San Francisco Ballet
“van Manen: Dutch Grandmaster”
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
April 19th, 2025 (matinee)
This past weekend, San Francisco Ballet danced the final show of their “van Manen: Dutch Grandmaster” program, a quadruple bill tribute to choreographer Hans van Manen. And though I had my favorites amongst the four works, overall, I think it was one of the strongest programs that the company has presented this season. All of the pieces exist within SFB’s present repertory. But they’ve never been programmed together to showcase and celebrate this dancemaker, who while prolific, might be a little less familiar to West Coast audiences. What an afternoon at the ballet!
 |
| San Francisco Ballet in van Manen's Grosse Fuge Photo Chris Hardy |
First up was van Manen’s 1971 octet, Grosse Fuge. The curtain rose to reveal a stark, white background. Four women, clad in off-white leotards stood completely still upstage right, their angsty, somber faces (coupled with Beethoven’s foreboding score) suggesting something ominous was about to unfold. As Grosse Fuge continued, that serious tone was indeed present. But as four bare-chested men with flowing, full-length black skirts joined the scene, the work exploded into full-throttle, uninhibited and deliciously unexpected movement. Everywhere you looked, turned-in positions evolved. Arms and hands (particularly sculpted fists) were detailed, sharp and precise. A piston-like jump sequence brought equal parts strength and whimsy to the table. The cast burst out of turns into extension. And a throughline emerged that would inform the entire day: a deep love and choreographic exploration of second position. Grosse Fuge’s latter moments were erotically charged, yet at the same time, entirely egalitarian. Control was a shared experience, embodied by every single cast member. And you couldn’t help taking away that message from the thirty-minute dance: shared power, certainly, but also confidence in one’s own power. Such an amazing opener!
 |
| San Francisco Ballet in van Manen's Variations for Two Couples Photo Chris Hardy |
2012’s Variation for Two Couples followed with another dramatic first look. The War Memorial stage’s surface was awash in cool blue; the dark black scrim marked with a giant aqua arc. Contrasting against that backdrop, the audience was treated to two angular pas de deux. Exaggerated flexed hands, sharp tango influences and long, piercing jazz runs. Again, the fifteen-minute work is a choreographic love letter to the openness of second position – in plié, in extension, in split jumps and in devant/derriere ecarté. And impeccably performed on Saturday afternoon by Nikisha Fogo, Max Cauthorn (who had also both just danced in Grosse Fuge), Wanting Zhao and Adrian Zeisel.
 |
| Alexis Francisco Valdes in van Manen's Solo Photo Chris Hardy |
Right before the day’s second intermission came the shortest ballet on the “van Manen: Dutch Grandmaster” program. Set to a Baroque Bach score, 1997’s Solo is only eight minutes long, and a truly grand eight minutes at that. I’ve seen it many times at SFB, and I always come away thinking that I had just seen the cast who were made to dance this piece. Without a doubt, every single time, and I felt that way on Saturday too. A trio for three men (Cavan Conley, Victor Prigent and Alexis Francisco Valdes), Solo is a constant physical stream of consciousness. One at a time, each enters the space and solos. Then, exiting in the wings, they invite the next dancer to take over center stage. It’s entertaining and energetic with a hearty dose of healthy competition. Over its short duration, Solo accelerates in tempo, dynamics and spiciness, making this viewer wish it would never end. And it features such unique communication between the three cast members: winks, fun-loving facial cues and winning head tilts. Easily my favorite composition of the afternoon, with Grosse Fuge coming in second and Variations, a strong third.
That brings me to the last ballet on the bill. I really want to like 5 Tango’s (1977). The tango vocabulary is excellent, and the opening group sequence is engaging. There is a lengthy male pas de deux and the company’s interpretation of van Manen’s syntax is exquisite. Yet still, it’s not my cup of tea. Tango is such a bold, dramatic movement tradition, and 5 Tango’s stays at a very similar, casual pace for most of its thirty minutes. There is one solo midway through, danced Saturday by Joshua Jack Price, that does have dynamism to spare. But otherwise, 5 Tango’s is just too slow for too long. Programmatically, it reads more of a first piece than a finale.
