San Francisco Ballet - Nutcracker 27th December 2010
Yesterday I saw the Nutcracker at the San Francisco Ballet. It was a fabulous performance so I’ve picked a few key moments and some of my highlights to share with you.
The piece opens with the overture and Uncle Drosselmeyer in his workshop putting the finishing touches to the Nutcracker doll then we move into the grand party scene. The music was used well with an enchanting dance from the children followed swiftly by a formal but relaxed group piece by the adults. Two of the toys were brought to life to dance solos for the amusement of the guests. The magic of Uncle Drosselmeyer is a delightful source of entertainment and involves some charming interaction with the children. The scene was clearly set out and we were introduced to the characters through dance and acting that were well balanced.
This production is set in San Francisco. I enjoyed this aspect because it gave a sense of place and grounding from which the magic seems more fantastical. Also, as a tourist it was good to see pride in the place I’m visiting and showcasing the Victorian houses and landmarks. The set was quite stunning, as you can see from the trailer. When we enter the dream land the Christmas tree and presents grow to an astronomical size and Clara is transformed to be the same size as the toys. I just kept staring at the tree as it grew and grew and grew - quite breathtaking. There are some more pictures on the production page, http://www.sfballet.org/performancestickets/nutcracker.asp.
The Rat King emerged from a trap door at the front of the stage and slithered into battle with the other rats; as they cornered Clara the Nutcracker brought on his own army. The battle ended with the Rat King heading back into the trap door head first and twitching eliciting laughter from me and most of the rest of the audience.
The dance of the snowflakes had so much snow falling I think they modelled it on this week’s New York blizzard. I don't know how the dancers didn't slide on the fake snow as they entwined around each other to make the shapes. The divertissements were inventive; I especially loved the Cossack dancers as they leap through the paper fronts of Faberge eggs onto the stage to continue with leaps and bounds. And the Chinese dancers were a Chinese dragon that looked stunning against the stark set of the second half. The Spanish and Persian sections could have used a little more rehearsal to give them more synchronicity, there were a couple of slips in technique but nothing that detracted from the overall enjoyment of the afternoon.
The pas de deux for Clara and the Nutcracker was quite stunning, Gennadi Nedvigin played the Nutcracker Prince, I was very impressed with the combination of strength, elegance and technique he brought to the role. I felt Maria Kochetkova (playing the grown up Clara) was a little stiff in the upper body during the pas de deux but made up for it with the speed of her turns and daring leaps. The Snow King and Queen had a beautiful pas de deux as well but they didn't have such significant roles as I normally see in the Nutcracker. Clara dancing with the Prince used some of the music I would normally expect to see danced by the King and Queen. This made it a distinct production and I enjoyed the choreographic style of Helgi Tomasson immensely.
It was a truly wonderful afternoon of ballet and everyone emerged into the San Francisco sunshine with smiles across their faces.
Thoughts from other people.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-12-11/entertainment/25186728_1_stahlbaums-willam-christensen-san-francisco-ballet-nutcracker
http://sfcitizen.com/blog/2010/12/13/the-reviews-are-in-the-san-francisco-ballets-nutcracker-is-a-huge-success-for-2010/
http://www.saturdaymatineeblog.com/2010/12/review-2010-san-francisco-ballets-nutcracker/
http://www.dancebloggers.com/2010/12/review-2010-san-francisco-ballet%E2%80%99s-nutcracker/
The piece opens with the overture and Uncle Drosselmeyer in his workshop putting the finishing touches to the Nutcracker doll then we move into the grand party scene. The music was used well with an enchanting dance from the children followed swiftly by a formal but relaxed group piece by the adults. Two of the toys were brought to life to dance solos for the amusement of the guests. The magic of Uncle Drosselmeyer is a delightful source of entertainment and involves some charming interaction with the children. The scene was clearly set out and we were introduced to the characters through dance and acting that were well balanced.
Click to viewThis production is set in San Francisco. I enjoyed this aspect because it gave a sense of place and grounding from which the magic seems more fantastical. Also, as a tourist it was good to see pride in the place I’m visiting and showcasing the Victorian houses and landmarks. The set was quite stunning, as you can see from the trailer. When we enter the dream land the Christmas tree and presents grow to an astronomical size and Clara is transformed to be the same size as the toys. I just kept staring at the tree as it grew and grew and grew - quite breathtaking. There are some more pictures on the production page, http://www.sfballet.org/performancestickets/nutcracker.asp.
The Rat King emerged from a trap door at the front of the stage and slithered into battle with the other rats; as they cornered Clara the Nutcracker brought on his own army. The battle ended with the Rat King heading back into the trap door head first and twitching eliciting laughter from me and most of the rest of the audience.
The dance of the snowflakes had so much snow falling I think they modelled it on this week’s New York blizzard. I don't know how the dancers didn't slide on the fake snow as they entwined around each other to make the shapes. The divertissements were inventive; I especially loved the Cossack dancers as they leap through the paper fronts of Faberge eggs onto the stage to continue with leaps and bounds. And the Chinese dancers were a Chinese dragon that looked stunning against the stark set of the second half. The Spanish and Persian sections could have used a little more rehearsal to give them more synchronicity, there were a couple of slips in technique but nothing that detracted from the overall enjoyment of the afternoon.
The pas de deux for Clara and the Nutcracker was quite stunning, Gennadi Nedvigin played the Nutcracker Prince, I was very impressed with the combination of strength, elegance and technique he brought to the role. I felt Maria Kochetkova (playing the grown up Clara) was a little stiff in the upper body during the pas de deux but made up for it with the speed of her turns and daring leaps. The Snow King and Queen had a beautiful pas de deux as well but they didn't have such significant roles as I normally see in the Nutcracker. Clara dancing with the Prince used some of the music I would normally expect to see danced by the King and Queen. This made it a distinct production and I enjoyed the choreographic style of Helgi Tomasson immensely.
It was a truly wonderful afternoon of ballet and everyone emerged into the San Francisco sunshine with smiles across their faces.
Thoughts from other people.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-12-11/entertainment/25186728_1_stahlbaums-willam-christensen-san-francisco-ballet-nutcracker
http://sfcitizen.com/blog/2010/12/13/the-reviews-are-in-the-san-francisco-ballets-nutcracker-is-a-huge-success-for-2010/
http://www.saturdaymatineeblog.com/2010/12/review-2010-san-francisco-ballets-nutcracker/
http://www.dancebloggers.com/2010/12/review-2010-san-francisco-ballet%E2%80%99s-nutcracker/