{"id":1265,"date":"2020-07-07T11:22:28","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T11:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/san-francisco-ballet-gala-spellbound-2020\/"},"modified":"2023-12-26T17:47:16","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T17:47:16","slug":"san-francisco-ballet-gala-spellbound-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/san-francisco-ballet-gala-spellbound-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco Ballet Gala: SPELLBOUND 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With many theaters shut down for the foreseeable future, it is a blessing to be able to watch online dance showcases from companies around the world. The San Francisco Ballet released a recording of their 2020 gala, called SPELLBOUND<\/em>, as part of their SF Ballet @ Home<\/em><\/em><\/a> program. Recorded January 16, 2020 by Rapt Productions<\/a>, the San Francisco Ballet 2020 gala lasts approximately one hour and 40 minutes without intermissions and includes snippets from a diverse range of works \u2013 such as Stars and Stripes<\/em> by George Balanchine, the Jockey Dance<\/em> by August Bournonville and Hurry Up, We\u2019re Dreaming <\/em>by Justin Peck (Resident Choreographer and Artistic Director of New York City Ballet). Read our SPELLBOUND <\/em>review for more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do these choreographers sound familiar? George Balanchine choreographed many famous pieces, such as <\/em>NYCB\u2019s Nutcracker<\/em><\/a>, and August Bournonville choreographed<\/em> La Sylphide<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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San Francisco Ballet dancers perform the men’s regiment from Stars & Stripes<\/em>, choreographed by George Balanchine.
Photo Credit: Erik Tomasson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

SF Ballet Gala 2020 Review<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Act I<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A cadre of regimented cadets kick off the gala with a segment from George Balanchine\u2019s Stars and Stripes<\/em> ballet. The male dancers impress with lofty leaps and other large jumps with dancer Lucas Erni at the helm, who finishes his single tours with a toe touch in a la seconde. It\u2019s a rousing piece \u2013 and especially fun to watch over the Fourth of July weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although this segment stands well on its own, the audience is abruptly dropped into the emotionally-fraught Foreshadow <\/em>trio by Val Caniparoli, which has some lovely ballet and modern dance sequences, but lazily fuses the two at some points with balletic legs and expressive arm gestures. It wouldn\u2019t look out of place on So You Think You Can Dance<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heading back to time-tested ballet favorites, Sofiane Sylve and Carlo Di Lanno perform the \u2018white swan\u2019 pas de deux from David Dawson\u2019s Swan Lake. <\/em>But watching a bare-legged Odette sans tutu makes the dance feel fresh. The pair dance beautifully together with strong partnering and a connection even when moving separately, accompanied by Tchaikovsky\u2019s mellifluous score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sofiane Sylve and Carlo Di Lanno perform the white swan pas de deux from David Dawson’s Swan Lake<\/em>.
Photo credit: Erik Tomasson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The energy ramps up when a pair of jockeys jockey for the audience\u2019s attention in August Bournonville\u2019s lighthearted Jockey Dance <\/em>duet, which premiered with the Royal Danish Ballet in 1876. The two men one-up each other with fast footwork and  jumps, which elicit loud whoops from the audience at its conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gripping For Pixie<\/em> piece that follows is an entirely different sort of duet, choreographed by Danielle Row and set to Nina Simone\u2019s music. Dores Andr\u00e9 and Joseph Walsh bear their souls to each other and negotiate intricate lifts and counter balances, the woman\u2019s legs tracing the floor like an Argentine tango dancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large pas de deux section from Marius Petipa\u2019s Le Corsaire<\/em> closes the first half. Misa Kuranaga and Angelo Greco pair well, but watching them dance solo is more thrilling. Greco soars even higher after his leg sweeps through the air in his switch leaps, and he smoothly transitions into the kneeling landing positions. Meanwhile, Kuranaga is a diaphanous performer, smiling and delicately flicking her wrists to complement her quick pointe work. The triumphant conclusion begs the question: what can top this after intermission?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Misa Kuranaga and Angelo Greco dance the pas de deux from Marius Petipa’s Le Corsaire<\/em>‘ Photo credit: Erik Tomasson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Intermission<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While theater intermissions are primarily for bathroom breaks and snack refills, the online gala includes an \u2018intermission presentation\u2019\u00a0called\u00a0Dedicated to…<\/em>, filmed by Erik Tomasson. Choreographed by Yuri Possokhov and edited by Hidetoshi Oneda, the screendance features\u00a0ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan and her mother Su Zhang, who remains\u00a0seated in a chair. The piece contrasts\u00a0Tan\u2019s ability to dance and whirl around with Zhang\u2019s mostly stationary role. But despite limited movements, Zhang\u2019s guiding presence resonates, especially when\u00a0Tan channels her energy. The Mother and daughter share their strengths with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re a fan of screendance, you’ll likely enjoy <\/em>Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico’s digital Noche Unidos program<\/em><\/a>, which was filmed completely during lockdown.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Act II<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mathilde Froustey and Joseph Walsh reprise Helgi Tomasson\u2019s Romeo & Juliet <\/em>balcony pas de deux. And it\u2019s swoon-worthy. Danced to Sergei Prokofiev\u2019s sweet score, the two star-crossed lovers embody young romance. Walsh rockets around the stage with joy and Froustey shyly accepts his advances, her excitement mixed with reticence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you love the Romeo & Juliet ballet, you have to see the BalletBoyz\u2019 <\/em><\/em>Beyond Words<\/a> film<\/em>, a screendance version of Verona\u2019s beloved couple.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mathilde Froustey and Joseph Walsh dance the balcony pas de deux from Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet<\/em>.
Photo credit: Erik Tomasson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Myles Thatcher\u2019s contemplative 5:29<\/em> leaves heady passion behind in favor of a vast abstract space, where a droning sound distorts time, even as the clock counts down in the background. Sasha De Sola relives old dreams with Benjamin Freemantle \u2013 but, all too soon, he silently departs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grand Pas Classique<\/em> by Victor Gsovsky possesses all of the pomp you could want in a ballet. Both with a grounded quality, Wona Park and Wei Wang are well-matched and on good form. Wang\u2019s performance falters at the beginning of his solo, but he consistently engages after a few short phrases, matching the energy of Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more casual pas de deux from Justin Peck\u2019s Hurry Up, We\u2019re Dreaming<\/em> is less showy, but completely fascinating. Sarah Van Patten and Henry Sidford loop around each other, freely riding eddies with a sort of self-sufficient, defiant attitude, informed by M83\u2019s music, whose track gives off a Snow Patrol Chasing Cars<\/em> kind of feeling. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sarah Van Patten and Henry Sidford in Peck’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming \/\/ \u00a9 Erik Tomasson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bells<\/em>, choreographed by Yuri Possokhov, feels more complex and weighty. Yuan Yuan Tan and Vitor Luiz complete intricate choreography with elegant circus-type tricks, but there are imperfect moments, too. Tan brokenly folds her limbs into her body and they both silence the other, pressing their hand over their partner\u2019s mouth, before closing with a kiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The regal finale from Balanchine\u2019s Diamonds, <\/em>staged by Sandra Jennings, closes the show. The enormous cast of 30+ dancers fills the stage, creating geometric patterns like crystalline forms. The symmetry and sweeping rounds of choreography are immensely pleasing \u2013 a wonderful way to close an evening celebration of dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The SF Ballet gala evening 2020 marvelously showcases the talent and versatility of their dancers. They\u2019re technically impressive in a range of classic and contemporary ballet, and they demonstrate their openness to embrace change with their foray into screendance during the intermission. Even for digital viewers, the San Francisco Ballet gala night is an absolute treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"'SPELLBOUND'<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"'SPELLBOUND'<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"'SPELLBOUND'<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Did you see San Francisco Ballet\u2019s SPELLBOUND <\/em>gala evening in person or via the SF Ballet @ Home online screening? If so, which were your favorite pieces from the show? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With many theaters shut down for the foreseeable future, it is a blessing to be able to watch online dance showcases from companies around the world. The San Francisco Ballet released a recording of their 2020 gala, called SPELLBOUND, as part of their SF Ballet @ Home program. Recorded January 16, 2020 by Rapt Productions, the San […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[81],"class_list":["post-1265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-show","tag-ballet"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/SAS20GAL_ET31076_CE-San-Francisco-Ballet-in-the-mens-regiment-from-Stars-Stripes-Choreography-by-George-Balanchine-\u00a9-The-Balanchine-Trust-Photo-\u00a9-Erik-Tomasson.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1265"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1274,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1265\/revisions\/1274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}