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November 17, 2006
The beginning of the season 2006-2007
The beginning of the season 2006-2007
We started out with a tour to New York City. We were performing at the
State Theatre as part of the Lincoln Center Festival, and it was
amazing. First of all the novelty of being there, walking around
backstage and thinking 'this is where Balanchine worked and every corner
is here thanks to his idea of a perfect theater'; I felt so special to
be there.
I performed two works on the Gala. First, from David Bintley's The
Dance House with Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun, and second, the White Swan pas
de deux from Helgi Tomasson's Swan Lake, with Yuan Yuan Tan.
Later in the week, I performed the summer pas de deux with Muriel
Maffre, in Christopher Wheldon's Quaternary. I love working with her
because she is a very committed dancer and open to new ideas.
Tiit Helimets with Muriel Maffre in Wheeldon's Quaternary.
(© Erik Tomasson)
Performing on that stage was so nice. It felt very intimate, safe and
kind of cozy (I know it doesn't make any sense since the stage is so
huge but it felt really comfortable and I felt like I was alone on the
stage.)
I got lost in what I was doing and only noticed the audience then they
started clapping.
After the tour we went back to San Francisco and started new ballets.
We had a couple of choreographers, Wayne McGregor for Eden/Eden and
Matjash Mrozewski, who came in to pick people for their pieces.
I was lucky that they both were interested and picked me. Wayne is
great; his movement is so extreme and quick and incredible. I love the
flow of it and sometimes it looks like dancers have been put together
backwards so it's great to watch. Also, you have to be very flexible to
do it, because you will suffer a lot otherwise, especially when you are
performing opposite Muriel Maffre. I must admit I had to stretch a lot.
I have never experienced this kind of movement, so I really went for it
when I was in his rehearsals.
Tiit Helimets with Muriel Maffre rehearsing McGregor's Eden/Eden.
(© Erik Tomasson)
I was sore the whole time he was here and a few weeks after that. It
was a great time and I can't wait until we perform it.
Matjash Mrozewski picked me to do a neoclassical pas de deux and my
partner is Sarah Van Patten, a young, talented girl. I really had fun
working with Matjash on it and helping create the role. It's a tricky
pas de deux with a lot of bending arms and moving through each other's
movement. The music is also great--I hope I'm not giving away too much.
Something odd that I just realized is that we are doing David Bintley's
"The Dance House," which he created on San Francisco Ballet and I never
had a chance to perform it at the Birmingham Royal Ballet, when I was
there. I love the ballet, especially the second movement. We had Joanna
Berman, who originally created the role opposite Ashley Wheater, coach
us on it. The pas de deux is tricky, challenging, and very tiring, but
it works really well dramatically and is very musical.
Night is the next ballet in line.
My partner in Night is Vanessa Zahorian who is a small dancer which
makes it easy for me to lift her. Night is an interesting ballet about a
young girl's dream and her adventure in it. The music is lovely and
friendly.
The pas de deux is hard but with Vanessa it's piece of cake. We enjoy
working together because we are both very up-beat and it makes
rehearsals fun.
Next ballet: The Sleeping Beauty.
I have done this work through and through and this will be my third production of Sleeping Beauty. We are doing Helgi Tomasson's version and its very
nice and pretty. My partner Yuan Yuan Tan is great, a perfect Aurora. We
both have done it before so our first rehearsal seemed to surprise Helgi
a little bit, in a good way. The second act is always different in every
production and it's hard and challenging.
I like that the solos are tricky and require a good technique; it makes
us work harder.
rehearsing Tomasson's 2007 world premiere.
(© Erik Tomasson)
We are still working on it so I can't say what it will feel like to
dance it all the way through.
There is no real season without Balanchine ballets and we are doing two
of them, Symphony in C and Divertimento No. 15. I am in both of them.
In Symphony in C I will perform the second movement, and in
Divertimento No. 15, I am one of the principal men.
I always wanted to be in Symphony in C because it's such a nice ballet
I first saw New York City ballet perform the piece and loved it. I was
crossing my fingers that I would be cast and I'm just honored to do it.
Elyse Borne is setting both of the Balanchine ballets.
I think that should give you some idea what to expect of our upcoming
season at San Francisco Ballet.
Miss you all very much in England and especially all my friends at the
Birmingham Royal Ballet.
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