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Balanchine Finder


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Fascinating. Would be interesting to see what Balanchine ballets predominate in different years and decades. 2025 shows lots of Rubies. But no Balanchine at all in San Francisco, which is shocking. Only nearby Diablo Ballet, which is carrying forth with Donizetti Variations in February.

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Yes, it doesn't seem like a whole lot, especially since three of the 11 listed ballets are a triple bill in London and another three are a triple bill in Toulouse. 

But I am impressed by the number of regional companies in the United States--many of which, I confess, were unknown to me--performing Balanchine.

What the map doesn't always seem to take into account is touring. Only one performance by Dance Theatre of Harlem is listed, when in reality the company's touring plans are more extensive, and at least some of the programs include Balanchine (Donizetti Variations, Pas de Dix).

https://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/tours/dthontour/ 

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14 hours ago, Quiggin said:

But no Balanchine at all in San Francisco, which is shocking.

Shocking, perhaps, but not surprising. I don't think of Tamara Rojo as having an extensive past with the George Balanchine repertory, and her tastes (based on what's she programmed so far) seem to lie elsewhere. She may feel no obligation whatsoever to maintain the Balanchine works in repertory. Then there's the huge donation the company received to create new works - that will have a 'crowding out' impact as well.

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4 hours ago, miliosr said:

She may feel no obligation whatsoever to maintain the Balanchine works in repertory.

I guess it stands out because there has been a long association between Balanchine and San Francisco Ballet through dancers who moved between the companies, beginning with Lew Christensen and including Jocelyn Vollmar, Suki Schorer, Conrad Ludlow, and of course Helgi Tomasson. For the last 30 years there have always been several Balanchine works on the calendar. So it's an abrupt stop.

But Rojo is not only breaking with Balanchine but with all American ballet which is a bit disconcerting. The choreographers on next year's calendar are Kenneth McMillian, Hans van Manen, Christopher Wheeldon, Liam Scarlett, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. It's as if SFB has become English National Ballet West.

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4 hours ago, Quiggin said:

 

But Rojo is not only breaking with Balanchine but with all American ballet which is a bit disconcerting. The choreographers on next year's calendar are Kenneth McMillian, Hans van Manen, Christopher Wheeldon, Liam Scarlett, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. It's as if SFB has become English National Ballet West.

I thought it was fantastic that she brought Song of the Earth to an American company and these choreographers are not bad choices--but even as someone admiring San Francisco ballet from afar, I can't help but hope that this approach will be modified in coming years.

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On 10/31/2024 at 8:01 PM, Quiggin said:

I guess it stands out because there has been a long association between Balanchine and San Francisco Ballet through dancers who moved between the companies, beginning with Lew Christensen and including Jocelyn Vollmar, Suki Schorer, Conrad Ludlow, and of course Helgi Tomasson. For the last 30 years there have always been several Balanchine works on the calendar. So it's an abrupt stop.

But Rojo is not only breaking with Balanchine but with all American ballet which is a bit disconcerting. The choreographers on next year's calendar are Kenneth McMillian, Hans van Manen, Christopher Wheeldon, Liam Scarlett, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. It's as if SFB has become English National Ballet West.

Indeed, and SFB could often be seen at its best in Balanchine.

MacMillan, van Manen, Wheeldon, and Scarlett aren't new to the SFB repertory and I think they all fit to one degree or another with the company aesthetic as developed under Tomasson. I'm less enthusiastic about some other names. Of course any incoming AD as ambitious as Rojo will want to put My Stamp on the company and there's room for a new approach, but I hope parts that aren't broken won't be "fixed" or replaced entirely.

In the meantime, I guess we have to look to Seattle....

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