War Memorial
Opera House, San Francisco
January 29th,
2013
Whether your
first opening night or in the case of San Francisco Ballet, your eightieth, a
premiere event is both magical and special. While some writers/critics may
wince at such banal wording, when it comes to the precipice of a new season, such
descriptors are without a doubt the correct choice. To kick-off the eightieth
anniversary, Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson has chosen a brilliant mixed
repertory program choreographically spanning seventy years: Serge Lifar’s
“Suite en Blanc”, Jerome Robbins’ “In The Night” and Wayne McGregor’s highly
anticipated world premiere for SFB, “Borderlands”. By selecting and showcasing
work choreographed in 1943, 1970 and 2013 respectively, Tomasson and the entire
San Francisco Ballet company are paying homage to their history while simultaneously
looking ahead to the next eighty years.
Vanessa Zahorian and Ruben Martin Cintas in Robbins' "In The Night" ©Erik Tomasson |
As the curtain
rose on Lifar’s “Suite en Blanc”, the entire cast (a total of thirty-seven
dancers) was revealed in the form of an elegant life-size painting. After a few
frozen moments, most dancers regally and calmly exited the stage leaving behind
the first trio: Marie-Claire D’Lyse, Kristina Lind and Jennifer Stahl. Now alone,
these three members of the corps de ballet began to dance the first movement of
the “Suite”. The beginning trio was all about lightness and delicacy, providing
a subtle taste of Bournonville flavor. Then, onto a completely disparate trio
that was filled with bravura jumps and high extensions. Sasha DeSola took the
third variation, which again worked with petit allegro, yet with a totally
different approach. Instead of floating ballon of the first movement, here was
precise, staccato, accented footwork. The following pas de cinq provided
dramatic dynamics and a delightful brisé sequence across the floor on the
diagonal. Sarah Van Patten took the melodramatic ‘cigarette’ vignette, Davit
Karapetyan the sensual and gallant ‘mazurka’. Next, the pairing of Yuan Yuan
Tan and Vito Mazzeo took the audience on an unforeseen journey: a duet that was
eerie in one moment and tender in another - perhaps Lifar’s comment on the
unpredictable and complicated nature of romantic love. A stunning visual
display, this seventy-year-old ballet’s major accomplishment is its accurate
treatment and true representation of the Suite: a choreographic and musical
form that is meant to celebrate spectrum, variance and range.
A study for
three couples, Jerome Robbins' “In The Night” illustrates how passion plays out
in different types of relationships. Vanessa Zahorian and Ruben Martin took on
youthful excitement; Sofiane Sylve and Tiit Helimets reserved maturity and
Lorena Feijoo and Pierre-François Vilanoba uncontrollable fire. In each pas de
deux, the choreography reflected the specific ‘demeanor’ of the couple in
question, yet, the common narrative thread held true – passion may not always
look the same, but it is still passion.
Wayne
McGregor’s “Chroma” was a hit with San Francisco Ballet audiences. So the news
that this superstar choreographer was going to create a new work on the San
Francisco Ballet was met with quite the anticipatory buzz. Premiering in this
opening night performance, “Borderlands” revisits McGregor’s box motif as
evident by the large cube-like structure that served as the set. A contemporary
work for twelve dancers accompanied by a techno-styled soundscape, the piece
definitely contemplates the idea of boundaries. From a very literal
perspective, the perimeter of the stage was transformed into the ‘waiting
area’; dancers stood frozen and quiet as they awaited the beginning of their
individual sequence. The middle space was reserved for the busy action; the
constant dancing; the frenetic movement. More conceptually, “Borderlands”
challenged all kinds of ballet boundaries and conventions. It was certainly the
most avant-garde of the Program 1 offerings, and also the best rehearsed work
of the evening, hands down. There were some delicious moments, including
Sofiane Sylve’s superhuman contortionist developpé à la second. It was also
wonderful to see Maria Kochetkova way out of her comfort zone. She always
excels onstage, but here she really embodied McGregor’s movement style with a
sublime depth of understanding. Having said that, for me, “Borderlands” was far
too much like “Chroma”. The set design, costumes, music and choreography were so
reminiscent of McGregor’s 2006 dance, almost making “Borderlands” something of a
second installment or subsequent chapter. That might not be a bad thing, but I
was definitely hoping for something different.
No comments:
Post a Comment