Open Studio 455: San Francisco Ballet Blog

Performance Project Continues!

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 | All Posts by Charles Chip Mc Neal | No Comments

Charles Chip Mc Neal is Director of Education at San Francisco Ballet
All posts by Charles Chip Mc Neal

We’ve had a smooth start to this year’s Performance Project installment at Rosa Parks Elementary School, with about 30 students participating. They were chosen from an astounding 75 who auditioned. The students continue to surprise me with their sense of dedication and commitment. Each week they show up on time, ready and willing to do the work required to learn a dance and get it ready for a performance.

Our main performance composition is based on traditional West African Ghanaian dance. This is an upbeat rhythmic dance with some rather sophisticated choreography for young students. Luckily though, the children seem to really like it, as they are challenged by the intricacies of the staging. In this dance, there is a section where selected students will perform a solo they have choreographed themselves. For several, it will be their first time dancing on a stage alone.

Our second composition is exciting in an entirely different way. We will be performing a sign language dance based on American Sign Language (ASL). For this “dance”, the students get to receive coaching from a trained sign language interpreter, who is also a performing artist. We will be performing to Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”, a wonderful musical standard, full of emotion and compassion.

As a normal part of our preparation for performances, the students learn background about the origins and historical connections of the dances. So, just as they’ll earn a little about life and culture in Ghana, they will also learn about the non-hearing world, and what being deaf can be like for other children. My hope is that through these kinds of experiences, my students will become more sensitive and respectful about other cultures, and those with special needs.

We have yet to name the dances we will perform, but we usually save that until near the end of the rehearsal process. I will let the students select the names.

Stay tuned to see what they come up with!

Students practice a victorious ending to our Ghanaian dance.

Here I am demonstrating a basic African dance step for the students.

Students are struggling to learn a new step; the pivot turn.

This young boy is working on choreography for his solo.

Pic of the Week

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 | All Posts by Open Studio 455, Pic of the Week, SFB Scene | No Comments

Principal Dancer Lorena Feijoo in Forsythe's in the middle, somewhat elevated, featured on Program 4 which opens tonight.

Tags: in the middle, Lorena Feijoo, somewhat el

Petrouchka Vignette

Monday, March 1st, 2010 | All Posts by Christina Hecht, SFB Scene | No Comments

Christina Hecht is president of BRAVO, an active group that contributes thousands of hours of volunteer assistance every year and provides vital services to support SF Ballet.
All posts by Christina Hecht

As a BRAVO chaperone for the thirteen children in Fokine’s Petrouchka, I was amazed and rather moved when I went downstairs in the Opera House backstage and saw stacks of the hampers that the production’s costumes came to us in, shipped all the way from the Birmingham Royal Ballet in the United Kingdom. So old-fashioned! Just like in the novels I loved as a child! They’re about two and a half feet tall, two feet deep and nearly four feet wide. Made of sturdy wicker with one-inch thick rope handles and large heavy metal hinges and clasps, they’re mended with everything from duct tape and leather, to wooden braces. Each hamper is tagged “BRB” with a royal emblem, and labeled with the roles that complement the costumes enclosed. Opening night for Petrouchka and the rest of Program 4 is tomorrow!