brbropus39 Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 Does anyone know if Joseph Philips has moved in to San Francisco Ballet yet after being an apprentice? I saw him perform his 'Diana and Acteon' and 'Flames of Paris' variations at the 2002 Jackson International Ballet Competition. He is absolutely amazing. He can do at least nine pirouettes, and I've seen him do four tours en l'air on several different occasions. Yes, you read that right, 1,2,3,4 turns in the air, and with perfect technique. Link to comment
Paul Parish Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Dear brbropus, Wow -- that's some head's up! I've seen a LOT of performances this year, and so far as I know I havent seen Phillips yet(his name is spelled with 2 l's in the SFB program booklets, where he IS listed as an apprentice)... WOnder if he's been injured? On the whole it's really hard even for a fabulous new man to stand out at SFB, where ALL the men are so good.... There are lots of people who think of it as a man's company, like the Royal Danish Ballet. And it's been a fantastic year for the men -- in a company where men dance a lot but still the women dance more often (well, there were 2 all-Balanchine programs, and Mr b used a lot more women than men....) We DID see something of 2 other male apprentices -- Martyn Garside was brilliant in 4 Temperaments, just in hte corps, but thrilling -- and both Garside and Garen Scribner were featured in Mark Morris's Sylvia -- Scribner was stingingly smart as one of the heralds in Morris's last act ... Quadruple tours....... my o my.. WOnder when I'll see him.... oops did I say 4 t's ?/ Maybe I meant Stravinsky Violin COncerto...... Link to comment
brbropus39 Posted May 30, 2004 Author Share Posted May 30, 2004 I knew both Joseph Phillips and Garen scribner while studying at the North Carolina School for the Arts a few years ago. I used to watch both of them in class. This would explain the four tours en l'air (I doubt anyone in this century would even imagine doing that onstage). I don't know if you saw it, but the 2002 Jackson International Ballet Competition was broadcast on tv, and Joseph Phillips won the gold. He performed variations from 'Diana and Acteon' and 'Flames of Paris'. Another incredible competitor in this competition was Danny Tidwell, who is now in ABT's corps. He danced the 'Le Corsaire' pas de deux and also a modern piece. His pirrouettes are so incredibly perfect. In his coda he does a few a la seconde turns then pulls into six pirouettes that last only half a second it seems, then a few more in second, then pulls into do four more fast turns, a few more in second, and then ends with five pirouettes. Unlike Angel Corella, who is also a very fast turner but a bit of kilter like a broken lawnmower blade (but I'm only talking about his tv performances in don q and corsaire.), Danny Tidwell is perfectly up straight, turning like an electric screwdriver. He also has the loftiest coupe jete leaps in his menage, in full splits, a lot like Igor Zelensky but even better. I spent a summer a few years ago at SFB school and actually took class with Joan Boada of the company. I've heard and read that he is a master of tricks and pirouettes and all those pyrotechnical things everyone (including myself) is obsessed with. However, he didn't seem all that amazing. This might be because he was taking a student class and wanted to slowdown for a change, because he had perfect basic technique. Since you see a lot of SFB performances, maybe you could tell me what he dances like on stage. Link to comment
Burl Willes Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 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! Link to comment
Paul Parish Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Burl, I'm sure you're right -- Boada was injured a LONG time.... and Brbropus, he does have a pure, clean basic technique. SO he must have been working at that time carefully, to get his strength back and re-establish all his connections. He is phenomenally gifted. I'd have to say that Boada is a heroic dancer, with a lot more dimensions to him than I used to think. THis is a little awkward, since I'm a critic, and I have written about him. Here's the URL to what I used to think. http://www.danceviewtimes.com/dvw/reviews/...inter/sfb2.html But after seeing him in Ashton's Symphonic Variations, as well as Square Dance, where I totally agree with Burl, I'd have to say he's NOT just a top dog, indeed he can share the stage as graciously with other dancers as anybody I've ever seen...... In the Ashton, his dancing was noble, simple, and joyous, and right in hte middle of the right style -- he had many very difficult steps to do, and did them handsomely, but he gave them no more "attention' than he did his simpler steps, and he also gave FULL value to the pose in B plus (what IS the name for B Plus with the foot crossed in front?) he had to do it in Square Dance, too -- but in SYmphonic he stands like that, at the back of hte stage, with his back to us, for nearly 10 minutes before he ever moves, and he made the pose beautiful and kept it alive and simple and quiet -- it really raised my opinion of him, to see such modesty. Boada was one of the stars in Sylvia, but I did not see his cast perform. Burl, did you? Link to comment
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