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SFB 2020 Miscellaneous


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22 minutes ago, PeggyTulle said:

With the height stated, I'd wonder if it's someone who tends to partner taller ladies. Tiit, perhaps? 

Tiit is in the "twilight" of his career, I imagine, though I don't know exactly how old he is. All three of these men mentioned are on the taller side.

It looks to me like Tiit is getting more chances to dance this year, as compared with last year.

Edited by pherank
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When Joe Walsh was injured two seasons ago in December, he was off until the next season; it was the same with Davit Karapetyan and Vanessa Zahorian and Jaime Garcia Castillo when they were injured, and I can think of others as well who were off for an extended time upon injury. It seems that SFB is very careful about letting an injured dancer back onstage. I do hope that Ulrik will be performing in something this season as he is apparently not injured. He is  still listed as a principal dancer, isn't he? 

 

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19 hours ago, Josette said:

When Joe Walsh was injured two seasons ago in December, he was off until the next season; it was the same with Davit Karapetyan and Vanessa Zahorian and Jaime Garcia Castillo when they were injured, and I can think of others as well who were off for an extended time upon injury. It seems that SFB is very careful about letting an injured dancer back onstage. I do hope that Ulrik will be performing in something this season as he is apparently not injured. He is  still listed as a principal dancer, isn't he? 

 

The website still lists the usual suspects (10 women, 10 men), but unfortunately the SFB website is always the last place to be updated.

It's the timing that makes this interesting - this is not the usual time of year to be looking at prospective dancers. It feels like Tomasson is having to scurry to look for a replacement. Is it a temporary/single season thing? Or is there budget now to add another danseur for however many years he has left in him?

EDIT: It's also entirely possible (given the large number of solicitations that Tomasson receives each year) that SFB already has someone in mind, but by law they have to make a general announcement and ask for resumes.

Edited by pherank
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There's a good Q&A with Cathy Marsten at Dancetabs (which includes talk about the upcoming Mrs. Robinson ballet).

Quote

The New York Times critic [Gia Kourlas] was very hostile to Jane Eyre, so I preferred not to read her review when I was told about it, but audiences stood up every night. In Chicago, the critics and audiences were excellent. I think ABT audiences at the Met have got used to Alexei Ratmansky’s bright ballets, with lots of steps to display the dancers’ skills. Those audiences would rather see his Whipped Cream and Harlequinade than Jane Eyre, which is about the characters and story. American critics don’t know where to place me: they always ask where’s my lineage? Ashton, MacMillan, Pina Bausch, Mats Ek? I don’t have those influences in my body. I’m interested in theatre, in literature, not other choreographers.

et-mrs-robinson-studio-cathy-marston-and

et-mrs-robinson-studio-sarah-van-patten-

Edited by pherank
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On 2/3/2020 at 2:46 PM, Josette said:

Interesting that Joffrey Ballet has not changed its scheduled performances of Liam Scarlett's Vespertine in Berkeley in early March.   Ashley Wheater,  who was a wonderful dancer, has been a very effective director for the Joffrey, and is simply a nice guy,  has close ties with SFB and trained at the Royal Ballet School. 

A friend of mine told me the Joffrey website was updated.  Liam Scarlett's Vespertine has been replaced with Christopher Wheeldon's Commedia (c) - http://joffrey.org/tours.  The Cal Performances site has not been updated.

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Return of the SFB Fashion Show:

SF Ballet Auxiliary’s Fashion Show

WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2020, 11 AM San Francisco

The San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary and Sam Malouf Authentic Luxury Present the 2020 Fashion Show Featuring Maison Rabih Kayrouz

After last year’s triumphant return, the San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary Fashion Show is back. We are pleased to announce that Paris-based Haute Couture designer Maison Rabih Kayrouz will be the featured designer at this year’s event. Saint Joseph’s Arts Society will serve as a fitting venue for the designer known for architectural cuts and exacting construction.

The event will include a seated lunch followed by a runway show featuring the Haute Couture Fall 2020 Collection with tickets ranging from $500 to $5,000. Guests who purchase VIP tickets for $5,000 will join Rabih Kayrouz for an intimate dinner the night before the show and will enjoy premiere seating at the runway show. Grand Benefactor tickets at $1,000 include a cocktail reception with VIPs and the designers the night before the show. Patron tickets are $500.

San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary Fashion Show Chair: Rhonda Mahendroo

The event will benefit a wide range of San Francisco Ballet initiatives, including new works, scholarships for San Francisco Ballet School students, and community outreach programs.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please contact Meg Sullivan at msullivan@sfballet.org or 415-865-6625.

https://www.sfballet.org/support-us/special-events/fashion-show/

Edited by pherank
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Here's some great news -

Aaron Robison went to the UK's National Dance Awards as the representative from SFB to accept the Stef Stefanou Award for Outstanding Company (SFB) and Best Classical Choreography Award (for Alexei Ratmansky - Shostokovich Trilogy):

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8wbMPXF4cr/

It's difficult to find current and accurate online information about the UK National Dance Awards - the awards cover performances in the UK between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019.

http://criticscircle.org.uk/the-20th-national-dance-awards-nda20-announcement-of-nominations/

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16 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

Yuri Possokhov is mounting his one-act version of Medea to music by Ravel for the State Ballet of Georgia.

I just wish we would get to see a few of Yuri's outside projects here in SF.
 

Here's an update from Madison Keesler regarding her recent absence from the stage:

 

 

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I probably ought to clarify that the ballet Possokhov is staging in Tbilisi is not brand new, but based on his Damned, which he made for Joanna Berman quite some time ago. I'm surprised, actually, that the State Ballet of Georgia hadn't acquired it sooner, given that Medea's native Colchis is located in western Georgia. The national museum in Tbilisi holds jaw-dropping artifacts from that period, and once you've seen them it's not difficult to understand how the legend of the Golden Fleece could have arisen.

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16 hours ago, Josette said:

pherank, do you recollect when Possukhov last choreographed for SFB?  There must have been something after Swimmer, which I sadly never saw.  

Thanks for providing the message by Madison.  I am eager to see who is cast for A Midsummer's Night Dream.

I think Yuri's last piece was ... two united in a single soul ... (the Narcissus ballet). Before that was Optimistic Tragedy.

I hope Angelo Greco is going to be in shape to dance Puck (I'm guessing). The casting choices will be interesting to see.

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15 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

I probably ought to clarify that the ballet Possokhov is staging in Tbilisi is not brand new, but based on his Damned, which he made for Joanna Berman quite some time ago. I'm surprised, actually, that the State Ballet of Georgia hadn't acquired it sooner, given that Medea's native Colchis is located in western Georgia. The national museum in Tbilisi holds jaw-dropping artifacts from that period, and once you've seen them it's not difficult to understand how the legend of the Golden Fleece could have arisen.

I still remember Maria Kochetkova's Instagram post regarding the Ballet State Theatre in Tbilisi:

https://www.instagram.com/p/But_sCtF70H/

Money is a big issue for them, so I imagine acquisition of new works is difficult.

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:offtopic:In fairness, that's not the opera house. :) It's the back of a residential building opposite the rear of the opera house. The opera house itself is very opulent and in beautiful condition. Clearly it's been restored fairly recently. So it is surreal to get that view when you walk out the stage door. But you're right, Georgia is not exactly rolling in it, and it is startling to see derelict wooden buildings right in the center of Tbilisi, alongside the new luxury hotels.

As for surreal levels of dereliction, try Samara, Russia. On the edge of town you'll find partially collapsed yet partially occupied apartment buildings. But the opera house is in fine condition, and Yuri Burlaka manages to do very nice things with the ballet company.

On the other hand, Baku is rolling in money, and the city is gorgeous, aptly described as the love child of Paris and Dubai. But there the opera house is clearly the unwanted child (with a third-rate ballet company). It could use a good dusting, never mind some new paint.

(And much as I love San Francisco, it's in rougher shape than it was 10-15 years ago. :crying:)

Edited by volcanohunter
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34 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

:offtopic:In fairness, that's not the opera house. :)

Sorry - I didn't mean to imply that it was the opera house/theater - that's a building in the neighborhood. But it gives one an idea of what life is like for many.

I believe the War Memorial Opera House is going to be getting new seating, so that's something.

Edited by pherank
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5 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

If that means better sight lines, then it's a very big deal!

Here's the press release about the new seating.  The problem is, that absolutely nothing will make that place suitable for watching dance.  I guess at least we can be comfortable while we aren't seeing the ballet!😊

Edited by PeggyR
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Quote

The new seats, designed to reflect the aesthetics of the Opera House, will be wider, have greater leg room, be positioned at a more comfortable height, and will reflect the latest in ergonomic support. 

Sightlines to the stage from the Orchestra section will be improved by the new seat design and a subtle staggering of seats along the center aisle of the theater.

I always I tend to sink and feel enveloped in the orchestra seats and find them a bit sleep inducing, so I usually sit (way) upstairs or stand. The plush red of the old seats does match the 1920s theater decor of the house. Sometimes though you do feel in the Opera House as if you've slipped back in time – is it still the protective well-cushioned nineteen fifties you sometimes think.

http://www.ducharmeseating.com/

Edited by Quiggin
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3 hours ago, Quiggin said:

I always I tend to sink and feel enveloped in the orchestra seats and find them a bit sleep inducing, so I usually sit (way) upstairs or stand. The plush red of the old seats does match the 1920s theater decor of the house. Sometimes though you do feel in the Opera House as if you've slipped back in time – is it still the protective well-cushioned nineteen fifties you sometimes think.

http://www.ducharmeseating.com/

Has there been a public demonstration of the new chair designs? I'll be disappointed if they use plastic in the construction, but given costs, that may happen.

Something that has to be fixed: the lack of leg room at the front of the Balcony seating (which I now avoid). If you're reasonably tall, and one's seat is along the rail there's no place for the knees and feet to go accept up against the hard wall.

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20 hours ago, pherank said:

I'll be disappointed if they use plastic in the construction, but given costs, that may happen.

Don't know what material is best but I wonder if the change will affect the acoustics of the room, the reverberation time and the "patina" of decay. Because of the high ceiling the sound at the SF Opera House is supposed to be better in the balcony than the orchestra section. What part the pillowy orchestra seats play in the mix would be a question for the acoustic engineers. Quicker reverb time is supposed to be better for voice and early music whereas slower better for romantic music and Mahler. And shoes? 

I just came across this paper in the Journal of the Acoustical Society which has some comments on upholstery and concert sound among all the calculations. Interesting comparision also between the acoustics of Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher and on Berlin Philharmonie's "vineyard" seating.

https://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.4944787?showFTTab=true&containerItemId=content%2Fasa%2Fjournal%2Fjasa&

Edited by Quiggin
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1 hour ago, Quiggin said:

Don't know what material is best but I wonder if the change will affect the acoustics of the room, the reverberation time and the "patina" of decay. Because of the high ceiling the sound at the SF Opera House is supposed to be better in the balcony than the orchestra section. What part the pillowy orchestra seats play in the mix would be a question for the acoustic engineers. Quicker reverb time is supposed to be better for voice and early music whereas slower better for romantic music and Mahler. And shoes? 

I just came across this paper in the Journal of the Acoustical Society which has some comments on upholstery and concert sound among all the calculations. Interesting comparision also between the acoustics of Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher and on Berlin Philharmonie's "vineyard" seating.

https://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.4944787?showFTTab=true&containerItemId=content%2Fasa%2Fjournal%2Fjasa&

I wasn't even thinking about that, but you're right that a sea of chairs of particular materials, construction and shape will definitely effect the acoustics. Hopefully the Ducharme Seating people know all the ins-and-outs of this particular issue.

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