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[updated May 22, 2012]

San Francisco - Bay Area Columns

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
April 2012 Reviews
April 14th - A visit to the San Francisco Ballet for Program 7 (Balanchine Masterworks) is like a journey to the neoclassical royal courts. The King (Balanchine himself) lives in the choreography; the Crown Prince (Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson) brings the ballets to fruition; and the court (the entire San Francisco Ballet company) flawlessly interprets "Divertimento No. 15"..

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
Winter 2012 Reviews Part 2

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
Winter 2012 Reviews Part 1

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
December 2011 Reviews

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
November 2011 Reviews

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
September - October 2011 Reviews

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
May and June 2011 Reviews

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
April 2011 Reviews

reviews

American Ballet Theatre: 'Giselle'
by Colleen Boresta
May 19, 2012 (m)-- Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, NY
The audience at American Ballet Theatre’s May 19th matinee at the Metropolitan Opera House saw a jam packed house. It wasn’t just that ABT was performing Giselle, a perennial favorite. More to the point, the title role was danced by the brilliant young Russian ballerina, Natalia Osipova. Her Albrecht was David Hallberg, a principal dancer with both ABT and the Bolshoi Ballet.
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Alberta Ballet: 'Love Lies Bleeding'
by Kate Snedeker
May 10, 2012 -- Jubilee Auditorium North, Edmonton, AB
If there’s any ballet that defines Alberta Ballet, it’s Jean Grand Maitre’s Elton John tribute, ‘Love Lies Bleeding’. One part sexy sass, one part rock n’ roll, and one part quintessential Grand Maitre choreography, the ballet is a whole lot of fun. A showpiece for the company’s tiny tour de force, Yukichi Hattori, “Love Lies Bleeding” dances through the life of Elton John, highlighting his lows, his highs and his memorable music.
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Ballet San Jose: 'Cinderella'
by Heather Desaulniers
May 5, 2012 -- San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, San Jose, CA
Change is hard, but the time has come to leave the past behind, move forward and re-focus the attention on the company's future. The goal of this season has been to do just that and the final program of 2012 (the company premiere of Ben Stevenson's "Cinderella") confirmed a brilliant future for this South Bay institution.
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Noism1: 'ZONE'
by Carmel Morgan
April 26, 2012 -- Terrace Theater, JFK Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC
In 2012, on the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to Washington, DC, Noism returned to the Kennedy Center once more, presumably by invitation, and fans of their prior performance in the nation’s capital were among the audience members.
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Boston Ballet : 'Don Quixote'
byCarla DeFord
April 27, 2012 -- Boston Opera House, Boston, MA
One might say that “Don Quixote” rode into Boston on the back of the half-mechanical, half-human “horse” that carried the main character into battle in Act I. Dressed in full military regalia, complete with “bacieyelmo” (basin-helmet), breastplate, and lance, the Don tilted at a windmill and took on other well-known adventures.
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Northern Ballet: 'Beauty and the Beast'
by David Mead
April 21, 2012 -- Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes, Uk
In the programme, David Nixon comments how he wanted to find a way of telling the “Beauty and the Beast” story that was new and magical, but that did not lose either its charm or deeper message. The good news is that he has succeeded magnificently, creating a visual feast and telling the story with great clarity, while still finding time to give it a bit of a modern twist.
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Royal Ballet of Flanders: 'Artifact'
by Carmel Morgan
April 19, 2012 -- Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, UK
Much is said about Forsyth’s deconstruction of theatre and much is extremely pretentious. But “Artifact” really does this. Are we inside the performers’ world or outside? When we are invited in do we forget or remember? A performance is a rock that erodes to sand and then to dust, only to disappear once it is over.
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Christopher K. Morgan & Artists: 'Limited Visibility'
by Carmel Morgan
April 21, 2012 -- CityDance Studio Theater, MusicCenter at Strathmore, Bethesda, MD
It bears repeating that I’m not related to the artist whose company I’m now reviewing, despite our shared last name. However, I’d be proud to be related to him. Christopher K. Morgan is a gift to DC, and his gift extends beyond just his choreographic abilities. The recent performance of a new evening length work, “Limited Visibility” by his recently formed company Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, showed off some of Morgan’s impressive skills
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A Celebration of Bob Lockyer
by David Mead
April 13, 2012 -- The Place, London, UK
“Time flies when you are having fun” wrote Bob Lockyer in the opening line of the programme for his 70th birthday celebration at The Place. He was referring to his time working at the BBC where he recorded many of Robert Cohan’s seminal works for the London Contemporary Dance Theatre’s such as “Cell”, “Waterless”, “Method of Swimming Instruction”, “Stabat Mater”, “Forest”…
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Eifman Ballet: 'Onegin'
by David Mead
April 6, 2012 -- London Coliseum, London, UK
In his reimagining of Alexander Pushkin’s 19th century Russian classic “Eugene Onegin”, Boris Eifman views events against the backdrop of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, and where the rules that dictate how society operates are undergoing rapid change.
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Eifman Ballet: 'Anna Karenina'
by David Mead
April 3, 2012 -- London Coliseum, London, UK
Although I have a good idea of the story, having seen films and remember well Galina Samsova’s production of Andre Prokovsky’s ballet, I’ve never actually read Tolstoy’s novel. When it comes to watching Boris Eifman’s take on the story, perhaps that’s no bad thing. I don’t, for example, get too hung up on the missing characters and counterplots; of which there are quite a few.
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editors' choice · American Ballet Theatre- 2012 Met Season May 14 - July 7, Metropolitan Opera House, New York City ABT returns to the Met with a season that includes farewell performances by Ethan Stiefel and Angel Corella, and the NY premiere of Alexei Ratmansky's new 'Firebird'. Other ballets to be performed include Giselle, Onegin, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, La Bayadere and The Bright Stream.

For ballet-dance magazine _______________________________ Executive Editor Kate Snedeker Executive Editor 2003-2005 Mary Ellen Hunt Focus and Photo Editors Elizabeth McPherson, Dean Speer Associate Editors & Compositors Francis Timlin, Holly Messitt, Lori Ibay, Azlan Ezaddin, Jerry Hochman, Carmel Morgan, Heather Desaulniers _______________________________