PeggyR

SFB Facebook page: Corps de ballet dancer Sasha De Sola has been promoted to soloist. Congratulations to a fine dancer on her well deserved promotion.

Photo galleries by Dave Morgan of SFB's London programs A and B. The Flickr page also has links to Dance Tabs coverage of the engagement. Program A Program B

SFB dancers blogging about the London tour.

What surprised me the most was Hayden: she's likable and actually funny. And LeClerq and that hat! What a treat. Thank you so much.

If you can beg or borrow a copy of the SFB DVD of the Nutcracker that came out a few years ago, she dances the GPdD. She is lovely.

Casts for London. It's particularly good to see plenty of opportunities being given to members of the corps de ballet. Among the corps women, Sasha de Sola has been attracting notice; and Nicole Ciaponni's batterie dazzles. The SFB men -- principals through corps -- are consistently excellent, but corps member Francisco Mungamba, who doesn't look like he's old enough to shave, has been impressive with beautiful carriage and line. PRINCIPAL CASTING FOR SAN FRANCISCO BALLET Programs A, B and C Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London *Denotes premiere in role In the event of injury or illness, casting is subject to change PROGRAM A: OPENING NIGHT – Friday, September 14 – 7:30PM Divertimento No. 15 Choreographer: George Balanchine Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Conductor: Martin West Davit Karapetyan, Hansuke Yamamoto, Jaime Garcia-Castilla Vanessa Zahorian Sasha De Sola, Frances Chung, Koto Ishihara, Dores Andre INTERMISSION Symphonic Dances Choreographer: Edwaard Liang Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov Conductor: Martin West Yuan Yuan Tan, Vito Mazzeo Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets Maria Kochetkova, Vitor Luiz INTERMISSION Number Nine Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: Michael Torke Conductor: Martin West Frances Chung, Daniel Deivison-Oliveira Maria Kochetkova, Gennadi Nedvigin Sarah Van Patten, Carlos Quenedit Sofiane Sylve, Vito Mazzeo   Program A: Tuesday, September 18 – 7:30PM Divertimento No. 15 Choreographer: George Balanchine Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Conductor: Ming Luke Gennadi Nedvigin, Hansuke Yamamoto, Jaime Garcia-Castilla Maria Kochetkova Clara Blanco, Frances Chung, Nicole Ciapponi, Dores Andre INTERMISSION Symphonic Dances Choreographer: Edwaard Liang Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov Conductor: Martin West Frances Chung, Jaime Garcia-Castilla Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets Maria Kochetkova, Vitor Luiz INTERMISSION Number Nine Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: Michael Torke Conductor: Ming Luke Dores Andre, Daniel Deivison-Oliveira Vanessa Zahorian, Garen Scribner Sarah Van Patten, Carlos Quenedit Sofiane Sylve, Vito Mazzeo Program A: Sunday, September 23 – 4:00PM Divertimento No. 15 Choreographer: George Balanchine Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Conductor: Ming Luke Davit Karapetyan, Shane Wuerthner*, Taras Domitro Vanessa Zahorian Sasha De Sola, Sarah Van Patten, Koto Ishihara, WanTing Zhao* INTERMISSION Symphonic Dances Choreographer: Edwaard Liang Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov Conductor: Martin West Yuan Yuan Tan, Vito Mazzeo Sarah Van Patten*, Tiit Helimets Maria Kochetkova, Vitor Luiz INTERMISSION Number Nine Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: Michael Torke Conductor: Ming Luke Frances Chung, Daniel Deivison-Oliveira Maria Kochetkova, Gennadi Nedvigin Yuan Yuan Tan, Carlos Quenedit Sasha De Sola, Vitor Luiz PROGRAM B: OPENING NIGHT – Saturday, September 15 – 7:30PM Trio Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Vanessa Zahorian, Joan Boada Sarah Van Patten, Tiit Helimets, Vito Mazzeo Maria Kochetkova, Gennadi Nedvigin INTERMISSION Ghosts Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: C.F. Kip Winger Conductor: Martin West Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets, Shane Wuerthner* INTERMISSION Guide to Strange Places Choreographer: Ashley Page Composer: John Adams Conductor: Martin West Sarah Van Patten, Carlos Quenedit* Maria Kochetkova, Gennadi Nedvigin Frances Chung, Pascal Molat Vanessa Zahorian, Jaime Garcia-Castilla Program B: Sunday, September 16 – 4:00PM Trio Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Sasha De Sola, Vitor Luiz Sarah Van Patten, Tiit Helimets Vito Mazzeo Frances Chung, Davit Karapetyan* INTERMISSION Ghosts Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: C.F. Kip Winger Conductor: Martin West Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets, Shane Wuerthner INTERMISSION Guide to Strange Places Choreographer: Ashley Page Composer: John Adams Conductor: Martin West Sarah Van Patten, Carlos Quenedit Clara Blanco, Vitor Luiz Frances Chung, Pascal Molat Vanessa Zahorian, Jaime Garcia-Castilla Program B: Friday, September 21 – 7:30PM Trio Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Vanessa Zahorian, Joan Boada Sarah Van Patten, Tiit Helimets Vito Mazzeo Maria Kochetkova, Gennadi Nedvigin INTERMISSION Ghosts Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: C.F. Kip Winger Conductor: Martin West Maria Kochetkova, Vitor Luiz Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets, Shane Wuerthner INTERMISSION Guide to Strange Places Choreographer: Ashley Page Composer: John Adams Conductor: Martin West Jennifer Stahl, Vito Mazzeo Clara Blanco, Vitor Luiz Frances Chung, Pascal Molat Dores Andre, Davit Karapetyan PROGRAM C: OPENING NIGHT – Wednesday, September 19 – 7:30PM Beaux Choreographer: Mark Morris Composer: Bohuslav Martinů Conductor: Martin West Harpsichord: Bradley Moore Pierre-Francois Vilanoba, Pascal Molat, Francisco Mungamba* Vito Mazzeo, Lonnie Weeks, Gennadi Nedvigin Joan Boada, Garen Scribner, Dustin Shane Spero Classical Symphony Choreographer: Yuri Possokhov Composer: Sergei Prokofiev Conductor: Martin West Maria Kochetkova, Hansuke Yamamoto Frances Chung, Carlos Quenedit* Dores Andre, Jaime Garcia-Castilla INTERMISSION RAkU Choreographer: Yuri Possokhov Composer: Shinji Eshima Conductor: Martin West Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith Pascal Molat INTERMISSION Within the Golden Hour Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: Ezio Bosso Conductor: Martin West Vanessa Zahorian, Damian Smith Maria Kochetkova, Joan Boada Sarah Van Patten, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba Program C: Thursday, September 20 – 7:30PM Beaux Choreographer: Mark Morris Composer: Bohuslav Martinů Conductor: Martin West Harpsichord: Bradley Moore Jeremy Rucker, Myles Thatcher, Francisco Mungamba Vito Mazzeo, Lonnie Weeks, James Sofranko Sean Bennett, Garen Scribner, Dustin Shane Spero Classical Symphony Choreographer: Yuri Possokhov Composer: Sergei Prokofiev Conductor: Martin West Vanessa Zahorian, Gennadi Nedvigin Clara Blanco, Daniel Deivison-Oliveira Dores Andre, Jaime Garcia-Castilla INTERMISSION RAkU Choreographer: Yuri Possokhov Composer: Shinji Eshima Conductor: Martin West Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith Pascal Molat INTERMISSION Within the Golden Hour Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: Ezio Bosso Conductor: Martin West Vanessa Zahorian, Damian Smith Maria Kochetkova, Joan Boada Sarah Van Patten, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba Program C: Saturday, September 22 – 7:30PM Beaux Choreographer: Mark Morris Composer: Bohuslav Martinů Conductor: Martin West Harpsichord: Bradley Moore Pierre-Francois Vilanoba, Pascal Molat, Francisco Mungamba Vito Mazzeo, Lonnie Weeks, Gennadi Nedvigin Joan Boada, Garen Scribner, Dustin Shane Spero Classical Symphony Choreographer: Yuri Possokhov Composer: Sergei Prokofiev Conductor: Martin West Maria Kochetkova, Hansuke Yamamoto Frances Chung, Carlos Quenedit Dores Andre, Jaime Garcia-Castilla INTERMISSION RAkU Choreographer: Yuri Possokhov Composer: Shinji Eshima Conductor: Martin West Yuan Yuan Tan, Damian Smith Vitor Luiz INTERMISSION Within the Golden Hour Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: Ezio Bosso Conductor: Martin West Vanessa Zahorian, Damian Smith Maria Kochetkova, Joan Boada Sarah Van Patten, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba

Were we ever this innocent? And Bart, just for you…

Obituary The passing of Dorothy McGuire is sad news for us senior citizens. Most of the posters here probably never heard of the McGuire Sisters, but in the 50s, they were very popular, especially among my parents’ generation, which probably felt a little threatened by the advent of the raucous, sexy rock and roll. At the time I would rather have died than admit I liked their clean cut, predictable music, and I’ll be the first to admit it hasn’t worn well – probably too old fashioned even for nostalgia buffs. But try and get 'Sugartime' out of your head once you’ve heard it; talk about an earworm. Rest in peace Ms. McGuire.

Despite all the negative comments about dancers/casting decisions on the other Mariinsky thread, I went ahead and bought a ticket before casts were announced for Berkeley because I can only go to the Saturday matinee, and I wanted a good seat. Been holding my breath ever since to see who I’d end up with and I’ve got…Kondaurova! Hooooray!!! (Please don't rain on my parade by pointing out that casts frequently change....)

Former SFB soloist Isaac Hernandez is now with Het National Ballet. No photo yet, but the bio is there.

SFB new roster announced for 2013. Congratulations to all. The total number of dancers is down from 71 to 68 (if my counting is correct), and there are some significant losses from the lineup: Principal Kristin Long; soloists Victoria Ananyan, Isaac Hernandez, Pauli Magierek, Elizabeth Miner, and Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun; corps members Daniel Baker, Alexandra Meyer-Lorey, Lily Rogers, Danielle Santos, Matthew Stewart, Caroline Wilson, and Quinn Wharton. All will be missed, but I'm particularly sorry that Hernandez is gone; he's very young and very talented and I really hope he ends up someplace that allows him to develop his artistry. Also missed will be Magierek who, in a perfect world, would be a principal character dancer at the Bolshoi: she's the earthiest of dancers and the best (and least lady-like) harlot in R&J I've ever seen. Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun I only saw actually dance once, in Tomasson's 7 for 8 several years ago; her movement quality has that 'something' that keeps drawing the eye -- very beautiful. Other than that, she never performed at any performance I attended except for limited-dance roles like Rosaline in R&J. Very sorry not to have seen more of her. Daniel Baker, who was such a good Hilarion, apparently has gone on to a TV show called So You Think You Can Dance. And I have to ask, if 'ballet is woman', where are SFB's women? There are now 12 male principals and seven female; eight male soloists and five female. This looks a little lopsided compared other major companies: ABT principals eight male/nine female soloists 6 male/8 female NYCB principals 10 male/14 female soloists 8 male/3 female (which seems low, but that's what I counted) PNB principals 5 male/6 female soloists 4 male/4 female.

Press release detailing updates to the programs for the London visit in September. original UPDATE Programme A (Sept. 14,18 at 7:30pm; Sept 23 at 4:00pm) Divertimento No.15/George Balanchine Symphonic Dances/Edwaard Liang Within the Golden Hour©/Christopher Wheeldon UPDATE: Number Nine©/Wheeldon Programme B (Sept. 15, 21 at 7:30pm; Sept. 16 at 4:00pm) Ghosts/Christopher Wheeldon UPDATE: Trio/Helgi Tomasson RAkU/Yuri Possokhov UPDATE: Ghosts/Christopher Wheeldon Trio/Helgi Tomasson UPDATE: Guide to Strange Places/Ashley Page Programme C (Sept. 19, 20, 22 at 7:30pm) Beaux/Mark Morris Classical Symphony/Yuri Possokhov Guide to Strange Places/Ashley Page UPDATE: RAkU/Yuri Possokhov Number Nine©/Christopher Wheeldon UPDATE: Within the Golden Hour©/Christopher Wheeldon

Just saw Don Quixote this weekend, and ever since I've been humming Queen of the Dryads variation. It's such a pretty waltz you want to sway while you hum, which probably looks a little strange when you're sitting at a desk in an office.

Ear worms I don't mind being haunted by: -Swan Lake pdd from Act II violin solo -Opening from Petrouchka -Nutcracker Waltz of the Flowers Ear worms I could live without: -Sylvia Pizzicati (sp?) -- da DA da DA da DA da DADADA plink plink – that one can drive me crazy for hours -Not a ballet, but ballet music from La Gioconda -- The Dance of the Hours – once that one starts, there’s no getting rid of it (although it does bring back fond memories of lines of double piques in ballet class many, many years ago). Ear worm that makes no sense: Giselle Act II when the Wilis do their arabesques sautés lines across the stage – with all the lovely music from Giselle to be haunted by, for some reason this is the one that won’t go away. It’s perfect music for that choreography, but out of context, there’s really nothing to hum, and it really goes nowhere – ARGH.

Here's the link. Casting In the event of injury or illness, casting is subject to change *Denotes premiere in role +Performed role with another company Don Quixote Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov (after Gorsky and Petipa) Composer: Léon Minkus Conductor: Martin West (all performances) PROGRAM 8: OPENING NIGHT – Friday, April 27 – 8:00PM Kitri: Vanessa Zahorian Basilio: Joan Boada Don Quixote: Jim Sohm* Sancho Panza: Pascal Molat Gamache: Myles Thatcher* PROGRAM 8: Saturday, April 28 – 8:00PM Kitri: Maria Kochetkova+ Basilio: Taras Domitro+ Don Quixote: Jim Sohm Sancho Panza: Pascal Molat Gamache: Myles Thatcher PROGRAM 8: Sunday, April 29 – 2:00PM Kitri: Frances Chung* Basilio: Vitor Luiz+ PROGRAM 8: Tuesday, May 1– 8:00PM Kitri: Maria Kochetkova Basilio: Taras Domitro PROGRAM 8: Wednesday, May 2 – 7:30PM Kitri: Vanessa Zahorian Basilio: Davit Karapetyan PROGRAM 8: Thursday, May 3– 8:00PM Kitri: Frances Chung Basilio: Vitor Luiz PROGRAM 8: Friday, May 4 – 8:00PM Kitri: Maria Kochetkova Basilio: Gennadi Nedvigin PROGRAM 8: Saturday, May 5– 2:00PM Kitri: Frances Chung Basilio: Carlos Quenedit+ PROGRAM 8: Saturday, May 5– 8:00PM Kitri: Vanessa Zahorian Basilio: Davit Karapetyan PROGRAM 8: Sunday, May 6– 2:00PM Kitri: Maria Kochetkova Basilio: Gennadi Nedvigin

I caught a couple of different casts too. (sorry, can't get rid the the number 1.!) My favorite performance by far was Dores Andre as the Highland Dancer in Scotch Symphony on Friday night. She stole the show from the central couple (a lovely Van Patten and rather stolid Helimets), sashaying around the stage like a miniature General. She was utterly adorable without descending into cutsey-poo. Love to see her Swanhilda. On Saturday afternoon, corp member Kristina Lind debuted as Choleric in 4Ts. She danced well, but I thought she looked remarkably cheerful for somebody who’s supposed to be royally PO’d about something or other. Plus, she’s Somova-like lanky -- there’s no push/pull tension in her movements, so her limbs look like they’re about the fly off in any direction. (or 2.) And keep an eye on little Nicole Ciapponi, who has been getting some non-corp roles since she joined last year. She did the Highland Dancer at the Saturday matinee without coming close to Andre’s personality, but she’s very young and, apparently, she can do anything technically; just need to see if the artistry is there. Plus physically she’s something of a throwback to female dancers of the ‘50s: she’s small and roundish (relatively speaking, of course), with a feminine shape that, to my eye at least, greatly enhances her line. It will be fun seeing how she develops over the next few seasons.

My 2cents: Program A: Within the Golden Hour - lovely and surprising at times; end image is glorious and there's a terrific slow-motion pdd. SFB looks good in D15, so that's a good one. The Liang hasn't been seen yet. Personally, I think Program B is the weakest: some people love Ghosts, some don't; I'm ambivalent, but it has its moments; love the costumes and women's hair. RAkU has some stunning imagery (the kimono, the soldiers), but ultimately felt like something is missing. Trio is pretty, but you'll forget it as soon as you leave the hall. Program C: Missed Beaux due to illness, but it got good reviews. And the men of the company are terrific; you probably can't go wrong there. Classical Symphony is good, silly fun; shows off the company's speed and the men in particular look great. The Page is new and not yet seen. Number Nine wasn't really my cup of tea, but the color design was wonderful; didn't like the music either, but it's fast, fast, fast and leaves you breathless; to me it looked kind of thrown together, but it was popular. Personally, if I could only see one, it would be A, even though the Liang is an unknown. Anyone else???

Bergman collaborator Erland Josephson has died. He was known to ballet fans from the film “The Dancer” with Katja Bjorner. Rest in peace.

She was good; she's certainly got the technique for it! And she frowned a lot! My Saturday subscription series reverses Programs 2 and 3, so I'm not seeing 2 until the 25th. There's another thread started for that but unfortunately no one has posted anything about it yet.

Hi Eshana: I think she’s a dancer who needs to be ‘given’ the character; as mentioned above, in Onegin, everything is there in the steps, which I think is also true of The Little Mermaid, where she was very good too (I haven’t seen Otello). In more abstract roles she can be very chilly; even Odette, where the ballerina has to bring much of the emotion to the standard classical steps is less successful for her. On the other hand, that ‘chill’ works for Giselle Act II, where, combined with the lightness and beauty of her dancing, she creates a genuine other-worldly quality that's very lovely. I’ve often wondered if she might not be an interesting, if unconventional, Myrtha… Oh, well, back to work!

Hi Eshana: I was lucky enough to see Yuan Yuan as Tatiana, and, as you might expect, she was very beautiful and very good. The audience loved her, as they always do – she’s VERY popular here. Here are some thoughts about the performance as a whole. To be very honest, although I’ve always liked Martin Cintas, many of us felt he was miscast as Onegin (many heated intermission discussions about this, because we all like him but were disappointed in his performance). He danced beautifully, as always, but he simply didn’t suffer from Onegin’s boredom and ennui; he seemed more like a dreamy young man who should have his nose in a book of poetry – really, a perfect match for the dreamy Tatiana. As a result, his rejection made no sense, and his flirting with Olga and the duel all seemed hopelessly out of character. On the other hand, Tan’s sweet and unworldly Tatiana was a delight. Tan is so beautiful and aristocratic that, I think sometimes it’s a little hard for audiences to believe her as a peasant (her first act Giselle is a good example; she should be living in that castle, not the two-timing Albrecht). But, as one of the dancers said in an interview in the program book, everything is there in the choreography, and Tan made the most of it. It was really in the third act, though, where she truly came into her own. Her pas de deux with Gremin (sorry, I’m at work and don’t have the dancer’s name at hand) was incredibly lovely and tender. Tan’s gorgeous lines and liquid, sweeping style were a perfect match for the choreography. But what really stood out what the last scene: she has seen Onegin at the ball and now she’s in her boudoir reading his letter. She’s at her desk with her back to the door when Gremin comes in to say goodbye; he touches her shoulder gently, which startles Tatiana and I swear Tan jumped a foot. All the other Tatianas were startled, but nobody shot out of her chair like Tan. It was a marvelous little bit of acting that in that one movement showed how everything had changed for her after the tenderness and affection of the pas de deux with her husband: how frayed her nerves were and how tormented she was by Onegin’s return. So, it was a fine performance, marred somewhat by a less than ideal Onegin. Sorry, I’ve got to get to work! Hope to hear from you again.

Oh dear, I really wish you hadn't mentioned that. You're making me rethink my memory of the pdd… We don't agree about Kochetkova, but I will concede she can be mannered at times. Would have liked to see her in this, though. True, she was a wonderful Myrtha. It's just that she's SO good in sunnier roles, I'm always a little surprised at her versatility; it's good to know she's not being consigned to languish to the Soubrette Ghetto. And I neglected to mention, in my original comment about Le Carnaval, how good Hansuke Yamamoto was as the Cockerel; he just gets better and better every time I see him.

Program 3 Saturday, Feb 18 2 pm Trio/Tomasson/Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini/Possokhov/Tchaikovsky (Chung/Quenedit/Mazzeo) Le Carnaval des Animaux/Ratmansky/Saint-Saëns First, Tomasson's lightweight 'Trio' was much enhanced by fine performances in the first movement by Sasha deSola and Jaime Garcia Castilla, and in the second movement by Dana Genshaft, she of the beautiful feet. Last on the program, 'Le Carnaval des Animaux' is sometimes funny and always cute, and let me be perfectly honest here, 'Plan Nine from Outer Space' would have looked good after the perfectly awful Francesca da Rimini. Which actually brings up an interesting question: how can a perfectly awful ballet have so much good choreography in it; or, if the ballet really is perfectly awful, is it even possible for any of the choreography to be any good? Anyway… Giovanni (who, according to the story I know is supposed to be lame and/or deformed but who looks just fine here) leaves wife Francesca alone with his handsome younger brother Paolo, Paolo gives her a book with the story of Guinevere and Lancelot, they read it together and within a nano-second they're madly in love, leading to the conclusion that reading the story of Guinevere and Lancelot is the 13th century romance-inducing equivalent of locking eyes with a cute barista over a Tazo® Green Tea Crème Frappuccino® at Starbucks. Meanwhile, five women in red (not sure if they're Furies or the upper house parlour maids) prance around shooting disapproving glares at the lovers, and three men in body tights painted to look like stone, strike menacing body-builder poses. Giovanni comes back, slaps the floor a few times, stabs the lovers, and is dragged of to the Inferno by way of a gigantic rope as thick as a tree trunk. Paolo, who has been flinging Francesca's dead body around long enough for decomposition to set it, collapses and, one can only hope, dies. The problem is that the central, and very acrobatic, pas de deux between Paolo and Francesca is beautiful; there's some interesting lighting effects with square spotlights while various characters dance out their anxieties; the three stone gargoyles -- Possokhov used a similar device with the four soldiers in RAkU -- stomp around and seem to be the only ones having any fun; the costumes are pretty; the sets are fine -- there's nothing really specifically 'wrong', but somehow it all seems hopelessly overwrought and supremely silly instead of sad and tragic. The performers can't be faulted. I think this was Carlos Quenedit's debut with the company and given the circumstances, he was good as Paolo (his name is still out of order on the website: does that mean something?). Francesca was danced by Frances Chung. Now, the eternally cheerful and sunny Chung is not the first dancer who springs to mind for casting as a hotblooded, adulterous, Italian sexpot, but she's really very good. The role was made on Maria Kochetkova; in other roles they've shared Chung's dancing hasn't had Kochetkova's size or detail, but the choreography here brought out a beautiful, velvety, lyrical quality in Chung that I haven't seen before, along with flexibility through her upper body that she's sometimes missing. So really, what on earth went wrong (besides the music which, personally, I've never liked)? Did anyone else see it? Did I miss something? By the way, it was good to see a lot of children in the audience, presumably there to see the Ratmansky. I'm glad they get a dose of something besides Nutcracker now and again, although 'Francesca' is enough to put a 10 year old off relationships, the color red, rope and Italy for good.

What’s doubly sad is that it’s only with her death that many of us became aware that she was using dance to help disabled children. I hope someone carries on her good work. Rest in peace.

For some reason, they’re dribbling the casts for Program 2 one day at a time. Here’s what they’ve got so far. I certainly hope Beaux is good, since I’m not exactly breathless with anticipation about seeing the other two again. Program 2 - Tuesday, February 14, 2012 *Denotes premiere in role In the event of injury or illness, casting is subject to change PROGRAM 2: OPENING NIGHT – Tuesday, February 14 – 8:00PM Chroma Choreographer: Wayne McGregor Composer: Joby Talbot, Jack White III Conductor: Martin West Maria Kochetkova, Jaime Garcia Castilla Frances Chung, Pascal Molat Yuan Yuan Tan, Taras Domitro Dana Genshaft, Anthony Spaulding Isaac Hernandez, Garen Scribner INTERMISSION World Premiere Beaux Choreographer: Mark Morris Composer: Bohuslav Martinů Conductor: Martin West Harpsichord: Bradley Moore Jeremy Rucker*, Pascal Molat*, Benjamin Stewart* Vito Mazzeo*, Ruben Martin Cintas*, Gennadi Nedvigin* Sean Bennett*, Jaime Garcia Castilla*, Diego Cruz* INTERMISSION Number Nine© Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: Michael Torke Conductor: Charles Barker Dores Andre, Daniel Deivison-Oliveira Vanessa Zahorian, Garen Scribner Sarah Van Patten, Ruben Martin Cintas, Sofiane Sylve*, Vito Mazzeo* Program 2 - Wednesday, February 15, 2012 Wednesday, February 15 – 7:30PM Chroma Choreographer: Wayne McGregor Composer: Joby Talbot, Jack White III Conductor: Martin WestSofiane Sylve, Vito Mazzeo Koto Ishihara*, James Sofranko Vanessa Zahorian, Tiit Helimets Sarah Van Patten, Daniel Deivison-Oliveira Lonnie Weeks, Luke Willis INTERMISSION Beaux Choreographer: Mark Morris Composer: Bohuslav Martinů Conductor: Martin West Harpsichord: Bradley Moore Pierre Francois Vilanoba*, Dustin Spero*, Daniel Baker* Damian Smith*, Lonnie Weeks*, James Sofranko* Joan Boada*, Garen Scribner*, Matthew Stewart* INTERMISSION Number Nine© Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Composer: Michael Torke Conductor: Charles Barker Frances Chung, Pascal Molat Courtney Elizabeth, Isaac Hernandez Yuan Yuan Tan, Carlos Quenedit*, Elana Altman, Anthony Spaulding