Just Two More!

Saturday, May 9th, 2009 | All Posts by Lily Rogers | 1 Comment

The end is near.   It is closing weekend here at the ballet and there seems to be a collective sense of readiness amongst the dancers.  We have had a long and exciting season, but our bodies are ready for a little bit of a break.  We have spent much time together over the past ten months and though we are supportive of one another and have thoroughly enjoyed spending the season traveling and performing together, it’s time for a short hiatus.  We scatter ourselves across the globe, most people going home, on vacation, or on various performance guestings.  It’s a time for rejuvenation, healing, and a little Vitamin B, a time for nursing that ankle that never fully recovered, that blister that just won’t go away and pedicures to hide those not so lovely toenails!   

Lily Rogers in Company Class onstage in Washington, DC (© Erik Tomasson)

As I write this, I have only two performances left.  Woohoo!  Both shows are Program 7: the full-length, yet abstract, Jewels.  I will be doing a Demi-Soloist role in “Diamonds” for both performances and the “Tall Girl” in “Rubies” for the last show.  I absolutely love doing “Rubies”; it is fast, free, and fun.  The ballet is the most American-feeling of the three, with a Stravinsky score and short, bright red costumes.  The lead girl opens the ballet crab-walking on pointe down the center of the stage.  She then stops mid-walk, facing the audience, and pushes her arms into a clean second position, almost as if she’s challenging the audience.  She is clearly playing leader of the pack for most of the ballet, but steps down from her role at one point and allows herself to be manipulated by the four men in the ballet.  They lunge for her feet and arms and slowly move her body into different shapes.  This is the only point at which she is not in complete control.  I feel very lucky to dance something I like so much on the very last day of the season. 

Lily Rogers, Ruben Martin, and Maria Kochetkova in Double Evil (© Erik Tomasson)

Last week I performed Double Evil again, which was simultaneously a total blast and completely exhausting.  Every time I perform that role I have more fun with it.  Here’s a secret: I was really, really nervous the first time I performed that part.  I’m so glad I was able to grow into the role and really have fun with it this year.  The music is so fantastic, how could I not be inspired?  The ballet is comprised of two totally different scores, by two very different sounding composers.  I open the first movement, which is slow and simple, to music composed by Vladimir Martynov.  Then, when the entire ensemble is onstage, there is an explosion of light, music, and sound.  The piece breaks into loud, fast paced Philip Glass.  It is very percussion-heavy, with 16 drums in the orchestra pit.  It’s a really fun rollercoaster of a performance, though very physically challenging.  I did both of my shows in the same day, and had to do “Rubies” again the next day. Suffice it to say, I was more than thankful to have a massage that Monday. 

Now, I would like to take this opportunity to mention that Tina LeBlanc is retiring this Saturday night.  After 17 wonderful years with the company she is ready to move on with the next chapter of her life.  She has given herself to the profession and is an inspiration and light onstage and off.  Her Farewell Performance is this Saturday, which will undoubtedly be a memorable evening.  She will be performing some of her signature roles with film clips and speeches interspersed throughout the show.  She will be dearly missed. 

I would like to wrap up by saying that it’s been a wonderful season and I have thoroughly enjoyed (almost!) every single moment.  From the beginning with the American Tour, to Nutcracker, to Gala and finally the home season. I feel I learned a lot, grew as a dancer and am so happy to dance for a company that performs such a wide array of works in its repertory.   
 
Happy Summer, be back in July!

Tags: Diamonds, Double Evil, Jewels, Lily Rogers, Rubies, Tina LeBlanc

Winding down…

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 | All Posts by Elana Altman | 1 Comment

As the end of the season quickly approaches I am filled with two conflicting feelings.  I am excited for a break–my body needs it–and I have a fantastic vacation planned to Belgium, The Netherlands, and Turkey; this hot weather is making the idea of summer break even more tempting.  On the other hand, as we’re about to open the last program, so I’m sad to think about the end of the performing season.  Performing is such a rush for me, and the summer months without shows are always arduous.  So although vacation will be wonderful, I have to remember to not get ahead of myself and to savor these last few shows of the season. 

Elana Altman and Pierre-François Vilanoba in Elo's Double Evil (© Erik Tomasson)

In these last programs, I’m dancing two ballets that are not new for me.  Double Evil was created only last season, but we’ve already danced it all over the country.  And I’ve danced “Rubies” for two seasons now.  I like roles that feel more comfortable and finding new things to focus on.  It is fabulous that in this art form one never stops growing.  So no matter how many times I’ve danced a part, there’s always something new to find in it.  Yesterday in a Double Evil rehearsal, Jorma Elo told us to find one new place in the ballet to look at our partners.  Pierre-Francois and I already have many moments of shared eye contact throughout the piece so this task will create new chemistry, and give this part that we know so well, some new meaning.

Tags: Double Evil, Elana Altman, Rubies

SFB Scene

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 | SFB Scene | No Comments

• This Saturday, from 11am-12:15pm, Company Class will be open to the public as part of Bay Area National Dance Week.  Join us at the Opera House for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at this important daily ritual. Click here for more information, including 350 other free events happening as part of BANDW, from April 24-May 3.
• Programming and casting for Principal Dancer Tina LeBlanc’s farewell performance was announced today! Tina will also be performing in Balanchine’s “Rubies” (Program 7) which opens this Saturday, April 24. Click here to read the San Francisco Chronicle’s feature story about Tina’s retirement.
• Did you know SF Ballet is on Twitter?  Click here to follow us!         
  

  Tina LeBlanc in Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust; photo © Erik Tomasson)

Tags: Program 7, Rubies, Tina LeBlanc, Twitter

Five More to Go!

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 | All Posts by Pascal Molat, SFB Scene | No Comments

The season is not yet over but I feel like I’ve already been doing a marathon. Out of 17 ballets on the season, I’ve performed 12, so five more to go! Knowing that I had this many ballets to dance over the season, made me take a different approach this year; I’ve been trying to pace myself and be more relaxed. Between the fall tour, Nutcracker and the start of the season, a lot of work has been done already.

Right now, I’m working on “Rubies”, Within the Golden Hour, and Russian Seasons, all three of which I’ve never danced before. I’m very excited to dance “Rubies” because it’s a very dynamic and playful pas de deux, with a lot of elegance. I’m also looking forward to Russian Seasons, a ballet by Alexei Ratmansky, who I had the pleasure of working with on Le Carnaval des Animaux in 2004.

Right now, I am planning my own rehearsals with my partners, so I can be very prepared for these upcoming ballets. For me, the end of the season will be fireworks with Double Evil—a ballet that is very physically challenging but such a pleasure to dance because it feels very close to my own, natural style. It will be like finishing a marathon with a sprint. As soon as the ballet season is over, I will jump into working with A.C.T. on The Tosca Project for a week, before flying to France for vacation.

Tags: Double Evil, Le Carnaval des Animaux, Nutcracker, Pascal Molat, Ratmansky, Rubies, Russian Seasons, Tosca, Within the Golden Hour