Ballet 202: Contemporary Ballet (2017)

[pherank]

Ballet 202: Contemporary Ballet (2017)
For those who want to know where the art form is headed.

 

"Why does San Francisco Ballet value new work and what exactly is contemporary ballet? Does it require different training or skills to dance new works? Join us for this new interactive three-session seminar to find the answers to these questions. Plus, you'll get to speak with a choreographer who is creating a new work for SF Ballet’s 2018 Season."

Features

• Meet and talk with a choreographer who is making a new work for SF Ballet
• Hear from dancers about how they prepare to dance new work
• Compare and contrast hair styles, costumes, and other production elements from contemporary and classical ballets
• Experience a panel discussion: Creating new works at SF Ballet

 

Schedule
Aug 14, Aug 21, and Aug 28
6-8 pm

https://www.sfballet.org/explore/programs/ballet-202

[pherank]

From the SFB email to subscribers -

 

"Sign up for Ballet 202, a three-session seminar that will answer these questions and many more. You’ll meet Cathy Marston, who is creating a new work for San Francisco Ballet’s Unbound: A Festival of New Works in 2018, and can ask her questions of your own.
Ballet 202 takes place August 14, 21, and 28, from 6 pm to 8 pm, in our building at 455 Franklin Street in San Francisco. There’s no pre-requisite for attendance."

 

[There is a fee for the seminars, and subscribers will receive a discount if they log into the SFB website first, before registering.]

 

[sandik]

Well this is interesting -- Pacific Northwest Ballet is running Ballet 101 this year, a series of discussions about the state of the art form.  It sounds like these share many topics, though apparently San Francisco is doing the sophomore curriculum, while up here in Seattle we are all freshmen!

 

 

#1 The Business of Ballet

Tuesday, September 19, 7:00 pm
Join Artistic Director Peter Boal and senior artistic and administrative staff for a discussion of PNB’s 2017- 2018 season, including the business of ballet acquisition, commissioning, touring, and working with scenery, costumes, and music rights.

#2 Ballet Basics Part One: Terminology and Solo Coaching

Saturday, October 28, 3:00 pm
Learn basic ballet terminology by observing a demonstration of steps, followed by a member of the artistic staff coaching a Company dancer in a solo role from the current season.

#3 Contemporary Ballet: New Works and Current Trends in Ballet

Tuesday, April 10, 7:00 pm
Join Artistic Director Peter Boal and PNB’s ballet masters for a discussion of the ballets in the current season, what makes them contemporary, the diversity of styles PNB offers in its repertory, and the multiple demands on dancers and staff in preparing new work.

#4 Ballet Basics Part Two: Terminology and Partnering

Saturday, May 12, 3:00 pm
Learn advanced ballet terminology through further demonstrations of steps, followed by a discussion and demonstration of the art of partnering with PNB Company dancers and members of the senior artistic staff.

 

https://www.pnb.org/community/audience/ballet-101/

[pherank]

26 minutes ago, sandik said:

Well this is interesting -- Pacific Northwest Ballet is running Ballet 101 this year, a series of discussions about the state of the art form.  It sounds like these share many topics, though apparently San Francisco is doing the sophomore curriculum, while up here in Seattle we are all freshmen!

 

 

LOL!

Yeah, I'm not sure of the importance of the 101, 201, 202 designations, unless people are able to get some kind of academic credit for these seminars. SFB has 101 and 201 seminars as well:

https://www.sfballet.org/explore/programs

 

EDIT: the PNB classes you list sound great - 1 and 2 would both be useful to the ballet audience.

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2017 by pherank

[Helene]

I'm glad PNB has decided to monetize this:  Peter Boal must have answered those questions a bazillion times by now in Q&A's

[pherank]

3 minutes ago, Helene said:

I'm glad PNB has decided to monetize this:  Peter Boal must have answered those questions a bazillion times by now in Q&A's

 

Boal may have realized it isn't worth his time unless they ARE charging for the information. I can't imagine Tomasson doing the same, but there are others in SF perfectly qualified to lead these sort of discussions. I think the audience enjoys this kind of thing.

[sandik]

17 hours ago, pherank said:

 

Boal may have realized it isn't worth his time unless they ARE charging for the information.

 

Oh, I don't think that's it -- the post-show Q/A sessions (like the pre-show presentations that Doug Fullington runs) are a great educational tool, and have developed a real following.  Boal leads most of them, and does a good job.  He's got an easy demeanor, and is much more forthcoming than you might expect for an artistic director.  I think part of it came from his need to establish himself when he first arrived -- this has been an excellent way to get himself in front of part of the audience without having to do interminable pre-show announcements.  Now it's a part of his identity, and the sessions themselves are a part of the company culture for the audience. 

 

I'm hoping that they won't stop asking those questions at the Q/As, since many of those people aren't in the cohort that will sign up for these other education programs.  I think it's really important for a sector of the audience to understand how the process works, and this is a great tool for that kind of teaching.

[pherank]

SFB has pre-show sessions on particular dates (not all the time), but no post-show sessions that I can recall. I'd love to see even more of this type of thing, and I think SFB made the right choice to create live broadcasts of rehearsals for the UNBOUND Festival, which include short Q&A bits (with questions solicited from viewers on the SFB Instagram page).

[sandik]

This form of audience education/development seems to be a new-ish wrinkle in the ballet world -- I think that Woetzel does something similar in Vail, and I've seen video of him in NYC doing similar kinds of studio based sessions as well.  I have a feeling those are mostly stand-alone events, and don't know how expensive they might be (or who they are promoted to) -- the pre and post show sessions here are a part of the ticket price.

 

I've seen other companies do similar things, some successful and some not.  It does take a certain personality to run with this (Doug F has an excellent combination of lecture and conversation in the pre-show, while Boal is a very good talk show host in the post show).  I've seen some ADs who just can't manage it -- they are either too detailed, or talk down to the audience.  We're lucky here.

[pherank]

3 minutes ago, sandik said:

I've seen other companies do similar things, some successful and some not.  It does take a certain personality to run with this (Doug F has an excellent combination of lecture and conversation in the pre-show, while Boal is a very good talk show host in the post show).  I've seen some ADs who just can't manage it -- they are either too detailed, or talk down to the audience.  We're lucky here.

 

I loved Woetzel's Vail videos on YouTube such as the Apollo ballet discussion/demonstration.

 

You're right that it helps to find charismatic people to be the face for these events. But it's tough to find people who are appealing to both the young audience and the balletomanes. I don't know that SFB has discovered the perfect spokesperson for such events, but everyone involved is at least knowledgeable and well-spoken. I don't think Tomasson sees himself as being a public speaker - he's not a "media personality" (and we don't all have to be), so he doesn't lead these events himself.