BalletNut

Thanks for the link, Solor!

I love this sort of humor, which becomes even more funny the more you know about ballet.

I don't remember where or when I read it, but I remember reading something about how the Shades scene of Bayadere could be understood to be a vision of multiple Nikiyas.

Interesting topic.

Thanks for the link, balletdad. Are you going to see, or have you seen these programs yourself?

Thread for reviews, impressions, etc. on Programs 5 and 6.

Program 5 Opening Night

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 8 pm

ALLEGRO BRILLANTE

Conductor: Martin West

Piano: Roy Bogas

Lorena Feijoo, Tiit Helimets*

-Pause-

CHACONNE FOR PIANO AND TWO DANCERS

Piano: Roy Bogas

Kristin Long, Davit Karapetyan*

INTERMISSION

THE FIFTH SEASON

Conductor: Martin West

Yuan Yuan Tan*, Damian Smith*

Katita Waldo*, Gonzalo Garcia*

Sarah Van Patten*, Pierre-François Vilanoba*

INTERMISSION

SANDPAPER BALLET

Conductor: Martin West

Guennadi Nedviguine, Stephen Legate, Steven Norman, James Sofranko, Jaime Garcia Castilla*, Ruben Martin, Pierre-François Vilanoba, David Arce, Garrett Anderson

Vanessa Zahorian, Muriel Maffre, Lorena Feijoo, Nutnatree Pipit-Suksun*, Kristin Long, Tina LeBlanc, Maureen Choi, Erin McNulty, Margaret Karl*, Dana Genshaft*, Courtney Elizabeth*, Mariellen Olson, Alexandra Lorey*, Pauli Magierek, Andrea McGinnis*, Shannon Roberts*

Program 5 Evening

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 7:30 pm

ALLEGRO BRILLANTE

Conductor: Martin West

Piano: Roy Bogas

Vanessa Zahorian, Gonzalo Garcia

-Pause-

CHACONNE FOR PIANO AND TWO DANCERS

Piano: Roy Bogas

Tina LeBlanc, Joan Boada*

INTERMISSION

THE FIFTH SEASON

Conductor: Martin West

Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun*, Tiit Helimets*

Lorena Feijoo*, Davit Karapetyan*

Claire Pascal*, Ruben Martin*

INTERMISSION

SANDPAPER BALLET

Conductor: Martin West

Guennadi Nedviguine, Stephen Legate, Steven Norman, James Sofranko, Jaime Garcia Castilla, Ruben Martin, Pierre-François Vilanoba, David Arce, Garrett Anderson

Vanessa Zahorian, Muriel Maffre, Lorena Feijoo, Nutnatree Pipit-Suksun, Kristin Long, Tina LeBlanc, Maureen Choi, Erin McNulty, Margaret Karl, Dana Genshaft, Courtney Elizabeth, Mariellen Olson, Alexandra Lorey, Pauli Magierek, Andrea McGinnis, Shannon Roberts

Program 6 Opening Night

Thursday, March 30, 2006 8 pm

FALLING

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Elizabeth Miner, Tina LeBlanc, Kristin Long, Yuan Yuan Tan, Katita Waldo

James Sofranko, Gonzalo Garcia, Joan Boada, David Arce, Rory Hohenstein*

INTERMISSION

RUBIES

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Piano: Roy Bogas

Vanessa Zahorian, Gonzalo Garcia

Muriel Maffre

INTERMISSION

ARTIFACT SUITE

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Piano: Michael McGraw

Muriel Maffre*, Pierre-François Vilanoba*

Lorena Feijoo*, Pascal Molat*

Elana Altman*

* Designates premiere in a role.

Casting subject to change.

Will any Ballet Talkers be seeing this? Please report, as it sounds...interesting.

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ANNOUNCES ONE-TIME ONLY PERFORMANCE COMMEMORATING THE 1906 EARTHQUAKE

SAN FRANCISCO, Wednesday, March 15, 2006–San Francisco Ballet announced today a special, one-night only performance of Ballet Mori, a new work commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake, on April 4. The eight-minute solo will be performed by Principal Dancer Muriel Maffre, who will dance to live seismic data as it is transformed into accompanying music. Ballet Mori will be presented along with the Program 6 programming, which includes Stanton Welch’s Falling, George Balanchine’s “Rubies,” and the U.S. premiere of William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite.

Using network technology and live sound from a seismograph, the movement of the earth will be measured by a UC Berkeley Streckeisen STS-1 seismometer at the Hayward Fault, and transmitted in real-time via the Internet to the War Memorial Opera House. There, the seismic data will be transformed into an improvisational music composition and lighting effects that correspond directly to the earth’s movement. Maffre will respond to the music using a dance vocabulary created by Principal Dancer Yuri Possokhov.

Ballet Mori was conceived by artist and UC Berkeley professor Ken Goldberg. The creative team includes Randall Packer (composer), former SF Ballet Principal Dancer Benjamin Pierce (costume design), and Kevin Connaughton (lighting design). The project is being produced in cooperation with UC Berkeley Automation Lab, Zakros Interarts, and UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. Ballet Mori is sponsored by Words on Dance.

Tickets

The one-time only performance of Ballet Mori will be included with the Program 6 repertory on Tuesday, April 4, at 8:00 p.m. at the War Memorial Opera House. Individual performance tickets for the evening are $8-199 and can be purchased online at www.sfballet.org or by contacting the Ticket Services Office at (415) 865-2000.

Maybe one of our posters familiar with the Australian Ballet might be able to tell us just who that dancer is?

More casting:

Program 4 Evening

Thursday, March 09, 2006 8 pmDYBBUK

Conductor: Martin West

Baritone: Tim Krol

Bass: Matthew Trevino

Yuan Yuan Tan, Gonzalo Garcia

INTERMISSION

AFTERNOON OF A FAUN

Conductor: Martin West

Sarah Van Patten, Moises Martin

-Pause-

OTHER DANCES

Piano: Michael McGraw

Tina LeBlanc, Joan Boada

INTERMISSION

GLASS PIECES

Conductor: Martin West

1st Movement: Ruben Martin, Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun, Moises Martin, Elana Altman, Hansuke Yamamoto, Rachel Viselli

2nd Movement: Muriel Maffre, Pierre-François Vilanoba

3rd Movement: Ensemble

Program 4 Evening

Friday, March 10, 2006 8 pm

DYBBUK

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Baritone: Tim Krol

Bass: Matthew Trevino

Sarah Van Patten, Pascal Molat

INTERMISSION

AFTERNOON OF A FAUN

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Yuan Yuan Tan, Ruben Martin

-Pause-

OTHER DANCES

Piano: Michael McGraw

Lorena Feijoo, Gonzalo Garcia

INTERMISSION

GLASS PIECES

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

1st Movement: Rory Hohenstein, Brooke Taylor Moore, Moises Martin, Elana Altman, Hansuke Yamamoto, Rachel Viselli

2nd Movement: Katita Waldo, Ruben Martin

3rd Movement: Ensemble

Program 4 Matinee

Saturday, March 11, 2006 1 pm

DYBBUK

Conductor: Martin West

Baritone: Tim Krol

Bass: Matthew Trevino

Vanessa Zahorian, Ruben Martin*

INTERMISSION

AFTERNOON OF A FAUN

Conductor: Martin West

Rachel Viselli*, Pierre-François Vilanoba*

-Pause-

OTHER DANCES

Piano: Michael McGraw

Yuan Yuan Tan*, Davit Karapetyan*

INTERMISSION

GLASS PIECES

Conductor: Martin West

1st Movement: Rory Hohenstein, Brooke Taylor Moore, Moises Martin, Elana Altman, Hansuke Yamamoto, Rachel Viselli

2nd Movement: Muriel Maffre, Pierre-François Vilanoba

3rd Movement: Ensemble

Program 4 Evening

Saturday, March 11, 2006 8 pm

DYBBUK

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Baritone: Tim Krol

Bass: Matthew Trevino

Yuan Yuan Tan, Gonzalo Garcia

INTERMISSION

AFTERNOON OF A FAUN

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Sarah Van Patten, Moises Martin

-Pause-

OTHER DANCES

Piano: Michael McGraw

Tina LeBlanc, Joan Boada

INTERMISSION

GLASS PIECES

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

1st Movement: Ruben Martin, Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun, Moises Martin, Elana Altman, Hansuke Yamamoto, Rachel Viselli

2nd Movement: Muriel Maffre, Pierre-François Vilanoba

3rd Movement: Ensemble

Program 4 Matinee

Sunday, March 12, 2006 2 pm

DYBBUK

Conductor: Martin West

Baritone: Tim Krol

Bass: Matthew Trevino

Vanessa Zahorian, Ruben Martin

INTERMISSION

AFTERNOON OF A FAUN

Conductor: Martin West

Rachel Viselli, Pierre-François Vilanoba

-Pause-

OTHER DANCES

Piano: Michael McGraw

Yuan Yuan Tan, Davit Karapetyan

INTERMISSION

GLASS PIECES

Conductor: Martin West

1st Movement: Rory Hohenstein, Brooke Taylor Moore, Moises Martin, Elana Altman, Hansuke Yamamoto, Rachel Viselli

2nd Movement: Muriel Maffre, Pierre-François Vilanoba

3rd Movement: Ensemble

* Designates premiere in a role.

Casting subject to change.

Here's the SFB press release, from the company website:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 02, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ANNOUNCES FIRST ENGAGEMENT AT NEW YORK'S LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL, JULY 25-30

San Francisco Ballet Returns to New York City after Four Years with Three Programs including Six New York Premieres

SAN FRANCISCO, Thursday, March 2, 2006—San Francisco Ballet has announced it will perform at New York’s Lincoln Center Festival July 25 through 30, 2006. Over six days and six performances, the Company will present three programs at New York’s State Theater, including a special, one-night only performance, Opening Night Celebration with San Francisco Ballet; the New York premiere of Mark Morris’ Sylvia, a ballet in three acts; and a mixed-repertory program. San Francisco Ballet last performed in New York at City Center in 2002.

“We are delighted to be returning to New York, with three programs and six New York premieres, for our first-ever engagement at Lincoln Center Festival,” remarked San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson. “I feel the breadth of programming, from an Opening Night Celebration to Mark Morris’ Sylvia and a mixed-repertory program, showcases the Company’s depth of talent and diversity.”

Opening Night Celebration with San Francisco Ballet

The one-time only performance, Opening Night Celebration with San Francisco Ballet, will take place on Tuesday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m. and features contemporary and classical works to be announced, including the New York premieres of a pas de deux from Principal Dancer Yuri Possokhov’s Reflections and Helgi Tomasson’s Concerto Grosso. The Company will also perform a rarely seen version of George Balanchine’s Harlequinade Pas de Deux, choreographed in 1955, and set to the music of Riccardo Drigo. The work had its San Francisco Ballet premiere on the Opening Night Gala in January 2006.

Mark Morris’ Sylvia

The New York premiere of Mark Morris’ Sylvia will be performed Wednesday, July 26, Thursday, July 27, and Friday, July 28 (all performances at 8:00 p.m.). The work, set to a score by Léo Delibes, premiered during San Francisco Ballet’s 2004 Repertory Season to critical acclaim. Created for San Francisco Ballet, Morris’ Sylvia is the first full-length version of the work to be staged in the United States and is also Morris’s first full-evening work for a ballet company. The work features scenic design by Allen Moyer, costume design by Martin Pakledinaz, and lighting design by James F. Ingalls. Sylvia is the sixth work Morris has choreographed for San Francisco Ballet and will be reprised during the Company’s 2006 Repertory Season. The Financial Times called it, “nothing less than a career landmark, an enchanting blend of movement vocabularies and a wondrous demonstration of the power of tonal nuance.”

Mixed-Repertory Program

The mixed-repertory program will be performed Saturday, July 29 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, July 30 at 3:00 p.m., and includes three New York premieres: Helgi Tomasson’s 7 for Eight, Christopher Wheeldon’s Quaternary, and William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite. Set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Tomasson’s 7 for Eight was first performed in February 2004 and most recently, in July 2005, at Les Étés de la danse de Paris. Of the work, the San Francisco Chronicle proclaimed, “7 for Eight is a dance dedicated to pure movement and even purer passion.” Christopher Wheeldon’s Quaternary, based on the four seasons, was premiered by the Company in 2005 at Les Étés de la danse de Paris. Set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, John Cage, Arvo Pärt, and Steven Mackey, the work is Wheeldon’s fourth created for San Francisco Ballet. William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite was created for the Scottish Ballet in 2004 and is a re-working of his full-evening work, Artifact, created in 1984. San Francisco Ballet will present the U.S. premiere of this work during its 2006 Repertory Season. Artifact Suite is set to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chaconne in D Minor as well as the music of Eva Crossman-Hecht.

Lincoln Center Festival

Launched in 1996, the Lincoln Center Festival brings the finest in classical and contemporary works from cultures across the world for three stimulating weeks each July. It is considered to be one of the premiere performing arts festivals in the world, adding to cross-cultural communication through such events as the Ta’ziyeh from Iran, Nakamura-za from Japan, The Peony Pavilion from China, Pansori from South Korea, and France’s Le Dernier Caravansérail. Since its inception, the Lincoln Center Festival has presented over 1000 performances by artists from more than 50 countries, including 110 premieres and 30 commissioned or co-commissioned new works.

San Francisco Ballet

As America’s first professional ballet company, San Francisco Ballet has enjoyed a long and rich tradition of artistic “firsts” since its founding in 1933, including performing the first American productions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker, as well as the first twentieth-century American Coppélia. San Francisco Ballet is one of the three largest ballet companies in the United States. Guided in its early years by American dance pioneers and brothers Lew, Willam and Harold Christensen, San Francisco Ballet currently presents more than one hundred performances annually, both locally and internationally. Under the direction of Helgi Tomasson for more than two decades, the Company has achieved an international reputation as one of the preeminent ballet companies in the world. In 2005, San Francisco won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award, its first, in the category of “Outstanding Achievement in Dance,” for its 2004 London tour. In 2006, San Francisco Ballet was the first non-European company elected “Company of the Year” in Dance Europe magazine’s annual reader’s poll.

* * *

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL ENGAGEMENT

JULY 2006

LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL

New York City

July 25-30, 2006

Opening Night Celebration with San Francisco Ballet: a special, one-night only performance—July 25 (8:00 p.m.)

Pas de deux from Reflections (Possokhov)*

Concerto Grosso (Tomasson)*

Harlequinade Pas de Deux (Balanchine)

Additional programming to be announced

Mark Morris’ Sylvia—July 26, 27 & 28 (all performances at 8:00 p.m.)

Sylvia (Morris)*

Mixed Repertory Program—July 29 & 30 (July 29 at 8:00 p.m., July 30 at 3:00 p.m.)

7 for Eight (Tomasson)*

Quaternary (Wheeldon)*

Artifact Suite (Forsythe)*

*New York Premiere

Schedule and programming subject to change.

# # #

Are there any ballets, dancers, choreographers, or composers that you've changed your opinion of? For instance, someone or something you didn't like at first, but "grew on you" as time went by? What do you think made your opinion change?

More casting:

Program 2 Evening

Thursday, February 23, 2006 8 pm

APOLLO

Conductor: Martin West

Apollo: Gonzalo Garcia

Terpsichore: Tina LeBlanc

Calliope: Lorena Feijoo

Polyhymnia: Katita Waldo

INTERMISSION

BLUE ROSE

Piano: Natal’ya Feygina

Violin: Roy Malan

Tina LeBlanc, Pascal Molat

Lorena Feijoo, Pierre-François Vilanoba

Vanessa Zahorian, Nicolas Blanc

INTERMISSION

QUATERNARY

Piano: Michael McGraw

Cello: David Kadarauch

Electric Guitar: Steven Mackey

Winter: Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith

Spring: Elizabeth Miner, Hansuke Yamamoto, Kristin Long, Jaime Garcia Castilla

Summer: Muriel Maffre, Yuri Possokhov

Autumn: Sarah Van Patten, Ruben Martin

Program 3 Evening

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8 pm

SPRING ROUNDS

Conductor: Martin West

Kristin Long, Pascal Molat

INTERMISSION

MAGRITTOMANIA

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Piano: Michael McGraw

Muriel Maffre, Tiit Helimets

Rory Hohenstein, Moises Martin, Gonzalo Garcia

INTERMISSION

RODEO

Conductor: Martin West

Cowgirl: Tina LeBlanc

Wrangler: Damian Smith

Roper: Rory Hohenstein

Rancher’s Daughter: Pauli Magierek

Program 3 Evening

Wednesday, February 22, 2006 7:30 pm

SPRING ROUNDS

Conductor: Martin West

Katita Waldo, Garrett Anderson

INTERMISSION

MAGRITTOMANIA

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Piano: Michael McGraw

Katita Waldo, Damian Smith

Peter Brandenhoff, Pascal Molat*, Gonzalo Garcia

INTERMISSION

RODEO

Conductor: Martin West

Cowgirl: Sarah Van Patten*

Wrangler: Stephen Legate

Roper: Rory Hohenstein

Rancher’s Daughter: Pauli Magierek

Program 3 Evening

Friday, February 24, 2006 8 pm

SPRING ROUNDS

Conductor: Martin West

Vanessa Zahorian*, Garrett Anderson

INTERMISSION

MAGRITTOMANIA

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Piano: Michael McGraw

Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith

Guennadi Nedviguine, Stephen Legate, Joan Boada

INTERMISSION

RODEO

Conductor: Martin West

Cowgirl: Kristin Long

Wrangler: Stephen Legate

Roper: Rory Hohenstein

Rancher’s Daughter: Pauli Magierek

I saw program 3 last night, and here are some observations:

Spring Rounds, by Paul Taylor, opened the program. Overall, I liked this piece. It's a pleasant, pastoral romp with a corps of 12 and 2 principals, but, as is often the case with "modern" choreography for ballet dancers, everyone had their own little solo. The adjectives I would use to describe it--pleasant, diverting, pretty, playful--might sound like something to describe a mediocrity, but this was a pretty good ballet overall, and a fine way to open a mixed bill. Kristin Long and Pascal Molat danced the leads, but it was Megan Low who won me over this time with her warmth and musicality.

Magrittomania, by Yuri Possokhov, was the second piece. As the name implies, the ballet is inspired by Magritte, and has elements from his paintings, namely men in suits with hats and lots of overgrown green apples. Beyond that, it was delightfully weird, for lack of a better word, bizarre in the best way. I especially enjoyed the male principals: Damian Smith in the lead, backed up by an astounding trio of Guennadi Nedviguine, Stephen Legate, and Joan Boada. The "klezmer" pas de trois was for me the highlight of this performance, while Yuan Yuan Tan left me cold. One wonders whether the coldness was intentional, given that the role was created on her.

Rodeo, the closing piece by Agnes De Mille, was a slight letdown, but most likely only because I'd been expecting more out of the ballet. The performance was solid, well-danced, and well-acted, however. The exuberant Tina LeBlanc was a perky Cowgirl...maybe too perky? Stephen Legate was back as the Head Wrangler, and it was easy to understand LeBlanc's attraction to him at the beginning. Rory Hohenstein was phenomenal as the Champion Roper, with his comic timing and tap-boots. I especially liked the square dancing section, where Garen Scribner was the caller. Pauli Magierek was a pretty, preening Rancher's Daughter, while Amanda Schull was especially humorous as one of her friends.

Hoping to hear any impressions from others who saw Program 2 or Program 3.

Today's Bizarro cartoon features ballet:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/bizarro.asp?date=20060215

Hi, Grace.

This might be a good question for Ballet Talk For Dancers; this organization seems like it would be of interest to members of that board as well as this one.

Thank you for the link.

Glad you enjoyed the performance, Ilya. It sounds like Tan had a great night.

These are only the first three performances of these two programs; for all we know, he might be cast in later performances.

Casting has been posted online for the first performances of Programs 2 and 3 of SFB's 2006 season.

Program 2 Opening Night

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 8 pm

APOLLO

Conductor: Martin West

Gonzalo Garcia

Yuan Yuan Tan, Sarah Van Patten, Vanessa Zahorian

INTERMISSION

BLUE ROSE

Conductor: Martin West

Piano: Natal’ya Feygina

Violin: Roy Malan

Tina LeBlanc*, Pascal Molat*

Lorena Feijoo*, Pierre-François Vilanoba*

Vanessa Zahorian*, Nicolas Blanc*

INTERMISSION

QUATERNARY

Conductor: Martin West

Piano: Michael McGraw

Cello: David Kadarauch

Electric Guitar: Steven Mackey

Winter: Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith

Spring: Tina LeBlanc, Nicolas Blanc, Lorena Feijoo, Joan Boada

Summer: Muriel Maffre, Tiit Helimets*

Autumn: Katita Waldo, Pierre-François Vilanoba

Program 2 Evening

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 7:30 pmAPOLLO

Conductor: Martin West

Tiit Helimets

Sarah Van Patten, Elana Altman*, Katita Waldo

INTERMISSION

BLUE ROSE

Conductor: Martin West

Piano: Natal’ya Feygina

Violin: Roy Malan

Kristin Long*, Joan Boada*

Lorena Feijoo, Pierre-François Vilanoba

Vanessa Zahorian, Nicolas Blanc

INTERMISSION

QUATERNARY

Conductor: Martin West

Piano: Michael McGraw

Cello: David Kadarauch

Electric Guitar: Steven Mackey

Winter: Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith

Spring: Tina LeBlanc, Nicolas Blanc, Lorena Feijoo, Joan Boada

Summer: Muriel Maffre, Tiit Helimets

Autumn: Katita Waldo, Pierre-François Vilanoba

Program 3 Opening Night

Thursday, February 16, 2006 8 pm

SPRING ROUNDS

Conductor: Martin West

Kristin Long, Pascal Molat

INTERMISSION

MAGRITTOMANIA

Conductor: Gary Sheldon

Piano: Michael McGraw

Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith*

Guennadi Nedviguine, Stephen Legate, Joan Boada

INTERMISSION

RODEO

Conductor: Martin West

Cowgirl: Tina LeBlanc*

Wrangler: Stephen Legate*

Roper: Rory Hohenstein*

Racher’s Daughter: Pauli Magierek*

Thank you for weighing in, Talespinner. I'm glad to hear Tan did well.

I wonder if Tiit Helimets brought out the best in her? I've heard he's a good partner.

I'll start.

Tonight was opening night of Swan Lake, and of the 2006 repertory season, and what a night it was. Tina LeBlanc and Gonzalo Garcia danced Odette-Odile and Siegfried, and their chemistry was amazing. LeBlanc outdid herself both technically and artistically, surpassing my memories of the other two times I'd seen her dance the same role. It wouldn't be right to say she was near perfection; she was perfection. Garcia was less dazzling at first, more of a self-effacing partner, at least until Act 3, when we saw his innocence completely shattered by Odile and von Rothbart (Damian Smith).

As Odette, LeBlanc was the picture of gentleness and vulnerability, but not in a static, guileless way; rather, she went through phases of being frightened, tentative, trusting, loving, devastated, and forgiving. As Odile, the shards of glittering rainbow coming off her costume seemed to be emanating from within her, dazzling and deadly at the same time. She also threw some well-timed doubles into her fouettes, which pleased the audience greatly. Garcia's variation in the Black Swan pdd was also excellent, as was his performance in the coda.

Among the supporting cast, standouts included Sergio Torrado in the pas de trois, where his powerful physique made his elevation all the more impressive, and Vanessa Zahorian in the same, with her flawless petit allegro and surprise triple pirouettes. In the lakeside acts, I couldn't decide which swans to focus on, but decided to follow Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun and her fluid arms and shoulders, and Elana Altman, whose shapely line and way of devouring space would make her a most interesting Swan Queen in the future. Altman also filled the stage with sensual energy in the Spanish dance, partnered by Ruben and Moises Martin. Elizabeth Miner was a delight in the Neopolitan dance; her facial expressions have improved greatly, IMO. I didn't see a single plastered-on grin in that performance, and her intricate steps were well-executed.

The main drawbacks of this performance lay in the production itself; almost all of Act 1 is Tomasson's choreography, which means it was good in some places and mediocre in others. He also tinkered a bit with the second act, but at least he put in a mime scene where Odette tells Siegfried about the spell. The third and fourth acts have been condensed into a single act, with outside music interpolated for an "Act 3, Scene 2" pas de deux. The sets and costumes by Jens-Jacob Worsaae, while very easy on the eye, were too light and airy to be associated with a tragic ballet such as Swan Lake. (I much preferred his designs for Sleeping Beauty.) Nevertheless, SFB gave a nearly flawless performance (save for a bobble in the Hungarian dance) of a great classic. The orchestra sounded wonderful with Martin West conducting.

Overall, a very well-received performance.

I look forward to hearing other people's impressions of this production.

Thank you for the report, balletdad. It'll be interesting to hear how Feijoo and Karapetyan will do in the full Swan Lake.

From Links for January 25:

One of the most recognizable faces in the front ranks of the San Francisco Ballet will retire from the company at the end of this season. Stephen Legate, who joined SFB as a soloist in 1991, will enroll in chiropractic college in the fall.

He will be greatly missed.

Thread for reviews and impressions on the current run of Swan Lake, opening 28 January 2006.

If anybody is seeing the gala, we hope to hear reports about the performance!

Although Tan does seem to lack in chemistry sometimes, it may be interesting to see her dance with Tiit Helimets, another new principal.

Alas, I'm having a bit of trouble picturing Kristin Long as Odette, although she may be an interesting Odile.

Keep in mind, too, that the supporting cast can also add to a performance. Unfortunately, there's no way of figuring out who that is beforehand from the casting lists on the SFB website.

I'm going to start a separate thread for reports from those who are seeing Swan Lake, and keep this one for discussion of casting and related issues.