Tessdixon

I also saw the opening night performance from Tina LeBlanc and Gonzalo Garcia. I enjoyed the show very much but missed out on much of the dancers' expressions from my back-row seat. Nevertheless, I was impressed mostly by the precision of the corp in their Act 2 formations and by their speed in act 1. I also enjoyed the Act I pas de trois and Act III Neapolitan dance. Of course the Act II and III pas de deux were amazing but I found myself holding my breath during the fouettes. As the night progressed, I think the dancers grew tired but there were only few stumbles. As far as the production, I enjoyed the choreography and the dancing. However, the sets were a little too skimpy in my opinion and I missed the corp dancing I am used to in Act III. (My favorite Act III production is probably the State Perm Ballet's on video or ABT's uncut version.) Overall, it was very enjoyable performance and I hope to come back for another sometime this week. Its such a shame that SF Ballet doesnt do more classical work as they are wonderful at it.

Casting has been posted: Swan Lake Opening Night Saturday, January 28, 2006 8 pm Conductor: Martin West Tina LeBlanc, Gonzalo Garcia* Swan Lake Matinee Sunday, January 29, 2006 2pm Conductor: Gary Sheldon Kristin Long^, Joan Boada* Swan Lake Evening Tuesday, January 31, 2006 8 pm Conductor: Martin West Lorena Feijoo^, Davit Karapetyan* Swan Lake Evening Wednesday, February 01, 2006 7:30 pm Conductor: Gary Sheldon Yuan Yuan Tan, Tiit Helimets^ Swan Lake Evening Thursday, February 02, 2006 8 pm Conductor: Gary Sheldon Kristin Long, Joan Boada Swan Lake Evening Friday, February 03, 2006 8 pm Conductor: Martin West Tina LeBlanc, Gonzalo Garcia Swan Lake Matinee Saturday, February 04, 2006 1 pm Conductor: Martin West Lorena Feijoo, Davit Karapetyan Swan Lake Evening Saturday, February 04, 2006 8 pm Conductor: Gary Sheldon Yuan Yuan Tan, Tiit Helimets Swan Lake Matinee Sunday, February 05, 2006 2 pm Conductor: Martin West Tina LeBlanc, Gonzalo Garcia *Denotes premiere in role ^Denotes premiere in Tomasson’s version

Ill keep my comments short- I loved it- all of it! Ive been waiting for this production to be filmed for the public ever since I first saw it danced by Gillian Murphy live at OCPAC about 3 years ago. Yet, I have one thing to say to all the critics out there: you wonder why ballet is not shown more on public televison in the US...its because even the "ballet fans" out there are such tough critics, its hard to satisfy even the people the program was intended to please. So, why bother bringing it at all? Here we have two wonderfully talented dancers (not to mention the rest of the cast) from one of the best ballet companies in the world (IMHO) performing a ballet classic and I would say 60-70% of all these reviews are criticisms! Im shocked and a little disappointed.

So where's the "web companion"? Its been delayed twice already and supposedly it was supposed to come up today. Anybody know the cause for delay?

I saw the May 1 performance with Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes. This being my fist Giselle as well as my first time seeing Paloma Herrera, I was very impressed. Ms. Herrera's feet and legs are gorgeous and her acting was also very good. At times in her act 1 variation, it seemed as though her elbows became limp but in the second act, she was flawless. Marcelo Gomes leaves a bigger impression on me every time I see him dance. I do believe he has grown in technique and artistry over the last two years. The peasant pas de deux was highlighted by Anna Liceica, whose variation was technically brilliant and Sasha Radestsky, whose dancing appeared to me to be a bit labored. Stella Abrera was excellent as Myrta, I was very much impressed by her dancing. The corp looked good, although I do think they looked better in Swan Lake when they brought it to Orange County a few years back. I saw many new names in the cast list among the corp. One of the biggest highlights of the afternoon, however, was the pre-performance lecture, given by Angel Corella! I thouroughly enjoyed the stories he told us and was struck by his genuine kindness toward his fans. Truely a day I will never forget. I think ABT would benefit greatly from continuing this "meet-the-artist" type set-up for preperformance lectures.