BALANCHINE'S VERSATILITY RESONATES AT THE S.F. BALLET 
                                              By D. Rane Danubian
        artssf.com, the independent observer of San Francisco Bay Area music and dance 
                                                                 Week of Feb. 13-20,, 2010
                                                                  Vol. 12, No. 65
            Balanchine is emphatically back at the S.F. Ballet, showing more versatility (and less austerity) than he is often given credit for.
            The works of George Balanchine spanning some six decades of mid-20th-century work best when shown individually, one per ballet program. The San Francisco Ballet however has opted for an all-Balanchine program, choosing pieces from different decades, offering maximum contrast.
            There is “Serenade,” a blend of romantic and  modern, with allusions to Greek antiquity; “Stravinsky Violin Concerto,” the modern spiky choreographic style, full of angularity and straight line segments abruptly drawn, at the very pinnacle of Balanchine neoclassicism; and “Theme and Variations,” with grandiose and gaudy reminiscences of Czarist Russia.
            Balanchine is a mandatory annual choreographic inclusion for SFB Artgistsic Director Helgi Tomasson, as he danced most of his career for Mr. B at the NYC Ballet.
            When the program opened at the Opera House Feb. 11, the sharpest SFB performances came in the extremely difficult spidery moves of  “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” (1972),  with dancers very exposed, wearing standard NYC Ballet tights in white and black, and no décor at all. No place to hide!
            Just as happened in the previous program, once again a substitute stole the show. The rangy Anthony Spalding, a “mere” SFB soloist, stepped in, showing us a tall, muscular, and arresting  figure who could move gracefully, leap,  and also partner Yuan Yuan Tan very neatly, though she was far shorter. I would relish seeing a lot more of him---He brings an Arthur Mitchell touch to the SFB, and with his tall stature, he adds yet another dimension.
            Both ballerinas, Tan and Sofiane Silve, had fast, often awkward maneuvers to make, with bent knees or bent elbows, in a taut work that never borders on a smile until the fun and games of the finale, with kicks and semaphoric arms. Stunning.
            “Serenade” (1935) is one of the classics of 20th-century American ballet, mushroomed to a much bigger roster since the premiere, now grown to more than two dozen participants. (The original had just two males; these later versions have six men.) It was a mite sloppy at the opener, but still impressive. It reminded me of a muster of the West Point cadets on their parade ground years ago, executed with incredible precision, yet evoking apologies from one of the viewing officers because a couple of the pole-like standards carried were not fully aligned.
            The strong array of soloists included Sarah van Patten, Yuan Yuan Tan, Lorene Feijoo, Brett Bauer and Tiit Helimets.
            Yet another Tchaikovsky piece, the richly decorated “Theme and Variations” (1947) is the kind of piece that, on tour, can get its biggest applause at the opening rather than the end, with audiences dazzled by the opulent chandeliers, tutus, tiaras, and rhinestone earrings. The Czar would have loved it in this piece reverting to the old Russian traditions in which Balanchine grew up, before emigrating to Paris, then New York.
            Classical ballet steps and moves predominated throughout.
            This work featured an all-Armenian pair of principals, Vanessa Zahorian and Davit Karapetyan, with Vahorian  a bit vague and rushed in her demanding routines. It was yet another demonstration of the international nature of this versatile company, with artist from Cuba, Estonia, France, Russia, China, Thailand, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Colombia, Spain, and Japan. Presumably there are a dozen interpreters on call to handle any linguistic differences in rehearsal (How many ways can you say, “No, that’s impossible!”?).
            On the musical front, backup conductor David LaMarche was especially eloquent leading the orchestra in “Serenade.” I’d like to hear more of him.
          (Note: casts change nightly.)
         San Francisco Ballet in Program 3, all-Balanchine,  opening Feb. 9 at the Opera House, S.F. Through Feb. 21. For info: (415) 865-2000, or go online.
        ©D. Rane Danubian 2010

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        D. Rane Danubian has been covering the dance and modern-music scene in the San Francisco Bay Area with relish -- and a certain amount of salsa -- for years.
    These critiques appearing weekly (or sometimes semi-weekly, but never weakly) will focus on dance and new musical creativity in performance, with forays into books (by authors of the region), theater and recordings by local artists as well.
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