CriticalDance Forum

San Francisco Ballet at Sadler's Wells - Saturday, September 25th matinee
Programme 3 ("Le Carnaval des Animaux" replaces "Rush")
Audience Feedback

In the second interval, before "Carnaval":

V. Dharmarajan: Absolutely brilliant! Each piece had its merits. I enjoyed the Balanchine ["Allegro Brillante"] and there was much to admire in "7 for 8" - the lighting and colours were fantastic in this pure dance work. The first couple [Nutnaree Pipithsuksunt and Pierre Francois Vilanoba] were wonderful.

Katrina Foley: It's the first time I have seen San Francisco. I'd heard good things about them and I'm really enjoying it. "7 for 8" is my favourite so far and so beautifully danced.

Jenny: They're such a nice company and the personalities of the dancers come across strongly. I like their free style of dancing, within a framework of strong classical technique . "Allegro Brillante" and "7 for 8" were great.

Andrew Durham: I'm not a regular dance-goer, but I'm enjoying the experience. The works are varied and overall it's visually stunning. The Balanchine ["Allegro Brillante"] was best for me.

Post-performance:

Jackie Arnold: Excellent! The last piece ["Le Carnaval des Animaux"] was good fun. It's the first time I've seen them, but hopefully won't be the last.

Michael: Wonderful! "7 for 8" was excellent and I enjoyed the chance to see Stephen Legate dancing. The varied bill worked well. I knew the Ratmansky ["Le Carnaval des Animaux"] would be lighter, but it had good moments, although "The Dying Swan" section didn't really come to life.

Jan Lackey: Lovely! "7 for 8" was especially good. In "Carnaval" the Elephant was so cute [Amanda Schull]. Throughout, the men were SO athletic. Quite wonderful!

Louisa Enrica: It's the first time I've seen them and I really enjoyed it, especially "Carnaval" with its beilliant colours and costumes.

Yvonne Dowie-Shosanya: I enjoyed all the energy generated by the dancers. "7 for 8" was fantastic and the lighting was especially good in "Carnaval"; it's a piece that the children enjoyed a lot. Their male dancers are very strong.

David Dowie-Shosanya: Good, exciting and the quality of the dancing was terrific - they make it look so easy. "Carnaval" was great fun, giving scope for interpretation by the dancers and an interactive relationship with the audience.

<small>[ 26 September 2004, 06:52 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

San Francisco Ballet Programme 3
By Gavin Roebuck for The Stage

Allegro Brilliante, composed by Tchaikovsky, choreographed by Balanchine and most ably danced by this company, is a treat. With courtly grace, Lorena Feijoo, partnered by Vadim Solomakha, dances with a stylish joy. The ensemble delivers crisp and confident dancing, especially Brett Bauer, whose elegant long line and bouncy elevation suggest he will go further as a dancer.

Natalia Makarova’s staging of the Petipa classic pas de trois from Paquita underpins the classicism of the company and reveals some magnificent sunny dancing from the Russian Guennadi Nedviguine and his two partners, Frances Chung and Vanessa Zahorian.

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