pherank Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 This article on the Napa Valley Register website mostly answers my casting question: http://napavalleyregister.com/entertainment/san-francisco-ballet-enchants-receptive-festival-napa-valley-crowd/article_65cfa6cd-c952-5810-9ee2-64fe2f430f37.html “No need to bring in dancers from New York,” one patron said within earshot last Friday night over a glass of bubbly. “Or Moscow,” another balletomane chimed in.Tomasson’s “The Fifth Season" - Frances Chung and Aaron Robison, Mathilde Froustey (and 3 un-named partners), Yuan Yuan Tan and Tiit Helimets"Le Corsaire", PDD - Vanessa Zahorian and Vitor LuiWheeldon's "After the Rain" - Yuan Yuan Tan and Luke InghamForsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated” - Sofiane Sylve and Carlo Di LannoHans van Manen’s "Solo" — Wei Wang, Joseph Walsh and Francisco MungambaPetipa/Tomasson/Possokhov's "Don Quixote", grand PDD - Maria Kochetkova and Angelo Greco Link to comment
pherank Posted July 31, 2016 Author Share Posted July 31, 2016 lapetitefrench_ photos at Stern Grovehttps://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/13774183_159956977766672_1409466783_n.jpghttps://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/13712381_1669045366751291_2124633792_n.jpgSurveying the Scene at Stern Grovehttps://www.instagram.com/p/BIii3TADZbY/?taken-by=tanyuanyuansfSigns of Swanshttps://www.instagram.com/p/BIiqUFJBDAt/?taken-by=sfballet Vanessa(?) about to start Rubies PDD https://www.instagram.com/p/BIiukS7BzZM/?taken-by=sfballet EDIT: Sorry for the broken links - I think I've got those worked out now. Link to comment
Emma Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 San Francisco ballet is bringing Cinderella to the Kennedy Center at the end of the month. Does anyone know when casting will be released? Link to comment
pherank Posted October 9, 2016 Author Share Posted October 9, 2016 5 hours ago, Emma said: San Francisco ballet is bringing Cinderella to the Kennedy Center at the end of the month. Does anyone know when casting will be released? They do tend to be rather slow about announcing casting, but it could be anytime. SFB has a brand new website too and it isn't clear yet where casting is going to appear. I would bet that Masha (Kochetkova) will be in the title role at least once, probably opening night. I'm curious to know if Sarah Van Patten will be one of the step sisters - she's only just returned from maternity leave. SVP and Frances Chung make a great pair of step-sisters. Link to comment
Emma Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 Thank you Pherank! I'd love to see Froustey. I'm not sure if she performs this role but she was stunning in World Ballet Day's company class. Link to comment
apollosmuse Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 Casting for rep shows will appear on the individual rep's page--if you go to a rep's page and scroll down, you'll see "Casting" on the left. There is not, however, a clear place on the "Tours" page where casting will appear--I wonder if they'll make a change for that at some point. (Personally, I find the new website confusing to navigate, at best). SVP was rehearsing step sisters in the World Ballet Day lifestream, with Lauren Strongin as the mother and (I think) Jahna Frantziskonis as the other sister. Masha was rehearsing the lead. Link to comment
Drew Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 I don't know the dancers of San Francisco ballet, but Lauren Strongin (thank you Apollosmuse) really drew my eye at several points - not just in the Cinderella rehearsal - and watching Yuan Yuan Tan work with Possokhov was (and not for the first time) one of the absolute highlights of my World Ballet Day viewing. I wish I could see all of these dancers live but especially Tan who really seems extraordinary. Link to comment
pherank Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 13 hours ago, Emma said: Thank you Pherank! I'd love to see Froustey. I'm not sure if she performs this role but she was stunning in World Ballet Day's company class. Froustey would be perfect for a number of these dramatic/comedic roles, but I don't know that she has been learning/rehearsing for Cinderella (at least I haven't heard or seen anything to make that seem likely). I'd like to see her train for Diamonds in the upcoming season, but she seems to be scared stiff by Balanchine pieces - it's all in the head though. ;) 10 hours ago, apollosmuse said: There is not, however, a clear place on the "Tours" page where casting will appear--I wonder if they'll make a change for that at some point. (Personally, I find the new website confusing to navigate, at best). I'm glad someone else is noticing that the navigation scheme is not good, yet. The new SFB site is entirely oriented towards smart phones, but makes little sense on a desktop computer. It simply isn't intuitive in its organization. Link to comment
pherank Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 8 hours ago, Drew said: I don't know the dancers of San Francisco ballet, but Lauren Strongin (thank you Apollosmuse) really drew my eye at several points - not just in the Cinderella rehearsal - and watching Yuan Yuan Tan work with Possokhov was (and not for the first time) one of the absolute highlights of my World Ballet Day viewing. I wish I could see all of these dancers live but especially Tan who really seems extraordinary. YYT is a treasure, no doubt. She will be the first to say that it gets harder each year to sustain the energy and flexibility that she once had. But few people watching her rehearse and perform would guess that she will be turning 40 in just a few months. Link to comment
PeggyTulle Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 22 hours ago, apollosmuse said: SVP was rehearsing step sisters in the World Ballet Day lifestream, with Lauren Strongin as the mother and (I think) Jahna Frantziskonis as the other sister. Masha was rehearsing the lead. I thought that was Ellen Hummel...? Link to comment
apollosmuse Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 1 hour ago, PeggyTulle said: I thought that was Ellen Hummel...? Very likely! I just remembered a petite brunette the livestream is archived and available if anyone wants to double-check! Link to comment
maps Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 23 hours ago, Drew said: I don't know the dancers of San Francisco ballet, but Lauren Strongin (thank you Apollosmuse) really drew my eye at several points - not just in the Cinderella rehearsal - and watching Yuan Yuan Tan work with Possokhov was (and not for the first time) one of the absolute highlights of my World Ballet Day viewing. I wish I could see all of these dancers live but especially Tan who really seems extraordinary. is she the dancer in maroon with a long skirt at 1:08:08 in the World Ballet Day class? Link to comment
pherank Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 (edited) 47 minutes ago, maps said: is she the dancer in maroon with a long skirt at 1:08:08 in the World Ballet Day class? That would be Vanessa Zahorian (a wonderful dancer). But I think it is Ellen Rose Hummel that is seen dancing with SVP and Strongin in the Cinderella rehearsal. There's going to be a number of casts though, I would think. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Jahna Frantziskonis in one of these roles as she is being used frequently. [Jahna appears in the front right bar group along with Dores Andre, Luke Ingham and Lauren Strongin. She also can be seen dancing briefly at 1:12:50 - on the left in pink and black, with Norika in the center in pink and black. And next to Masha at 1:14:20.] Edited October 10, 2016 by pherank Link to comment
Emma Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Casting has been announced on the Kennedy Center site. The leads will be Kochetkova and Walsh, André and Ingham, and Chung and Quenedit. I'm not very familiar with SFB dancers. Any thoughts? Link to comment
Helene Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I love all of the women. I envy anyone who gets to watch them. I've only seen Joseph Walsh as a Meliton in Ben Stevenson's "Nutcracker" when Walsh was at Houston Ballet, which isn't much of a help. Link to comment
apollosmuse Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 That's a debut for Doris Andre, which is always exciting! Personally, I'd probably go for the Kotchetkova/Walsh casting--the ballet premiered on Masha and Joan Boada and I think she's excellent in the role, plus, I adore Joe Walsh-- but as Helene said, all the casts should be great. Link to comment
pherank Posted October 18, 2016 Author Share Posted October 18, 2016 (edited) Walsh is an excellent all-round dancer and partner, and can be very good in character roles too. Definitely worth seeing. And if you've seen the SFB broadcast of Romeo and Juliet at Lincoln Center, you would have also seen how impressive Luke Ingham can be in a character role (Tybalt). Frances Chung is known for her fabulous technique. I like her in comedic roles, such as one of the step-sisters in Cinderella - I haven't seen her in the lead role but there's no reason to think she's not up to the part. Andre has been one of the company work-horses, dancing anything and everything, and she was promoted to principal last year. In this video promo, Frances Chung is the first dancer you will see (removing her pointe shoes, with her dog Iggy), followed by Dores Andre reclining on the floor. You can see them do a bit of dancing (Joseph Walsh is the dancer with the jet black hair): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMTv_Y0Zrl4 I almost forgot - you can see Walsh and Chung rehearsing for Liam Scarlett's Frankenstein (2017 Season) in the WBD broadcast at 2:00:25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2qhY6Nk69Y And at 2:39:39 you can see a Forsythe Pas/Parts 2016 rehearsal with Kochetkova, Chung and Andre all participating. There are "Meet the Artist" and "Artist Spotlight" videos of all the lead dancers on the SFB website, and probably on their YouTube channel. The website has been relaunched though, and I can't find anything on it. ;) Edited October 18, 2016 by pherank Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 2 hours ago, Emma said: Casting has been announced on the Kennedy Center site. The leads will be Kochetkova and Walsh, André and Ingham, and Chung and Quenedit. I'm not very familiar with SFB dancers. Any thoughts? 2 hours ago, Helene said: I love all of the women. I envy anyone who gets to watch them. I've only seen Joseph Walsh as a Meliton in Ben Stevenson's "Nutcracker" when Walsh was at Houston Ballet, which isn't much of a help. 2 hours ago, apollosmuse said: That's a debut for Doris Andre, which is always exciting! Personally, I'd probably go for the Kotchetkova/Walsh casting--the ballet premiered on Masha and Joan Boada and I think she's excellent in the role, plus, I adore Joe Walsh-- but as Helene said, all the casts should be great. I agree with Helene - any of the women would be wonderful. Kochetkova debuted the role first in SF, with Joan Boada as Prince Guillaume. This would be a debut for Walsh, and the first time the two have danced a full length together (AFAIK). They have danced together in Serenade and DAAG. Walsh was a wonderful Franz (to Andre's Swanilda last season) and I have no doubt he will be great as Guillaume. Andre has danced Clementine (the sweet stepsister). This is her debut as Cinderella. Ingham has danced Prince Guillaume with both Yuan Yuan Tan and Chung. Andre and Ingham debuted as Romeo & Juliet in 2015 (which blew me away). Chung danced Clementine in the first SF performance, then debuted as Cinderella a few nights later. Her first Guillaume was Ingham, and then the following season danced with Davit Karapetyan. I can't remember if Quenedit has danced Guillaume before. If I had to pick one, I would probably go with Chung. But any one would be a great choice. Link to comment
Emma Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Thank you all! I'm looking forward to this. Link to comment
pherank Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 (edited) The Celebrate Forsythe (at the Music Center Los Angeles) casting: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 PAS/PARTS SOLO Sofiane Sylve DUET Lorena Feijoo, Diego Cruz TRIO Julia Rowe, Carlo Di Lanno, Joseph Walsh ENSEMBLE Full Cast SOLO Carlo Di Lanno ENSEMBLE Jennifer Stahl WITH Diego Cruz, Francisco Mungamba, Henry Sidford, James Sofranko, Joseph Walsh, Wei Wang ENSEMBLE Jennifer Stahl, Francisco Mungamba, James Sofranko WITH Dores André, Frances Chung, Lorena Feijoo, Maria Kochetkova, Julia Rowe, Skyla Schreter, Sofiane Sylve DUET Sofiane Sylve, Carlo Di Lanno SOLO Frances Chung TRIO Lorena Feijoo, James Sofranko, Wei Wang ENSEMBLE Dores André, Frances Chung, Diego Cruz, Maria Kochetkova, Francisco Mungamba, Skyla Schreter, Henry Sidford, Jennifer Stahl, Sofiane Sylve, Joseph Walsh SEPTET Diego Cruz, Francisco Mungamba, Julia Rowe, Skyla Schreter, Henry Sidford, Jennifer Stahl, Sofiane Sylve DUO Dores André, Frances Chung SOLO Joseph Walsh TRIO Dores André, Frances Chung, James Sofranko DUO Wei Wang, Dores André DUET Maria Kochetkova, Francisco Mungamba SOLO James Sofranko DUET Julia Rowe, Joseph Walsh SOLO Francisco Mungamba FINALE Full Cast THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF EXACTITUDE Pacific Northwest Ballet Leta Biasucci, Carrie Imler, Margaret Mullin, Benjamin Griffiths, Jonathan Porretta Saturday, 22: Rachel Foster, Angelica Generosa, Elizabeth Murphy Ezra Thomson, Dylan Wald ARTIFACT SUITE Houston Ballet Katherine Burkwall-Ciscon, Piano OTHER PERSON Bridget Kuhns PAS DE DEUX 1 Karina Gonzalez, Ian Casady PAS DE DEUX 2 Jessica Collado, Chun Wai Chan Soo Youn Cho, Jessica Collado, Tyler Donatelli, Aoi Fujiwara, Karina Gonzalez, Katy Harvey, Yuriko Kajiya, Bridget Kuhns, Jacquelyn Long, Katelyn May, Mallory Mehaffey, Melody Mennite, Allison Miller, Katharine Precourt, Madeline Skelly, Alyssa Springer, Natalie Varnum, Sara Webb, Chae Eun Yang Ian Casady, Chun Wai Chan, Christopher Coomer, Derek Dunn, Daniel Durrett, Christopher Gray, Oliver Halkowich, Shu Kinouchi, Rhys Kosakowski, Zecheng Liang, Linnar Looris, Jared Matthews, William Newton, Hayden Stark, Brian Waldrep, Connor Walsh, Harper Watters, Charles-Louis Yoshiyama DANCETALKS Join us an hour before each performance in Stern Grand Hall for an informative talk with William Forsythe led by Professor Jodie Gates, the inaugural Director and Vice Dean of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at USC. Can’t make it to the pre-show lecture? Dial in to listen at (800) 371-8200, Access Code: 7293672 Edited October 22, 2016 by pherank Link to comment
pherank Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 (edited) The Women of Pas/Parts 2016 https://instagram.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/t51.2885-15/e35/14701121_200518230359616_8637434679730896896_n.jpg And everyone with Bill Forsythe https://instagram.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/t51.2885-15/e35/14717498_1768344683422054_4720895053805912064_n.jpg Edited October 24, 2016 by pherank Link to comment
pherank Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 The tour baton has been passed to Washington D.C. and the Kennedy Center, where the dancers are already in rehearsals, but I found this link to a review of Celebrate Forsythe http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-william-forsythe-review-20161023-snap-story.html (Pas/Parts) "Originally created for Paris Opera Ballet in 1989, the work was adapted for San Francisco Ballet, which dances Forsythe better than any other American company, making it a tough act to follow Friday night." Link to comment
pherank Posted October 27, 2016 Author Share Posted October 27, 2016 Waiting for some tour photos to be posted online - I did find this one from Dores Andre that made me laugh: https://www.instagram.com/p/BMC45f3g44K/?taken-by=doresandre "Two Cinderellas for the price of one. One will cook delicious Chinese food, the other will argue politics with your family." Link to comment
pherank Posted October 27, 2016 Author Share Posted October 27, 2016 A Cinderella at the Kennedy Center review (of sorts) that does give us a better sense of the casting: http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2016/10/27/review-cinderella-san-francisco-ballet-t-kennedy-center1/ "The San Francisco Ballet’s production is an example of innovative choreography coupled with a group of designers at the top of their game, bringing alive a dizzying number of unique locations and breathtaking visual effects" Link to comment
pherank Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 A Magical ‘Cinderella’ with a Human Touch Sarah L. Kaufman, The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_danc/a-magical-cinderella-with-a-human-touch/2016/10/27/01896bfa-9c5d-11e6-b4c9-391055ea9259_story.html "Instead, Wheeldon gives us a temperamental young woman, and just as the chariot is assembled bit by bit before our eyes, we also see her character develop scene by scene. On Wednesday’s opening night, Maria Kochetkova, a classical purist with a beautifully fluid style, danced the title role with childlike naivete and vulnerability. But she also had a top note of something flinty and womanly. It was a deeply moving performance, in no small part because of her light touch. This was true throughout the excellent cast..." Link to comment
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