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Tilden Nature Area's Little Farm

One of the East Bay's open secrets and a long-standing favorite of families in the know is the Tilden Nature Area's Little Farm.

Skirting Wildcat Creek on the western side of Tilden, this free educational farm is open daily and boasts scores of friendly farm animals.

'It's a great place,' says supervising naturalist Dave Zuckermann, who admits that he may be a little biased. 'I grew up in Berkeley, so I've been coming here ever since I was a little kid.'

Read more at Tilden Nature Area's Little Farm

Stephen Pelton gets ready for 'The Dance Hour'

Thoughtful, disarming and distinctly nuanced, Stephen Pelton's dance theater works tend to be like the man himself, quietly perceptive. Pelton now spends part of every year in London teaching, and the rest choreographing and working in San Francisco with his eponymous dance company, which he founded in 1993.

This unassuming choreographer chatted about making a dance for Stephen Pelton Dance Theater's upcoming show 'The Dance Hour' - which will also feature works by longtime company members Christy Funsch, Nol Simonse and Erin Mei-Ling Stuart - as well as what attracted him to Europe and ties that draw him back to the Bay Area.

Read more at Stephen Pelton gets ready for 'The Dance Hour

Maria Kochetkova: A Free Soul (Pointe Magazine)

Things are not going perfectly in a rehearsal of the Grand Pas de Deux from Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker, and San Francisco Ballet principal Maria Kochetkova is not happy. A running leap onto the shoulder of partner Gennadi Nedvigin lands acceptably, but merely okay doesn’t satisfy Kochetkova.

“I just have to find a way…one, two, three, four,” she counts almost to herself, calculating how many steps she needs to take. They try again, and with unerring aim, she sails into place.

You might think that would be that, but as Nedvigin rehearses his solo, Kochetkova slips on a sweater, pauses to gaze out a window at the view of the War Memorial Opera House and then proceeds to repeat those same four steps over and over again, fine-tuning them even more.

Young and energetic, with porcelain features that belie the steely security of her technique, 25-year-old Kochetkova is part of a new generation of principals at SFB. She seems even slighter in person than she does on film: She dances this same pas de deux on SFB’s Nutcracker DVD. In the hallway, with no makeup and strands of hair escaping a loosely tacked high bun, Kochetkova could easily be mistaken for one of the school’s students. But once she begins to dance, her face—indeed her whole body—lights up with the unmistakable glamour and refinement of a ballerina. Even in the most complex variation, she breathes purity into every step, moving with both assurance and poetry. Each arabesque looks delicately spontaneous yet solidly secure. Her jumps ricochet off the floor with barely a sound. The only hint that any of this is difficult is her heavy breathing—and you must be very close to hear it.

Read more about Maria Kochetkova at A Free Soul | Pointe Magazine

Spring Celebration & Easter Parade in S.F.

With spring finally in the air, if you're looking for a fun free event to take the kids to, hop down to Union Street on Sunday for the 19th annual Spring Celebration & Easter Parade in the Marina district.

What began as a small, kid-friendly event put together by several Union Street merchants has long since morphed into a daylong, delightfully wacky cavalcade of activities. Along with the perennial face-painting, bounce houses, mini petting zoo and pony rides, Jest Jewels (1869 Union St.) will put out a web of bubble wrap for kids to smash to their hearts' content. The Peekadoodle Kids club will put together a crafts area for an art break.

Read more at Spring Celebration & Easter Parade in S.F.

Pointe magazine: Maria Kochetkova

Things are not going perfectly in a rehearsal of the Grand Pas de Deux from Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker, and San Francisco Ballet principal Maria Kochetkova is not happy. A running leap onto the shoulder of partner Gennadi Nedvigin lands acceptably, but merely okay doesn’t satisfy Kochetkova.

“I just have to find a way…one, two, three, four,” she counts almost to herself, calculating how many steps she needs to take. They try again, and with unerring aim, she sails into place.

You might think that would be that, but as Nedvigin rehearses his solo, Kochetkova slips on a sweater, pauses to gaze out a window at the view of the War Memorial Opera House and then proceeds to repeat those same four steps over and over again, fine-tuning them even more.

Read more: Pointe magazine – Maria Kochetkova