Burl Willes

Moving ahead to 2007.....

My husband and I combined a business trip to the bay area and a just for fun trip and we saw "The Seagull" on Weds. night at Zellerbach Hall. We have previously seen also "Anna Karenina" in L.A.

Mr. Eifman has toyed with the Chekov play to make it more ballet related, but retained the play's themes and has come up with a fun production. One of the more memorable scenes was when the entire corps broke out in hip hop style (and costumes) and seemed to have a lot of fun. It was very interesting seeing some of those very tall dancers doing hip hop. There were some shorter dancers that were actually very proficient at this particular genre (actually, I can't imagine an Eifman dancer not being proficient at anything they choose to do -- this company is so versatile, energetic and talented).

Because there were really no program notes that explained the entire story as envisioned by Eifman, it would be good for anyone attending a performance to familiarize themselves with the Chekov play and go to the performance knowing the themes of the play, but keeping an open mind as to the actual playing-out of those themes. There were a number of audience members that were left scratching their heads, and asking "But where is Nina?"

Although this ballet doesn't have the dramatic impact that was shown in "Anna Karenina," I think that most ballet people will enjoy it. The dancing is beyond phenomenal, and there are many interesting ideas presented (and open to your own personal interepretation, of course). My husband (the engineering brain) particularly enjoyed the design and functioning of the sets (including lighting).

Hello Ricardo,

The demise of Sadler Wells can't be very imminent since the very savy

San Francisco Ballet Executive Board just announced that the entire

69-member troup will be performing there in late September.

Burl

Hello brbropus,

You asked how Joan Boada dances on stage after seeing him in a

San Francisco Ballet class. He is "off the scale," magnificent!

This year he went far beyond his sensational "tricks" in Don Quixote.

His elegant epaulement in Balanchine's "Square Dance" was unforgetable!

He was a great partner for Tina Le Blanc.

When you had your class with him "several years ago," he may have

been recovering from one of his three knee surgeries. In fact, his

contract with SFB was not going to be renewed in 2003, but an

avalanche of fan mail and pleas to reconsider kept this

much- appreciated dancer in San Francisco.

Thank you Helgi Tomassen and the Executive Board of SFB!