Arts Review: January 2012

Thursday, January 26, 2012

'Onegin' comes to S.F. Ballet

The words that comes up the most often when talking about John Cranko's sweeping ballet "Onegin" is "life changing." Ask anyone who's seen the ballet what they thought of it, and you're likely to get a rapturous account of a performance that changed the way they saw classical ballet. And when San Francisco Ballet at last brings Cranko's iconic masterwork to the War Memorial Opera House stage Friday, it will be the fulfillment of a long-held dream for Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Company C Contemporary Ballet review: 10th season

The emphasis was on the contemporary as the intrepid Company C Contemporary Ballet embarked on its 10th anniversary season Friday night at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek with a peppy, agreeable program showcasing works by a few of the latter-day choreographers with whom the troupe has cultivated relationships over a decade of performing.

The evening's most effective moments came wrapped in Paul Taylor Dance Company alum David Grenke's "Vespers," a duet for Jacqueline McConnell and Oliver Freeston to Tom Waits' version of "Waltzing Matilda."

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Oakland Ballet to delay spring program

In a cost-cutting move described by its director as "risk avoidance," the Oakland Ballet Company is postponing its spring performances, which had been planned for May 18-20 at the Malonga Casquelourd Center in Oakland.

Artistic Director Graham Lustig said that after disappointing ticket sales for "The Nutcracker" at the end of 2011, the company - which has an annual budget of $600,000 - faced an $80,000 deficit.

San Francisco Ballet review: Gala's depth, daring

San Francisco Ballet dispelled any lingering gloom from the damp, chilly evening with a gala opening on Thursday night at the War Memorial Opera House that deftly showcased the company's notable versatility.

In a program that ran the emotional gamut from dark and brooding to fiendishly nimble, modernity and drama took center stage, with not a Petipa tutu in sight. The oldest ballet excerpt on what felt like a briefer gala program than usual was Vasily Vainonen's 1932 Soviet-era chestnut "The Flames of Paris," and the most recent, Christopher Wheeldon's sleek, candy-colored "Number Nine," was created in April for the Ballet. That's a span of 79 years and, it just so happens, almost traces the life span of San Francisco Ballet itself.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

'A Wintry Mix': Metaphor for immigrant issues

Although it's felt less like winter and more like spring in the Bay Area this year, Davalos Dance Company takes the brisk chill of the season as its inspiration in "A Wintry Mix," which the company performs this weekend at CounterPulse.

"I liked the metaphor of winter - the rain, the sleet and snow, with maybe just a little sunshine mixed in," choreographer Catherine Marie Davalos says. "I love that texture and palette."

'The Stinky Cheese Man': Kids book turns into play

If you were about to become lunch for a giant, what kinds of desperate stories would you spin to save yourself?

Wits and wackiness come in equal parts in William Massolia's cheerfully nutty play, "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales," which the Griffin Theatre Company will perform Sunday at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

S.F. Ballet plays to its strengths in 2012 season

If San Francisco Ballet's exhausting, whirlwind schedule takes a toll, director Helgi Tomasson isn't showing it as he sinks comfortably into the couch in his office in between fittings for the costumes for San Francisco Ballet's new production of Don Quixote and rehearsals for the company's upcoming production of "Onegin."

But then perhaps everyone is simply used to this level of activity, as the company prepares simultaneously for the launch of "Onegin," the opening gala and well, pretty much the entire run of the 79th season's 18 ballets.

S.F. Ballet season opening

"What impresses me this year is the quiet ambition Tomasson exhibits," Hunt says. "He's very modest about the past accomplishments of the company, and this season they dive into big new productions like 'Onegin' and 'Don Quixote', as well as complicated premieres that call on not only the skills of the dancers, but also the musicians and designers and all the artists that must come together to make the next five months happen.

"He's built a strong organization, but it's been very carefully done with just the right soup�on of experimentation. As the Ballet heads toward its 80th anniversary, that's an underappreciated achievement."

San Francisco Ballet 2012 season at a glance

"Chroma," "Beaux," "Number Nine" Rich textures interplay with dramatic color on a mixed program of works that push the boundaries of ballet. Wayne McGregor's riveting "Chroma" stretches the classical lexicon to eye-catching extremes to create a kind of hybrid vernacular to match the pulse of modern life. With "Beaux," Mark Morris creates his seventh commission for the Ballet, using the jaunty music of Bohuslav Martinu as a springboard for nine men to show off a different side of male virtuosity. The evening concludes with the return of Christopher Wheeldon's commission from last season, the high-velocity, kaleidoscopic "Number Nine."

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Dennis Nahat out at Ballet San Jose

Changes are afoot at Ballet San Jose, but a graceful transition still eludes the embattled company, which has delayed its spring season announcement, shortened its "Nutcracker" run and announced a new partnership with American Ballet Theatre, new artistic leadership and the departure of Ballet San Jose's board chair. Now, founder Dennis Nahat, whose future with the company had been in question, confirmed this week that he has received a letter from Executive Director Stephanie Ziesel removing him as artistic director.

"I am flabbergasted at how this has happened," Nahat said during a phone call Wednesday evening. "I don't understand the rationale behind it, and I guess one cannot rationalize it at this point."

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Battery Chamberlin: Disappearing gun demonstration

You may have never noticed the gun in battery No. 4 at the north end of Baker Beach, but that's entirely by design.

Hidden gun emplacements dot the California coastline - remnants of coastal defense systems that stretched back to the 19th century. On Saturday, you can not only see one of those hidden 50-ton rifles but also take part in an actual demonstration of loading and aiming one of the last guns installed during the Endicott period at Battery Chamberlin.

'Future Motive Power': Mugwumpin's take on Tesla

Science and art, energy and perhaps a touch of madness will all blend together in Mugwumpin's "Future Motive Power," a new theatrical work about the elusive 19th and 20th century genius and inventor Nikola Tesla.

"This is not really a period piece, per se," says Christopher White, artistic director of Mugwumpin, the inventive theater group that he co-founded in 2004. "Although there will be elements of that, as well as elements of the contemporary world creeping in. Tesla had one foot in his century and one in ours."

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Pointe magazine – Sarah Van Patten

San Francisco Ballet principal Sarah Van Patten brings focus and musicality to her roles.

Is there anything you would change about yourself as a dancer?
Sometimes I get hung up on certain steps or phrases. When you have a moment that doesn’t go well, it’s hard to let that go and continue as if it didn’t affect you.

Do you ever suffer from stage fright?
I do when I have to deal with heights. In Swan Lake, I run all the way up this giant rock and jump off the top, which is terrifying for me. It’s a stunning ending, but my goodness!

Read more: Pointe magazine – Sarah Van Patten

Top 2012 Bay Area dance performances

San Francisco Ballet season (Jan. 26-May 7, War Memorial Opera House, S.F.) Drama and romance converge throughout the San Francisco Ballet season, which kicks off with John Cranko's ravishing "Onegin," based on the Pushkin poem. Beyond the returning classics like "Raymonda," "Romeo and Juliet" and "Don Quixote," SFB's repertory programs promise tantalizing premieres from Mark Morris, Edwaard Liang and Ashley Page as well as Yuri Possokhov's latest - a take on "Francesca da Rimini" - and a long-overdue revival of Balanchine's delightful "Scotch Symphony."

Read more of : Top 2012 Bay Area dance performances: