SFB Scene

Thursday, February 4th, 2010 | All Posts by Open Studio 455, SFB Scene | No Comments

• Mixed bill Program 2 and the Balanchine Masterworks program open next Tuesday and Thursday. Click here to read program notes for Program 2 and the Balanchine Masterworks programs. Also, check out these preview videos of Paul Taylor’s Company B and George Balanchine’s Serenade, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, and Theme and Variations.
• Christopher Wheeldon’s creative team has arrived to finalize the world premiere of Ghosts which opens next Tuesday. Mark Zappone (costumes), Laura Jellinek (set), Mary Louise Geiger (lighting), and Kip Winger (score) are in the Opera house with Christopher for the work light rehearsals going on this week.
• Check out this great article on Kip Winger, composer of the score for Ghosts, that appeared in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. Former bassist for Alice Cooper and founder of metal band Winger, Kip has studied classical music composition for the last 17 years. Read more here and stay tuned for a blog update from Kip!
• The San Francisco Ballet School Trainees will perform at Stanford University today at 1:30pm. The international roster of pre-professional young dancers will present excerpts from the classical and contemporary repertoire. Click here for more information.
• Have you visited our website lately? Check out a new video featuring highlights from Program 2 and the Balanchine Masterworks program currently featured on our homepage!

Dores Andre and Christopher Wheeldon rehearsing Wheeldon's Ghosts (©Erik Tomasson)

Tags: Christopher Wheeldon, Dores Andre, Ghosts, Kip Winger, Trainees

Weekend Fashion Shoot

Monday, December 7th, 2009 | All Posts by Quinn Wharton | No Comments

Dores Andre

I got bored a few weekends ago and decided to do an experimental photo shoot with Dores Andre. I’ve become really interested in a lot of fashion photography lately. It’s bright, colorful, attractive. When I started photographing, I admired David LaChapelle’s work a lot and all of his stuff has those characteristics. It also helps that the use of his images in advertising is ubiquitous, it’s everywhere. Knowing a bit about photography and trying to dissect it, immediately you try to figure out where the light is coming from, the source it’s coming from, what techniques the photographer used, and how much Photoshop was involved.

Dores Andre

To recreate one of his shots, it’s surprisingly easy to get the basics. What’s much more difficult is pulling everything together and, regardless of materials, getting the product to come out right. You can have everything in place, but if the camera is in the wrong person’s hands or you’re just not focused enough, everything can go wrong.

Dores Andre

So I wanted to try and do a basic studio set-up with a large backdrop. I don’t usually do backdrops just because it’s annoying to set up. It’s much easier to go to a beautiful location with some light and be able to move around. Being in San Francisco we have plenty of amazing locations. Doing a studio set-up involves bringing giant backdrops and stands, plus light and camera gear. You also have to have a large indoor space to use. Fortunately, a friend of mine, Gavin Coombs, lives in a large loft space that appears made for a photographer. It has huge windows that curve up halfway into the ceiling providing plenty of beautiful natural light. He also has lots of interesting props, as you’ll see in the photos, including a white full, grand piano.

Dores Andre

Dores and I proceeded to put some outfits together and see what happened. I don’t think it necessarily came out like a high fashion shoot (no Gucci or Dior here), but it produced some really interesting results and most importantly, taught me something new and helped me see what I would change next time. I fluctuated between having lots of movement to give a natural flow to things, to more static, focused shots trying to capture the essence of the moment and what was going on. All in all, it was a highly successful day. I didn’t have to rent any equipment, got some interesting photos, and had a good time. You can’t ask for much more. These experiments also do a great job of keeping me excited for the next one. Already I’m planning on doing a woodsy shot with lots of movement and streaming light. I’ll pass it along when it finally happens.

Tags: Dores Andre, Photography, Quinn Wharton

A Night with the Dodos

Friday, November 7th, 2008 | All Posts by Dores Andre, SFB Scene | No Comments

It’s Thursday night, and I just got home from a concert by one of my favorite local bands, the Dodos. I figured that this is the perfect time to write some words on this blog here.

The Dodos

I love going to concerts, partly because I love music and partly because it feels like musicians have something in common with me. Their favorite hobby is also their job, and it’s not really a job, but more like a lifestyle. They probably can’t imagine themselves doing anything else and maybe even quit college to pursue their chosen career. I’m sure they have heard many people asking if they get paid or when are they going to start school again, and all this similitude has always made me feel like I understand musicians. We have some pretty weird jobs.

This week has been a very special one. Since Obama was elected, people seem to be in a better mood, or maybe it’s me. Tuesday night felt like when Spain won the Eurocup this summer- lots of people on the street celebrating, strangers hugging each other. It felt like I was in Europe again.

Tags: Dores Andre, SFB Scene

Dores on Halloween

Friday, October 31st, 2008 | All Posts by Dores Andre, SFB Scene | No Comments

This morning I went to the Marriott to have breakfast with my mom who is a doctor and in town for a conference. We ate with her colleagues and they were very curious about our lives as artists. They were also very passionate about their jobs just like we are. Being a dancer or a doctor takes a lot of preparation—years of study—so we have to be passionate! This weekend I will spend more time with them.

It’s nice to see my mom but I’m not used to it: I’ve lived away from home since I was 13 and now she lives in Spain so we’re very far away from each other.

Some dancers were in costume for Company class this morning for Halloween including some of the other Spanish dancers—the “Spanish Mafia” as we call them—but I don’t really like this holiday, if that’s what it is. We don’t have Halloween in Spain, we have Carnaval instead. I like to dress up on some weekends just for the fun of it. When no one does it, it’s unexpected. Right now I’m rehearsing Giselle and the new Swan Lake production; we had fittings this week and the costumes are beautiful.

Tags: Dores Andre, Halloween, SFB Scene