SF Ballet’s stately season-opener
Jan 31, 2008 3:56 PM (41 mins ago) by Janos Gereben, The Examiner
Quote:
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Program I of the San Francisco Ballet, opening on Tuesday and running through Feb. 9, is quite wonderful, especially when put in context. Here is an all-neoclassic evening, splendidly performed, but somewhat lacking in variety. That’s where the context comes into play: this spring, the ballet will celebrate its 75th birthday with a unique festival of new works, all commissioned for the occasion. Any company that presents such bevy of world-class novelties is entitled to present a homogenous evening of neoclassic works by Lew Christensen (“Filling Station,” 1938), Helgi Tomasson (“7 for Eight,” 2004), and George Balanchine (the “Diamonds” portion of the 1967 full-length “Jewels”).
Now, there is nothing wrong with neoclassicism, especially in the manner of Balanchine, especially when it comes to the stately, brilliant “Diamonds,” danced gloriously by the company, with Yuan Yuan Tan and Ruben Martin up front. “7 for Eight” (seven Bach concerto movements with eight dancers) is Tomasson’s most sincere and self-effacing tribute to Balanchine, and probably his finest work.
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