San Francisco Ballet review: Tantalizing

Like a parade of amuse-bouches, the gala fare that opened the San Francisco Ballet's 80th season at the War Memorial Opera House on Thursday night was just light enough to suit the festive atmosphere and just tantalizing enough to get the mouth watering for the season ahead. Eleven bite-size ballets offered an agreeable mix of romance, sass, introspection, pomp and fireworks.

The oldest piece of the night was August Bournonville's 1858 "Flower Festival at Genzano" pas de deux, which appears so often in galas it's easy to forget how much of its appeal lies in refined style and storytelling. Not so here. The buoyant Gennadi Nedvigin and a cheerfully vivacious Clara Blanco created an utterly delightful aroma of springtime in a pitch-perfect performance. Who else but Nedvigin could turn a precisely placed fifth position after multiple pirouettes into an event worthy of applause?

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