- Diablo Ballet & the White Cat Syndrome
Posted on 28 Nov 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
A great thing about living in the Bay Area is that the local dance world is full of surprises. One day you think you’ve seen pretty much everything there is on offer, and the next you discover something that’s been there for a while but is new to you. It’s kind of like being one of those white cats, some of which tend to be a bit slow on the uptake.
- 5 Questions with Choreographer, Val Caniparoli (Part 1)
Posted on 18 Nov 2011 in Blog-Dance
Val Caniparoli is a busy guy these days. In San Francisco alone, he is rehearsing Smuin Ballet’s company premiere of his edgy and challenging Swipe for the company’s spring program and preparing the Diablo Ballet world premiere of Tears from Above. In addition, he is Principal Character Dancer at San Francisco Ballet, so is preparing [...]
- Smuin Ballet Kicks Off Its 2011-2012 Season
Posted on 29 Sep 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
The spotlight for this season opener is the world premiere of Dear Miss Cline by Choreographer-in-Residence Amy Seiwert, which she has described as her most “Smuin-esque” piece to date. Set to ten classic Patsy Cline recordings, it is a sometimes comic, often touching, exploration of interpersonal relationships. The company has a real winner with this ballet. A big plus were the cheerful costumes by Jo Ellen Arntz (with Amy Seiwert). They captured the period of the late 1950s/early 1960s without descending into cliché-ridden “Hee Haw” country kitsch.
- New Kid on the Smuin Ballet Block: Jared Hunt
Posted on 21 Sep 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
It is wonderful to be dancing in an ensemble again. The company is tremendously talented, and we all feed off each other’s energy and abilities. The familial atmosphere works. All the dancers seek to make their fellow company members look their best. There is a sense of common good — a sense of community.
- San Francisco Opera: Heart of a Soldier
Posted on 13 Sep 2011 in Music, Opera, Performing Arts, Theatre
For its world premiere of Heart of a Soldier at San Francisco Opera, the creators chose to concentrate on the personal story of Morgan Stanley’s security head Rick Rescorla, whose actions led over 2,700 World Trade Center South Tower workers to safety, only to lose his own life when he reentered the building to search for stragglers. The opera focuses on his journey from childhood in Cornwall, England, to his role in the tragic events on 9/11. An exploration of a life that culminated in those heroic actions is a story worth examining.
Unfortunately, it was poorly told.
- Dance in the Desert Festival: 3 Questions with Choreographer/Festival Director Kelly Roth
Posted on 29 Jul 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
Now known as a venue for the introduction of innovative work, Dance in the Desert showcases companies from around the world, across the United States, and from the neighboring states of California, Utah, and Arizona, as well as highlighting Nevada’s own talent.
- Post:Ballet – Seconds
Posted on 25 Jul 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
In many cities and towns across the U.S., once the local ballet company completes its schedule, local fans have to pretty much wait until next season to get their dance fix. Not so in the San Francisco Bay Area. This dance-rich corner of the country fields a large number of companies that populate the regular fall/spring seasons and encompass everything from classical ballet to contact improvisation. Additionally, during the off-season, while some take a well-deserved break, other dancers and choreographers reconfigure, creating fascinating new companies.
- Dance in the Desert Festival: 3 Questions with Choreographer/Dancer Bernard Gaddis
Posted on 20 Jul 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
The Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater, a popular company scheduled to perform the weekend of July 29/30 at the College of Southern Nevada’s annual Dance in the Desert Festival, is relatively new to the Las Vegas dance scene. Founded in 2007 by Bernard H. Gaddis and Charmaine Hunter, LVCDT is Las Vegas’ first professional contemporary dance company. Best known for its passionate and relatable repertoire, the company blends classical and modern styles with a high degree of athleticism.
- Dance in the Desert Festival: 5 Questions with Choreographer Nannette Brodie
Posted on 15 Jul 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
In between their annual festival appearances, the Brodie company, like most of the other Festival participants, presents its own season, conducts classes, and explores new choreographic approaches. However, this past spring, Company Director Nannette Brodie was presented with a new challenge — to choreograph dance material for the Long Beach Opera production of the Philip Glass opera, Akhnaten. In addition to the singing, acting, and orchestral components, the production also included cutting-edge video work.
- San Francisco Ballet — Promotions & New Company Members
Posted on 22 Jun 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
San Francisco Ballet has announced four company promotions, two new company members, and six new apprentices for the 2012 Repertory Season.
Soloist Vito Mazzeo has been promoted to principal dancer effective July 1, 2011. In addition, Patricia Keleher, Raymond Tilton, and Caroline Diane Wilson, apprentices during the 2011 Repertory Season, will join the ranks of the corps de ballet effective July 1, along with former SFB School Trainees Francisco Mungamba and Wan Ting Zhao. A complete and updated announcement and company roster will be distributed in July.
- San Francisco Ballet: The Little Mermaid
Posted on 06 May 2011 in Dance, Performing Arts
Although described as being more closely aligned with the Andersen tale, this is an exposition more focused on the pain and suffering aspect of the story than in the redemptive resolution of the original. Andersen’s Mermaid is not primarily interested in the Prince, but recognizes that his love can help her gain an immortal soul, something the merpeople do not possess. For this to happen, however, the Prince must fall in love with and marry her. If he doesn’t, her deal with the Sea Witch is that she will die, turning into sea foam.
- San Francisco Ballet Announces 2012 Season
Posted on 20 Apr 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
As each ballet season draws to an end, the speculation about the next year’s offerings begins. Well, San Francisco Ballet fans don’t have to wait any longer. This week, SFB released the upcoming season, and it looks to be amazing!
- San Francisco Ballet: Six for Two
Posted on 14 Apr 2011 in Dance, Performing Arts
Chic, black Sandra Woodall costumes and the predominately white lighting plan by David Finn serve to pare the work down to its visual essentials, allowing Tomasson’s choreographic design to stand on its own merits. From the unusual slow opening section featuring Yuan Yuan Tan and Tiit Helimets (one of this season’s more felicitous pairings) to the brisk male solo danced by Joan Boada, all the action is in service to the music. Especially effective is the 3rd Movement trio danced by Dores Andre, Elizabeth Miner, and Joan Boada. Fluid and flirtatious, it is a real charmer.
- Book Review: In the Blink of an Eye by Michael Waltrip
Posted on 29 Mar 2011 in Non-Fiction Reviews, Sports
On the last lap, Earnhardt crashed, dying shortly thereafter. The race winner, Michael Waltrip, was celebrating in Victory Lane when he found out that he had lost one of his best friends even as he achieved one of the biggest successes of his racing career. New York Times bestseller In the Blink of an Eye is the story of Waltrip’s journey of personal discovery as he dealt with this loss, as well as an account of how a guy from a small town in Kentucky ended up driving at the elite level in his chosen sport.
- Dance Review: San Francisco Ballet’s Coppélia
Posted on 22 Mar 2011 in Dance, Performing Arts
This production is, in a word — glorious! The lush backgrounds, from the opening wisteria-covered village green to the detailed interior of Dr. Coppélius’ workshop with its cantilevered bookshelves and spare doll parts, framed some terrific dancing by soloists and corps alike.
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