PeggyTulle Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Casting for the upcoming gala is posted: 2017 Opening Night Gala FORAGERS Choreography: Myles Thatcher Music: Franz Liszt Pianist: Natalya Feygina Natasha Sheehan, Angelo GrecoSF Ballet Premiere Pas de deux from PROMENADE SENTIMENTALE Choreography: Liam Scarlett Music: Claude Debussy Conductor: Martin West Lorena Feijóo*, Wei Wang*Pas de trois from AGON Choreography: George Balanchine Music: Igor Stravinsky Conductor: Martin West Dores André, Jaime Garcia Castilla*, Sasha De Sola VALSES POETICOS Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Enrique Granados Piano: Ronny Michael Greenberg Mathilde Froustey*, Carlo Di Lanno*World PremierePRESENTCE Choreography: Trey McIntyre Music: Barbara Lewis, Of Montreal, The Zombies Sarah Van Patten*, Luke Ingham*Pas de deux from FLAMES OF PARIS Choreography: Vassili Vainonen Music: Boris Assafiev Conductor: Martin West Vanessa Zahorian*, Taras DomitroINTERMISSIONWorld PremiereTHE CHAIRMAN DANCES Choreography: Benjamin Millepied Music: John Adams Conductor: Martin West Maria Kochetkova*, Carlo Di Lanno* & Ensemble"PURPLE" from TERRA FIRMA Choreography: James Kudelka Music: Michael Torke Conductor: Martin West Frances Chung*, Vitor Luiz*"BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY (OF COMPANY B)" from COMPANY B Choreography: Paul Taylor Music: The Andrews Sisters Joseph WalshPas de deux from LA CATHEDRALE ENGLOUTIE Choreography: Stanton Welch Music: Claude Debussy Pianist: Natalya Feygina Yuan Yuan Tan, Aaron Robison*Finale from DIAMONDS Choreography: George Balanchine Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conductor: Martin West Sofiane Sylve, Tiit Helimets Link to comment
pherank Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Definitely an intriguing lineup. A couple of the dancer pairings I question - Kochetkova with Di Lano, and Tan with Robison, but galas do tend to have that "you won't normally see this, but what the heck" spirit. I can't quite picture André, Castilla and De Sola in Agon either, but once you make principal, you do have to up your game considerably. I'd love to hear a report on this gala. Link to comment
Quiggin Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 (edited) The 2017 Gala audience seemed a little bit more subdued this year, everyone perhaps feeling the heaviness of the inaugural events and beginning of the grim new era. Fewer people in the lobby and it was easier to get to the refreshment table during the "Prosseco Promenade". The program itself seemed overall better than in past years, balanced, well done, just the right length. The standout was Trey McIntyre's "Presentce" with Sarah Van Patten and Luke Ingham playing very charming characters in a piece set to jukebox music. It had a lightness and humor that were very welcoming after some of the more intense m/f pas de deuxs. Of which, the Thatcher and Scarlett ballets seemed very well crafted but didn't break new ground. Lorena Feijoo was in fine form and Angelo Greco a great addition to the company, completely present on stage, no tenuousness, no apologies. Ditto Aaron Robison, but in a different way – big, solid, dramatic, the equivalent of a bass instrument. "Flames of Paris" I believe had been in a gala four year ago, with Taras Domitro reprising his role instead of trying something fresh, but it did make a rousing end to the first half. "Agon" was good and I think Jaime Garcia Castilla caught the angularity and beats well but his wry facial expressions were distracting. The major problem for me is that it seemed out of sync with the music – not the fault of the dancers but with the orchestra who played it outside of the strong percussive and sour-horned Stravinsky idiom. It sounded too polite and refined, as if it were a slow moment to Copeland Rodeo. It didn't rise out of the orchestra pit and make contact with the dancers. But the finale from “Diamonds” really caught me by surprise. Suddenly I remembered what had drawn me night after night in the 1990s to the New York State Theater. What grandeur, what architecture, what clarity, what wit! Edited January 21, 2017 by Quiggin Link to comment
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