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San Francisco Ballet lays claim to the first American company mounting a full length version of this perennial favorite. Willam Christensen created a 1940 version. assisted by emigre Russians recollections. One consultant was actually a Romanoff living in Palo Alto. In 1953 George Balanchine’s Act II was danced by Sally Bailey and Gordon Paxman. Kent Stowell’s version was mounted in 1982 with Laurie Cowden and Dennis Marshall in the title roles.

Tomasson’s 1988 production with its extraordinarily beautiful set and costumes by Jens Jacob Worsae, inspired by the 17th and 18th century court life of the French Bourbon Monarchs, is adroitly lit by David K.H. Elliott. Music Director Martin West led the orchestra with Roy Malan and David Kadarauch as supporting soloists. This version is one of the early masterpiece productions of Tomasson's direction.

Tomasson seems to have amended Act I allowing greater involvement of the school’s students who cavort around Caniparoli’s Wolfgang. Courtiers and peasants dance for the prince, Gonzalo Garcia, standing respectfully when the Queen Mother (Anita Paciotti) arrives. The pas de trois (Rachel Viselli, Vanessa Zahorian, Sergei Torrado) nicely cast Zahorian’s brio and Viselli’s phrasing to provide these talents due display; Torrado’s elevation and tours were casually, if neatly delivered, as if ‘after all this is an afternoon gathering’. While attentive, this celebration also makes clear everyone, granted protocol, was involved in a personal agenda. Tomasson has included an elegaic solo for Siegfried regarding his need to choose a bride, wonderfully phrased by Garcia with all lines and pauses arrow clear, slightly brushed with the situational emotions he is still reaching to project. Still, Garcia’s dancing was handsome to behold.

Act II enjoyed several excellences with LeBlanc at the top of the pyramid; emotionally and musically right down to the yearning. One spot in the pas de deux I always watch for: when Odette begins to be stirred, after retreating and Siegfried, puzzled, turns away, she comes from behind Siegfried, lifts his left arm to be embraced. How that is rendered is a touchstone; LeBlanc made it, simply, an emotional confession of neediness, like a kitten or cat seeking creature comfort. In her solo, LeBlanc moved through clearly etched passes, nothing sloppy, nothing slurred. The final echappes she preferred to execute them to the front than moving swiftly to the rear. Other highlights were the cygnets and the larger swans, particularly Megan Low and Clara Blanco in the former, Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun and Sarah Van Patten in the latter.
 

Act III provides the grand staircase upstage right, mural-sized paintings in the rear, the largest to frame the mourning Odette, handsome costumes as backdrop for the machinations of the royal hopefuls and the alluring ersatz swan and her pa. Once more Paciotti’s Queen Mother went the restrained gamut: gracious, hopeful, shocked and rejecting, once more anticipatory, then momentarily elated before the ultimate devastation.

For the Spanish variation, the brothers Martin flanked Alana Altman, tall, correct but neither bolero or flamenco fire was present, while Ruben and Moises came across as Seville’s young scions at the Fair.

Led by Pauli Magierek and Peter Brandenhoff, the Czardas was executed with suitable dash as was the later Mazurka. In between Pascal Molat dashed exhuberantly through the Neopolitan while Elizabeth Miner, flicking spirited ballonnes, matched his verve.

LeBlanc’s Odile registered difference through the thrust of her port de bras, the attack in the technique, the all too aware smile a constant. You could imagine her in black palazzo trousers accomplishing her seduction chores pool side, Rosalind Russell turned mafia , a like energy defying physical size. Le Blanc’s remarkable consistency only flagged with traveling fouettes, some double.

Damian Smith projected sufficient quantities of sinister shade to involve one in the struggle,head and eyes moving hawk like over his enthralled flock.

Garcia’s Siegfried caught fire primarily through involvement with LeBlanc’s Odette-Odile. Of technique he has a well-controlled, beautifully phrased and executed excess. He is moving from the physical demands; it will take a while for him to inhabit the emotional ones, but what Garcia currently provides the audience makes few of us all that concerned.