pherank Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 (edited) [Note: although not an 'official' SFB project, SVP's Tahoe Dance Camp is getting mentions from SFB on Instagram, and primarily features their dancers.] I recently watched the entire available stream of Sarah Van Patten's Tahoe Dance Camp inaugural festival. I was ending a particularly lousy day, and wasn't in the best frame of mind to be watching a performance of anything, but this was like being surprised by old friends. The stream shows most of the recorded performances, but unfortunately doesn't contain any introductory speech, or the flower presentation (more about that later). Apparently there was also a performance by two Alonzo King LINES Ballet dancers that gets edited out for some reason (I don't know what the issue is there). Music is mostly live - conducted by SFB's former Assistant Conductor Luke Ming (it's all in the family). Ulrik Birkkjaer - with anyone - is worth watching, and here we get to see him partner Jennifer Stahl two times - in Millepied's Appassionata PDD, and in Rhoden's "Amazing Grace" PDD from Testament. They really do look good together - both being taller, athletic dancers. Ulrik sometimes dwarfs his partners but Jen looks just right beside him, and equals his artistic and technical gifts. Stahl now dances with much visible happiness, and is believably emotionally connected with her partner. The Appassionata PDD in particular feels emotionally intimate without being cloying or overwrought. Tahoe Dance Camp organizer, SVP, appears in both her original role in Wheeldon's Within the Golden Hour PDD, alongside stalwart partner Luke Ingham, and in the Andrea Schermoly world premiere, Waning Gibbous, with Wei Wang. Oddly, Wang ends up dancing twice in a row in the first half - I'm not sure why it was organized that way. But to his credit, he doesn't seem exhausted by his efforts. It was clear to me that Wang has developed considerably in his upper body strength and is a much more reliable partner than I remember from a few years back, when he sometimes struggled to lift and carry the women about. SVP continues to look like she can dance into her 40s and 50s, though I think this Tahoe project proves she has plans for other things. Once again, Frances Chung was a standout for me. Her PDD with Wei Wang in Tomasson's Chaconne was delicate, graceful and technically excellent, and her pairing with Joe Walsh in the PDD from Rodeo was sublime. I wish I had a copy of that performance for posterity. Like the Stahl/Birkkjaer pairing, Chung and Walsh just look good together, and both appear so grateful and enthused to be on stage again that it is riveting. That is a common thread in these performances: the artists are so visibly joyful to be taking part in a live performance that it is infectious. And it's getting hard to choose who among the younger SFB principals and soloists has most developed their artistry over the past 2 or 3 years. But the audience are the real winners. WanTing Zhao and Luke Ingham changed the evening's mood and tempo with the Swan Lake PDD. Zhao has elegance and beautiful lines, but she danced with convincing emotion as well in this interpretation. This bodes well for her developing career as a principal. The live music for Swan Lake struck me as a tad slow, but that's a minor quibble. I think I preferred the new Schermoly piece to Rhoden's choreography. Though they both have their moments of cliché 'contemporary' movement. I liked Stahl's costume in "Amazing Grace" but wasn't sure what to think about Birkkjaer's Pacific Island-style skirt. Although I did enjoy hearing "Amazing Grace" sung live in the Rhoden piece, the choreography didn't seem to pay any particular attention to the song. If I turned off the sound, there is no way I could have guessed that they were dancing to the spiritual, Amazing Grace. Does it matter a lot? Probably not. 😉 Danielle Rowe's new group piece, And It Will, was quite fun, and features what looks to be a choreographed goodbye to the stage for Jahna Frantziskonis. Reason enough to watch this one. I know that there was a presentation of roses to Jahna at the end of the show, but unfortunately that is not part of the stream. The last PDD featuring Frantziskonis and her real life partner Nathaniel Remez was a tearjerker. Cavan Conley is excellent in a comedic role (once again), but all the dancers look great having fun. I know that Rachel Howard took acceptation to Danielle Rowe having the women wear pointe shoes while dancing a lot of non-balletic movements, but balletic steps are peppered throughout the choreography, so it didn't bother me as much. The video is well shot and edited. Media production is credited to Reneff-Olson Productions (founded by siblings Alexander and Valentina Reneff-Olson - Alexander Reneff-Olson is a Corps dancer with SFB). There's never a point when the dancer's full bodies are not visible, and there are some changing points of camera view, but this is never done in a distracting manner. Kudos. The recording of the instruments in the 1st Act was the only thing that was a little uneven. The piano was always easy to hear, but the violins were too muted, imo. The stream has been divided into 2 programs at $35 a piece, or $65 for both. This is of course a donation to get the Tahoe Dance Camp going on a permanent basis. RECOMMENDED Program A https://themarsh.org/shows_and_events/marshstream/program-a-tdc/ Pas de Deux from APPASSIONATA Choreographed by Benjamin Millepied Director of L.A Dance Project Composer Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 II. Andante con moto Costume Design Alessandro Sartori Original Lighting Design Lucy Carter Pianist Natal’ya Feygina JENNIFER STAHL | ULRIK BIRKKJÆR Pas de Deux from WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon Tony Award-winning Choreography & Artistic Associate of the Royal Ballet Composer Ezio Bosso Costume Design Martin Pakledinaz Original Lighting Design James F. Ingall Violinist Laura Hamilton Violist Katarzyna Bryla-Weiss SARAH VAN PATTEN | LUKE INGHAM Pas de Deux from CHACONNE FOR PIANO & 2 DANCERS Choreographed by Helgi Tomasson Director of San Francisco Ballet Composer George Frideric Handel Chaconne in G major, HWV 435 Costume Design Sandra Woodall Original Lighting Design Kevin Connaughton Pianist Natal’ya Feygina FRANCES CHUNG | WEI WANG Waning Gibbous [World Premiere] Choreographed by Andrea Schermoly Resident choreographer of Louisville Ballet Sponsored by Brian and Rene Hollins Composer Edvard GriegPiano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16: II. Adagio Costume Design Coming Soon Lighting Design Jim French SARAH VAN PATTEN | WEI WANG PROGRAM B https://themarsh.org/shows_and_events/marshstream/tdc-program-b/ Pas de Deux from Rodeo FOUR DANCE EPISODES Choreographed by Justin Peck Tony Award-winning choreographer New York City Ballet Resident Choreographer Sponsored by Charles and Suzanne Thornton Composer Aaron Copland Co-Costume Design Reid Bartelme, Harriet Jung, Justin Peck Original Lighting Design Brandon Stirling Baker FRANCES CHUNG | JOSEPH WALSH Pas de Deux from SWAN LAKE Staged after Petipa Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Costume Design Jonathan Fensom Lighting Design Jim French Violinist Laura Hamilton Violist Katarzyna Bryla-Weiss Pianist Natal’ya Feygina WANTING ZHAO | LUKE INGHAM Pas de Deux from Testament AMAZING GRACE Choreographed by Dwight Rhoden Founding Artistic Director & Resident Choreographer of Complexions Dance Company Composer Trad, Lyrics by John Newton Costume Design Christine Darch Original Lighting Design Michael Korsch JENNIFER STAHL | ULRIK BIRKKJÆR AND IT WILL Choreographed by Danielle Rowe (in collaboration with John-Paul Simoens & the dancers) In loving memory of Jeremy Dossetter Sponsored by Susan & David Dossetter Music by Vulfpeck Costume Design Emma Kingsbury Lighting Design Jim French ANATALIA HORDOV | THAMIRES CHUVAS | NATHANIEL REMEZ CAVAN CONLEY | JAHNA FRANTZISKONIS Edited August 21, 2021 by pherank Link to comment
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