“The Invention of Wings” (World Premiere, Brenda Way, KT Nelson)
David E. MorenoSan Francisco,
There are certain creative jobs that always sound like a hoot to have, like the person who gets to name paint chip colors…or in the case of “Dead Reckoning,” the person who gets to develop the “snow concept.” That is ...
David E. MorenoSan Francisco,
“There will be an intense amount of activity in a confined space, stone, noise, dust, machines hammers, and hands followed by stillness. Then comes the creek flood – high drama…” So read the preshow scrim of ...
Jerome Robbins' "Dances at a Gathering" makes a triumphant return to the company's repertoire.
Joanna G. HarrisSan Francisco,
San Francisco Ballet’s Program 4 achieved a triumphant success with its production of Jerome Robbins’ “Dances at a Gathering” (1969). To the admirable playing of 18 pieces of Chopin’s music (mazurkas, waltzes, etudes, a scherzo and a nocturne, performed by ...
Four works demonstrate the breadth and pliable viability of classical ballet.
San Francisco,
There’s something of a puppeteer at play in “Manifesto,” Myles Thatcher’s impressive new work for San Francisco Ballet. Dancers emerge airily from the wings, as if suspended from invisible strings, gliding in and out in patterns symmetrical or not, their ...
David E. MorenoCA,
(pri·ma don·naˌprēmə ˈdänə/ “a very temperamental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance.”)
For forty years "Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo" (Trocks) hasn’t been taking classical ballet very seriously… and that’s the good news. The ...
David E. MorenoSan Francisco,
From the minute Kyle Abraham hit the stage in “Pavement,” dribbling an imaginary basketball then taking that movement into fluid modern dance and back, his signature hip hop, streetwise trademark was in motion.
It is that simple urban beat--something ...
Toba SingerCA,
There are ballets that put all of a company’s bona fides to the test—stamina, virtuosity, ensemble quality, and of course, its ranking dancers’ stage personalities and technical skills. Among them are Harold Lander’s “Etudes,” Jerome Robbins’ “Fancy Free,” Twyla Tharp’s ...
Toba SingerCA,
How many boutique, suburban-based companies can celebrate a 22nd season with a smartly staged program featuring works by such choreographers as George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Sean Kelly, Sonya Delwaide, and Robert Dekkers? You can count them on the fingers of ...
Toba SingerSan Francisco,
Without Hilarion there is no “Giselle.” He is the crude gamekeeper whose manners may be wanting, but who never confuses right with wrong. He is the conscience and compass of this story ballet. Without him, it is the banal tale ...
A couple of recently promoted ballerinas -- Frances Chung and Sasha De Sola -- add novel emphasis to an old classic.
San Francisco,
Like Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake,” the title role in “Giselle” requires not only technical mastery but also (and more crucially) the ability to create two distinct visions onstage. In “Giselle,” the duty is even more burdensome: unlike Odette/Odile in “Swan ...
