SFB Scene

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 | All Posts by Open Studio 455, SFB Scene | No Comments

• This week in the studios, Company members continue rehearsing works for the 2010 Repertory Season. Patrick Corbin is staging Paul Taylor’s Company B which is set to the big-band era songs of The Andrews Sisters, and Renato Zanella is currently creating his 2010 world premiere. Additional works being rehearsed include Tomasson’s “Haffner” Symphony, Possokhov’s Diving into the Lilacs, and Wheeldon’s Rush.
• Two principal dancers are celebrating new arrivals to their families. On September 23, Kristin Long and Music Director and Principal Conductor Martin West welcomed their daughter, Hannah Elizabeth Long West. She measured nearly 22 inches and weighed 7 pounds and 10 ounces. On October 28, Pascal Molat and his wife Genevieve welcomed their son, Matisse Molat, who weighed 8 pounds and 3 ounces and measured 20 inches long. Check out the adorable pic of Matisse from the proud father’s recent blog post.
• If you can’t wait until December for your favorite Nutcracker characters, you’ll have two chances next week to see them out in San Francisco. On November 19, students from San Francisco Ballet School will don snowflake costumes from the Company’s production of Nutcracker, and participate in the “Snowflakes on Market” lighting ceremony at 6pm. On November 20, several Nutcracker characters will be on hand for the Embarcadero Center Tree Lighting Ceremony from 7–8pm. Both events are free and open to the public.
• Yesterday, San Francisco Ballet School announced its participation in Assemblée Internationale, hosted by Canada’s National Ballet School as part of their fiftieth anniversary festivities. The week-long event features students from twelve internationally renowned schools, and San Francisco Ballet School is distinguished as the only school from the U.S. participating. Assemblée Internationale activities will include an international choreographic festival, with an emphasis on student choreography. Each participating school will perform existing pieces selected from their repertory, and students will also work with their peers from other schools to learn original works choreographed by fellow students. The week will culminate in performances of both the existing repertory and newly-created dances. Performances run from November 18–21 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre, at 404 Jarvis Street in Toronto. For more information or to purchase tickets, call at 416.964.5148.

Dana Genshaft and James Sofranko rehearse Possokhov's Diving into the Lilacs. (© Erik Tomasson)

Tags: "Haffner" Symphony, Company B, Diving into the Lilacs, Kristin Long, Nutcracker, Pascal Molat, San Francisco Ballet School, SFB Scene

SFB Scene

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 | All Posts by Open Studio 455, SFB Scene | No Comments

• In less than two weeks, SF Ballet will embark on its first tour to the People’s Republic of China. The tour will include stops at the Shanghai (September 22, 23, 24, and 25), and Beijing (October 1, 2, and 3). For more info, click here.
• SF Ballet Company members are currently rehearsing works for the 2010 Repertory Season as well as for the upcoming China Tour. Choreographer in Residence Yuri Possokhov is in the studio creating his new work, which will debut on Program 7 of the 2010 season. Also, Elyse Borne is rehearsing a number of Balanchine works including Serenade, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, and Theme and Variations.
• The San Francisco Ballet School resumed classes last week after a summer break.  This Saturday, September 12, San Francisco Ballet School will be holding auditions for girls and boys, ages 7 ½ through 10, with or without previous ballet training, for the 2009-2010 school year. For more information, visit sfballet.org/schoolauditions.

San Francisco Ballet in Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust; © Erik Tomasson)

Tags: SFB Scene

Right Back at It!

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 | All Posts by Charlene Cohen, SFB Scene | 1 Comment

After two weeks back to work at SFB, summer vacation already seems a distant memory. We got right down to business; the past two weeks were dedicated to setting Petrouchka and Ghosts, the Christopher Wheeldon premiere for this season. The two ballets are on completely different sides of the spectrum of ballet, and remind me why I joined this company: the diverse repertoire.

My first opportunity to work with Chris was as a student at the School of American Ballet. He choreographed a ballet called Scénes de Ballet using students from all levels in the school, from beginning to advanced. The set was reminiscent of an old Russian ballet classroom with a ballet barre running diagonally down the stage. The dancers are divided into “real dancers” and their reflections on the other side of the barre, where the mirror would be in a typical ballet studio. The ballet was a great success and so exciting to be a part of; Chris was a choreographer to watch for in the future.

Now, with one week left to finish Ghosts, it will be sad to see him go. He doesn’t sit in a chair and direct, he’s right along with us, dancing every step, and doing it better in jeans and socks. He works fast and before you know it, three hours of rehearsal have flown by. His sense of humor makes the rehearsal a very non-threatening atmosphere; we’re all joined together in the same cause, sharing a laugh along the way. It’s interesting to be witness to the creation of a ballet. Steps work and sometimes they don’t. He’ll rework them, continually honing them until they are satisfactory. Tableaus are created and he’ll add dancers to create a different effect. Great steps become themes of the piece and are repeated throughout, setting the tone of the work. In creating a ballet, a choreographer begins with a blank canvas, and over time layers it with different textures and colors, until it becomes a finished piece.

These opportunities are truly once in a lifetime experiences, and cherished by dancers and choreographers alike. We are evolving our art-form, one ballet at a time.

Charlene Cohen in rehearsal (© Erik Tomasson)

Tags: SFB Scene

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