SFB 2019 Miscellaneous

[Syzygy]

27 minutes ago, pherank said:

My kingdom for a bullet train! Sadly, not in this state/country.

Even in a relatively small region such as the Bay Area, there's lots of different cultures playing off against one another. Not necessarily interested in sharing anything. I remember that early in Tomasson's tenure he was promoting the idea of SFB going to Southern Cal to perform on a regular basis (sort of like NYCB going to Saratoga New York), but it never really happened. I can imagine there is intense 'political' pressure in So Cal not to allow companies from _________________ (fill in the blank) take up partial residence in LA where there are still dreams/fantasies that LA will be the dance powerhouse of North America. From the audience stand point its about seeing high-level performances, but for the movers and shakers behind the scenes, its mostly about power and control. The same sort of thing  goes on between SF and San Jose area big money arts supporters.

I didn't know about Tomasson ever advocating for a Saratoga/NYCB-esque situation for SFB in L.A. It's a shame something couldn't be figured out. Because as far as L.A. becoming a dance powerhouse of North America, oh boy! I hope no one is holding their breath! 

[pherank]

1 hour ago, Syzygy said:

I didn't know about Tomasson ever advocating for a Saratoga/NYCB-esque situation for SFB in L.A. It's a shame something couldn't be figured out. Because as far as L.A. becoming a dance powerhouse of North America, oh boy! I hope no one is holding their breath! 

Once upon a time Hollywood was all about dance and musicals. Even Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart were forced to sing and dance once or twice. As Balanchine observed, Americans didn't need ballet when they had Fred Astaire. But the days of old Hollywood and musicals is long over.

I'm sure Benjamin Millepied and his company would like to be the center of attention in LA, but interests are very, very scattered in Southern Cal.

[Syzygy]

1 hour ago, pherank said:

Once upon a time Hollywood was all about dance and musicals. Even Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart were forced to sing and dance once or twice. As Balanchine observed, Americans didn't need ballet when they had Fred Astaire. But the days of old Hollywood and musicals is long over.

Very true! But still, as you mentioned, it's been a while since dance, or more specifically ballet, has had a true hub in L.A. As an audience member down here I wish this wasn't the case.

1 hour ago, pherank said:

I'm sure Benjamin Millepied and his company would like to be the center of attention in LA, but interests are very, very scattered in Southern Cal.

Again, so true. I'm sure we all have our opinions about L.A. Dance Project, but either way, yes, the interests are scattered here. In fact, I remember reading a thread on this site on the difficulties of fostering a "real-deal" ballet company down in Southern California. It doesn't seem like a new thing, all of this is just to say I wish SFB came around more often!

[pherank]

Thanks to Madison Keesler for mentioning this online:

DanceFAR (Dance For A Reason)

"DanceFAR’s 2019 performance will be held at the beautiful Herbst Theater in San Francisco, California on Saturday, September 7th, 2019 benefiting the @theirc (International Rescue Committee) and @gugulethuballetproject. This performance will include ten of the Bay Area’s most celebrated dance companies and will feature works from today’s top choreographers. DanceFAR 2019’s proceeds not only benefit the immediate needs of refugees, but also provides education and opportunities to empower impoverished youth through dance."

Tickets are available at CityBoxOffice.com

http://www.dancefar.org/

"DanceFAR was founded in 2012 by former San Francisco Ballet dancers Garen Scribner, James Sofranko and Margaret Karl to support the work of the Cancer Prevention Institute of California and has raised over half a million dollars for cancer research and prevention. Past DanceFAR performances have featured dancers from the San Francisco Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Smuin Ballet, ODC/Dance, Robert Moses’ KIN, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Nederlands Dans Theater 1, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, American Ballet Theater, and Broadway’s An American in Paris, among others.

After a short hiatus, DanceFAR will return to the Herbst Theater organized by San Francisco Ballet dancer Steven Morse. The performance will be held at the Herbst Theater on September 7th, 2019. Participating Bay Area dance companies will include San Francisco Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, AXIS Dance, Diablo Ballet, SF Danceworks, ODC/Dance, Menlowe Ballet and Post:Ballet."

[pherank]

Just in:

Forest Tan Flaherty💚
Likes: mama’s milk, baths, burps, long walks
Dislikes: being too cold, being too hot, being hungry, and soggy diapers
Status: single and ready to mingle (after you’ve washed your hands😉)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B14IY01AK1W/

Congratulations to Frances Chung and her husband!

There's photographic evidence that Sarah Van Patten has had her 2nd child as well, so congratulations to the happy parents, and brother.

Edited September 1, 2019 by pherank

[pherank]

A great observation by Jennifer Stahl, San Francisco Ballet principal,
from the Dance Magazine article When It All Goes Wrong: 5 Dancers Share their Worst Performance Ever

"On the opening night gala for my first year as a principal dancer, all of my insecurities flooded in. I got so nervous. I was performing Jerome Robbins' In the Night—the second pas de deux—and I put so much pressure on myself that I was in my head the entire performance. I completely self-sabotaged.
Instead of celebrating my first opening as a principal, I really cracked under my own pressure—I slipped, I was shaky, all these little things went wrong that had gone smoothly in rehearsal.
But it was kind of a great start to my season, in a way. It highlighted this horrible habit of mine: I realized I was not present. I thought, Wow, that was actually a very selfish performance, because I was so wrapped up in myself and what I was feeling that I took away from what I was giving the audience and what the role was meant to be.
I decided that going forward, I would approach my performances as an artist, completely immersed in the work, instead of as a dancer just thinking about how I'm presenting myself. I've had to play some mind games—staying as calm as possible, telling myself 'It's not about you. This isn't about your struggles or insecurities. This is for them.' "

https://www.dancemagazine.com/dance-performance-bloopers-2639822007.html

[pherank]

Frances in the studio (en pointe) with baby Forest:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B190u9KA-5W/

Edited September 4, 2019 by pherank

[pherank]

Sasha De Sola posted the following 'survey' question to Instagram:

"Thinking about how technology and social media has inevitably changed the way we interact, and more specifically how we view and share our art form. What do you think? Has this helped or hindered ballet? Or perhaps somewhere in between? How can we be better about protecting the integrity of our art form while inspiring and building new audiences?"

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2UcNcIHNNs/

Feel free to reply if you have an Instagram account.

[pherank]

I got my Choreograph Your Own subscription tickets last week, and I was able to choose my own seats - I don't remember being able to do that in previous years. But maybe my memory just isn't working again.  ;)

Definitely a good thing to be able to choose your own seats.

https://www.sfballet.org/visit/ticket-options/subscriptions-and-packages/cyo

[pherank]

Ana Sophia Scheller (featured artist) will join Miko Fogerty (speaker) for a brain tumor benefit performance in Cupertino, CA.

Read about it at this thread:
https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/45031-dancing-for-a-cure-2019-november-3rd-2019/

Scheller's related Instagram posting:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2eQF_BAoSI/

[pherank]

Both Misa Kuranaga and Sasha Mukhamedov have mentioned (on Instagram) that they have been working on the Cinderella role. And Kuranaga has also been learning Juliet for the upcoming Denmark tour.

I won't be surprised if casting for Cinderella and R&J this upcoming season will feature mainly the new talent, and young soloists/principals.

[Josette]

Sasha Mukhamedov has already danced Cinderella in Wheeldon's production with The Dutch National Ballet. It is not a role debut for her. 

[Josette]

Interesting about Kuranaga dancing Juliet in Denmark. Froustey posted that she was dancing two performances of Juliet including opening night, and Dores Andre has also danced Juliet. 

[Josette]

I'm trying to delete a repeat post. Helene, can you help? 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Josette

[pherank]

14 hours ago, Josette said:

Sasha Mukhamedov has already danced Cinderella in Wheeldon's production with The Dutch National Ballet. It is not a role debut for her. 

I didn't mean to suggest that it was new role for Mukhamedov. She's fortunate to already know that role since her plate will be full with new versions/roles to learn for the 2019 season.

[pherank]

Sasha De Sola has organized a benefit for non-profit organization Dancin Power:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3XLPa8DeSg/
 

Quote

I wouldn’t be where (and who!) I am without the incredible generosity of others. Whether it was my family who made exceptional sacrifices to allow me to continue my training in ballet when times were tough; the generosity of my schools and teachers via scholarships; and individuals whose altruism was what allowed me to compete and perform on world stages that eventually led to me joining San Francisco Ballet... I’m forever grateful to all. It’s hard to share such personal information on such a public platform, but it’s one of the reasons why I am exceptionally happy to announce a charity initiative that I have helped build and create. I feel so fortunate to be in a position where I can give back and pay it forward. I’ve teamed up with my all-time favorite jewelry store, @fiatluxsf , to bring you ‘The Ascendant by Sasha De Sola’. This original jewelry line emphasizes craftsmanship, philanthropy and collaboration. We are so proud and excited to donate 100% of profits from this dance inspired jewelry line to @dancinpower . Dancin Power is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that teaches interactive dance classes free of charge to hospitalized children, including patients facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

Please join me in helping others this holiday season. Click the link in my bio to stay up to date... coming in November

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by pherank

[pherank]

Thanks to Natasha Sheehan for pointing out that Myles Thatcher was one of the choreographers for the new film High Strung Free Dance (opening Oct. 11).

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3XO1dCALMv/

https://highstrungthemovie.com/trailer/

[pherank]

Sasha De Sola has launched her jewelry line (as a charity initiative):

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4-SfU1jxF4/

https://fiatluxsf.com/the-ascendant/

Mathilde Froustey just had her bachelorette party - the wedding is going to be soon...

[pherank]

"Nutcracker⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s that time of year again!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ve performed the main corps de ballet roles of Snow and Flowers, alongside many other roles, for the past 15 or 16 years (that includes a few years as a student at @cpyballet). This will be the first year I no longer perform in either of those roles. Instead, this year I am getting to enjoy focusing on improving my own dancing through a new role and other soloist roles I performed in the past.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There is a beauty and an honor to performing in the corps de ballet; but, it can also be very difficult and often extremely painful, especially during the Nutcracker season. San Francisco Ballet performs around 30 shows in December. When you are a corps de ballet woman you are usually performing 3 roles in almost every single show. The quick change from a Party Parent who is dancing and standing in character shoes to a Snowflake who is jumping and dancing in pointe shoes was always my most dreaded quick-change -- though it is what corps dancers do in most shows. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I'm grateful to be a soloist now, but I will never forget how hard the corps de ballet dancers work in most companies. If you come to see a show of The Nutcracker this year, make sure to cheer extra loud for those Snowflakes and Flowers. Trust me, they will appreciate it and certainly deserve it!"

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ORwQGhMc2/

[pherank]

Misa Kuranaga posted some images of SFB guests at Mathilde Froustey's wedding. The 4th picture shows Mathilde entering the room escorted by her grandmother, I believe.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5RIMpjnPfO/

EDIT: Now there's video (I believe the venue is the Saint Joseph’s Arts Society) -

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5PJDhonEgS/

 

Edited November 27, 2019 by pherank

[pherank]

Mathilde posted 3 photos of her own from the ceremony:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5WHYqjH_fu/

(Her father is the one wearing the sash - he was previously mayor of Vieux Boucau, France, but I think he is now president/governor of the community of communes of the Landes coast [Community of Commons Maremne Adour South Coast (Macs)]. Mathilde's grandmother escorts the bride.)

Congratulations to Mathilde and Mourad on their marriage.  ;)

[pherank]

SFB honors Ballet Masters Betsy Erickson & Anita Paciotti:

Congratulations to Betsy Erickson & Anita Paciotti
These two talented ballet masters were recently recognized as Christensen Society Honorees! As we head into the 75th anniversary Nutcracker next week, SF Ballet is deeply grateful to both artists (and their more than 75 years of combined experience!) for their talent, dedication and contribution.

[VIDEO]
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5jDGqQFbun/

Edited December 4, 2019 by pherank

[pherank]

Yuri Possokhov remains busy - he's created a one-act ballet, Gabrille Chanel, for Svetlana Zakharova (performed at The London Coliseum, London). The reports I've read seem to say that the ballet is typically Possokhov - impressive visuals, divided into various vignettes, but foregoing an obvious overarching narrative.

[PeggyTulle]

Kim Olivier posted on her public IG stories (not linkable) that had her with her costume sketched or marked over using a filter. The text said, "FYI: Due to current policy, I can not post personal photos publicly in costume." Mathilde Froustey similarly posted a photo with her grand pas tutu sketched over.

Any idea on why SFB would enact this kind of policy? 

[pherank]

3 hours ago, PeggyTulle said:

Kim Olivier posted on her public IG stories (not linkable) that had her with her costume sketched or marked over using a filter. The text said, "FYI: Due to current policy, I can not post personal photos publicly in costume." Mathilde Froustey similarly posted a photo with her grand pas tutu sketched over.

Any idea on why SFB would enact this kind of policy? 

PM me the Kim Olivier post, PeggyTulle.

I've noticed the weird censoring of Mathilde's GPD costume. I've definitely seen other principals post photos of one costume or another. Perhaps the photos were mainly of the Snow Queen costume? Is there a restriction on the GPD costume specifically? I don't know. Effecting only Drew Altizer photos? Not sure.

Of the "big three" US companies, SFB always seems to be the one most hampered by unspecified rules and regulations. This is a whole other level of weirdness. I haven't heard of any such issue with NYCB and their Balanchine and Robbins costumes. ABT I'm just not sure about, but it would all be specific to the production and whoever owns rights to the parts of the ballet (including costume designs).