California Literary Review

Articles written for the California Literary Review:

• 5 Questions with San Francisco Ballet Dancer Nicole Ciapponi
  Posted on 18 Mar 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  My favorite ballet to work this season (so far) was the William Forsythe The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. This ballet really pushed my technique, plus it allowed me to present my personality on stage. It was truly amazing to have the opportunity to perform this piece and hope that I can perform it again in the near future.

• ROYAL DANISH BALLET: Video Chat with Nikolaj Hübbe and Live Stream Preview of 2011 U.S. Tour
  Posted on 17 Mar 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  One of the most anticipated events of the late spring dance season is the return of the Royal Danish Ballet for a short U.S. tour, including engagements in Orange County and Berkeley, Calif., Washington, D.C., and New York City.

• 5 Questions with Choreographer David Herrera
  Posted on 10 Mar 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  I knew that for American Layercake it was imperative to find an assistant director who came strictly from the world of theater. I did not need another choreographer’s opinion in the studio; what I needed was a person whose eye and sensibilities were focused in theatricality, character development, story plot and arc, and in performance effectiveness.

• Dance Review: San Francisco Ballet Offers Theme and Variations, Winter Dreams and TRIO
  Posted on 01 Mar 2011 in Dance, Performing Arts
  

  Theme and Variations is a textbook ballet, showcasing the best of Balanchine’s Russian past while offering an indication of the direction classical dance would take in the second half of the 20th century. Whether by homage or imitation, as in the many symphonic ballets in countries created around the world, or in works that rage against the format, as in much of the work created by William Forsythe and his disciples, Theme and Variations remains the standard.

• Company C Contemporary Ballet: Pulse, Appalachia Waltz, Ominous Rumblings of Discontent, Indoor Fireworks
  Posted on 18 Feb 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  The most anticipated was the world premiere of Indoor Fireworks set to music by New Wave icon Elvis Costello. Anderson and co-choreographer Benjamin Bowman have crafted an appealing crowd-pleaser that offers individual showcases for the company’s talented classically trained dancers.

• Golden West College Professional Dance Invitational
  Posted on 17 Feb 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  Now in its sixth year, the Golden West weekend offers Southern California audiences the opportunity to experience two evenings packed with a selection of professional dance companies in a variety of disciplines, including contemporary ballet, classical modern, Middle Eastern, and jazz.

• San Francisco Ballet: Giselle Redux
  Posted on 12 Feb 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  Many dance companies would kill for the depth of talent present at San Francisco Ballet. Take, for example, the recent production of Giselle. This is a company that can field five excellent lead couples and has multiple casting choices for the rest of the assignments. The level is so high that soloists, principal dancers, corps members share assignments with no diminution of overall results.

• San Francisco Ballet: RAkU, Symphonic Variations and Symphony in C
  Posted on 06 Feb 2011 in Dance, Performing Arts
  

  A new Possokhov ballet is something SFB audiences have come to relish, and RAkU did not disappoint. Based on a true event — the 1950 burning of Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion — librettist Gary Wang crafted a back-story of love, obsession, and loss.

• Dance Review: San Francisco Ballet’s Giselle
  Posted on 01 Feb 2011 in Dance, Performing Arts
  

  The cast for the opening night (Saturday, January 29) featured the deservedly popular Yuan Yuan Tan and newly arrived principal dancer Artem Yachmennikov as the tragic lovers. Tan’s Giselle is delicate and charming, bolstered by the underlying power and technique necessary for the role. Bolshoi-trained Yachmennikov, an appealing and complimentary partner for Tan, plays Albrecht as a thoughtless young aristocrat on a lark who gets caught out by actually falling in love.

• A Gala Celebration with San Francisco Ballet
  Posted on 29 Jan 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  As usual for these events, Wednesday night’s audience came in their finest duds — men in tuxes and dress suits, women in satiny slip-style evening gowns, feathery cocktail dresses, and way too many fluffy tulle numbers with guaranteed-to-trip-the-guy-behind-you trains. Champagne flowed, and the buzz was heartfelt and genuine.

• And There’s Prize Money!
  Posted on 25 Jan 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  News flash — Dance makers need money! Oh, the big companies are on all the corporate donor and government grant lists, but the smaller groups have serious funding issues. Which is a problem, as these iconoclastic artists often are the ones who push the art form into new and exciting territory.

• Introducing Dance Vine, A New CLR Blog
  Posted on 17 Jan 2011 in Blog-Dance, Dance
  

  We are pleased to announce our new blog, Dance Vine. CLR dance critics Hanna Oldsman and Geri Jeter will use this space to call attention to smaller dance companies and talk about aspects of dance not normally covered in their more formal reviews.

• Dance Review: San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker
  Posted on 14 Dec 2010 in Dance, Performing Arts
  

  For sheer production values, though, the San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker remains at the top of the list. The latest incarnation of the classic, choreographed by SFB Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson, debuted in 2004. It shifts the focus from the nineteenth-century Biedermeier period seen in past productions and brings the story forward to Edwardian San Francisco during the time of the Panama Pacific International Exhibition. Capitalizing on the distinctive architecture of the city, Tomasson has presented a Nutcracker that is uniquely San Francisco.