San Francisco Ballet in Balanchine's "Serenade" Photo © Erik Tomasson |
War Memorial Opera
House, San Francisco
January 30th,
2015
Mixed repertory evenings
at San Francisco Ballet are known for their breadth and diversity, but 2015’s
Program 1 may be the most eclectic and varied collection yet. Artistic Director
Helgi Tomasson has paired George Balanchine’s “Serenade” (1935) with Yuri
Possokhov’s 2011 “RAkU” and Val Caniparoli’s “Lambarena”, which is marking its
twentieth anniversary this year.
Exquisite; ethereal;
elegant; enthralling. Each of these words has been used to describe
Balanchine’s 1935 neo-classical masterwork, “Serenade”. And every one of them
is right on target. Without question, it is one of the most beautiful one-Act
ballets ever made. Simple movements (the palm of the hand directed away from
the body on the diagonal; delicate parallel boureés; the feet moving from sixth
position to first) alongside statements of largess (huge sissones, temps leveés
and developpés), “Serenade” is a testament to classical ballet technique and
choreographic structure. The stage patterns are not only sculptural, they also
construct living architecture. Choreography extends from clear, defined port de
bras to lightning-fast footwork to unpredictable transitions, which, on occasion,
still proved challenging for some of the cast. But overall, the performance was
full of radiance and splendor. Vanessa Zahorian’s variation (with Isabella
DeVivo, Koto Ishihara, Norika Matsuyama and Julia Rowe) was sublime. And
“Serenade” was another stellar showing from the all women in the corps de
ballet, particularly the circular piqué turn sequence.
But “Serenade” also a
mysterious side to it; a foray into the unknown. No matter how many times you
see it, some things are still unexpected. Just when you think it is a
completely abstract work, a narrative moment appears, as with the slow trio three-quarters
of the way through (danced by Dores André, Lorena Feijoo and Tiit Helimets).
The promenades in this sequence may not have been telling a linear story, but
they were saying something - André’s slow rotation in arabesque was like a
clock and the partnered turns in attitude, where the supporting knee suddenly
bends, almost seemed like a hint of defiance. “Serenade” is a picturesque dance
of surprise and while the action on stage Friday night was extraordinary, it
was a little odd to both see and hear one of the dancers preparing and counting
in the wings prior to her entrance.
An epic tour-de-force
for ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan, Yuri Possokhov’s “RAkU” unlocks one woman’s
journey through ceremony, love, loss, terror and grief. “RAkU” is definitely a
narrative story and as explained in the program notes, is based upon/inspired
by true events, the burning of Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion in 1950. But the genius
of “RAkU” is in its timelessness. While inspired by this mid-century event, it
also exudes an ancient mystique, and at the same time, is clearly a
contemporary work with a modular, multi-media set. Possokhov’s choreographic
vocabulary also followed this timelessness in the way he mixed different dance
genres: classical ballet, modern dance, martial arts and Butoh influences.
While the two main duets (one between Tan and Carlos Quenedit and the other,
Tan and Pascal Molat) were filled with specificity and abandon, and Tan’s final
solo was sheer brilliance, my favorite movement phrases were actually for the
four warriors (Gaetano Amico, Steven Morse, Sean Orza and Myles Thatcher). With
dynamic shifts of weight and athletic gravity-defying jumps, the power of these
four men from the corps de ballet could not be overlooked.
Program 1 closed on a
celebratory note with Val Caniparoli’s 1995 “Lambarena”. A multi-layered
approach to fusion, “Lambarena” brings ballet and African dance together while
simultaneously combining Baroque scores with traditional African music. The
result is a suite of eight jubilant dances as only a choreographer like
Caniparoli could envision or construct. While there were featured soloists and
highlighted roles, every member of the cast was part of a community; completely
in sync with each other. And they looked like they were having the most
fantastic time dancing the ballet. Choreographic motifs recurred throughout the
eight chapters, just like compositional themes recurring in the music – the
flexed foot being tapped by the other pointed foot; the women being lifted up
in a straight body position. The stage was brimming with sinuous torsos,
off-center postures, and percussive rhythms. Daniel Deivison-Oliveira stole the
show in the fifth movement with his incomparable physical strength and
dynamics. And in his duet with Ellen Rose Hummel, the intoxicating energy continued
with strong and sharp accents and a spectacular final lift. The men’s variation
(number seven) led by Joseph Walsh, had some beautiful extension work –
developpés in ecarté, renversés, and arabesques where the upper body fell
slowly to the ground. Unanticipated, but absolutely gorgeous.
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