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 Review of Fri Night
by Melanie Nix, special to critical-dance.com (Program 1)
San Francisco Ballet, with Programme 1, dished up an equal number
of pleasing and disappointing works. The evening got off to a
slightly bad start with Fanfare, a Jerome Robbins work
first premiered in 1953. Unfortunately it hasn't traveled well.
The dancers were exceptional, there is no doubt, but they looked
a little peeved to be wearing peach and baby blue tutus sporting
huge appliqued instruments across the bodice! There were some
cringe-worthy moments of choreography...
more
 Review of Sat's Performance
by critical-dance.com (Program 1)
The clear and elegant choreography relies heavily on couples
and trios for the creation of its fluent patterns. The central
Pas de Deux was danced by Muriel Maffre and Cyril Pierre. Maffre's
radiant but cool elegance proved to be just perfect for showing
off the ballet’s classiness.
more
Flash Reviews
of Program 3 (Thu and Sat)
"Another evening which showed the Company on great form."
"Night was a huge hit and Tina LeBlanc's hunting
performance brought the house down." Member impressions
and newspaper reviews. more
Flash Reviews
and Observations of Program 1 (Mon and Fri)
"The audience gave the opening night performances a very
warm reception." "...most impressed with the o verall
quality of the dancing throughout." Member impressions
and newspaper reviews. more
 Two Reviews of Thu Night
by critical-dance.com (Program 3)
Ballet broke my heart about 10 years ago. Of course there were
times when I missed Ballet dreadfully, but I never went back.
As fate would have it, I found myself a decade later going to
see Ballet again for the first time, at the same theatre we last
said goodbye. San Francisco Ballet is probably the best company
to go and see if you're a recovering Ballet addict.
more
 Two Reviews of Wed Night
by critical-dance.com (Program 2)
Well what a diverse and entertaining evening. As my first introduction
to SFB I can’t think of a better way to have been baptized.
more
 Two Reviews of Tue Night
by critical-dance.com (Program 2)
Having only a week at the Royal Opera House to impress itself
upon a relatively new audience San Francisco Ballet have opted
for three programmes of short pieces that illustrate the breadth
of its repertory.
more
Other Reviews
and Observations of Program 2 (Tue and Wed)
"Quite taken by Glass Pieces. It really shows off
the company." Member impressions and newspaper reviews.
more
 Review of Opening Night
(Mon, Prog 1) by critical-dance.com
As one can imagine on San Francisco Ballet's opening night of
their 2001 tour, there was an atmosphere of great excitement.
more
Previews of the
SFB Season by Forum Members
"I've been asked to pick a program, if I had to choose one
of the three. I simply can't. They are all three superb bills."
more
 Principal
Casting
"I see this casting list and think 'lucky London' all around.
But Gonzalo Garcia, if he hasn't yet lost his youthful enthusiasm,
will be a blast in the third movement of Prism."
more
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Preview of San
Francisco Ballet's Season in London, Summer 2001
Stuart Sweeney summarizes the programs to be performed at
the Royal Opera House
July 24, 2001
From now to the end of November, London dance fans hardly
have a chance to draw breath. Later in the year, we will see
the 2001-2 Royal Ballet season with Don Q, Onegin
and much else. In addition, Dance Umbrella has an exceptional
programme this year with Ballett Frankfurt, Mark Morris, Alvin
Ailey and other top companies from around the world.
For the present, as the Kirov Opera vacates the Royal Opera
House after an unspectacular season, the Royal Ballet is back
in-situ to be followed by London's first sight of Sylvie Guillem's
production of Giselle for La Scala. Then to conclude the
ambitious Hochhauser season at Covent Garden, we will have the
great pleasure of three mixed bills from one of the most exciting
companies in the world - San Francisco Ballet.
It's almost two years since the company was last here, when
they made such an impression on dance fans in London. They were
at Sadler's Wells for just a week, but inspired programming gave
us a splendid overview of the Company. We saw an unconventional
Gala which went way beyond the usual rep for such evenings and
allowed us to see all the Principals and most of the rest of
the dancers.
Next, there was an excellent mixed bill with Jerome Robbins'
The Cage and Mark Morris's Sandpaper Ballet delighting
everyone and showing the variety of work that the Company can
offer. Finally, we had no less than four casts in San Francisco's
distinctive production of Swan Lake by their Artistic
Director, Helgi Tomasson. I saw two of these casts and, reading
reviews of the others, it was clear that all were from the top
draw. Overall, we had been expecting SFB to be good, but they
took our breath away.
more
 Expectations
of San Francisco Ballet's Tour to London
Azlan Ezaddin talks to the company prior to its departure
August 6, 2001
When San Francisco Ballet performed at Sadler's Wells two
summers ago, in 1999, London fans and critics alike responded
with such emotional enthusiasm that it surprised ballet fans
worldwide.
Night after night, the audience went into wild applause, even
giving one performance seven curtain calls, which until then
was unheard of. The London Times wrote, "…the extraordinary
array of talent on display was enough to show that San Francisco
deserves to be the envy of the ballet world." One London-based
correspondent even boldly proposed, in the criticaldance.com
forum, a gambit to keep the company in London. They're still
talking about it in London, and they're still talking about it
at San Francisco Ballet.
more
 A
Primer on San Francisco Ballet for Londoners
By Emma Pegler
August 11, 2001
San Francisco Opera Ballet and its affiliated school was founded
in 1933.With Adolph Bolm as ballet master, its few ballets appeared
mostly in opera productions.
San Francisco Opera Ballet and its affiliated school was founded
in 1933.With Adolph Bolm as ballet master, its few ballets appeared
mostly in opera productions. Bolm had trained at the Imperial
Ballet School in St Petersburg. Like many of the Russian dancers
who had trained at the Imperial School, danced at the Mariinsky
Theatre and then toured with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, he was
able to found his own school of classical ballet, first in Chicago
and then San Francisco, places that were opened up by touring
with Diaghilev. In that same year, a young Balanchine was coming
to the United States to start a similar venture in New York,
at the behest of Lincoln Kirstein.
more
Programme 1: Fanfare, A Garden,
Magrittomania, Symphony in 3 Movements – 13
& 17 August
-
Monday's
review
-
Friday's
review
- Forum
discussion, including previews and reviews
Programme 2: Quartette, Sea Pictures,
Bugaku, Glass Pieces – 14 & 15 August
-
Tuesday's
review
-
Wednesday's
review
- Forum
discussion, including previews and reviews
Programme 3: Night, Prism, Chaconne
for Piano and Two Dancers, Sandpaper Ballet – 16 &
18 August
-
Thursday's
review
-
Saturday's
review
- Forum
discussion, including previews and reviews
To book, ring +44 (0) 7304 4000 or visit the
website www.royaloperahouse.org
Press Release
American Dream Returns to London. Two More Ballets Added to Programme.
more
Ticket
Availability
For the latest news, reviews and gossip,
please visit our SFB in London
forum.
All photos in this special section by kind
permission of San Francisco Ballet, unless noted otherwise.
Designer: Lena
Marie Stuart
US Director: Azlan Ezaddin
UK Director: Stuart Sweeney
All contributions as noted in each feature.
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 An
Interview with Amanda Schull,
Film Star and Corps Dancer
"I enjoy more dramatic pieces because to me the performance
presentation of dance is more important than technique."
more
 An
Interview with Pierre-François Vilanoba,
Principal Dancer
"I am dancing much more than in Paris. Since I arrived in
San Francisco, I have been dancing so much."
more
 A Diary: Saturday, Day 6 –
Looking Back
Helgi Tomasson (Artistic Director of SFB) was ambitious in his
programming, staging many different pieces by different choreographers
and even bringing works by two of his own dancers. He treated
the London audience as a mature bunch of discerning but open-minded
individuals, and it paid off. more
 A Diary: Friday, Day 5
"The dancers would like to stay here longer. Most went to
see Tate Modern last Sunday and we have another free day this
Sunday, but it's not enough to see London properly and then of
course there's shopping!" more
Alarums and Excursions
The potato makes headlines. more
 A
Diary: Thursday, Day 4
Can it really be that it is Thursday already? As the saying goes,
time sure flies when you're enjoying yourself. more
 An
Interview with Joanna Berman,
Principal Dancer
"I didn't have a revelation at any one point; I just knew
I always wanted to dance." more
 A Diary: Wednesday, Day 3
Waiting outside the company's headquarters for the week, a fairly
small room hidden away in the maze of corridors backstage at
the Royal Opera House, I see the dancers coming out of the lift,
bringing them from the studio in which they have just completed
the morning's hour class to their dressing rooms. more
 A
Diary: Tuesday, Day 2
Tuesday is another hot day in London. Some of the dancers found
the stage very hot on Monday night but Megan Low, from the Corps,
would much rather have it that way than too cold. more
 A Diary: Monday, Day 1
A warm, sticky day in London and I suspect that we'll all be
cursing the inadequacy of the less than two-year old ROH air
conditioning system this evening. Later –
we did! more
 An
Interview with Lucia Lacarra,
Principal Dancer
"I'm open to anything and take every opportunity. I don't
have dreams; I just work and see what comes." more
 A Diary: Sunday, Day Minus 1
The change-over with La Scala is not quite completed, so some
of the rehearsals to date have been in small studios with the
door open to allow enough space. more
 An
Interview with Julia Adam,
Principal Dancer & Choreographer
"I cannot get over the level of talent in this company.
I feel so lucky that those are the people I get to be working
with." more
More interviews
Forum discussion of the above interviews and links to newspaper
interviews. more
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