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San Francisco BalletSan Francisco, Opera House by Renee Renouf |
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It was the usual crush. I managed to see what the gussied up people devoured under the big white top masking the Opera House Parking Lot. Production for these annual Gala rivals the stage preparations in the degree of elaboration, and becomes a performance itself.
Following the Star Spangled Banner we got:
The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude
Without Words (excerpt)
Aquilarco
The Dying Swan
Paquita Pas de Deux
Intermission
Light Rain (excerpt)
Later Premiere
Bartok Divertimento Premiere
La Cathedral Engloute
Stars and Stripes (excerpts)
Virtiginous Thrill has been seen quite a bit, but watching the ease of the dancers in non-stop execution is something else. Nedviguine and Rykine are wonderfully matched, and Zahorian's turning skills saw good usage. Baker is something of a cypher for me, but I'm open. Julie Diana was almost playful in her demanding role, riding the tempo with musical aplomb. Without Words was effective but subdued, not allowing either Waldo or Maynard to display their special qualities. Val Caniparoli's Aquilarco is quite another non-stop piece, cheerfully rendered by Long and Legate.When they slid on their sides at the end, the audience roared in appreciative empathy. I had read about Muriel Maffre's dancing The Dying Swan, and was surprised to see it listed for the Gala. While typical S.F. Ballet repertoire. Maffre etches space incomparably, her stillness, the obvious study of the role moving her wounded bird on steady, even bourrees. Her bird lacks a consistent, rounded port de bras. Fatal wounds are sharp and stark is Maffre's reading which combine with the usual port de bras, increasing the drama and the struggle of the swan. This study evoked strong reaction in some traditionalists at intermission but the audience, with me, liked Maffre's interpretation a lot. The stillness at the end which Maffre evoked proved just testimony. Feijoo and Solomakha know how to milk Minkus's music and make Paquita bubble. If not champagne, it's at least vintage Mateus. There is a lot of one to the right and one to the left and let's repeat that please in both partnering and the variations. The pair possessed just the right amount of collaboration and self-estime to transmit the chemistry and excitement possible in the old war horse, making for a rousing finish before Intermission. Light Rain is probably the first Gerald Arpino piece in a San Francisco Ballet program. I can think of other works of his which could nestle quite happily in the repertoire and the audience affections. Lucia La Carra and Cyril Pierre learned this piece for guest appearances, and it's easy to see how La Carra's body rivals Sylvie Guillem for flexibility. The Light Rain pas de deux was created originally for Patricia Miller and James Canfield, both of whom were remarkable, and Miller, whose pointe wouldn't quit, was a sensation dancing it. By contrast with La Carra, Miller's body is almost voluptuous. La Carra takes the contortions to the Middle Eastern Drum rolls, with its obvious punctuations for the movement, whether an arch, a thrust, or a leg clasped in an exaggerated attitude (or yoga position)to the ultimate. Arpino must have been delighted to lend the work to the couple, for their reading of this work is very exciting, if the piece itself is soft porn. The applause was prolonged, forcing an extra curtain call. Joanna Berman's solo by Mark Morris was eloquent testimony what a good sport she has exhibited in her career. Morris' solo for her was the third Schubert on the program, and he permitted Mizrahi to costume her in a black garment cutting her line. In the name of pseudo simplicity, Berman had to circle the stage, every so often raising her arms in third position arabesque style. Morris eschewed displaying her humor or sense of fun, but rather fashioned a semi-melancholy study gradually displaying some of her technique. When I think of Helgi Tomasson Confidencias for Evelyn Cisneros, I could cry. Morris' results were trivial; waste of dancer, waste of money; quite a wasted opportunity. Tomasson's Bartok Divertimento provided Tina LeBlanc with a romp, beautiful partnering by Peter Brandenhoff, and the responsiveness of Gonzalo Garcia and Zachary Hench. Brandenhoff is very strong, a thoughtful artist whose intelligence compensates for an anatomically tight upper back. The final program puzzle was Stanton Welch's La Cathedral Engloutee, created for the 1999 Gala. Danced by Yuan Yuan Tan and Yuri Possokhov with their usual style, the musical choice is curious. I wondered what meaning they were to convey. I never learned but they dance beautifully.
Gonzalo Garcia took to leading the Men's Regiment in Stars and Stripes as if as native an American as Robert Barnett, creator of the role. Tiekka Schofield, who has been injured, came on to sparkle with Benjamin Pierce, wonderfully attuned to the Jacques d'Amboise role. Sherri LeBlanc and Leslie Young led the two regiments of women and the curtain came down to a vociferous roar.
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