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Wheeldon’s mixture of sombre sea life and the lovers attached to it evokes less of Tudor’s austere Dark Elegies than Ashton’s musicality over which Wheeldon’s own romantic lyric streak plays a dominant melody. The reality of men going to sea with one man dying is more believable than the reaction allotted to the woman bereft. Elgar’s four songs are simply too lyric in quality, demanding phrasing and posture which dominate the emotion. Still the combination works pleasantly, and who can withhold empathy when it is Yuri Possokhov as the doomed figure? Particularly appealing were Vanessa Zahorian and Pierre-Francois Vilanoba as the couple supporting Tina Le Blanc in the final song.

LeBlanc, replacing Joanna Berman this season, used her steely technique to attack the grief she must face, contain, surmount. Her tiny frame gave wings to her anguish. You can just picture her facing Poisedon, exclaiming "How Dare you do this to us?" ready to argue for her lover’s life.

Despite the muted interpretation of sea life, Sea Pictures possesses an admirable flair for groupings, particularly in the play of the men with Possokhov and the darting image of Le Blanc moving against the reunited couples.

Black Cake
Composers: Stravinsky;Massenet; Mascagni; Janacek; Tchaikovsky
Choreographer: Hans van Manen
Design: Keso Dekker
Lighting: Joop Caboort
Staging: Mea Venema

This second glimpse of Black Cake impresses less as decadence as with adroitly-chronicled foibles of the young with too much disposable income. Van Manen, I suspect, fully believes such excess happened before in many times and climes and will continue to happen, and, sometimes, it can be wonderfully funny. Slight, perhaps. But knowing and observant, yes, oh, yes, yes, definitely yes! And what utter skill in creating the brandy-saturated whipped cream!

Vanessa Zahorian and Gonzalo Garcia were new to their roles, Garcia giving it a slight evocation of the matador, Zahorian a young, sensual follower more engrossed in the momentary wealth of the maneuvers than in gender inequities. They were equally engaging drunks, not over indulgers very long and were awkwardly appealing in their first excess. Cyril Pierre, replacing Yuri Possokhov with Julia Adam, turned his pale blue eyes to the audience with a riveted, blank stare, a social delivery straight from a French music hall. Adam reminded once again exactly why she is such an unusual choreographer. Her capacity to convey inebriation made you believe she could plunk into the nearest male lap with gleeful abandon.

Thank heaven the San Francisco repertoire enjoys such sprightly pratfalls.

Prism
Composer: Ludwig Van Beethoven
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Costumes: Martin Pakledinaz
Lighting: Mark Stanley Staging: Christine Redpath
Pianist: Roy Bogas

Prism may well be for Helgi Tomasson what Symphony in C was for George Balanchine, a joyous signature piece to which audiences will return with anticipation, leave with contentment and satisfaction, a perennial work. With an pianist like Roy Bogas, that possibility is reinforced.

Premiered on New York City Ballet when the company was occupied in the Discovery Program, the ballet seems crafted for Tomasson’s singular dancers. He doubtless kept them in mind while revisiting a major Manhattan artistic crucible. The first movement in the initial performance was accomplished by Kristin Long with Zachary Hench and Vadim Solomakha remaining into the next casting with Julie Diana. Yuan Yuan Tan and Pierre Francois Vilanoba replaced Lucia La Carra and Cyril Pierre in the second movement. Muriel Maffre and Benjamin Pierce also essayed this lengthy pas de deux. For the third movement Gonzalo Garcia shared honors with Gennadi Nedviguine.

Excepting the bravura turns allotted to Garcia and Neviguine, the ballet seemed deceptively simple, echoing the interplay between piano and orchestra, between ornamentation and lyric expositions on the keyboard itself. All seemed carried by the impulse to explore an inspired moment, suggesting, "Let’s try!", launching images beyond their parts, the line etched lucidly, truly culminating in prismatic visual refractions of music.

Julie Diana, who engages an audience while being totally within her assignment, reflected not only her innate musicality and graciousness, but reminded us that her formative training was in the Balanchine tradition. She has given us superb dramatic interpretations. Here Diana was a ballerina reminding me of the heady days watching Tallchief, Wilde, LeClerq and Adams all on one program. What a gift to have those reflections evoked!

Vadim Solomakha and Zachary Hench provided admirable support, correct deportment and unequivocal line, but were not required to do much more. I got the feeling Tomasson was saying, "Wait and see, I’m not finished yet."

Vilanoba may have been partnering Yuan Yuan Tan for the first time, the results intriguing but tentative. Her half smile had never seemed so satisfied or feline. As Yuan Yuan unfolded battements a la seconde, closing pointes in fifth position or assuming a turning arabesque, she was totally in the moment, reigning supreme, happy in the music, with a spatial distance evoking a traditional sumi brush painting on silk. Vilanoba seemed equally concerned with the correct display and reflection of the ballerina, port de bras reinforcing line, pose, music, style. I felt the observer of two superb exponents of two great cultures: Le Chine et La France, matched in height, quality, approach. They drew one to the music, while reflecting separate pools of concentration. Beautifully executed, the chemistry has yet to emerge.

After two movements with the ballerina fully displayed, Tomasson graphically reminded us ballet was formed by male virtuosi and the company has several such dancers. With his own bravura history as impetus, he provided a sizeable choreographic affirmation, allotted first to Gonzalo Garcia. Guennadi Neviguine was the soloist I saw, that secure, sunny, self-contained exponent from Russia. Both possessed of superb ballon and stylistic finish, Tomasson must enjoy having the human resources to display Vive La Difference with such obvious skill and variety. It makes Prism appear a creation of utter ease.