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[updated March 8, 2011]

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San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
February 2001 Preview
January 2011 Review
So much fantastic San Francisco/Bay Area dance to attend in the month of January - from Company C Contemporary Ballet’s winter program to the opening of the 2011 San Francisco Ballet season to the three weekends of “Gush” at Brava Theater. And thankfully, there wasn’t just a vast quantity of dance, but exceptional quality as well.

Brava Theater invited patrons to an eclectic modern dance experience with "Gush", a three-week long performance series curated by choreographer Joe Goode. The festival brought together Goode's own troupe with Ledoh and Axis Dance Company. Each weekend featured a new line-up of artists and works, and with program I saw being "29 Effeminate Gestures" (Joe Goode Performance Group) and "ColorMeAmerica" (Ledoh).

San Francisco Bay Area
by Heather Desaulniers
January 2011 review
December 2010 preview
"The Nutcracker" is an institution in the Bay Area. With so many fantastic local versions to choose from, any "Nutcracker" fan can attend Christmas Eve at The Stahlbaums several times during the holidays. But if "Nutcracker" isn't your cup of tea, there are other festive San Francisco dance offerings to take it, including ODC's long-running presentation of "The Velveteen Rabbit" and the annual ACT “A Christmas Carol”.

reviews

Pennsylvania Ballet - 'Swan Lake'
by Lori Ibay
March 3, 2011-- Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania Ballet first presented the world premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s re-envisioned “Swan Lake” on June 4, 2004, neatly timed with the Dance Critics Association’s 30th annual conference taking place in Philadelphia the same weekend, and allowing dozens of critics (myself included) to witness the historic event. The timing of this season’s opening night was probably not coincidental either.
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Birmingham Royal Ballet - 'La Fille mal gardée'
by David Mead
March 2, 2011-- Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham, UK
The key to “Fille” is its simplicity and charm. And can there be a more charming Lise than Nao Sakuma? She is an excellent technician and made Ashton’s tricky footwork look easy. In fact, that part of her dancing is so good that it is often taken for granted. She can present a serious exterior sometimes, but it is roles such as this that bring out the best in her and reveal the bright and cheeky personality that lies within.
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American Ballet Theatre - London Tour
by Ana Abad-Carles
February 1-2, 2011-- Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, UK
For their new visit to London, ABT brought two mixed bills. Both had a good mix of old and new works and the range in choreographic material should have really put the company in the best possible light. Heritage repertoire like "Theme and Variations" or "Lilac Garden" were presented alongside recent works by Benjamin Millepied and Alexei Ratmansky, so there was plenty of opportunity to see the company's position both as guardians of their choreographic tradition and as avant gardée performers.
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editors' choice · Royal Danish Ballet's "A Folk Tale' March 11, 2011- April 8, 2011, Operaen, Copenhagen, Denmark The Royal Danish Ballet premiere's Nikolaj Hübbe's new version of the Bournonville classic "A Folk Tale".  With new sets and costumes by Mia Stensgaard, it's sure to be a new classic. · National Ballet of Canada - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland June 4- 23, Toronto, Ontario The National Ballet of Canada presents the North American premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's highly praised take on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

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, Lisa Claybaugh, Azlan Ezaddin, Jerry Hochman _______________________________