Tuesday, December 14

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A review of San Francisco Ballet by Charles Lewis III for The San Francisco Chronicle.

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As with most SF Ballet shows, Yuan Yuan Tan can’t help but steal the show. Returning as The Queen of the Snow, lightness-of-foot and characterization continue to represent the best of her work as a soloist and the company as a whole. Despite what the maskless woman behind me thought, the SF Ballet is not lacking for talent whatsoever.

 

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Peter Anastos makes a new piece for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

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Robbins was exacting in how he cast his ballets, tailoring them for specific dancers; that’s how it works in Trockadero, too. “You have to build in a tremendous amount of freedom and the ability for them to go off-script sometimes,” Anastos said. “I used to hate that until I figured out that’s what makes it work for the dancer. You let the dancer just go with it. I think that’s the Trockadero magic.”

 

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The Utah Metropolitan Ballet presents an autism-friendly Nutcracker.

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Through the organization’s Autism Outreach program, they were able to cover the $17,000 cost of putting on this production. Christenson said people in the community made donations to make it all happen.

The event was so popular, they had requests for nearly 1,200 tickets, and were able to fulfill about half for the performance at the Covey Center in Provo.

 

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A review of the Ballet Theatre of Maryland's Nutcracker by Charles Green for DC Metro Theater Arts.

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Isaac Martinez plays the Nephew with great charm, gliding effortlessly at the party. He gives a refined power to the Nutcracker Prince, leaping and jumping in his solos. With Carey, he provides a solid support, holding her as she spins and carrying her in his arms.

 

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A review of San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker by Heather Desaulniers for DanceTabs.

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Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker, which premiered in 2004, is a fairly conventional version of the ballet, with just a few exceptions. There’s the Christmas party at Clara Stahlbaum’s (Abby Cannon) home, including the magic orchestrated by Uncle Drosselemeyer (Tiit Helimets). After midnight, a fight erupts between soldiers and mice; and Clara’s Nutcracker Prince (Joseph Walsh) comes to life. The pair journey through a blizzard-y forest to reach the Crystal Palace, where performances from around the globe abound. I still find it odd that a grown-up version of Clara takes the Sugar Plum Fairy solo, but the entire production is bright, fun, and beautifully danced by the entire company.