Imagine the choreographer, his canvas: the stage. He (or she) has at his disposal every piece of music ever written and/or recorded, a top notch orchestra, a phenomenal performance space, and one of the best dance companies in the world. Now all he has to do is create a work of art and debut it in front of international press, ballet fans from all over, tireless staff, and dedicated fundraisers dressed in their finest all in one night. For three men, that night was last Tuesday at the San Francisco Ballet New Works Festival Opening. No pressure.
But first, a little about the style for the opening evening. Before the rain began, gala dinner patrons arrived for a cocktail reception in the main hall of the Opera House. Champagne, wine, a full bar and passed hors d'oeurves kept the guests satiated as they greeted each other in "festive black tie". All eyes were on dinner co-chair, Yuri Pascarella, who wore a gown designed by one of the dancers, Danielle Santos, along with loaned Bulgari diamonds totaling some 114 carats. Pascarella said of the gown, "I'm very proud [of how it turned out]." (Shown top left (L to R): Ann Fisher, Yurie Pascarella, Kati Kadar Lynn, Mary Jo Kovacevich (gala dinner co-chairs.)
Members of the Ballet Auxilliary who always dress and impress for these events sailed in gorgeous colors and patterns for spring. I first found Patty Rock in a beautifully light black and white polka dot dress that she found at a boutique in Beverly Hills. Next I spotted Karen Caldwell entering in a delightful green (for Earth Day) Dolce & Gabbana gown along with friends Rosemary Baker in a blend Pamela Roland gown of Impressionist style blended yellow floral and Trish Stephens in a deep blue, subtly patterned Carolina Herrera gown. San Francisco Ballet board Vice Chair, Dede Wilsey, looked radiant with John Traina. Everyone in attendance was beautiful, and everyone was excited about the production.
After a delightful cocktail reception - more glasses of champagne on tables than I could count - guests were heralded by trumpet fanfare into the dinner reception. For the dinner, guests sat under a tented roof adjacent to the Opera House, served a three course dinner by McCall Associates, paired with wines by La Crema Winery. The dinner was sponsored by one of the co-chairs, Mary Jo Kovacevich and her husband, Richard. Upstairs, some of the ballet staff, international press, designers and dancers met and mingled in a private reception where I spoke at length with company apprentice, Owen Gaj, who shared with me some of what the dancers go through in terms of training and rehearsing for these performances.
Nearly unprecedented, ten composers' works were performed over three nights, then each performance is being repeated over a two week period. Dance lovers can see each of the 3 programs (A, B, & C). Program A featured three separate dances - Fusion, by Yuri Possokhov, Within the Golden Hour, by Ezio Bosso, and Changes, by Paul Taylor. That's what we saw the night of the gala.
One theme that I noticed throughout the dances was bright, luscious color. The costumes and lighting for the performers really played a part in creating the aura, although it was a minimal set. For Within the Golden Hour, I think would be fabulous to see done on the ice (I'm a figure skater, so sometimes I see how a dance would translate and vice versa). Fusion had interesting pairings of dancers - men with men, women with men, lots of men. The pairings were beautiful in Within the Golden Hour in terms of couples and color, with a more classical style whereas Fusion was more modern. Changes was a complete departure from the other two bringing the 60's to the stage mimicking a drug-induced haze, fabulous flavor and fun.
I'm an auditory learner, so for me the music is a key ingredient for choreography. The visual of the dance doesn't have the same impact without the right music, and thus my preferences for the dance tend to go accordingly. I loved two of the dances in the program and appreciated the other. (I'm not telling which ones in which order because I believe my preferences are perhaps mine only. I leave it up to the reader to make his/her own impression.) As someone who has choreographed in the past for figure skating, I always choose the music first, with a basic concept in my head of what the choreography will contain before flushing out the entire program. I don't know if this is how all choreographers approach their work, but that's what works for me.
The audience loved the third dance, Changes, because of the local themes - ending the night with "California Dreamin'", how can you not go home in a good mood? As someone who has danced in the past, I judge a good night at the ballet by how much I want to dance after each performance, and that night I could barely contain myself. Some programs looked more challenging than others to perform, but each was unique in its own way and it's always nice to see a new work. I highly recommend checking out one of the performances if you can - if tickets are still available.
Sarah Granger began writing about the performing arts while studying British film, theatre and culture in London in 1994, and she'll never turn down an invitation to the ballet.
Photo credit, co-chairs, dinner tables, and Traina/Wilsey: Drew Altizer Photography. Remaining photos by Sarah Granger.
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