sf_herminator Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 I received an email from SFB which has announced Yuan Yuan Tan's Final Performances: Wednesday, January 24: Opening Night Gala: Pas de Deux from Tomasson's 7 for Eight with Tiit Helimets Wednesday, February 14: Marguerite in Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand, part of our British Icons program I already have a ticket for Marguerite and Armand. I will most likely attend the gala performance if they will be selling standing ticket. I will post any additional updates as I find them. Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 SFB posted this clip of Marguerite & Armand rehearsal: Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 So she plans to retire on her 48th birthday. Remarkable longevity! Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 (edited) Here is the IG post: Join us in celebrating Yuan Yuan Tan's remarkable 29-year career with SF Ballet. She will give her farewell performance with us on February… | Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/C2Aa3CguVqI/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== Edited January 12 by sf_herminator Link to comment
pherank Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 I thought she was aiming to be 50 and still dancing. 😉 But her marriage seemed to be a sign that big changes were in the works. I can't imagine she has too many regrets with that career. Link to comment
Josette Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Yes, she has had an amazing career. Link to comment
Drew Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Whenever I see Yuan Yuan Tan on video, I am painfully reminded how much I would love to have seen her dance live! A great ballerina-- Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 21 hours ago, pherank said: I thought she was aiming to be 50 and still dancing. 😉 But her marriage seemed to be a sign that big changes were in the works. I can't imagine she has too many regrets with that career. I don't know if YY was trying to dance until she was 50. But I do think it is very special that she was born in year of the Dragon, and that her final performance is on her birthday just after Chinese New Year (Feb 10) and Year of the Dragon, which is often celebrated for two weeks. For those born in that year, it is said to be an auspicious year for them. It sounds like she has plans to focus on on sharing her love of ballet around the world, and continuing to be an international ambassador for ballet. It seems like a wonderful year for her to make that change. Link to comment
Josette Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 1 hour ago, seattle_dancer said: I don't know if YY was trying to dance until she was 50. But I do think it is very special that she was born in year of the Dragon, and that her final performance is on her birthday just after Chinese New Year (Feb 10) and Year of the Dragon, which is often celebrated for two weeks. For those born in that year, it is said to be an auspicious year for them. It sounds like she has plans to focus on on sharing her love of ballet around the world, and continuing to be an international ambassador for ballet. It seems like a wonderful year for her to make that change. Yours is such a loving post, seattle_dancer. I have loved watching her on stage where she was sublime in Serenade, After the Rain pas de deux, The Little Mermaid, RaKu, and showed great wit and intelligence in so many other ballets along with her extraordinary grace and special spiritual qualities. Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 SFB has announced that YY will also dance in Marguerite & Armand in the Saturday 2/10 evening performance: IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/C2XyQA2MmEK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== FB: Facebook SFB: BRITISH ICONS - San Francisco Ballet (sfballet.org) Link to comment
Josette Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 There are three tickets left for YY's last performance on February 14! It should be a wonderful performance. Link to comment
Terez Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Well, one advantage of not going to her final performance is that I don't have to deal with the accompanying sorrow and tears as I watch. (I don't do closure well...) Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 SFB's latest IG post - YY and Aaron in studio rehearsal: We’re counting down to the bittersweet farewell to Principal Dancer Yuan Yuan Tan whose rich artistic contribution to the Company has… | Instagram YY posted this on her IG: Thank you to the San Francisco audiences who supported me for the past 3 decades ❤️🤗🥰 @sfchronicle @msrhoward | Instagram Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 (edited) On 2/2/2024 at 12:41 PM, Josette said: There are three tickets left for YY's last performance on February 14! It should be a wonderful performance. Now there are only 2 tickets available for February 14 - last row in Dress Circle (although it says SOLD OUT on the British Icons page - BRITISH ICONS - San Francisco Ballet (sfballet.org)). I am sure standing will be full. For Saturday's performance, over 500 tickets available in the Balcony, but a total of 85 for the other sections. Edited February 9 by sf_herminator Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 Last night before the start of Marguerite & Armand, a short video clip honoring Yuan Yuan Tan was shown. Accolades came from Helgi Tomasson, Anita Paciotti, Felipe Diaz (who partnered the young YYT in the La Esmeralda PDD), Tiit Helimets, Yuri Possokhov, John Neumeier, and Christopher Wheeldon. Brief snippets included Swan Lake, The Little Mermaid, RaKU, and La Esmeralda. It will most likely be played again Wednesday night. Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 (edited) From SFB's IG: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3VYs81Lm3J/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== This is the last part of the video shown Saturday night prior to the start of Marguerite & Armand. It will be shown again at tonight's performance. From Pointe Magazine's IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3VkmmBx6nT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Edited February 14 by sf_herminator Link to comment
seattle_dancer Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 I’m extremely glad the video shown at the performance had more dancing than I expected (Odette, Odile, Esmeralda pdd, Aurora) and even a lot of gorgeous still photos from ballets where I didn’t see YY dance. But I still wish there was a farewell program dedicated to YY’s iconic roles. Could they have maybe shown the video of her and her mom Yuri made during the pandemic? My friend from Seattle who attended with me said the sequence seemed anti-climactic watching Marguerite & Armand after the video and they should have reversed the two. I also expected a lot more former colleagues to come and say congratulations and bring flowers. It was a brief farewell at the end in my opinion but that is comparing to retirements at PNB’s Season Encore. I hope YY know how much the audience loves her. Link to comment
pherank Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 (edited) On 2/16/2024 at 12:53 AM, seattle_dancer said: I’m extremely glad the video shown at the performance had more dancing than I expected (Odette, Odile, Esmeralda pdd, Aurora) and even a lot of gorgeous still photos from ballets where I didn’t see YY dance. But I still wish there was a farewell program dedicated to YY’s iconic roles. Could they have maybe shown the video of her and her mom Yuri made during the pandemic? My friend from Seattle who attended with me said the sequence seemed anti-climactic watching Marguerite & Armand after the video and they should have reversed the two. I also expected a lot more former colleagues to come and say congratulations and bring flowers. It was a brief farewell at the end in my opinion but that is comparing to retirements at PNB’s Season Encore. I hope YY know how much the audience loves her. YY's leaving has been an ongoing process for some time, so I think literally everyone got a chance to talk with her before the official end. I like your idea about showing her in iconic roles, and that pandemic era solo performance that Possokhov choreographed was really great wasn't it? She was extraordinary in The Little Mermaid and RAkU. When I was looking through the various Pointe Magazine photos, there was the early one of YY and Muriel Maffre on stage that really made me realize just how much time had passed, and how many dance eras YY has experienced. And SFB has finally reached an era in which, I believe, there are no French-trained dancers at the company. Which I would like to see rectified, now that the ranks are rather thin on top. Edited February 19 by pherank Link to comment
sf_herminator Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 From Pointe Magazine: A Tribute to Yuan Yuan Tan and Her 29-Season Career at San Francisco Ballet - Pointe Magazine Link to comment
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