Friday, March 5th, 2010
Hey, there are still a few tickets left for something-for-everybody Program 4 at your San Francisco Ballet over the next three days.
See what Allan Ulrich, Chronicle Dance Correspondent, thinks here and what Janos Gereben, a contributor to the Examiner, thinks here, and what Paul Parish, a writer for the Bay Area Reporter, thinks here.
And check out the casting and some photos from Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher, here.
Yuan Yuan Tan and Anthony Spaulding. Possokhov’s Diving into the Lilacs. Photo, Erik Tomasson
Program 4
Petrouchka
SF Ballet Premiere – New!
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Choreographer: Michel Fokine
Making its SF Ballet premiere this season, Michel Fokine’sPetrouchka, which was first performed by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes in 1911, is a classical tale of a Russian puppet come to life that fuses music, ballet, and history in perfect balance.
Diving into the Lilacs
Composer: Boris Tchaikovsky
Choreographer: Yuri Possokhov
Returning after its world premiere in 2009, Yuri Possokhov’s Diving into the Lilacs transforms poignant memories of youth into emotional expressions of dance.
Watch a short video with segments from Possokhov’s
Diving into the Lilacs.
in the middle, somewhat elevated
Composer: Thom Willems
Choreographer: William Forsythe
Making an encore performance this season, William Forsythe’s dynamic in the middle, somewhat elevated investigates the ballet vocabulary, redefining its boundaries along the way.
Watch a short video with segments from Forsythe’s
in the middle, somewhat elevated.
Watch a short interview with William Forsythe on
in the the middle, somewhat elevated.
Tue Mar 2, 8pm* | Wed Mar 3, 7:30pm• | Thu Mar 4, 8pm | Fri Mar 5, 8pm* | Sat Mar 6, 2pm & 8pm | Sun Mar 7, 2pm*
Total running time: 2:14
Choose a Date:
Fri, Mar 5, 2010, 8:00 PM
Sat, Mar 6, 2010, 2:00 PM
Sat, Mar 6, 2010, 8:00 PM
Sun, Mar 7, 2010, 2:00 PM
Tags: Allan Ulrich, Anthony Spaulding, Ballet, Bay Area Reporter, chronicle, Chronicle Dance Correspondent, Dance Correspondent, Diving into the Lilacs, editor, Examiner, in the middle, Janos Gereben, Paul Parish, Petrouchka, Program 4, publisher, San Francisco, san francisco ballet, Seán Martinfield, Sentinel, somewhat elevated, stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, William Forsythe, Writer, Yuan Yuan Tan
Posted in Ballet | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Why did Shanghai, the largest city in China, become one of our 16 Sister Cities in 1979? Well, we should all thank former Mayor and current U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein:
“It was sort of a race between Los Angeles and San Francisco to establish a Sister City relationship with Shanghai and of course San Francisco won – and it was the first such Sister City relationship between an American city and a Chinese city.”
(Once again L.A. loses, of course(?) - thanks DiFi.) Now it turns out that our Big Sis is hosting a big party this year – it’s World Expo 2010. So, that’s a good excuse for a bunch of the Bay Area’s cultural organizations to represent, via the Shanghai Celebration featuring Honorary Chair and San Francisco First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
Jay Xu, Director of the Asian Art Museum, confronting a media scrum after today’s announcement:
Check out the calendar of upcoming events all related to the Paris of the East - it’s packed, baby. Swan Lake featuring San Francsico Ballet Principal Dancer and Shanghai native Yuan Yuan Tan will kick things off from January 23-31 and then on February 12th comes the debut of the cornerstone of the Shanghai Celebration, a big exhibit at our Asian Art Museum simply called Shanghai. It’s going to be mega.
Just ask Jay Xu:
“The 2010 World Expo that opens in May is Shanghai’s coming-out party, the official debut as the city reclaims its position as a global powerhouse. The Asian Art Museum’s Shanghai exhibition was timed to coincide with this prominent international event. Only through understanding its tumultuous history, can one truly understand the progressive and stylish Shanghai of today.”
O.K. then.
Our jet-setting mayor was on hand to cheerlead for San Francisco, a part of his job which I think everybody would agree he does well. He was dressed for rain today, with blue jeans, and a pair of brown shoes that he claimed were “ruined” by the wet:
More deets from the AAA:
“The Shanghai Celebration is an unprecedented, year-long festival presented by more than thirty San Francisco Bay Area organizations commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the sister city relationship between San Francisco and Shanghai.
Spearheaded by the Asian Art Museum, the Celebration runs throughout 2010, coinciding with the World Expo presented in Shanghai from May to October. The more than 50 Shanghai-related programs feature exhibitions, concerts, performances, films, lectures, book readings, artist demonstrations and other special events and cover topics such as Shanghai’s architecture, jazz, historic Jewish communities, Art Deco design, filmmaking industry, contemporary art, cuisine, high-rise urban planning and fashion.
The cornerstone of the Celebration is the Asian Art Museum’s presentation of Shanghai, a major exhibition examining the visual culture of one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, scheduled for February 12-September 5, 2010.
For the Shanghai Celebration program calendar of events, and a list of participating organizations, please visit www.shanghaicelebration.com.”
Check the lengthy, lengthy sked, after the jump.
(more…)
Tags: 2010, American Jewish Committee, Anchee Min, angel island, Angela Au, architect, Architecture and Survival, art, Art Deco, Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Art Speak, Arts Commission, Arts of Pacific Asia, AsiaAlive, asian art museum, Assignment Shanghai, Ballet, Better City, Better Life, Birth of Jazz in Asia, botanical garden, building, Building Green in China, celebration, Chamber Music Concert, China, chinese, Chinese Jews of Kaifeng, city club, City Club Roundtable, comics, concert, Congregation Emanu-El, Conservatories, Contemporary Figurative Painting, Cultural Encounters, Dany Chan, de Young, Decorative Arts, documentary, dr., Drunken Dishes, East Meets West, Economica, Ellen Lou, Embroidery, Exhibition Opening, Eye of the Tiger, Fabric of Everyday life, Fall Antiques Show, Fall Antiques Show Preview Party Benefit, First Free Sunday, First Thursday Lecture Series, Forbidden City, Friday Nights, gala, Gavin, Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs, High-rise Architecture, Historically Sensitive Development in Shanghai, immigration, Immigration Station, jay xu, Jeff Heller, jennifer, Jews in Modern China, joan chen, Later Jewish Communities of Shanghai, Lehrhaus Judaica, Li Xiaofei, library, life, Lisa Claypool, lounge, Lunar New Year, Lunar New Year Flower Market, Lynn Marie Kirby, matcha, Mayor, Mint, Moderne and Modernity, Music at Meyer, Music Festival, Newsom, O Perspective, old, Old Mint Building, Open Books, Opening NIght Gala, Oregon Reed College, Past/Present/Future, Personal Stories and Reminiscences, Photographs on the Eve of Revolution, piano, Preview, professor, Propaganda Poster Art, public, reception, Recital, Remaking of China’s Gateway to the World, Renee Chow, SAA, San Francisco, san francisco ballet, San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, San Francisco Museum and Historical Society, Sandra Lee Gallery, shanghai, Shanghai 2010, shanghai celebration, Shanghai Connection, Shanghai Dress, Shanghai Film Series, Shanghai Jazz, Shanghai Painting, Shanghai’s Jews, Shuang Stella Zhang, siebel, sister city, Sisters, Society, society for asian art, spur, SPUR Urban Center, Station, stories, String Quartet, swan lake, Swinging Chinatown, target, Target First Free Sunday, U.S. Immigration Station, UC, uc berkeley, UC Berkeley Art Museum, urban center, Visual Narratives of Inter-War Shanghai, Women & the Global Economy, Xian Rui 2010, Yuan Yuan Tan
Posted in art, events | No Comments »
Monday, December 21st, 2009
Saturday Matinee (Thoughts on theater in the Bay Area) has the news about our San Francisco Ballet’s newest Principal Dancer - it’s former soloist Frances Chung.
See her tonight as a glorious Queen of the Snow in the Nutcracker.
Congratulations, Frances!
“San Francisco Ballet announced today the promotion of Frances Chung from the rank of soloist to principal dancer, effective immediately.
Born in Vancouver, Chung trained at the Goh Ballet Academy before joining the Company in 2001. She was promoted to soloist in 2005 and has danced a diverse range of roles including the Sugar Plum Fairy, Grand Pas de Deux Ballerina, and Snow Queen in Tomasson’s Nutcracker; the Enchanted Princess in Tomasson’s The Sleeping Beauty; Neapolitan, Russian Princess, and pas de trois in Tomasson’s Swan Lake; and the Queen of the Dryads in Tomasson/Possokhov’s Don Quixote.
Her repertory also includes lead roles in Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Divertimento No. 15, and “Emeralds”; Bintley’s The Dance House; Elo’s Double Evil; Forsythe’s in the middle, somewhat elevated; Lubovitch’s “…smile with my heart” and Elemental Brubeck; Makarova’s Paquita; Possokhov’s Fusion; and Welch’s Naked.
Among other honors, Chung was a finalist and prize winner at the Prix de Lausanne in 2000 and received the top honor of a silver medal at the Adeline Genée Awards in London that same year.” (via Victoria Andujar)
Tags: Ballet, canada, christmas, Chung, civic center, david allen, erik tomasson, fairy, Family, frances, Frances Chung, grove, Nutcracker, photos, pics, promoted, promotion, queen, San Francisco, san francisco ballet, SF, snow, Soloist, sugar plum, suite, van ness, Vancouver, Victoria Andujar
Posted in Ballet, art | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
From Laughing Squid comes the news - the San Francisco Ballet is holding an interactive video contest in conjunction with its upcoming Nutcracker season, starting December 8th, 2009. They’re asking the public to submit short, original Nutcracker-themed videos for a chance to win some fabulous prizes, including:
a trip for four to Aspen;
a weekend getaway at The Fairmont Hotel;
tickets to SF Ballet performances and more.
What are you waiting for? Get shaking!
What is this ballerina doing in the mail room? Click here to find out.
For more information and full contest details visit www.sfballet.org/contest.
Grand Prize
A six day-five night trip for four to Aspen, Colorado, including flight, deluxe hotel accommodations, rental car, and entertainment. In addition, the grand prize winner will receive a four-pack of tickets to see San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker this December, and a commemorative book, San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five, filled with stunning images of the Company. (Approximate value of Grand Prize package = $6,710)
Second Prize
A two-night stay at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, with daily breakfast, dinner for two at The Tonga Room, two Center Box seats to a performance of San Francisco Ballet’s Swan Lake in January 2010, including a VIP backstage tour. In addition, the second prize winner will receive a four-pack of tickets to see San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker this December, and a commemorative book, San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five. (Approximate value of Second Prize package = $2,265)
Third Prize
Dinner for two at Seasons Restaurant, located in the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, as well as a $300 gift certificate to Amazon.com. In addition, the third prize winner will receive a four-pack of tickets to see San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker this December, and a commemorative book, San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five. (Approximate value of Third Prize package = $1,010)
In addition, the two remaining semi-finalists will each receive a four-pack of tickets to see San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker this December, as well as the commemorative book San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five.
Lights, camera….
Tags: 2009, ASPEN, baller8ina, Ballet, christmas, civic center, contest, Fairmont, families, holidays, hotel, kids, Nutcracker, Nutcracker Video Contest, prize, restaurant, San Francisco, san francisco ballet, seasons, Seventy-Five, tickets, Video, youtube
Posted in art | Comments Off
Monday, April 6th, 2009
Well, let’s say you want to try out the San Francisco Ballet, something like the fantastic 2009 Program 6 - the time to do it is when they offer Fridays at the Ballet. Here’s what you get for your $49 or more:
Meet the Artist Interview - 7:00 PM: Satisfy your inner dancer with this informative talk featuring Company artists or choreographers as they discuss the work you’re about to see.
Performance – 8:00 PM: Orchestra or Dress Circle Seating.
Afterglow – 10:30 PM to Midnight: NEW! Dress Circle Lobby, Mingle with Company artists and new friends at an exclusive cocktail reception with wine generously provided by E&J Gallo Winery, vodka courtesy of Swan’s Neck Vodka and light hors d’oeuvres.
There’s plenty of people to mingle with in the youthful, well-dressed crowd upstairs in the Dress Circle Lobby after the show. This is what it looked like a few days ago:
Click to expand
It’s just like a bar, but the free-flowing alcohol and yummier-than-average horsey-dervies are on the house, ’cause you signed up for Fridays at the Ballet.
Anyway, the whole affair is quite a bargain. I’m not sure when they’ll do this program again, but take advantage of this opportunity when they do.
See you there!
Tags: Ballet, discount, friday, fridays, fridays at the ballet, nights, San Francisco, san francisco ballet, tickets
Posted in events | Comments Off
Monday, April 6th, 2009
The San Francisco Ballet just premiered Program 6 on Friday and the way things work with its Rep Program, you only have three more shows this week to check it out. Janos Gereben has a glowing review of Friday’s show, as does Rachel Howard.
And you can get a behind the scenes view from Shannon Roberts (who was so happy being able to “talk and yell” onstage) and from Ballet Master and City Lights Luminary Ricardo Bustamonte.
The Stravinsky Violin Concerto:
San Francisco Ballet in Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto © Erik Tomasson
Within the Golden Hour. Some people gasped when they saw this bit:
Sarah Van Patten and Pierre-François Vilanoba in Wheeldon’s Within The Golden Hour. © Erik Tomasson
And West Side Story Suite, about as close to Broadway as ballet can get, with Jets and Sharks and rumbles, oh my:
San Francisco Ballet in Robbins’ West Side Story Suite © Erik Tomasson
So there you have it, Program 6 is quite the spectacle. You might go for one reason and then find something else you like more. And if you sign up for the SF Ballet’s Twitter, you can get a discount April 7-9.
Expected casting, after the jump.
See you there!
(more…)
Tags: 2009, Ballet, civic center, concerto, golden hour, house, memorial, Opera, program, program 6, rep, repertory, San Francisco, san francisco ballet, stravinsky, suite, van ness, violin, war, west side story, within, within the golden hour
Posted in events | Comments Off
