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Nutcracker 2016


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Casting for performances 12/10-12/15 has been posted:  https://www.sfballet.org/casting?source=26030&utm_source=mail2&utm_campaign=17_Nutcracker_Casting_1210-15&cmp=1&utm_medium=email

 

Nice to see the return of Sarah Van Patten & Jaime Garcia Castilla.  Also nice to see new dancers Aaron Robison & Elizabeth Mateer.  Lastly, how exciting for the role debuts of Mathilde Froustey (Snow Queen), Norika Matsuyama (Snow Queen), Francisco Mungamba (Snow King), and Isabella DeVivo (Sugar Plum Fairy)

NUTCRACKER

Choreography: Helgi Tomasson
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Martin West

Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: Mathilde Froustey*
Snow King: Carlo Di Lanno
Sugar Plum Fairy: Sofiane Sylve
Grand Pas de Deux: Vanessa Zahorian
Grand Pas de Deux: Davit Karapetyan

Sunday, December 11, 2016 - 2 pm
Snow Queen: Sarah Van Patten
Snow King: Carlos Quenedit
Sugar Plum Fairy: Julia Rowe
Grand Pas de Deux: Dores André
Grand Pas de Deux: Luke Ingham

Sunday, December 11, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: Lorena Feijoo
Snow King: Jaime Garcia Castilla
Sugar Plum Fairy: Mathilde Froustey
Grand Pas de Deux: Sasha De Sola
Grand Pas de Deux: Taras Domitro

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - 2 pm
Snow Queen: Dores André
Snow King: Luke Ingham
Sugar Plum Fairy: Elizabeth Mateer*
Grand Pas de Deux: Sarah Van Patten
Grand Pas de Deux: Aaron Robison*

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: Norika Matsuyama*
Snow King: Hansuke Yamamoto
Sugar Plum Fairy: Sasha De Sola
Grand Pas de Deux: Sofiane Sylve
Grand Pas de Deux: Tiit Helimets

Wednesday, December 14, 2016 - 2 pm
Snow Queen: Frances Chung
Snow King: Joseph Walsh
Sugar Plum Fairy: Mathilde Froustey
Grand Pas de Deux: Lorena Feijoo
Grand Pas de Deux: Carlos Quenedit

Wednesday, December 14, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: Vanessa Zahorian
Snow King: Taras Domitro
Sugar Plum Fairy: Norika Matsuyama
Grand Pas de Deux: Maria Kochetkova
Grand Pas de Deux: Vitor Luiz

Thursday, December 15, 2016 - 2 pm
Snow Queen: Koto Ishihara
Snow King: Francisco Mungamba*
Sugar Plum Fairy: Isabella DeVivo*
Grand Pas de Deux: Frances Chung
Grand Pas de Deux: Joseph Walsh

Thursday, December 15, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: WanTing Zhao
Snow King: Tiit Helimets
Sugar Plum Fairy: Elizabeth Mateer
Grand Pas de Deux: Vanessa Zahorian
Grand Pas de Deux: Davit Karapetyan

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"Nice to see the return of Sarah Van Patten & Jaime Garcia Castilla.  Also nice to see new dancers Aaron Robison & Elizabeth Mateer.  Lastly, how exciting for the role debuts of Mathilde Froustey (Snow Queen), Norika Matsuyama (Snow Queen), Francisco Mungamba (Snow King), and Isabella DeVivo (Sugar Plum Fairy)"

Agreed: very happy to see SVP listed. The opening night performance should be a good one.

 

I can't help but notice that Kochetkova has managed to skate free of all but one performance. But I suppose there will be more chances coming. She does not love dancing The Nutcracker, but it can be said that she doesn't require a warm up period for the 2017 season as many of the dancers do.

 

Edit: SFB just sent out this little Nutcracker video promo today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i429pfW1a94

Edited by pherank
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A welcome return for Davit Karapetyan too - he's been in recovery this past summer/fall.

 

Kochetkova has also made appearances at Anaheim Ballet during the holiday season - she never stops moving. I see the Festival Ballet performances include Sara Mearns and Jared Angle - they manage to get some great guests.

 

Sasha De Sola and Max Cauthorn are dancing Nutcracker at the San Jose Performing Arts Center

 

 

Edited by pherank
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18 hours ago, pherank said:

I can't help but notice that Kochetkova has managed to skate free of all but one performance. But I suppose there will be more chances coming. She does not love dancing The Nutcracker, but it can be said that she doesn't require a warm up period for the 2017 season as many of the dancers do.

 

Yes, there will be more performances to be announced.  Nutcracker will be onstage through Thursday 12/29.  I would expect to see other dancers and hopefully more debuts.

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So happy to see Karapetyan back.

Also I have tended to assume that when dancers are scheduled for less performances than you would think it could be because they are working back from injury and don't want to take on too much too soon. But I suppose in this case yes its simply because they are guesting elsewhere. I'm also hoping for some debuts of new talent :clapping:

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On 12/4/2016 at 0:43 PM, JumpFrog said:

I'm also hoping for some debuts of new talent :clapping:

 

I think you can count on it - lots of Corps dancers in solo roles.

 

SFB and the dancers have posted some nice shots of their appearance, in Nutcracker costume, at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNr2SdKBefl/?taken-by=sfballet

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNr2Xvmh6cv/?taken-by=sfballet

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNr20icBp2l/?taken-by=sfballet

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Allan Ulrich posted a generally enthusiastic review of opening night:

http://www.sfchronicle.com/performance/article/SFB-s-Nutcracker-glitters-with-timeless-10789150.php

 

Unfortunately, he writes that Davit is still injured, and Calos Quenedit partnered Vanessa Zahorian. It may have been a last-minute substitution. Karapetyan mentioned a couple months ago online that he had a back injury, and those can be very nagging. Btw, congratulations to Vanessa on reaching her 20th year anniversary with SFB.

 

"This performance featured familiar faces in the major parts. There was one debut and it was a dazzler. Mathilde Froustey whizzed through the Queen of the Snow with such speed and airiness, especially in her extended jetės, that her performance seemed like a re-creation of the Great Blizzard of ’48. Carlo Di Lanno (mercifully promoted to principal) served as the French ballerina’s consort, and he’s a terrifically caring partner."

 

I can't resist posting this image:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN7c8GbBRDN/?taken-by=sfballet

I wonder if Koto Ishihara was a substitute in the GPdD -  I didn't think she was originally listed on that day. And here's another:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN7rK5oBhxs/?taken-by=sfballet

Edited by pherank
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On 12/4/2016 at 0:43 PM, JumpFrog said:

I'm also hoping for some debuts of new talent :clapping:

 

I see now that ex-Pennsylvania Ballet dancer Elizabeth Mateer will be both Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen (debut), and Jahna Frantziskonis will be debuting as SPF - good for Jahna. Julia Rowe and Angelo Greco will be dancing together in the Grand Pas (debuts). Toi toi toi.

 

 

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pherank:  If you go to any of those shows, please post about them.  I have known Julia for a very long time.  She is quite a musical and expressive dancer (her parents are musicians, so it must be in her blood).  She also has impeccable technique.  As far as Mateer goes, I can honestly say that I miss her at PA Ballet.  She has beautiful technique as well, and a real warmth when she dances ... a very generous dancer.  Both are young, so I am looking forward to hearing about their progression.

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9 hours ago, pherank said:

 

I see now that ex-Pennsylvania Ballet dancer Elizabeth Mateer will be both Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen (debut), and Jahna Frantziskonis will be debuting as SPF - good for Jahna. Julia Rowe and Angelo Greco will be dancing together in the Grand Pas (debuts). Toi toi toi.

 

 

So happy to see Julia and Angelo will be dancing the PDD.  I haven't seen Angelo yet, but a really big fan of Julia.  

 

I thought Jahna danced SPF last year - I found last season's discussion thread:  

 

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Link to casting:  https://www.sfballet.org/season/casting

 

Very excited to see Wei Wang debut in the PDD with Lauren.  I remember the first time I ever saw Wei in Nutcracker in 2012, dancing the Chinese dance - definite WOW!!!  And he had the sweetest reaction when the audience applauded....

 

Also nice to see Pascal dancing Drosselmeyer!!

 

Here's additional casting (12/16-12/20):

 

Friday, December 16, 2016 - 2 pm
Conductor: Matilda Hofman
Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli
Queen and King of the Snow: Sasha De Sola, Daniel Deivson-Oliveira
Sugar Plum Fairy: Jennifer Stahl
Grand Pas de Deux: Lauren Strongin, Wei Wang*

Friday, December 16, 2016 - 7 pm
Conductor: Matilda Hofman
Drosselmeyer: Ricardo Bustamante
Queen and King of the Snow: Mathilde Froustey, Carlo Di Lanno
Sugar Plum Fairy: Jahna Frantziskonis*
Grand Pas de Deux: Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets

Saturday, December 17, 2016 - 2 pm
Conductor: Martin West
Drosselmeyer: Ricardo Bustamante
Queen and King of the Snow: Lauren Strongin, Hansuke Yamamoto
Sugar Plum Fairy: Jennifer Stahl
Grand Pas de Deux: Julia Rowe*, Angelo Greco*

Saturday, December 17, 2016 - 7 pm
Conductor: Martin West
Drosselmeyer: Pascal Molat
Queen and King of the Snow: Lorena Feijoo, Jaime Garcia Castilla
Sugar Plum Fairy: Sasha De Sola
Grand Pas de Deux: Frances Chung, Joseph Walsh

Sunday, December 18, 2016 - 2 pm
Conductor: Martin West
Drosselmeyer: Pascal Molat
Queen and King of the Snow: Elizabeth Mateer*, Steven Morse
Sugar Plum Fairy: Julia Rowe
Grand Pas de Deux: Sarah Van Patten, Aaron Robison*

Sunday, December 18, 2016 - 7 pm
Conductor: Ming Luke
Drosselmeyer: Ruben Martin Cintas
Queen and King of the Snow: WanTing Zhao, Tiit Helimets
Sugar Plum Fairy: Sofiane Sylve
Grand Pas de Deux: Mathilde Froustey, Carlo Di Lanno

Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - 2 pm
Conductor: Martin West
Drosselmeyer: Ruben Martin Cintas
Queen and King of the Snow: Isabella DeVivo*, Max Cauthorn
Sugar Plum Fairy: Mathilde Froustey
Grand Pas de Deux: Koto Ishihara, Hansuke Yamamoto*

Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - 7 pm
Conductor: Ming Luke
Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli
Queen and King of the Snow: Sasha De Sola, Aaron Robison
Sugar Plum Fairy: Jennifer Stahl
Grand Pas de Deux: Lorena Feijoo, Carlos Quenedit

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30 minutes ago, sf_herminator said:

So happy to see Julia and Angelo will be dancing the PDD.  I haven't seen Angelo yet, but a really big fan of Julia.  

 

I thought Jahna danced SPF last year - I found last season's discussion thread:  

 

 

Either way, if anyone sees Frantziskonis' SPF, please report back.  She is still missed in Seattle.

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It looks like the asterisk has been removed from Jahna's name on the web page, so someone caught that little mistake. The main thing is, she is going to dance SPF.

Aaron Robison is also debuting in this production as Nutcracker/Prince and Snow King. And same for Hansuke Yamamoto as Nutcracker/Prince.

 

I'm sure I probably said this before:  Pascal Molat should now be a "Principal Character" artist. I hope he continues to hang around (post retirement) and officially work in this capacity.

 

Found a new Nutcracker-related video:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN8IIdYhRnr/?taken-by=lapetitefrench_

 

Masha with Vitor Luiz being coached by Marat Daukayev in LA:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN545C5jNCs/?taken-by=balletrusse

Just for laughs:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN72G7zjWdu/?taken-by=balletrusse

 

Dores Andre's reaction to performing the Nutcracker, again:

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/14540395_256257014793753_7757165760727744512_n.jpg

Edited by pherank
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On 12/2/2016 at 8:30 PM, sf_herminator said:

Casting for performances 12/10-12/15 has been posted:  https://www.sfballet.org/casting?source=26030&utm_source=mail2&utm_campaign=17_Nutcracker_Casting_1210-15&cmp=1&utm_medium=email

 

Nice to see the return of Sarah Van Patten & Jaime Garcia Castilla.  Also nice to see new dancers Aaron Robison & Elizabeth Mateer.  Lastly, how exciting for the role debuts of Mathilde Froustey (Snow Queen), Norika Matsuyama (Snow Queen), Francisco Mungamba (Snow King), and Isabella DeVivo (Sugar Plum Fairy)

NUTCRACKER

Choreography: Helgi Tomasson
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Martin West

Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: Mathilde Froustey*
Snow King: Carlo Di Lanno
Sugar Plum Fairy: Sofiane Sylve
Grand Pas de Deux: Vanessa Zahorian
Grand Pas de Deux: Davit Karapetyan

Sunday, December 11, 2016 - 2 pm
Snow Queen: Sarah Van Patten
Snow King: Carlos Quenedit
Sugar Plum Fairy: Julia Rowe
Grand Pas de Deux: Dores André
Grand Pas de Deux: Luke Ingham

Sunday, December 11, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: Lorena Feijoo
Snow King: Jaime Garcia Castilla
Sugar Plum Fairy: Mathilde Froustey
Grand Pas de Deux: Sasha De Sola
Grand Pas de Deux: Taras Domitro

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - 2 pm
Snow Queen: Dores André
Snow King: Luke Ingham
Sugar Plum Fairy: Elizabeth Mateer*
Grand Pas de Deux: Sarah Van Patten
Grand Pas de Deux: Aaron Robison*

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: Norika Matsuyama*
Snow King: Hansuke Yamamoto
Sugar Plum Fairy: Sasha De Sola
Grand Pas de Deux: Sofiane Sylve
Grand Pas de Deux: Tiit Helimets

Wednesday, December 14, 2016 - 2 pm
Snow Queen: Frances Chung
Snow King: Joseph Walsh
Sugar Plum Fairy: Mathilde Froustey
Grand Pas de Deux: Lorena Feijoo
Grand Pas de Deux: Carlos Quenedit

Wednesday, December 14, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: Vanessa Zahorian
Snow King: Taras Domitro
Sugar Plum Fairy: Norika Matsuyama
Grand Pas de Deux: Maria Kochetkova
Grand Pas de Deux: Vitor Luiz

Thursday, December 15, 2016 - 2 pm
Snow Queen: Koto Ishihara
Snow King: Francisco Mungamba*
Sugar Plum Fairy: Isabella DeVivo*
Grand Pas de Deux: Frances Chung
Grand Pas de Deux: Joseph Walsh

Thursday, December 15, 2016 - 7 pm
Snow Queen: WanTing Zhao
Snow King: Tiit Helimets
Sugar Plum Fairy: Elizabeth Mateer
Grand Pas de Deux: Vanessa Zahorian
Grand Pas de Deux: Davit Karapetyan

 

Wow...I see Feijoo is still dancing. I am 43, and she is older than me. She OUGHT to be 44 or 45 by now. Good for her though!

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59 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said:

 

Wow...I see Feijoo is still dancing. I am 43, and she is older than me. She OUGHT to be 44 or 45 by now. Good for her though!

 

Yes, she does, thankfully, and her appearances are reduced down to a manageable number to allow for a long graceful exit.  ;)

 

It's going to be sad when the announcement does comes. I predict Feijoo will retire first, then Tan. And Tan's retirement will be a heavy blow - there won't be a dry eye in the house. The outside world doesn't know how integral she has been to both Tomasson and Possokhov's choreographic process.

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Paul Parish review of the opening night cast:

http://www.ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=dance&article=279

 

He felt that the acting of the supporting/character actors hadn't gelled yet (but it's true that they will get lots of practice!):

"...the interplay of the aunts and uncles and children in the party always gets better as the run gets going. It was a rather messy hubbub on opening night, but it will get smoother as the company finds the groove"

 

But seemed pleased with the soloists throughout:

"Make no mistake: the end of the first act is dangerously exciting; the dancers are flying through the air in grand jetes on a stage that's so thick with whirling white flakes that you can hardly see them, and nobody looks scared. Our French ballerina Mathilde Froustey made a triumphant debut as the Queen of the Snow, perhaps the most brilliant performance of that role that I have ever seen, cutting her figures sharply, with a silhouette as knife-like and gleaming as a diamond's. The dance is all about crystals, and she as the central figure epitomized the idea of geometric clarity."

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Just back from seeing this production a 2nd time. A substitution for the Tues 12/27 2pm performance allowed me to see Isabella DeVivo and Mingxuan Wang perform as the Snow Queen & King. What fun to see! I was puzzling through the performance, however, as they'd announced six substitutions (ah, late in the Nutcracker run - isn't that invariably the case?) and I forgot who was dancing King. I don't think I've ever seen Mingxuan Wang in such a big role - he looked really great! I sensed a little unsteadiness in lifts and getting the groove right in the partnered pirouettes, and I'm never sure whether it's the unsteadiness of the male or the female - maybe a mixture of both here. I had to hunt down a SFB representative during intermission to find out who'd been dancing the role. Aha!

 

Was a lot of fun, as well, to see Hansuke Yamamoto dancing as Nut Prince. I thought he did a great job. There is something so likable about him that really served the role well. Lent a graciousness to it that I didn't see in Carlos Quenedit in opening night. (Well, I was crushed that Davit K wasn't dancing, so regrettably there was that strike against Quenedit to begin with.) In the Grand Pas, Koto Ishihara showed solid improvement from last year, really technically on the mark this year, but a rather one-dimensional adult Clara, acting-wise. Ah well, she's young, and she's got great role models there at the SFB on how to flesh out the role. She's proven she's got the technical chops for the role.

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11 hours ago, Terez said:

 

Was a lot of fun, as well, to see Hansuke Yamamoto dancing as Nut Prince. I thought he did a great job. There is something so likable about him that really served the role well. Lent a graciousness to it that I didn't see in Carlos Quenedit in opening night. (Well, I was crushed that Davit K wasn't dancing, so regrettably there was that strike against Quenedit to begin with.) In the Grand Pas, Koto Ishihara showed solid improvement from last year, really technically on the mark this year, but a rather one-dimensional adult Clara, acting-wise. Ah well, she's young, and she's got great role models there at the SFB on how to flesh out the role. She's proven she's got the technical chops for the role.

 

Thanks for the review, Terez. Koto posted a post-ballet image of Hansuke and herself to her Instagram page:

http://https://www.instagram.com/p/BOi-GikgVFo/?taken-by=koko21

 

Someone commented that it was "a proud evening for Japan". ;)

I think everyone is a little bummed that Davit isn't ready to perform yet.

 

 

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13 hours ago, pherank said:

 

Thanks for the review, Terez. Koto posted a post-ballet image of Hansuke and herself to her Instagram page:

http://https://www.instagram.com/p/BOi-GikgVFo/?taken-by=koko21

 

Someone commented that it was "a proud evening for Japan". ;)

I think everyone is a little bummed that Davit isn't ready to perform yet.

 

 

Oh, what a cute pic - I always love seeing backstage photos. I'm probably the only balletomane who doesn't have an Instagram account. (May be time to change that!)  Yes, indeed, Japan and the SFB are having a good relationship, when including Norika and Ami Yuki. Am wondering if this is occurring in other big companies around the U.S.?

 

The gasps of disappointment on opening night, when they announced that Carlos Q was taking Davit's place, were audible. I've come to dread that "Attention, ladies and gentlemen..." substitution announcement. Sure hope Davit's healing and will be good to go in January.

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