Saturday Matinee

Vanessa Zahorian and Kristin Long in Balanchine’s “Divertimento No. 15″

I realize that I tend to speak in hyperbole about my favorite San Francisco Ballet, but if there ever is a perfect night in ballet, Program 2 came pretty close. Program 2 consists of a right balance of diverse pieces, with Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Mark Morris’ Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, and choreographer-in-residence Possohkov’s Firebird. Thank God that SFB hasn’t adopted NYCB’s ‘themed programming’ with names such as “Spirit of Discovery”. In reviewing one such night at the NYCB, NY Times critic Jennifer Dunning lamented, “Oh, those titles, and whatever happened to Programs A, B and C?” Give me normal good ol’ fashioned programming like this any day, where I can get a diverse range of pieces in one evening.

The best part is the ability of SF Ballet to flow in and out of different styles of choreography seamlessly, and with charm. I had always taken this uncanny talent of SF Ballet for granted until I saw a company that didn’t do it so well. SFB makes it look so easy, and they tackle Balanchine to Morris to Possohkov beautifully. (In fact, Jen got a personal endorsement from Mark Morris himself that she should watch SF Ballet do Balanchine.)

The evening didn’t start well with an announcement over the PA that Jaime Garcia Castilla would be replaced by Hansuke Yamamoto in Divertimento, and Ruben Martin in Drink. That was the biggest damper on the evening, although the subs were great, Jaime Garcia Castilla is quickly becoming one of my favorite dancers in the company, with his lyrical lines and dramatic stage presence. He’s definitely one to watch. I hope he’s also ok so we can see him onstage soon.

Balanchine’s neoclassical Divertimento No. 15 reminded me a little of his Ballo della Regina. Whereas Ballo was joyful smiles, Divertimento was more gracious and knowing smiles. The piece exuded a warm sense of camaraderie which sparkled onstage, as dancers acknowledged each other while dancing. The rough edges seen in the female corps in Program 1 was nowhere to be seen in Divertimento, as the corps were confident and clean. The female solos are equally charming, with Tina LeBlanc shining the brightest. Vanessa Zahorian flew through her solo; it’s obvious she has perfect solid technique, yet I wished she would play with the music and enjoy it a little more. In all, Divertimento a confection is filled with Balanchine’s gentle musicality, and the dancers brought out its warmth to its full effect.

Mark Morris’ Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes was a more grounded shift in style. Every time I view one of Morris’ pieces, I feel like I’m revisiting a familiar old friend that always makes me smile. His choreography reflects his humor and his genius, and this piece is no different. Admittedly it’s not the masterpiece that Mozart Dances is, but Morris’ stamp is unmistakable. The piece starts with a non sequitur; a man carrying a woman across the stage for no apparent reason and exiting. The audience laughter was immediate, which means that the dancers were able to convey Morris’ message and humor convincingly. The piece has an undulating quality to it, like waves on a beach, as dancers enter and do their thing, and exit, only to enter again later. The dancing is filled with a whirlwind of push and pull, resisting and giving in, which adds to the ebb and flow of the piece. Pascal Molat soared in his jumps, as did Rory Hohenstein. Sarah Van Patten’s fluidity stood out, like a river quickly and gracefully navigating over rocks. This was also my introduction to SF Ballet’s newest principal, Maria Kochetkova. She’s tiny, and she still reminds me of a bird. She was absolutely charming in her quick precision and upper body openness. It’s going to be fun to watch her throughout this season.

The evening ended with Possohkov’s Firebird. It was Possohkov’s first work for SF Ballet as the choreographer-in-residence, and it was a solid beginning. Firebird is a safe yet smart choice to make as a first work, how could you screw it up, really? It has a strong storyline, with the drama of a romance and a sacrificial bird and an evil nemesis and his posse. It’s always been met with mixed reviews, but I’ve always enjoyed it. It has seeds of greatness in it with eye-catching moments of innovative choreography, and if Possohkov gets better, he will be a force to be reckoned with. No one can talk about this piece without mentioning its moment of campy humor, mostly in the lap of the evil character, Kaschei, danced by Pascal Molat. When Kaschei surprised the audience by jumping out of the fog to break apart the Prince and the Princess, there was a girl behind me who actually screamed. Its effect was heightened when we realize that his entire posse had snuck onstage under the fog and seemed to rise from the dead. The Prince was danced by Damian Smith who was endearingly boyish, and Rachel Viselli was the Princess who blossomed from a pouting girl to a feminine woman before our eyes. Yuan Yuan Tan made a passionately tragic Firebird.

In all, what a night. It made me think a little about the future of ballet, since this program was filled with modern ballet. I was recently reading a must-read article written by pianist Jeremy Denk, who wrote a tirade about what is wrong with modern music. I was struck by how his arguments against modern music was applicable to modern dance as well. Denk argues that the element that is missing from most modern music is delight, defined as “combination of discovery with pleasure, a kind of mental activity brought to bear upon pleasure, running into it as if in a traffic accident where no one gets hurt. It’s the brain slamming into the obstacle of beauty, waking up, rubbing its eyes.” That element of surprise, of delight, an unexpected pleasure that makes me smile, or pay attention, or react in any way, is what I often find missing in modern dance, which can often be serious and esoteric at best, pretentious at its worst. Program 2 was delightful, and if this program represents the future of modern ballet, then we ballet audiences face a great future ahead of us.

San Francisco Ballet’s Program 2. It plays through this Sunday.