SFB Scene

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 | All Posts by Open Studio 455, SFB Scene | 1 Comment

• After the final performance on May 10, the rehearsal studios of 455 Franklin St have emptied out while the Company takes a 8-week hiatus, returning to the studios in early July. Click to read what Principal Dancer Pascal Molat and Soloist Frances Chung did last year on their summer breaks.
• Last week, students from the San Francisco Ballet School and Trainee Program performed in the 2009 Student Showcase giving audiences a glimpse of the progression in ballet training. This year’s showcase featured George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and Stars and Stripes.  Click here to read The San Francisco Chronicle’s review of the performance.

  

  SF Ballet School Students in George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes at the 2009 Student Showcase (Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust; © Erik Tomasson)

Tags: Student Showcase, summer vacation

Guest Performance in Kazakhstan

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 | All Posts by Pascal Molat, SFB Scene | 2 Comments

This past July, San Francisco Ballet dancers including Dana Genshaft, Maria Kochetkova, and I traveled to Kazakhstan where we were invited to guest-perform at an annual arts festival devoted to the 10th anniversary of Astana, capital of Kazakhstan. Located in the center of the Eurasian landmass in what is known as Central Asia, Kazakhstan is bordered on the east by China, on the south by Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, on the west by the Caspian Sea, and on the north by Russia. Kazakhstan is the second largest state in terms of territory to emerge from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

First, the beautiful venue Pyramid of Peace. This was my first time dancing in a pyramid! Here I am with Dana Genshaft.

Here is a view from the stage.

This is Baiterek or the Tree of Life. The tower has come to symbolize the ambitions of the country—much like the Eiffel Tower in France.

Here’s an interesting street sign: Put on your sunglasses? We were never able to figure out what that meant!

here's the palace

And finally, a traditional tourist picture with some police men. They were more friendly than they look!

Tags: Guest performances, Pascal Molat, summer vacation

Rebuilding New Orleans

Monday, August 4th, 2008 | All Posts by Frances Chung, SFB Scene | 2 Comments

After a long and thrilling season with SFB and a small tour to Europe, where I danced some more, it was time for a break. I headed to the blazing hot state of Louisiana with a group from my church, Cornerstone, to work with Mercy Response in the effort to rebuild areas of New Orleans damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

I was part of a team helping Wally, a life-long New Orleans resident, whose house was destroyed during the hurricane. We spent our time there building him a new house.

I'm second from the left in the front row

Here I am riding in “Betsy” the boom lift.

Cutting panels of soffit (facia), the ceiling-like area that connects the siding of a house to the roofline, was one of the skills I developed in NOLA.

Working on scaffolding! Yikes!

Shortly before we left, we took this snapshot with Wally (blue overalls) in front of his new home. When I arrived in New Orleans I did not know what to expect but I left feeling grateful for the experience.

Tags: Frances Chung, summer vacation