Saturday Matinee

Maria Kochetkova and Vitor Luiz in Cranko's Onegin. © Erik Tomasson

Rarely has a ballet treated its title character with such little sympathy. But equally rare is a full-length ballet assembled with intricate detail that ultimately sweeps the audience up on a breathtaking journey and challenges the audience with such rich choreography. John Cranko’s full-length production of Onegin is a gem. Loosely based on Alexander Pushkin’s poem “Eugene Onegin”, rather than a simplistic love story we’ve come to expect from full-length ballets, this is a refreshing moral tale told in the most interesting way.

Stunning costume and scenic design (by Santo Loquasto) would be empty without solid choreography to sustain such a dramatic journey. John Cranko’s choreography intimately captures the emotions of his characters so well. In addition, his choreography is rife with literature metaphor, an homage to the origin of the story perhaps. In the final pas de deux, Onegin pulls Tatiana’s arms back as she tries to walk forward, symbolizing the burden he had become in keeping her from progressing forward in her life. Add a layer of ingenuity to taking classical ballet steps and adding twists in the partnering, or a sprinkling of modern angles – a lean of the hip here, an innovative lift there. The peasant dances were the most interesting that I’d seen onstage, as  usually they are seen as “fillers” for the more interesting sections. Not so here.

Maria Kochetkova in Cranko's Onegin. © Erik Tomasson

Overall, the choreography captured the emotions of the characters, but also gave the audience lots of things to think about as well. I love choreography that assumes an intelligent viewer. It’s a ballet to capture the heart and brains of its audience.

For the Sunday matinee performance, lead principals Sarah Van Patten and Pierre-Francois Vilanoba lit up the stage in a breathless performance. Van Patten’s heart-wrenching performance led many to tears in the final pas de deux with Pierre Francois Vilanoba, complexly layered with nostalgia, bitter regret, revenge, and heart. They appeared to be dancing a performance of a lifetime, and it was amazing to watch. Isaac Hernandez as Lensky displayed lovely transitions and phrasing, particularly in the curvature of his back and arms, but perhaps didn’t quite have the gravity of presence to master the fiery role. Courtney Elizabeth lit up the house with a lovely natural smile as the fun-loving Olga.

Maria Kochetkova and Vitor Luiz in Cranko's Onegin. © Erik Tomasson

In short, this production is one not to be missed. In my twitter account, I tweeted a three word review of this production, which was “pretty frickin’ amazing”. And that about sums it up. All of the parts of this production lined up to become more than the addition of its parts, with spectacular dancing throughout.

Did you see this production? Who did you see in the leads? I would have loved to have seen Maria Kochetkova and Vitor Luiz dance the title roles as well, I’m sure they were amazing too.

Onegin continues until February 3. Click here for more information. Program 2 starts on February 14.

The season has officially begun! Who’s excited for the upcoming year?? I am!

Some gorgeous photos from the gala; as always, click on them to enlarge. Enjoy!

Sofiane Sylve and Vito Mazzeo in Wheldon's Continuum. © Erik Tomasson

Frances Chung and Taras Domitro in Vainonen's Flames Of Paris. © Erik Tomasson

Maria Kotchetkova and Joan Boada in Ashton's Voices Of Spring. © Erik Tomasson

Yuan Yuan Tan and Alexander Riabko in Neumeier's Lady Of The Camellias. © Erik Tomasson

Dana Genshaft and Ruben Martin Cintas in Wheeldon's Number Nine. © Erik Tomasson

The season opens with Onegin by John Cranko on Jan 27. Click here for more information.

Val Caniparoli in Tomasson's Nutcracker. © Erik Tomasson

Nutcracker season has begun! And what would the holidays be without it? Seriously, for me this year was one of the first years in a long time where I really thought I wouldn’t be able to make it – chalk it up to the hardest rotation in my third year of medical school so far in addition to planning my own wedding next week! – but during the one free night that I had, I squeezed in an evening with friends mere hours after my final exam. And it was totally worth it!! It was a magical evening, and I believe I was smiling the entire time. The magic of this production never fades, year after year, and I’m still convinced it’s one of the finest productions of the Nutcracker in the world.

I had a different viewpoint this time, watching from above in the second balcony, and the view is amazing even from up there as well. In the snow scene, the awe-inspiring falling snow literally piles up in seconds before your eyes, and the additional geometric formations of the dancers’ feet making pretty trails in the snow is an added effect to the formation of bodies onstage. It’s an effect I never noticed from the ground floor before. The only down side is that the grandiose scope of the sets are lost on the audience up there.

And how great is it to experience your friends’ experiencing ballet and the Nutcracker for the first time, and loving it?? They laughed through the hilarious and flamboyant Mouse King (danced with delicious flourish by Daniel Deivison) and admired the impeccably trained children of the San Francisco Ballet school, dancing with that certain joy and that charm that only children have.

Mariellen Olson in Tomasson's Nutcracker. © Erik Tomasson

The highlights of the show for me were Dana Genshaft and Vitor Luiz as Snow Queen and King, dancing with a crystal clarity that translated all the way up to the second balcony. There was a soaring delicacy to their dancing which was perfect for the snow scene. WanTing Zhao made a knockout of an Arabian Coffee, my first time seeing her onstage, which left me scrambling for my program to identify the dancer. Her extensions are gorgeous, and there was an uncanny way of following through every movement with her hands and her feet that was so gorgeous. She took all the time in the world, unfolding herself in oozing sensuality and teasing the audience behind hidden hands. The Russian are always popular, and Daniel Baker with Diego Cruz and Geraud Wielick gave their all in a rousing performance. Frances Chung danced with all the joy in the world and a magnanimous warmth in her expansive movements. Vanessa Zahorian and Joan Boada were the reigning king and queen in the Grand Pas de Deux in a sparkling finale. Joan Boada has never looked better, dancing with a fluidity and an ease in his jumps and lovely deep landings. Vanessa Zahorian sailed through the Grand Pas de Deux with an easy flair and a regal elegance – has that girl ever fallen out of a turn? – which was thrilling to watch. Alyssa Peter also gave a lively performance as the lovely Clara. Also, a shoutout to the conductor for the evening, Ming Luke, who kept a good pace throughout the program which made the first and second acts clip by in a whirlwind of whimsy and fantasy. The orchestra also sounded cohesive, and I can’t stress how much I love having live music.

Maria Kochetkova and Gennadi Nedvigin in Tomasson's Nutcracker. © Erik Tomasson

Basically, go see it!! Performances end on December 27. Click here for more information. Also check out the SF Ballet’s Facebook page; they’ve been having quite a few giveaways and discounts lately.

Did anybody see the PBS showing of the SF Ballet’s Little Mermaid? Just curious about what people thought, I would have seen it if I wasn’t at the Nutcracker.

San Francisco Ballet in Balanchine's Symphony In C. © Erik Tomasson. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust

Hi all – I’m back! It’s been way too long – I’ve been in the throes of 3:30 AM wake up calls, 14 hour days in the operating room, and working 13 days in a row in the abyss known as third year of medical school. Sorry for not blogging, and I especially miss my life in the theater. I barely made it back last month for an entertaining evening of the musical Billy Elliot last month, but aside from that, the closest to a theater I’ve gotten is a lecture hall. Did anybody make it to Stern Grove this year for San Francisco Ballet’s annual performance in that gorgeous park? I was sorely tempted to skip out to go, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be this year.

Just curious, how early do people to go get a decent seat there these days? Any reports? I heard that it was pretty amazing. And the trainees performed this year! Very cool. Even though I can’t post a review of it, enjoy the photos -

Maria Kochetkova and Rubén Martín Cintas in Tomasson's 7 For Eight. © Erik Tomasson

Vanessa Zahorian and Gennadi Nedvigin in Tomasson's 7 For Eight. © Erik Tomasson

Shion Yuasa and Henry Sidford in Thatcher's Timepiece. © Erik Tomasson

Anything good coming up? I just received an email about Philip Glass creating an annual summer arts festival in Carmel Valley and Big Sur, called the Days and Nights Festival. This festival features Philip Glass himself, in addition to artists all across different genres, including music and dance and poetry. Seems interesting, no? The closing concert with Glass himself at the piano sounds terribly intriguing. Go forth and report back! Would love to join you but for now, I’ll only hope to join civilization one day very soon. Click here for more info. The Days and Nights Festival runs from August 19-September 4.

Has anyone seen anything fun in a theater this summer?

Yuan Yuan Tan and Tiit Helimets in Neumeier's The Little Mermaid © Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet’s production of John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid closed out this season with plenty of spectacle and drama. This production is a production with cinematic scope and ambition. The staging elements of the scenic, costume, and lighting design, also by John Neumeier, is full of clean lines and a modern sensibility sure to be pleasing on the TV screen as well (as it will be filmed live this week for public TV and DVD release).

The plot takes creative license from the original Andersen tale, reflecting an additional character, The Poet, inspired by Andersen himself and the story of unrequited romance in his life with the Edvard/The Prince character. This element of the story is both ingenious yet easily confusing for audience members – at the bar, I was stopped by two women who asked me what I knew about the Poet character and who he was.

Neumeier’s choreography creates a world for the audience to get lost in, both the paradise underwater world of the little mermaid’s home, as well as the alien world of the humans on land. All the elements of this production meets in the middle to create these wonderfully weird worlds, including the haunting score by Lera Auerbach. The choreography incorporates movements inflected by East Asian influences (Japanese and Balinese) that look particularly alien to the humans on land, further emphasizing the “fish out of water” state of the little mermaid amongst humans. The created worlds are gorgeous but a bit empty. The visually overwhelming nature of the choreography appears to delve in such detail in describing the worlds that it’s difficult to tell which elements are relevant. It’s the dance equivalent of a novel describing a scene in such detail, you wonder if the three page description of the rocks and stones on the ground are an important part of the plot. For example, a group dances in the back, and I often wondered why. The choreography also lags a bit, particularly in the first act. The absurdist comedic element of the human world is random and puzzling; aside from highlighting how alien the world on land must appear to the mermaid, this element repeats over and over again to a confusing end.

Still there is no doubt that this production is visually stunning and awe-inspiring, and it’s easy to get sucked in. The cast today was incredibly dynamic, with Sarah Van Patten in the lead role as The Little Mermaid. Her portrayal is one of wonder, and the audience experiences with her the silent horror and disappointment of loving someone who didn’t love her back. Her portrayal of innocence is heart breaking. The Poet was danced with lyricism and heart by Pascal Molat, in a piercing portrayal of a man ignored and unseen. Pierre-Francois Vilanoba was a handsome Edvard, a blissfully happy and playful Prince and a supportive partner for both Henriette/The Princess (Vanessa Zahorian) and Van Patten. Jaime Garcia Castilla debuted as the Sea Witch today with expressive lines and high voltage intensity. His scene with Van Patten as he’s turning her fins into legs was particularly electrifying.

Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid continues this week through May 8. Click here for more information. I would also like to reiterate that this production contain mature themes and is not for children. I saw quite a number of children there, and if you expect to see Ariel, you will be highly disappointed.

Maria Kochetkova and Jaime Garcia Castilla in McGregor's Chroma. © Erik Tomasson

While Programs 6 and 7 were playing at the San Francisco Ballet, I was away traipsing through Italy, eating as much gelato as I can. It’s unfortunate that my travels this year have coincided with so many SFB programs, but I hope y’all have been enjoying what I’ve been missing out on. Apparently I have – word on the street is that I missed two great programs, especially at the moment that I really felt like SFB was starting to come into its own for the season with the last program I saw. Feel free to post your comments here, and if I get a chance, I’ll post a few words on the one ballet program that I saw in Italy with the school at the Balletto di Teatro dell’ Opera di Roma in Rome.

San Francisco Ballet’s last program this season is John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid. Click here for more info; performances start on April 30. During this run, two live performances will be filmed for international broadcast on PBS’ Great Performances as well as distribution for DVD and Blu-Ray. Click here for more info.

Maria Kochetkova in Balanchine's Coppélia. © Erik Tomasson

I’m leaving on a road trip, long enough to miss the entire run of Program 5 at San Francisco Ballet, the full-length production of Balanchine’s Coppelia! Please report back and tell me what you thought in the comments below – it should be a fantastic production. I will be seeing the SF Giants’ spring training games instead – so excited!

Other things on my radar: it’s a slightly random list, but somehow these events found their way into my consciousness:

• San Francisco Symphony will be performing Dvorak’s New World Symphony and Mozart’s Violin Concerto #4 with Arabella Steinbacher from March 24-26. Click here for more info.
• For the new music fans: Symphony Parnassus will be performing a world premiere with young composer Stefan Cwik, a “Piano Concerto” with San Francisco Conservatory of Music professor Scott Foglesong as soloist. Their concert also includes Astor Piazzolla’s “Suite Punta del Este” for Bandoneon and Orchestra and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Cool program, no? This orchestra is conducted by principal bassoon player for the SF Symphony, Stephen Paulson. This concert will take place on Sunday, March 27th, 2011 at 3pm at the Concert Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory. Click here for more information.
• Sacramento Ballet presents a program titled “Icons and Innovators” including Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, Lila York’s Celts, and Ron Cunningham’s Bolero. The program runs from March 24-27. Click here for more information.

What’s on your radar? Did you see any of the events listed above, and what did you think?

Have a great week, everyone!

Frances Chung and Taras Domitro in Balanchine's Theme and Variations. © Erik Tomasson

I don’t know what it was this past Tuesday, but whatever it was, San Francisco Ballet’s Program 4 was ravishing. Perhaps it’s because the company’s season is now well under way with four programs under its belt or because it was towards the end of the Program 4 run with the previous few weeks to perfect it and get it down, but whatever it was, the dancing came together and it really took off. An all-Tchaikovsky program was a great showcase for the company’s showy style, with every passionate underpinning in Tchaikovsky’s music matched with elegance and vibrant musicality.

Balanchine’s Theme and Variations was an effervescent display of technique and bravura, led by Frances Chung and  Taras Domitro. Chung flew through the quick and notoriously difficult footwork with a smile, looking as best as I’d ever seen her. The pristine sets speak of royalty or heavenly perfection, but Chung’s charm stems from a style that speaks of of a very human quality, not of an airy ethereal quality that some ballerinas have, but a liveliness that breathes. She possesses a wholehearted enthusiasm in the transfer of weight either in a lunging splits (as shown in the photo above) or in a trusting backbend in her partner’s arms, with energy flowing through her limbs past her fingertips. I’m not sure if I’m alone in this, but I never would have pinned her to be a quintessential Balanchine ballerina, but in this performance (and a previous performance of Balanchine’s Tarantella stands out in my mind as well), she sparkled and was an absolute joy to watch. Domitro was a lovely partner, with elegance in his perfectly proportioned limbs but never quite looking at ease onstage especially when he’s not in the air or turning an astounding number of turns. He shows remarkable potential, and I’m looking forward to watching him grow as an artist. The corps was also a highlight, dancing with breezy confidence and tackling the difficult choreography with a spirited energy. For an abstract ballet such as this one, this performance really brought the piece to life in a celebration of both the company and Balanchine’s choreography.

San Francisco Ballet in Balanchine's Theme and Variations. © Erik Tomasson

The same virtuosity was cloathed in drama during the second piece, MacMillan’s Winter Dreams. Inspired by Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters, every step served the storyline, culminating in a complex interpretation of this dark but richly layered piece. Under a normal appearing surface, jealousy, rejection, isolation, and anger simmers (and explodes in one chilling stroke) in the relationships between a family and their lovers. It’s uncanny how a step – an arabesque, a turn – can communicate both duty and a concealed desire, and the company excels in these complex details, particularly in the three sisters, Yuan Yuan Tan, Frances Chung, and Vanessa Zahorian. A background of normal every day life marches on despite the internal turmoil of each character, and the play ends as it began, with the three sisters, front and center.

Maria Kochetkova and Vitor Luiz in MacMillan's Winter Dreams. © Erik Tomasson

The evening ended with Tomasson’s world premiere of Trio, a pretty showpiece couched in warm and aristocratic colors in gilded impressionistic sets (with scenic design by Alexander V. Nichols and lighting by Christopher Dennis). This piece appears to be made up of three smaller pieces, with each movement possessing a different flavor. Tomasson can’t resist his usual habit of incorporating pseudo-storylines into his abstract ballets particularly in the 2nd movement with Sarah Van Patten, Tiit Helimets, and Vito Mazzeo. Mazzeo is the tall, dark and handsome stranger who takes Van Patten away from Helimets who doesn’t seem upset at this rude turn of events, and the piece ends with Mazzeo leading Van Patten away with his hands over her eyes. Perhaps he represents Death, or a lover, but I can never tell with these sorts of things.

But it doesn’t take away from the fact that the dancing is gorgeous, with Tomasson featuring the men particularly well with broad strokes of unbashed bravura that’s joyful and confident. Soloists Courtney Elizabeth and Joan Boada in the 1st movement and Maria Kochetkova and Gennadi Nedvigin in the 3rd and 4th movements were stellar, embodying a lively energy and beauty that matched Tchaikovsky’s music, and the corps were equally lovely.

San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Trio. © Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Trio. © Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet’s Program 5 begins on March 19 with Coppelia.

Lorena Feijoo and Pascal Molat in Forsythe's Artifact Suite. © Erik Tomasson

Following the premiere of choreographer-in-resident Yuri Possohkov’s RAkU a few weeks of ago (did I get the capitalization right?), it was an interesting study to see the contrasting Possohkov’s Classical Symphony in San Francisco Ballet’s program 3 last Thursday evening. In contrast to the drama created in RAkU through a violent and passionate storyline (and equally enchanting music), Classical Symphony creates drama and excitement through high-flying movements at breakneck speeds. Classical Symphony made its premiere with the company in April 2010, an abstract ballet deeply rooted in classical ballet vocabulary with modern touches – shoulder shimmies, tossed limbs, and leans, giving the classical vocabulary a fresh and flirty sex appeal. Balanchine comes to mind, with the speed and precision of the steps and the musicality of the choreography following Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1. Vanessa Zahorian and Gennadi Nedvigin spun and jumped to the music with ease and style, with long poetic phrases in a duet later in the piece. Last year, upon the first viewing of the piece, a middle section of an ensemble of men leaping in time to the Gavotte stood out as a low point of the piece, and even on second viewing, this section appears musically simplistic and predictable. But Isaac Hernandez stood out in his solos with crystalline clarity in his footwork and a noble bearing. The ensemble in Classical Symphony also looked top notch, with the women dancing with elegance and clear articulation and the men dancing with bravura. In all, Classical Symphony a fresh and exciting abstract ballet that sparkles.

San Francisco Ballet in Possokhov's Classical Symphony. © Erik Tomasson

The drama took a different turn with the next piece, Tomasson’s dark Nanna’s Lied. Created in 1993 with then principal Elizabeth Loscavio in mind as the lead role, Tomasson creates a dramatic storyline of a woman’s journey from girl to womanhood in prewar Germany, backed fittingly by the cynical and taunting melodies of Kurt Weill and Friedrich Hollaender (sung live by soprano Melody Moore). The central figure is Nanna, danced with complete abandon by Sarah Van Patten, filling every moment with tension and despair after betrayal and violence. The choreography for the men was especially commanding, particularly for Garen Scribner and James Sofranko as pursuers crackling with fire and hot temper in their pursuit of Nanna. Anthony Spaulding was a handsome Johnny, embodying the cruelty and charisma of his character with cool elegance. The audience seemed a bit subdued in response, and my guess is because since it’s not an uplifting piece. The story is a familiar one told in an intriguing way, a particular departure from Tomasson’s recent offerings.

Sarah Van Patten and Anthony Spaulding in Tomasson's Nanna's Lied. © Erik Tomasson

The evening ended with William Forsythe’s fascinatingly weird Artifact Suite. It’s a difficult piece to describe – it’s pure physicality pushed to the limits, bare industrial sets propelled by the music of J.S. bach and Eva Crossman-Hecht, with a mix of innovation and a dash of Andy Kaufman-esque dark humor. Soloists Yuan Yuan Tan and Damian Smith stretches and pulls with sharp, alien beauty and Pascal Molat and Lorena Feijoo dance with athleticism and animal grace. There are more than a few surprises which I won’t reveal here, but if you stay with the weirdness and disjointed nature of it, you’ll be rewarded by the power of a full ensemble being stretched, powerfully and magnificently.

San Francisco Ballet’s Program 3 runs through March 9. Program 4 is also currently running, and continues through March 8. Click here for more info.

Yuan Yuan Tan and Damian Smith in Possokhov's RAkU. © Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet’s Program 2 was a varied program of modern ballet repertory pieces, including a world premiere by choreographer-in-residence, Yuri Possohkov. Having the very-modern-Program 2 open in the middle of the Giselle run was an interesting study of contrasts, professing to the versatility of the company as well. I attended the Sunday matinee performance on a particularly warm 70+ degree sunny day.

San Francisco Ballet presented a world premiere by their choreographer-in-residence Yuri Possohkov with their Program 2, which began last week. Possohkov’s RAkU is a Japanese-inflected narrative inspired by the burning of Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion in 1950, and is a theatrical spectacle that showcases the dancers at their finest.

The atmosphere is set right away with a gorgeously layered commissioned score by SF Ballet Orchestra bassist Shinji Eshima and sets including video projections by Alexander V. Nichols (with lighting by Christopher Dennis). The score contained motifs with open fourth and fifths reminiscent of traditional Japanese music, with an intelligent use of harmonics in the flute and unique percussion instruments to haunting effect.  Hands down, Eshima’s score was my favorite of commissioned scores we’ve heard at the SF Ballet in recent years due to its complexity and accomplishing more than just setting the tone of the ballet. The sets using video projections blended into the ballet and added to the atmosphere rather than setting itself apart from it.

Possohkov clearly knows what the dancers are capable of, and he puts them on a pedestal. The central figure in the narrative is principal Yuan Yuan Tan; nobody throws around her superhuman extensions to such angst as she does, and Possohkov gives her plenty of opportunity to do so. Possohkov gives his dancers a center of gravity that pulls downward, giving them a grounded nobility, particularly in the choreography for the men (the soloists and the corps of four warriors). Damian Smith is Tan’s prince to her princess, personifying strength and grandeur. Pascal Molat is the jealous monk who lusts after Tan and pursues her relentlessly, to tragic results. Every muscle in Molat’s body expresses his desire, and the momentum he creates in his phrasing is mesmerizing.

In all, the narrative is nothing really new but the ballet weaves a spell, both with its choreography and its production as a whole. It’s a risk using putting so many elements his production, from the choreography to the video projections to the use of shadows projected onto screens, but rather than detracting, all the elements work together to spectacular effect.

Isaac Hernandez in Ashton's Symphonic Variations. © Erik Tomasson

The program rounded out with Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations and Balanchine’s Symphony in C. Both neoclassical pieces are of similar flavors, but then again, on the opposites sides of the spectrum too. Ashton’s Symphonic Variations personified minimalism, using only six dancers and abstract sets with a hint of Grecian influence in the sets and costumes. Like a modern art painting, pure and abstract, precision and purity reign in clean lines flavored by restraint. Principal dancers Maria Kochetkova and Gennad Nedvigin bring a lovely softness to the clean shapes and lines in the choreography.

In comparison, Balanchine’s Symphony in C was an exuberant celebration, with larger group formations and flashy technique. In this particular cast, a number of unannounced cast changes were made, with Courtney Elizabeth and Diego Cruz being onstage despite not being named in the program. In the first movement, Lorena Feijoo and Vitor Luiz danced with a pleasant soft attack and graciousness, and soloists Courtney Elizabeth and Jennifer Stahl dancing with spirited lines. The lyrical second movement followed, with Maria Kochetkova and Joan Boada dancing with serene control, aside from a brief wobble. Newcomer corps member Nicole Ciapponi dazzled with Taras Domitro in the third movement, Ciapponi dancing with the stage presence of a seasoned veteran. Sparkling and dancing with sass, she wowed onstage and will definitely be one to watch. The fourth movement featured Clara Blanco and corps member Lonnie Weeks, with delicate and fast footwork.

San Francisco Ballet in Balanchine's Symphony In C. © Erik Tomasson

For me, the Ashton and the Balanchine piece are like Mozart piano pieces, so much harder than it looks and to make it worse, oh so transparent. Every mistake was visible, from tiny variations in spacing to wobbles, of which there were a few. But overall, Program 2 is packed with neoclassical brilliance, an arena that the SF Ballet excels, and Program 2 is a celebration of both the ballet genre and the treasures within the company.

Program 2 ends on February 11. Click here for more info. What did you think? Please go see Sofiane Sylve in Symphony in C on Friday and report back!