Globetrotter

Sad to say, Sarah is retiring at the end of the season.  https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/dance/s-f-ballet-principal-dancer-sarah-van-patten-to-retire

I thought she was dancing so well this season. I was at the opening of Program 1 where she performed Mrs Robinson and 2nd act Symphony in C.  Brilliant.

Not much interest in the 4Ts so far in this thread - one of my favorite Balanchine ballets. As a musician, I've always loved Hindemith. He knows the instruments, so his orchestrations keep each instrument doing what its good at. As a result, Hindemith is fun to play and listen to. And, given that the 4Ts was composed as a ballet for Mr. Balanchine (a 'mercy' commission by Balanchine because Hindemith had just emigrated from Germany and was unemployed), it is very unique.

I went today and saw Sarah Van Patten and Tiit Helimets. I'd seen them some years ago thought it was one of the best Balanchine performances I'd ever seen. Raw and edgy but still intimate and emotional. When I saw them today I was not disappointed. I think Ms Van Patten's interpretation was even more nuanced and informed. And Mr Helimet's partnering was clean and flawless. (Why they don't dance together more is a mystery to me.) When they danced the 4Ts in New York a few years back, Ms Van Patten was singled out for her performance. I see why. I guess dancers have favorite ballets and choreographers. But there is something special now and then when a ballet and dancer are 'made for' each other. This was made for Ms. Van Patten or she for it. If she does it again, its worth seeing.

It seems every Giselle cast is good. I saw Sarah Van Patten's Giselle last night and she was spectacular. Everyone knows she can act. So it was her level of dancing that impressed me. She and Carlos are becoming excellent partners. Can't wait for their Romeo & Juliet.

In interviews Ms Van Patten tells the story of being selected for Juliet by John Neumeier at age 15. Imagine carrying a 3-act ballet at the Royal Danish at 15? Despite her emotional performances, there's some steel in this girl.

When I think of ballerinas, I think of dancers who fill a stage for three acts. It is a four-dimensional presence. It lasts for meters as well as hours. There are the brilliant ones who floor me with their technique. And the emotional ones who fill time. And then there are those few ballerinas who you can't wait for or imagine what is coming next. Who you breath with and move with and feel with.

Is the issue not so much compensation but the absolute control of the artistic director? I'd guess the ballet is the last bastion of dictatorial power in modern organizations. Who dances what role and when, is, as I understand it, decided by one person and not necessarily with an explanation. I can see why the dancers are asking for more respect.

As a musician, at least I always played the music written for my chair. The conductor had little discretion in assigning that.

Nice cover story on Sarah at Dance Magazine.

I'd recommend the Inn at the Opera. Its across the street from the Opera house, not too pricey and has a good breakfast. It reminds me of the Hotel Opera in Copenhagen: same location, price & breakfast!

From SFB's website:

Opening Night Gala Performance - Thursday, January 19, 2012

Excerpt from CLASSICAL SYMPHONY

Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

Choreography: Yuri Possokhov

Conductor: Martin West

Jaime Garcia Castilla, Diego Cruz, Isaac Hernandez, Steven Morse, Benjamin Stewart, Matthew Stewart

Pas de deux from THE DANCE HOUSE

Composer: Dmitry Shostakovich

Choreography: David Bintley

Conductor: Martin West

Sarah Van Patten*, Tiit Helimets, Pascal Molat

ARIA

Composer: George Frideric Handel

Choreography: Val Caniparoli

Conductor: Martin West

Damian Smith

TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX©

Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreography: George Balanchine

Conductor: Martin West

Vanessa Zahorian, Davit Karapetyan*

Pas de deux from CONTINUUM©

Composer: Gyorgi Ligeti

Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon

Conductor: Martin West/Pianist: Michael McGraw

Sofiane Sylve*, Vito Mazzeo*

Pas de deux from FLAMES OF PARIS

Composer: Boris Assafiev

Choreography: Vassili Vainonen

Conductor: Martin West

Frances Chung, Taras Domitro

INTERMISSION

SOLO

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Choreography: Hans van Manen

Gennadi Nedvigin, Garen Scribner*, Hansuke Yamamoto*

San Francisco Ballet Premiere

VOICES OF SPRING

Composer: Johann Strauss II

Choreography: Sir Frederic Ashton

Conductor: Martin West

Maria Kotchetkova*, Joan Boada*

San Francisco Ballet Premiere

Pas de deux from LADY OF THE CAMELLIAS

Composer: Frédéric Chopin

Choreography and Lighting Design: John Neumeier

Conductor: Martin West/Piano soloist: Roy Bogas

Yuan Yuan Tan, Alexander Riabko+

+Guest Artist courtesy of Hamburg Ballet

NUMBER NINE

Composer: Michael Torke

Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Conductor: Martin West

Elana Altman, Dores Andre

Courtney Elizabeth, Dana Genshaft

Isaac Hernandez, Pascal Molat

Ruben Martin Cintas, Anthony Spaulding

Yes, there is now a website

www.dancingforuganda.eventbrite.com

where you can order tickets and find out more about the benefit: "Dancing for Uganda" will take place on October 15 at Fort Mason Cowell Theater in San Francisco. Apparantly, the dancers cannot advertise who they are. So there's a benefit by an unnamed group with unnamed dancers - a PR nightmare.

I have it on good authority that Sarah van Patten will be one of the stars.

I have heard these dancers include Sarah Van Patten, Pierre Vilanoba, Guennadi Nedviguine, Joan Boada, and Frances Chung. SFB is well represented in a good cause. I also heard the dancers are donating some of their personal items - signed shoes, etc - to the silent auction. Sounds like a great opportunity to mingle with some of SFB's finest.

I've been hearing of a performance to benefit children in Uganda at Fort Mason in San Francisco that's by members of San Francisco Ballet. But I can't find anything specific about it. Anybody out there know more about this?

I had a chance to see Wednesday night's Giselle and agree with all posters. Sarah van Patten and Tiit Helimets (sp?) were wonderful. There was a 5-minute span early in the second act that rivals the best ballet I have ever seen. People around me (I think me too) were literally holding their breath. And kudos to Daniel Baker and Alana Altman. Mr Baker brought an unusual solidity to Hilarion's character, as did Ms Altman to Myrtha. In the end there were no pure villains, heroes, or victims, making the ballet even more tragic.

Funding and the arts has always been a difficult subject. Is selective support also passive censorship?

Should we be concerned when a wealthy person chooses to sponsor one ballet instead of another? Or fund one choreographer over another? Does a benefactor's favorite dancer also get favored treatment by the artistic director (as some suspect)? I think it goes even further - are children from wealthier families who can afford private lessons, summer camps, and pointe shoes unfairly represented in the ranks of our companies? I bet there are a lot of tremendous 13 year-old dancers I'll never get to see because their families can't afford a pair of pointe shoes a week.

Those with the cash get to choose. We get to watch. I remember the hue and cry when Nelson Rockefeller laid out the plans for Lincoln Center - demolishing stores, houses, and most of a neighborhood to achieve his vision. There are many times when individuals - regardless of their politics - are the only ones who can cut through the redtape and get significant things done; in the arts and elsewhere. At least we have individuals who are getting things done in the Arts.

I saw R&J on Saturday and it was terrific. The entire cast was very good, especially Sarah Van Patten (Juliet), Pierre-François Vilanoba (Romeo), Pascal Molat (Mercutio) and Damian Smith (Tybalt). I can't say enough about how moving this ballet can be when the principals can act - and these four were outstanding. There were more than a few moist eyes leaving the Opera House Saturday evening. I'm going back this week to see Vanessa as Juliet and was going to see Maria Kochetkova as Juliet on Tuesday, but she was replaced with Sarah. I hope Maria is OK.

I'm a sucker for Prokofiev so the evening was especially satisfying for me. I would have liked the orchestra to play stronger - more energetic, but they still sounded good. For example, the end of Act Two (where Tybalt dies) is frenetic music - almost out of control - it should be raw and almost frightening. It was loud, but still controlled. The best recording I've heard of this score is Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

I recently saw SFB's Sarah Van Patten in The Little Mermaid and was knocked out. The mermaid role didn't seem too demanding dance-wise, but required tremendous range as an actress. She's known as a good actress, but this was something else. She tops my list as a dancer/actress. Who else has a favorite?

So far as I could see, music and choreography had virtually nothing to do with each other. Am I missing something?

No.

Yes. You are.

I really liked Opus 19. Perhaps it was the cast you saw? I thought there was a lot of Dybbuk in it, so the dancers needed to tell a story with the choreography rather than do steps. I would have also said there were quotes of Wheldon (lifts), Elo (port de bras), and Morris (partnering) except Robbins came first by about 40 years.

And I'm amused that anyone can dismiss a Robbins ballet. I always think if I see a Larry Poons painting I don't get, or listen to Karel Husa that I can't hear, or read a Haruki Murakami novel I can't follow, that its me who needs to step up. These guys are good, and Robbins and Prokofiev are more than good.

It seems Alastair Macauley from the NYT enjoyed himself in San Francisco!

New York Times Review

I also like to stand. It really is one of the best seats in the house (the video and still photographers are there). The Orchestra is a bit muffled due to the overhang, but acceptable. I also like Orchestra seats. There is more of them than Dress Circle, which always seems sold out. The Opera House has a center aisle (unlike NYCB) so aisle seats have a fantastic view. Being a fairly short person, I always seem to draw the seat behind the woman in the large hat.

I'll vote for the SFB women: Vanessa Zahorian and Sarah Van Patten are both gorgeous. Most other SFB dancers are merely beautiful.

Congratulations to Ms. Chung , a Vancouver girl who was trained at Goh Academy.

Bravo to Frances. I saw her Nutcracker Grand Pas as week ago and she was great. This promotion couldn't happen to a more wonderful person, regardless of her dancing. "Whoever follows these words of mine builds on rock and will survive, whoever does not builds on sand...."

It was the women of NYCB in Saratoga in the mid 1960's. I was brand new to ballet at the age of 14 or so and was a competitive gymnast & diver. I knew what I could do in a pool, but was floored by what they were doing on the stage. I was slack-jawed during Diamonds.

What a great night. Everything perfectly done. It seems to me, to use a sports term, that Tina 'took one for the team.' She can still do all the steps and still has all the 'voody-voody' to be a principal dancer. I'd love to see her dance next year. I'm thinking she retired to help SF Ballet bring along the next generation - Frances Chung, Elana Altman and others who are Principal bound. There are so few roles and so few chances that if principal dancers don't retire, the up and coming won't get the chances they need. If Brett Favre had as much class...

Today I was able to find a way into the LAST performance of Jewels. I thought Emeralds was great, Rubies was OK, and Diamonds terrific. A beautiful sunny and warm Sunday afternoon in San Francisco and I can't think of a better way to send in the Summer. I can't believe we won't see these dancers until Stern Grove (are they still doing Stern Grove?). Oh well.

I've been thinking about how spoiled we are here. These dancers are some of the best in the world. We sometimes complain (I'm guilty) of slightly off corps, or a bit of funky partnering or a wobbly solo. But it is the end of the season when I remember things I saw this year that were unbelievable. It is these moments I live to see, and there have been plenty. Too bad there's no 'Saratoga' for SFB. I'd be there.

I got an email from SFB (as did all subscribers) asking me to re-up for next year. It listed the season's programs, including three full-lengths. Here's the season as described:

Program 1

Swan Lake

Program 2

The Dreamer

New Wheeldon

Company B

Balanchine Program 3

Serenade

Stravinsky Violin Concerto

Theme and Variations

Program 4

Diving in to the Lilacs

in the middle...

Petrouchka (Fokine)

Program 5

The Little Mermaid (Neumeier)

Program 6

Haffner Symphony

New Renato Zanella premiere

Russian Seasons

Program 7

Rush

New Possokhov premiere

The Concert

Program 8

Romeo & Juliet

Initial casting is up for Program 6

Program 6 Opening Night

Friday, April 03, 2009, 8pm

STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO

Choreographer: George Balanchine

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Aria I: Sofiane Sylve, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba

Aria II: Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith

INTERMISSION

WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR

Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Viola: Paul Ehrlich

Katita Waldo, Brett Bauer

Maria Kochetkova, Joan Boada

Sarah Van Patten, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba

INTERMISSION

WEST SIDE STORY SUITE

Choreographer: Jerome Robbins

Conductor: David Briskin

Riff: Damian Smith

Tony: Rory Hohenstein^

Bernardo: Ruben Martin

Anita: Shannon Roberts

Maria: Dores Andre

Rosalia: Nicole Grand

Graziela: Pauli Magierek

Saturday, April 04, 2009, 2pm

STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO

Choreographer: George Balanchine

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Aria I: Elana Altman*, Tiit Helimets*

Aria II: Katita Waldo, Ruben Martin

INTERMISSION

WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR

Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Viola: Paul Ehrlich

Elizabeth Miner*, Pascal Molat*

Maria Kochetkova, Joan Boada

Dana Genshaft, Mateo Klemmayer

INTERMISSION

WEST SIDE STORY SUITE

Choreographer: Jerome Robbins

Conductor: David Briskin

Riff: Rory Hohenstein^

Tony: Garen Scribner

Bernardo: Pierre-Francois Vilanoba

Anita: Katita Waldo

Maria: Ludmila Campos

Rosalia: Dana Genshaft

Graziela: Pauli Magierek

Saturday, April 04, 2009, 8pm

STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO

Choreographer: George Balanchine

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Aria I: Sarah Van Patten*, Ivan Popov*

Aria II: Vanessa Zahorian*, Davit Karapetyan*

INTERMISSION

WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR

Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Viola: Paul Ehrlich

Katita Waldo, Damian Smith

Tina LeBlanc, Nicolas Blanc*

Sarah Van Patten, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba

INTERMISSION

WEST SIDE STORY SUITE

Choreographer: Jerome Robbins

Conductor: David Briskin

Riff: Damian Smith

Tony: Rory Hohenstein^

Bernardo: Ruben Martin

Anita: Shannon Roberts

Maria: Dores Andre

Rosalia: Nicole Grand

Graziela: Pauli Magierek

Sunday, April 05, 2009, 2pm

STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO

Choreographer: George Balanchine

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Aria I: Sofiane Sylve, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba

Aria II: Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith

INTERMISSION

WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR

Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Viola: Paul Ehrlich

Elizabeth Miner, Pascal Molat

Tina LeBlanc, Nicolas Blanc

Dana Genshaft, Mateo Klemmayer

INTERMISSION

WEST SIDE STORY SUITE

Choreographer: Jerome Robbins

Conductor: David Briskin

Riff: Damian Smith

Tony: Rory Hohenstein^

Bernardo: Davit Karapetyan

Anita: Lorena Feijoo

Maria: Dores Andre

Rosalia: Danielle Santos

Graziela: Julianne Kepley

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 8pm

STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO

Choreographer: George Balanchine

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Aria I: Sofiane Sylve, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba

Aria II: Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith

INTERMISSION

WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR

Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Conductor: David Briskin

Violin: Roy Malan

Viola: Paul Ehrlich

Katita Waldo, Brett Bauer

Maria Kochetkova, Joan Boada

Sarah Van Patten, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba

INTERMISSION

WEST SIDE STORY SUITE

Choreographer: Jerome Robbins

Conductor: David Briskin

Riff: Damian Smith

Tony: Rory Hohenstein^

Bernardo: Ruben Martin

Anita: Shannon Roberts

Maria: Dores Andre

Rosalia: Nicole Grand

Graziela: Julianne Kepley