Hello!

[leee]

Hi everyone! If you asked me 10 years ago what my opinion of ballet was, I'd say that it was stuffy and boring. But then I discovered Le Sacre du Printemps (both the ballet and the score) and have since gone to at least one show every season at SFB for about 5 years now. (I even tried ballet classes for a year -- alas, they did not take.)

My tastes are definitely centered around contemporary ballet (Wayne McGregor especially), and of the 20th century greats I'd take Jerome Robbins over Balanchine any day (Glassworks is amazing). Frankenstein is the only full-length story ballet that I've seen, which I quite liked, but at some point I want to try out a classic story ballet, and would certainly appreciate suggestions on which I should watch out for!

Finally, I've been blogging my impressions into the void, and definitely look forward to gabbing about it with other people.

Edited February 26, 2019 by leee

[Drew]

Hello Leee and welcome--I'm glad you no longer think ballet is "stuffy and boring." I'm a huge Balanchine admirer, but think Glassworks is one of Robbins' best ballets and am not surprised you find it amazing!

Classic story ballets are very different: since you are in San Francisco likely you should try whatever they have on offer. And if one of the major Russian companies (Bolshoi or Mariinsky) comes to Northern California, it's definitely worth trying out one of their productions. (American and Russian dancers have very different strengths and qualities, and the older classics are more of a home-base for a company like the Mariinsky.)

Also, when you see an older classic I think mentally you just have to accept that the conventions are different from a work like Frankenstein. If that doesn't work for you, then probably you won't get into them as much.

I would say that in a traditional production Acts II and IV of Swan Lake are still among the most breathtaking and moving fusions of dance and music and story every created. And Tchaikovsky's score can be quite overwhelming (in a good way). But whether it would be to your taste? These things are very personal and that's harder to judge. (I adore the Sleeping Beauty, but I do rather suspect that for someone who prefers contemporary work and is a Balanchine skeptic it might not be as appealing.)

I look forward to reading your comments on whatever it is you are seeing.

Edited February 26, 2019 by Drew

[leee]

Thanks, Drew!

I'm not terribly fluent in ballet grammar yet, so I might have to take pointers from the more knowledgeable folks here. But whatever the language used to describe it, to me ballet is a kind of beauty unmatched by any other art form.

Also, some of my favorite ballets: The Rite of Spring (Nijinsky), The Rite of Spring (Possokhov), Glass Pieces (sorry, got it mixed up with another Glass composition), Borderlands (McGregor), Guide to Strange Places (Ashley Page).

I'm usually not one to abide by sacred cows, but seeing that Lorena Feijoo's signature performances were in classics like Don Quixote, I feel like I've been shortchanging myself. This season I actually got alerted to some flash sales which would've been the perfect time to give it a shot. Ah well, there's always next season.

Incidentally, I've also danced ballroom, swing, and hip hop.

[pherank]

On 2/26/2019 at 2:36 PM, leee said:

 

I'm usually not one to abide by sacred cows, but seeing that Lorena Feijoo's signature performances were in classics like Don Quixote, I feel like I've been shortchanging myself. This season I actually got alerted to some flash sales which would've been the perfect time to give it a shot. Ah well, there's always next season.

 

Welcome Leee. It's too bad you didn't see Don Quixote this season at SFB.

Rachel Howard: 'We balletomanes don’t drink Champagne out of our favorite stars’ pointe shoes anymore, and maybe that’s a shame. If ever a performance warranted such tribute, it came at the last evening of San Francisco Ballet’s “Don Quixote,” with Mathilde Froustey and Angelo Greco. In nearly 20 years of watching this company, Saturday ranked as one of its greatest nights, the kind that makes instant converts of newcomers and re-inspires diehards—the kind dancers and their fans alike live for.'

https://www.fjordreview.com/don-quixote-san-francisco-ballet/

Part of the fun in learning about ballet is learning about the intertwined history of the various ballets/choreographers, companies and performers. It's all very much an 'oral history' - the art form is literally handed down from person to person by demonstration and verbal descriptions, and that still remains the most effective way for dancers to 'get the choreography and techniques into their bodies'.

Given your list of likes, but to get some historical perspective, I would recommend that you try to see as many Sergei Diaghilev Ballet Russes ballets that exist, like:

The Firebird (Fokine)
Petrushka (Fokine)
Schéhérazade (Fokine)
L'après-midi d'un Faune (Nijinksy)
Le Spectre de la Rose (Nijinksy)
Le Sacre du Printemps (Nijinksy, you've seen this one)
Les Biches and Les Noces (Bronislava Nijinska - Nijinsky's sister)
Le Chant du Rossignol (Balanchine, in revival at Pacific Northwest Ballet)
Apollo (Balanchine, note that companies don't always perform the same version of this ballet)

Balanchine was/is hugely influential as a choreographer in the ballet world, so to fit your tastes, I would say you must at least see (live!):

The Four Temperaments
Agon
Stravinsky Violin Concerto
Symphony in Three Movements

And you can't be a card-carrying member of the American ballet audience without having seen Balanchine's Serenade performed by one of the big companies (who can really pull off the dancing and the orchestral score).

This season at SFB, there are two mixed repertory programs coming that are entirely contemporary ballets (Programs 5 and 6). Followed by Neumeier's The Little Mermaid story ballet which is one INTENSE ballet. Go when Yuan Yuan Tan is dancing the lead if possible - it is one of her signature roles, and she is at the end of her career.
The last program is one of the most admired contemporary ballets in years: Alexei Ratmansky's Shostokovich Trilogy. There's nothing like seeing ballet live with a great orchestra.

[leee]

@pherank thanks for the response!

That's a shame that I missed out on such a well-received Quixote! Ah well, at the very least such effusive praise will fix it in my mind for 2020.

The proximity of working choreographers and dancers is definitely something that leaves me reeling; not exactly specific to dance, but I once attended a pre-ballet Q&A fore Firebird (Ballet San Jose) where the AD casually mentioned being at a party where none other than Igor Stravinsky was holding court. IGOR STRAVINSKY!

Of the Ballet Russes ballets, I've seen Le Sacre, L'apres midi (both Nijinsky's and Robbins'), and Les Noces (that's the "small handbag" one, yes?). I've seen SFB perform Agon, though I struggle to remember anything about it (according to my blog post, I enjoyed it).

I have a ticket to see SFB's program 6. As for program 5, I've seen the Trey McIntire during Unbound last year, and I was impressed with Benjamin Freemantle in particular; the other two entries I have doubts about. Point taken about Yuan Yuan in Little Mermaid -- do you suggest waiting for a flash sale? When will the casting announcements be made?

I've seen Shostakovich Trilogy, and I think I liked it? But I hardly remember much of it, and given my tepid response to From Foreign Lands, I've mostly concluded that Ratmansky (and neoclassical generally) isn't to my taste. (As to why I like contemporary, I think it foregrounds athleticism in a way that translates viscerally for me, and so the restraint and grace of neoclassical works is harder for me to engage with.)

Incidentally, I've been operating under the mistaken impression that Balanchine was French. I'm sure Diaghilev's ghost must be pleased quite pleased there.

[pherank]

On 3/1/2019 at 5:24 PM, leee said:

 

Incidentally, I've been operating under the mistaken impression that Balanchine was French. I'm sure Diaghilev's ghost must be pleased quite pleased there.

Your instincts are correct: Diaghilev gave Balanchivadze the stage name Balanchine because it was easier for Europeans to pronounce, and sounded French too.  That's showbiz!  😉

It's kind of too bad that you saw Agon before you got a chance to see The Four Temperaments, since The 4 T's is much more accessible and fun (both musically and choreographically). Agon is much more of a challenge - it helps to read up on what Stravinsky and Balanchine were attempting to do. The odd body manipulations going on in Agon are  reputed to have been inspired by Balanchine's therapy sessions with his wife Tanaquil Le Clercq who was paralyzed with polio. That kind of insider information can be very enlightening.

SFB never posts casting until a week before the opening, so you won't have much time to decide. You may know that SFB's Little Mermaid production is available on DVD/bluray (with Yuan Yuan Tan) so there's that option. And The Nutcracker is available too - with a young Elizabeth "Lizzy" Powell as Clara (Powell is now with the company and has been promoted to soloist).

Program 5 will have the latest from Yuri Possokhov, who is a very talented man, but there's no telling what he will come up with. The range of his subject matter is jaw dropping and he's constantly experimenting. He recently created Nureyev for the Bolshoi and Anna Karenina for the Joffrey Ballet and Australian Ballet (a co-production). Both were successful full-length ballets. This new one will be a short piece.

Program 6 sounds like it will be your thing. Rodeo is one of Justin Peck's most popular ballets - it seems to have an enduring quality. We'll have forum threads in the SFB section about these programs so I encourage you to add your voice to the comments.

Edited March 25, 2019 by pherank

[sandik]

Alongside watching your home company, there are lots of things to see online.  There are multiple version of Don Quixote, bucketloads of Sleeping Beauties and Swan Lakes, and a growing number of mixed bill works (that is, works that are part of a full performance, but not the whole thing).  Everyone has their desert islands works, so I won't dump a big list here, except to say that if you're looking for an introduction to a program-length ballet, Frederick Ashton's La Fille Mal Garde is a beautiful work.  Very different in tone from Don Q, but a charming story and some great dance opportunities.

I agree, Four Temperaments is a great introduction to what is usually called Balanchine's black and white repertory, plus it's a wonderful way to practice seeing choreographic development. 

At any rate, welcome to the neighborhood, and please let us know what you see (and what you think about it!)