The Kirov Comes to Town
Fokine
Program
by
Rita Felciano
Copyright ©2003 by
The
Kirov Ballet—or at least that segment which started an American
tour this past week at Zellerbach Hall as part of Cal Performances dance
season—has been dancing gloriously, and that should have been enough.
But to see these dancers, so beautifully and totally engaged in three
classic Mikhail Fokine works was extraordinary. The pieces, choreographed
within two years, 1908-1910, could not be more different from each other.
Yet these dancers went from the pristinely self-contained Chopiniana
to the lascivious writhings of Scheherazade and then on to the
Duncan-inspired princesses and stomping whirl wind circles in Firebird
with the greatest of ease. Without denigrating the achievements of
Kirov’s superb soloists, these performances also proved that a company
is only as good as its corps.
Jewels
by
Rita Felciano
Copyright
©2003 by Rita Felciano
The Kirov
continued its Berkeley run, prsented by Cal Performances, with four showings
of George Balanchine's Jewels. If it hadn’t been for ‘Diamonds’,
as pure and as exhilarating a performance as I would ever hope to see,
Jewels would have been a major disappointment. Even though a
colleague pointed out that you don’t go to see Balanchine for the
sets, as long as you choose to perform with them, they should be more
than these drab, shaped out of mud tie-backs, a spattered drop cloth and
poorly lit plastic baubles.
read
review
Reburying
Local Treasure
The Plight of the Oakland Ballet
By Ann Murphy
©
2003
Few
things can put arts funding in the U.S. into perspective more than an
evening at the Kirov with full orchestra. And fewer things still point
to the mess we're in in the performing arts than the now rickety state
of Oakland Ballet, which last week postponed and shortened the run of
Program 2 due to poor ticket sales. Had the company gone on with the show,
the cash shortfall it would have suffered, company insiders say, could
have flattened it.
full
article
What's
On This Week
October 13-19, 2003
OCT
13-14: CHRISTINA BRAUN
Christina Braun presents "Peace Dreams", an evening of Butoh
peace dances and theatrical rituals created collectively by the local
Butoh and experimental music community.
October 13-14, 8pm, Theatre of Yugen at Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa Street,
San Francisco, (415) 621-7978,
http://www.theatreofyugen.org.
OCT
15-NOV: 2 SMUIN BALLET
Michael Smuin's chamber ballet troupe opens 10th anniversary season with
premiere of "Tango Palace", plus "Suite Gershwin"
and Smuin's version of "Les Noces."
October 15-18, 21-25,29-Nov.1, 8pm, October 11-12, 18-19, 25-26, 1-2,
2pm, October 12, 7pm, Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard
at Buchanan Street, San Francisco, (415) 495-2234, www.smuinballet.org.
OCT:
16-19 LINES BALLET
Alonzo King's sleek and soulful company presents a world premiere with
music by Pawel Szymanski, performed by the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra.
Also on the program is a revival of last year's "Koto", with
live music by Koto player Miya Masaoka.
October 16-19, 8pm, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, 700 Howard
Street at Third, San Francisco, (415) 978-2787, http://www.YerbaBuenaArts.org.
OCT:
16-19 BALLET SAN JOSE SILICON VALLEY
Ballet San Jose presents Martha Graham's "Appalachian Spring",
Michael Smuin's "Stravinsky Piano Pieces", and Dennis Nahat
and Ian Horvath's "US". October 16, 7:30pm, October 17-18, 8pm,
October 19, 1:30pm, 7:30pm, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255
Almaden Boulevard, San Jose, (408) 288-2800 http://www.balletsanjose.org.
OCT:
16-25 MOTION LAB
Kathleen Hermesdorf provides the often quirky choreography; her artistic
partner Albert Mathias provides the pulsing original, live electronic
music. "As Above, So Below" will feature three world premieres
investigating alchemy through body, music, image and light.
October 16-19, 23-25, 8pm, ODC Theater, 3153
17th Street at Shotwell, San Francisco, (415) 863-9834,
http://www.odctheater.org.
OCT:
18 ART OF THE MATTER
"Dance 'Til You Drop", to benefit Art of the Matter, Studio
210 and
Deborah Slater Dance Theater, presents performances by ODC/San Francisco,
Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Keith Hennessey/Circo Zero, and others.
October 18, 7pm, Delancey Street Town Hall, 600 Embarcadero, San Francisco,
(415) 367-7687, http://www.artofthematter.org.
OCT:
18 VIRGINIA IGLESIAS & ALMA FLAMENCA
Azahar Dance Foundation presents Virginia Iglesias and Alma
Flamenca in "Mosaico", innovative flamenco dancing and world
class musicians evoking sultry nights in old Seville.
October 18, 8pm, Dinkelspiel Auditorium, 471 Lagunita Drive, Stanford
University, Palo Alto, (650) 725-2787,
http://www.azahardance.org.
OCT:
19 YAELISA Y CAMINOS FLAMENCOS
Yaelisa and Caminos Flamencos present "Café Flamenco,"
blending rhythmic dialogues with the voice of each instrument, whether
tabla, drum, or feet, in an informal café atmosphere with wine
and tapas.
October 19, 7pm, ODC Theater, 3153 17th Street at Shotwell, San Francisco,
(415) 863-9834, http://www.odctheater.org.
Calendar Listings courtesy of IN DANCE, a FREE monthly publication of Dancers' Group at http://www.dancersgroup.org
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