Deivison-Oliveira Sat Apr 1, 2p and 8p: Alexander Reneff-Olson (busy day for him...) Sun Apr 2, 2p: Von Rothbart: Sean Orza*

Wow, I didn't realize Vanessa and Davit were doing Swan Lake for their farewell performance. Had assumed it would be a mixed bill, like Program 7 on the night before. So, so sorry to miss it. Who would have thought, at the beginning of the season, that I very well might not watch Karapetyan perform again? But it's sure looking that way. Boo hoo! But on the positive side, I get to see opening night's Masha & Joseph W. That'll be a lot of fun.

Pherank, it will be a delight to share what I thought about Program 7 without fretting that I'm using descriptors like: "it was nice" and "they looked great" and "the scenery really worked" and "I just thought they had a good vibe" and "the other one was nice too". That's the fun part (besides actually being there). Enjoyed your other comments above, too.

Makes great sense, Pherank, on both points mentioned.

Very interesting to watch! Great stuff. Quiggin - I smiled when I saw your comment because my first thought was "In the Countenance of Kings" as I watched. The music, the short film aspect, the propulsive-yet-flowing choreography. I hope Nyman's whole score isn't like that, though - a whole ballet of that would be exhausting to the ears. (And here, I was thinking of the score to the movie The Piano when I saw his name. Certainly not my thought now!) Bought myself a ticket to this program; am looking forward to enjoying it w/o having to write up a review.