Silver Celebration in The Nob Hill Gazette

Monday, January 4th, 2010 | All Posts by Laurie Sharp | No Comments

Recently, I took part in a cover shoot for the January issue of The Nob Hill Gazette and it was a blast! I dutifully showed up for my hair and make-up two hours before the photo shoot was to begin.

Here I am in one of the Ballet studios getting prepped.

That morning, I had to ask myself if I really required all this help for one photo; I then  remembered that the Gazette has a very large circulation and that I was representing the Ballet, so I donned my sweats, grabbed a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and silently thanked those responsible for my transformation.

A big thank you to Publicity Co-Chair Kate Coffino and to Dana Stoloff at St. John for the beautiful gown I wore in the shoot. I was proud to be on the cover with Artistic Director & Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson and his wife, Marlene; take a look!

Here it is, the photo from the cover! (photo by Claudia Goetzelmann for The Nob Hill Gazette)

Tags: Auxiliary, Helgi Tomasson, Opening Night Gala

It Takes a Village

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 | All Posts by Laurie Sharp, SFB Scene | No Comments

Undertaking the role of chair for SF Ballet’s Opening Night Gala is no small task.  I’m charged with the responsibility of leading a team of 15 steering committee chairs, as well as dozens of committee members and volunteers. In addition, I’ve worked closely with the staff of the Ballet Association for almost 12 months with the dual goals of raising funds to support the Ballet through this event, while heightening awareness of the Ballet in our community.  I’m averaging 15-20 hours a week on this project – wow, who knew!

Special thanks goes out to Décor Chair Karen Murphy, and Blueprint Studios, our décor/designer, for their hard work. Below is an image of Helgi Tomasson that we used for the gala invitation; I think it’s very fitting for the occasion, given that the event is in honor of his 25^th anniversary with the Company!

An image from this year's gala invitation

Tags: Auxiliary, Helgi Tomasson, Opening Night Gala

Introducing Laurie Sharp

Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | All Posts by Laurie Sharp, SFB Scene | No Comments

This year’s Opening Night theme is Silver Celebration and highlights Helgi Tomasson’s 25 years as artistic director of San Francisco Ballet.  This anniversary is hugely significant for the Ballet in many ways and I’m thrilled and honored to lead the Auxiliary team that is designing, creating, and executing this incredibly special event. As we get closer to the event on January 20, I’ll be posting more of my thoughts and experiences on the “behind-the-scenes” process—stay tuned!

Taylor and I at our favorite spot in the city, Crissy Field. Taylor is 6 years old and attends pre-ballet at the San Francisco Ballet School. Our most special tradition is attending SFB’s Nutcracker every Christmas Eve.

Alison Bambery Reginold, best friend, Auxiliary mentor, and Ballet subscription seat mate. Alison is a founding member of ENCORE! and served on the Auxiliary for 10 years before becoming a Sustainer in 2008.

Tags: Auxiliary, Helgi Tomasson, Opening Night Gala

And… We’re Off!

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 | All Posts by Bruce Sansom, Behind the Scenes, Perpetual Motion: SFB on Tour | No Comments

I started in my new role (Ballet Master and Assistant to the Artistic Director) on July 6^th and it has been a whirlwind first few months. There is, as I already knew there would be, a lot of repertory in the 2010 season, and it all needs to be prepared during the months leading up to Nutcracker, so it’s full on. So far I’ve worked on Petrouchka, The Little Mermaid, Theme & Variations, Yuri Possokhov’s 2010 World Premiere, and now Swan Lake. On top of the preparations for the season, the company is also heading off to China as part of the USA’s participation in the 60^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 30^th anniversary of the normalization of relations between the United States and the PRC – a great opportunity for the company, not just to be going, but to be representing the nation.

It’s been a bit of a relief to know that the repertory for China is, in the main, repertory that will be performed in the coming season. With so many ballets already needing to be prepared, having a chance to get some of them set, rehearsed and performed ahead of the 2010 season makes perfect sense. It means that the dancers can keep their focus on the ballets we’ll be performing in China, with the knowledge that they’ll then be performing them back here in the season.

A typical day in the office. (© Erik Tomasson)

Each year Helgi aims to get the company performing in the fall, during the rehearsal period; this allows the dancers to work towards real performances ahead of Nutcracker so they have a goal midway through the rehearsal period to work towards, making sure that they’re in shape and refined for the stage.

As I’ve indicated above, the way the company works means that the dancers have to learn an enormous amount of repertory in the fall and, if there were no thrill of performances to work for, the rehearsal period could seem longer than it actually is. The extra dimension, frisson, and challenge of performing offers the edge that dancers need and relish. Nothing really feels the same as performing to an audience.

A fall tour also offers Helgi–and all of his ballet staff–a chance to see the dancers in action ahead of Nutcracker and the full season…it’ll provide an opportunity to see who’s making good progress and who might be ready to be offered greater challenges later in the season.

It’s also important for the company to be seen beyond the Bay Area, nationally and internationally. SFB has built a great international standing and touring helps the company maintains its visibility around the world. So, the tour to China, as a new country to visit for SFB, fulfills the need for international visibility and, as we’ll be performing during the celebrations for both of these important anniversaries, there’ll be even greater kudos for the company.

It’s going to be a fascinating trip, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to blog about it after we’re all back in October. Until then…

Tags: China Tour, Helgi Tomasson