Comments on: Program B: San Francisco Ballet’s New Works Festival

By: Philip

Philip — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:41:15 +0000

Cranky? How about nasty…? On Ballet Talk earlier this year someone suggested he be shipped back to England and then a British reader replied: “No thanks…you wanted him, you’re stuck with him!”

By: Jolene

Jolene — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:59:16 +0000

lol Philip, you’re not referring to his latest review, are you, on NYCB?? I agree with him sometimes, but most of the time he just comes off as a little cranky.

By: Philip

Philip — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:42:47 +0000

Great story & photos…I feel like I was there!

I wish Alastair Macaulay would move back to England…or Mars.

By: Jolene

Jolene — Thu, 01 May 2008 07:01:51 +0000

I keep on feeling like I completely missed something, or that others and I were watching a completely different show, because I walked away not feeling anything particularly memorable about Double Evil. It also irked me that Elo used the exact same motif in another one of his pieces that I saw last year. It *was* my seventh ballet that day though, so perhaps I wasn’t in the right mindset to enjoy it. Or the two pieces preceding that put me into a deep depression. (I did enjoy Caniparoli’s piece though, but the preceding pieces were so heavy and dramatic and so *serious*). The costumes in Elo’s piece were a highlight as well. I’m going to see program C (and B for that matter) again before the season ends, so maybe I will change my mind.

I also enjoy the idea of thinking that a quirky, humble, and risky “I think I can” piece of Julia Adam’s is the masterpiece for the entire festival. I definitely enjoyed that one a lot, with Morris and Wheeldon right behind it. My expectations for Adam’s piece were low though, so perhaps it’s all a play on expectations? I read briefly a tagline in a review that loved Elo, perhaps that set my expectations high. I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s definitely piqueing my curiosity.

By: sfmike

sfmike — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:52:27 +0000

Just saw Program C tonight. The final piece, “Double Evil,” by Jorma Elo with “mad music” by Phillip Glass and soft, meditative music by somebody named Martinov, was just frigging awesome. If you’re looking for a masterpiece, this was probably it.

By: Jolene

Jolene — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:07:11 +0000

I think people are either going to love Julia Adam’s piece, or hate it (such as the NY Times dance critic Alastair Macaulay). The music for Morris’ Joyride for the hardest part for me – I’m not familiar with John Adams’ music, although I felt like the choreography reflected it well. I’m a bit torn about Mizrahi as a general costume designer for ballet – his ideas are quirky and creative but not necessarily, um, necessary. Out of his costume designs though, I thought this is one of his better ones – Sandpaper Ballet costumes, complete with gloves, seemed more out there and looked incredibly uncomfortable to dance in.

As for Welch’s Naked with the Poulenc concerto, I thought it was sparklingly pretty – nothing too innovatively outrageous but solid and more importantly, it shows off the company well. I would be happy to see this piece incorporated into SFB’s repertoire. I was also glad to see one of my faves, Pascal Molat who’s been fairly invisible this season, get a chance to dance again.

I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on the New Works Festival!

By: sfmike

sfmike — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:22:40 +0000

Saw the program tonight and agree with you on just about everything, particularly Julia Adams’ piece being a lovely surprise, evading most of the booby traps she had set for herself. I happen to love John Adams’ music and know it well so I could follow it pretty easily, but I realize that’s not true for most people. The dancing and choreography were sensational though the stupid Mizrahi costumes with their Teletubby LED numbers struck me as completely unnecessary.

As for the other two, the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos is one of the wittiest and most beautiful pieces of music of the 20th century, and I was surprised the choreography wasn’t even half as interesting. As for the Kudelka, I think it might be a case of somebody stuck in too much bad Canadian weather for too long. It was just plodding, depressing and sorta silly.