Very sharp eyes, Kate. I've heard rumors that this was going to happen for months but this is the first official announcement I've seen. Here’s the link:

http://www.nycballet.com/news/press/pr-07-30-07.html

It feels like a strange career move for Gonzalo. There are people who don't really see him at NYCB (I’m one of them); they see him with all the fabulous guys at ABT (and they are fabulous—I saw three true princes last month at ABT’s Sleeping Beauty: Jose Manuel Carreño, Herman Cornejo, and David Hallberg—these are Gonzalo’s true peers.) Why Gonzalo ever left SFB is a mystery. He was adored here, and given every opportunity to shine—and did

Then again, most people didn't see Joaquin de Luz as NYCB material, but he's really bloomed at NYCB.

I think the problem with ABT is they have a surplus of talent, especially shorter men, and only so many roles in the full length ballets, so a dancer like Garcia could get stuck in the same few roles year after year. That's what happened to de Luz - he became just one more short 'spanish' guy in the company. Since he joined NYCB his repertory has grown by leaps and bounds in quantity and diversity, and the challenges of such a diverse repertory have helped him to grow tremendously as an artist.

Also, I think ABT isn't exactly flush with $$, which is why they probably opt to bring in guest principals rather than hire more full time principals. They may well not have been in the market for a full-time principal - ABT's men are a pretty youngish bunch, and their need is really more in tall dancers.

NYCB may actually be a really good move for Garcia because the company is losing a number of male principals in the next year or so, so there are lots of opportunities out there. Hubbe leaves next February, Woetzel has said he's leaving in 2008 and Nilas Martins is probably not going to last much longer. Millepied has been hampered by injuries lately and has spent increasing time on his choreographic projects. Neal and Askegard are also in the last years of their respective careers. And the current crop of new male principals are more in the lines of excellent partners with solid dance credentials, whereas Garcia brings a bit of flash into the equation.

Plus, there's no better place than NYCB for getting to dance a lot of different ballets. I could see Gonzalo fitting nicely into many of the Robbins and Balanchine and the newer stuff. Plus he's probably a born Balanchine Oberon, and can step into just about any of the the male full length roles in the NYCB rep (Sleeping Beauty, Jewels, Swan Lake, Coppelia). This winter is going to include a major Robbins retrospective, and that could be great for Garcia with ballets like Fancy Free, West Side Story Suite, Piano Pieces etc.

As to why he left SFB - well, sometimes dancers want new challenges or there may be tensions within a company which aren't obvious to the audience.

However, I suspect - given that Garcia is apparently interested in working with Wheeldon's new company (and perhaps Corella's?), it may be a combination of location, opportunities and schedules.

NYCB's very set schedule which is compressed into 2-3 month blocks, gives more flexibility that ABT's varying touring schedule or SFB's more spread out repertory blocks.

Also, whilst SFB is a great company, it is NOT ideally located for someone who wants to work with European based companies. What might have been workable in years past, as far as flights and travelling, might be much more of hassle now with increases in delays and security at airports etc. I believe Morphoses will be based in NYC and London, so being in NYC would be a great location for a dancer working with Wheeldon.

Kate

Actually, Gonzo's joining NYCB is not that shocking considering the work he's been doing with Christopher Wheeldon.

It was time for Gonzalo to leave San Francisco. He'd been here since he was 16. When you are in one place for that long other things can get in the way of the dancing and a change then needs to be made. Besides, now he's closer to his family.

“NYCB may actually be a really good move for Garcia because the company is losing a number of male principals in the next year or so, so there are lots of opportunities out there. . . .”

Very helpful points, Kate, thank you.

“Then again, most people didn't see Joaquin de Luz as NYCB material, but he's really bloomed at NYCB.”

You are absolutely right. I saw him dance this Spring at NYCB and he was really wonderful—a juicy dancer that one may not initially “see” as a NYCB dancer—but he adds luster to the company. Gonzalo can be a bit on the flashy side himself, but he also has innate taste (perhaps we can thank Helgi and Tina LeBlanc for encouraging that—he’s gotten *something* from his formative years at SFB).

“As to why he left SFB - well, sometimes dancers want new challenges or there may be tensions within a company which aren't obvious to the audience.”

Very perceptive comments.

I may have been too influenced by a NYCB ballet fan in New York this Spring. When I mentioned to her that Gonzalo was leaving SFB for NYCB, she remarked, “I’m not sure we need him.” I don’t believe that is the general view in NYC at the moment, and as you say, it may turn out to be a very good move for Gonzalo and NYCB. I hope so.

I actually think NYCB could use a little infusion of Spanish fire. I have found their male principals to be a little "vanilla" of late.

SFB's updated company roster is here.


Principal Dancers
Nicolas Blanc
Joan Boada
Lorena Feijoo
Tiit Helimets
Davit Karapetyan
Maria Kochetkova
Tina LeBlanc
Kristin Long
Ruben Martin
Pascal Molat
Gennadi Nedvigin
Damian Smith
Molly Smolen
Yuan Yuan Tan
Sarah Van Patten
Pierre-François Vilanoba
Rachel Viselli
Katita Waldo
Vanessa Zahorian

Principal Character Dancers
Ricardo Bustamante
Val Caniparoli
Jorge Esquivel
Anita Paciotti

Soloists
Elana Altman
Garrett Anderson
Frances Chung
Jaime Garcia Castilla
Rory Hohenstein
Julianne Kepley
Moises Martin
Elizabeth Miner
Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun
James Sofranko
Hansuke Yamamoto

Corps de Ballet

Gaetano Amico
Dores Andre
David Arce
Brett Bauer
Clara Blanco
Ludmila Campos
Courtney Clarkson
Charlene Cohen
Diego Cruz
Sasha De Sola
Daniel Deivison
Courtney Elizabeth
Damir Emric
Martyn Garside
Dana Genshaft
Nicole Grand
Adeline Kaiser
Margaret Karl
Pauli Magierek
Brian Malek
Alexandra McCullagh
Andrea McGinnis
Erin McNulty
Alexandra Meyer-Lorey
Christopher Mondoux
Ashley Muangmaithong
Steven Norman
Mariellen Olson
Aaron Orza
Patricia Perez
Shannon Roberts
Lily Rogers
Miriam Rowan
Danielle Santos
Garen Scribner
Anthony Spaulding
Jennifer Stahl
Benjamin Stewart
Mathew Stewart
Kendall Teague
Quinn Wharton
Luke Willis
Courtney Wright

Apprentices
Owen Gaj
Sean Orza
Jeremy Rucker
Sarah Walborn

Wasn't Ashley Muangmaithong somewhere else before joining SFB?

Lovely girl. Strong as an ox and smart too.

Ashley was an apprentice with Oregon Ballet Theatre last year. I am looking forward to seeing her this season.

On the new roseter, I noticed under the Soloists that Mateo Klemmayer was not listed, althought the press release on May 10 mentioned him as one of the new dancers (http://sfballet.org/about/newspress/pressreleases/view.asp?id=10193076). Does anyone know anything?

A new podcast - Artist Spotlight on Soloist James Sofranko - is posted on the website (http://www.sfballet.org/about/podcasts_as.asp). You can listen or read the transcript

For all former Company members! Looks like fun=)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Kyra Jablonsky
(415) 553-4667
kjablonsky@sfballet.org

Meredith Nonnenberg
(415) 865-4783
mnonnenberg@sfballet.org

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET TO HOLD ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND IN MARCH 2008, DURING COMPANY’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Former Company Dancers Encouraged to Update Contact Information with SF Ballet and Sign up to Receive a Reunion Weekend Invitation

SAN FRANCISCO–Friday, August 24, 2007–San Francisco Ballet today announced that it will hold a special Alumni reunion weekend for former SF Ballet dancers, on March 15–16, during the 2008 Repertory Season. SF Ballet encourages all former Company members to register online at www.sfballet.org/alumni, in order to receive periodic updates and an invitation to the weekend’s events. Alternatively, interested alumni can register by sending a letter with their current name and name while dancing at SF Ballet, as well as current mailing address, phone number, and email address to: Alumni Relations, San Francisco Ballet, 455 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.

Further event information as well as accommodation details will be posted online shortly. Alumni who register by October 31, 2007, will receive an exclusive SF Ballet 2008 calendar published by Chronicle Books, with images by photographer Erik Tomasson.

“It’s very important that during our 75th anniversary, we acknowledge and celebrate the former Company members who have helped shape SF Ballet into the world-class arts organization that it is today,” said San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director and Choreographer Helgi Tomasson. “We hope that former Company members will sign up and spread the word to their fellow alumni about this very special weekend.”

Alumni events will be held Saturday, March 15, and Sunday, March 16, and will culminate with a dinner on Sunday evening that includes current Company dancers. Alumni will also have the opportunity to see the Company perform Programs 4 and 5 of the 2008 Repertory Season.

About San Francisco Ballet

As America’s oldest professional ballet company and one of the three largest ballet companies in the United States, San Francisco Ballet has enjoyed a long and rich tradition of artistic “firsts” since its founding in 1933. It performed the first American productions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker, as well as the first production of Coppélia choreographed by an American choreographer. Guided in its early years by American dance pioneers and brothers Lew, Willam, and Harold Christensen, San Francisco Ballet currently presents more than 100 performances annually, both locally and internationally. Under the direction of Helgi Tomasson for more than two decades, the Company has achieved an international reputation as one of the preeminent ballet companies in the world. In 2005, San Francisco Ballet won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award, its first, in the category of “Outstanding Achievement in Dance,” for its 2004 London tour. In 2006, San Francisco Ballet was the first non-European company elected “Company of the Year” in Dance Europe magazine’s annual readers’ poll. In 2008, San Francisco Ballet celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Hello! Does anybody knows how is it going for Masha Kochetkova in San Francisco?

New dancer Aubert Vanderlinden recently joined the company as a corps de ballet dancer for the 2008 season.

"Born in Brabant, Belgium, Vanderlinden trained at the Balletomania School in Brussels and at Paris Opera Ballet School. In 2004, he joined the Paris Opera Ballet, where he danced a variety of ballets, including Sir Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardee, George Balanchine's Jewels, William Forsythe's Artifact Suite, and Jerome Robbins' Glass Pieces."

Well, I just checked the company roster today and Mateo is listed with his picture coming soon. I saw a few videos of him on you tube and I am very much looking forward to seeing him in person.

Dear Mariajo,

She's recently started her own blog (the first SFB dancer to do so, as far as I know), so you can see for yourself how things are going for her in San Francisco:

http://www.mariakochetkova.com/2007/10/ ... place.html

Did you see her dance for the English National Ballet? She seems like a spirited girl with very secure technique (though I've only seen what she has posted on her web site). I'm looking forward to seeing her debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy in December. I think we may have a star on our hands.