San Francisco Ballet
“Nutcracker”
San Francisco War Memorial Opera House
San Francisco, CA
December 22, 2021
Even if you are not that interested in Ballet, chances are you have seen “Nutcracker” at least once as a child, during an elementary school class visit, or even on a date, I have been told that those are popular as safe and pleasant. But then are those of us who go year for year, sometimes wondering whether it is really worthwhile
Alonzo King Lines Ballet
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
November 6, 2021
San Francisco, CA
It is rare to get a standing ovation half-way through an evening’s program. But the Alonzo King Lines Ballet dancers had it more than had earned with outstanding performances of excerpts of four King choreographies, the oldest going back to 2007. The company had been on the road and, after two performances only, was about to take off again for a tour
Jewels
San Francisco Ballet
April 6, 2021
Streamed
I only vaguely remember my first encounter with Jewels, Balanchine’s 1967 masterful triptych, supposedly influenced by the respective precious stones. Karinska’s costumes, most certainly, glittered and shimmered, almost excessively. I wish I could credit the company-it was not SFB that I saw it on. I recall being puzzled by “Emeralds”, almost laughing in delight at “Rubies” and taken aback by “Diamonds.” All were beautifully danced, but
"Symphony #9," "Wooden Dimes," "Swimmer"
San Francisco Ballet
Streaming
March 10, 2021
For anybody with doubts about Ballet being a contemporary art form, this was the show to see. Alexander Ratmansky’s “Symphony #9” and Yuri Possokhov’s “Swimmer” bracketed Danielle Rowe’s world premiere of “Wooden Dimes.” They made for an intelligent satisfying evening of 21st century dance. There was barely a false note among them.
Co-commissioned by American Ballet Theatre, “Symphony
“Midsummer Night’s Dream”
San Francisco Ballet
January 28, 2021
Streamed
If you have to watch streamed full-length ballets, you probably could do not much better than San Francisco’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” (available until February 10). This jewel received a single on-stage performance last April, the night before the SF Opera House closed. With a different cast, recorded last summer, it will have to do until sometime after the Company returns live. Yet Frank Zamacona’s superb direction
“Leap into the New Year”
San Francisco Ballet
Streaming
January 14,2021
Rarely has the life-giving part of live performances, whether music, theater or dance, been more clearly demonstrated than San Francisco Ballet’s on-line Gala “Leap Into the New Year” on January 14, 2021. Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson, who will retire in June 2022, assembled an intriguing program with excerpts from four upcoming world premieres, two duets from the repertoire, and three Pas de Deux from the classics.
Margaret Jenkins Dance Company
"Breathing at the Boundaries"
December 29, 2020
on YouTube
The last few months, looking at one more piece of choreography on screen made me wonder whether it might not be preferable to wait till the dancers could come back for live audiences. With few exceptions, despite honest efforts, the screen had offered few encouraging examples of vivid imaginations getting a handle
Smuin Contemporary Ballet
2020/2021 Virtual Fall Season
Program Program A, Nov. 18, 2020. 4:30 pm
Program Program B, Nov. 11, 2020. 7.30 pm
Watching dance on screen is not exactly new, but it took a global catastrophe for those of us who cherish live performance to realize that sitting in front of a screen might become the new normal. There may be hundreds of dancers who
“piano piano”
Nancy Karp + Dancers
Paul Dresher Sound Studio, Oakland, CA
Video of world premiere February 27, 2020
"Soul + Alma"
Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco
Herbst Theater, War Memorial Building
San Francisco, CA
February 1, 2020
Last November the Cowell Theater celebrated “100 Years of Flamenco in the Bay Area” with a Gala performance that packed the house with current and past Flamenco dancers/aficionados. For the 53rd home season, Artistic Director Carola Zertuche of Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco, the oldest local Flamenco company, presented Flamenco as a 21st century art. Even though it is
"Cinderella"
San Francisco Ballet
War Memorial Opera House
San Francisco, CA
January 22, 2020
“Third time is a charm” can work, but often it is also a case of wishful thinking. Such is the case of Christopher Wheeldon’s take on “Cinderella”, first seen locally in 2013 and again in 2017. It is a co-production by SFBallet and the Dutch National Ballet. The delights of this hobbled together fairy tale are many, but missteps keep the rethought story from as
"Christmas Ballet"
Smuin Contemporary Ballet
Yerba Buena Center of the Arts
San Francisco, CA
December 21, 2019
Next year the late Michael Smuin’s 1995 holiday ballet, “Christmas Ballet” will hit its quarter-century mark. Divided into two sections, 'Classical Christmas', performed primarily in white and toe shoes, and 'Cool Christmas,' with lots of red and as much pop as you like, has grown on me. Maybe, despite myself. There is something to be said for a show that has