Thursday, January 23

[dirac]

A review of New York City Ballet by Gia Kourlas in The New York Times.

Quote

But Megan Fairchild, in the female lead, was the true marvel; never pictorial, she remained in perpetual, elegant motion. Dancing with Gonzalo Garcia, Ms. Fairchild floated through the classical choreography with the kind of freedom that made her performance modern, a sense of swing within its virtuoso grace. She’s straightforward, yet lush; technically impeccable, but never boring. Her coordination is mesmerizing, as is her ability to switch from soft to sharp, which makes her steps, as controlled as they are, altogether intuitive. She had a baby recently, and she came back to the stage even stronger.

Carla Escoda reviews the company for Bachtrack.

Quote

Relations between the sexes turned frosty and combative in Movements. Reichlen and la Cour adopted a tough guy stance straight out of West Side Story and exchanged some side-eye, signaling the start of hostilities. Yet Reichlen remained strangely withdrawn through both Monumentum and Movements, her limbs stretching to glorious infinity as if by divine impulse, not her own. Her remoteness, however, could not diminish the astonishing visual impact of her flights through the air, as la Cour repeatedly tossed her up in an expansive arabesque, to be guided back to earth by the male flight deck crew.

 

[dirac]

Reviews of San Francisco Ballet in "Cinderella"

The San Francisco Examiner

Quote

But on Tuesday’s opening night, graceful Frances Chung in the title role, robust Joseph Walsh as her prince and the rest of the delightfully animated cast brought the performance to the same level as the production values.

San Francisco Classical Voice

Quote

Take Frances Chung, the Cinderella of Tuesday night’s opening performance. Rising from the corps de ballet in 2001 to soloist in 2005 and principal dancer in 2009, she once was Stepsister Clementine. Her Prince Guillaume, Joseph Walsh, joined the company as a soloist in 2014 and became a principal the same year. They have a fine rapport, seeming to endow each other with a charming sensitivity and éclat that comports terrifically with superb technique. It’s also fun to watch Sarah Van Patten, a stunning principal dancer with all the major classical roles under her belt, as Stepmother Hortensia, a clueless shrew and perfect slapstick drunk with all the right wrong moves. (We know that nowadays, drinking to excess isn’t funny  — except when it isn’t real.)

 

[dirac]

 Ballet Theatre Queensland presents a mixed bill.

Quote

It has been over 30 years since Ballet Theatre Queensland has presented a double bill. Artistic Director Clare Morehen made a brave decision which has paid off. The combination of the two different acts ensures that there’s something for all tastes. Morehen said in the program that she was more interested in Graduation Ball – it’s the ballet that made her fall in love with performing onstage, and she wanted to give the young artists of Ballet Theatre Queensland the same opportunity. While Swan Lake is a renowned ballet whose name people remember, Graduation Ball is the real treat of the show. 

 

[dirac]

A review of San Francisco Ballet's "Cinderella" by Leslie Katz in The San Francisco Examiner.

Quote

Sarah Van Patten as the drunken stepmom and Elizabeth Powell and Ellen Rose Hummel as the fussy stepsisters poured on the comedy, as did the ensemble in the amusing Act 3 lineup when the prince searches in vain for the foot that fits the golden shoe Cinderella left at the party. (Some of Twist’s human-sized puppet characters are among the candidates.)

Terez Rose's review for Bachtrack.

Quote

Composer Sergei Prokofiev’s prologue in his 1944 Cinderella score lasts a mere two-and-a-half minutes, but in Christopher Wheeldon’s eponymous production, an entire story gets delivered in that time, one of love and loss, a mother’s death, a father and young daughter’s inconsolable grief, the magic of a tree that sprouts and grows from the girl’s tears. Wheeldon’s production, a 2012 co-commission by Dutch National Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, opens SFB's 2020 repertory season, and on Tuesday night at the War Memorial Opera House, the magic flowed from start to finish.