Dance

SF Ballet “Manon” – Jan. 29, 2025

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San Francisco Ballet
Weds. January 29, 2025 7:30 PM
War Memorial Opera House SF
“Magnificent, memorable…but “too much”

The San Francisco Ballet, opened its 2025 season with British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s “Manon.” First produced in 1974 at the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden, London, the work has been faithfully recreated by “stager” Robert Tewsley and Artistic Director Tamara Rogo. The costumes (apparently) have been borrowed from London and represent nostalgic remembrance for Rogo. That history is recorded in the 2025 “Manon” program.

The ballet is a remarkably danced narrative of an “opera comique” in five acts by Jules Massent to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, and based on the 1731 novel ‘L’histoire de Manon” by Abbe Prévost.” Such a distinguished history demands careful staging and brilliant dancing. But ballet is not opera, drama nor literature. It is a ‘live’ art demanding close study, observation and some acquaintance with its unique vocabulary. Such skill is not always available to an average audience, although the SF Ballet audience is devoted and well-practiced.

This 2025 production reproduces MacMillan’s work in great detail. Each scene has many events; some go on as ‘background’ and some are brought forward for more immediate attention. Often there is too much to see, observe, and remember, but all presentations are remarkable.

“Manon,” for this evening’s production, was danced by the ‘incredible’ Nikisha Fogo, whose dance skills have been happily observed and appreciated in previous seasons. Another excellent dancer, Katherine Barkman, was cast as “Lescaut’s Mistress.” The program notes that this was her “premiere in role.” It will be a joy to see her in other ‘lead’ roles in the future. Featured in the a male roles were Aaron Robison as Des Grieux (Manon’s lover), Fernando Carratala Coloma (Manon’s brother (also a premiere role) and as Monsieur G.M., Daniel Delvision-Oliveira.

All the gentlemen compete for Manon’s attention and through the many episodes of fidelity and betrayal, Des Grieux remains with her in the bitter Louisiana exile!

This reviewer, her guest and the audience in general were delighted with the dancers’ skills, the amazing scenic presentations (by Nicholas Georgiadis), the lighting design (Jacopo Pantani) and all the elaborate production details throughout the evening. But finally, it was too much. There were often too many dancers on stage, too many scenic effects, even too much action (e.g. a card game down stage-rlght, important to the plot but not alas, brought into focus).

The Act III finale is an unique “pas de deux” for Fogo and Robison. They dance on a cleared stage, he lifting her in triple turns upstage (as if to heaven?} and finally lamenting her death as he leans over her with painful embraces. It is a remarkable duet.

“Manon” is a magnificent event in the SF Ballet’s 2025 season. To bring it to its well- deserved appreciation, this reviewer might suggest some refocusing of the major incidents. But alas, it might not then be McMillan’s “Manon”

Dance

SF Ballet Nutcracker 2024

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San Francisco Ballet
NUTCRACKER
Saturday, December 7, 2024/7 PM

An old favorite/a new delight!

I first saw Nutcracker at the old NY Metropolitan Opera House. Like so many children attending this annual ballet ‘celebration’, I hardly saw nor could remember the many acts and dances but the event lives with me still. We sat far away in the upper balcony. But, as it still does today, “Nutcracker” remains a marvel with its many episodes, solo and group performances and above all, the amazing stagecraft that makes it all possible. Such was the San Francisco Ballet’s December 7 performance for this 2024 holiday season. Above all was the ‘Grand Pas de Deux” performed by Nikisha Fogo and Max Cauthorn.

“Nutcracker” is an annual celebration of Christmas, complete with a family gathering, presents for children, dancing for all age groups and then a remarkable dream fantasy for the girl who has been given ‘the Nutcracker.” History tells us that the original “Nutcracker” was an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas 1844 short story and a retelling of E.T.A. Hoffman’s 1816 story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” The German tradition reports that “decorative nutcracker figurines most commonly made to resemble toy soldiers and are symbols of good luck frightening away malevolent spirits.” All of these backgrounds are inherent in the ballet’s story.

But it’s the continuing performance that holds the magic.  “On Christmas Eve, 1944, San Francisco Ballet launched a national holiday tradition with the American premiere oI NUTCRACKER choreographed by William Christensen – the first complete version of the ballet ever staged in the United States.” The Helgi Tomasson production (modeled after the NYC Ballet’s Balanchine original), is Nutcracker as a holiday tradition. Outstanding in this current performance (which will run through December 29) is Val Caniparoli as Drosselmeyer (the magician storyteller) and

Loé Dechelette who dances Clara who receives the Nutcracker doll. Drosselmeyer (in magical dream sequences) takes Clara through the various episodes, including visions of snowflakes dancing, a battle between mice and the Nutcracker Prince, dance sequences from a variety of countries (Spanish, Arabian, Chinese, French and Russian). In addition, there are, waltzing flowers, Madame Du Cirque and her Baffoons (SF Ballet students) and finally, the Grand Pas de Deux. Max Cauthorn returns from Act 1 to partner the marvelous Nikisha Fogo.

Fogo has the ability to bring dramatic projection to her excellent technical skills. Her solos and her work as a partner in the “grand pas de deux” carry across the footlights. She is very much the dedicated and matched ‘’partner’ but her focus and technical achievements dominate (but do not diminish) Cauthorn’s excellent performance. All dancers in “Nutcracker” are to be praised…but Fogo’s achievement makes this reviewer look forward to her roles in the 2025 SF Ballet season. She deserves great admiration for her previous roles in the SF Ballet.

Applause and admiration to the technical staff of the SF Ballet who are able to move the dancers from scene to scene, décor to décor with great skill and no ‘glitches’. We also congratulate the SF Ballet orchestra under the direction of Martin West who give the audience the beautiful music of Tschaikovsky’s well known and still marvelous score.

Note: There is a Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth, Washington “dedicated to nutcrackers and nutcracking devises. It was founded by Arlene Wagner and her husband George.” Wagner taught “multiple productions of Nutcracker and became enamored by them. The museum houses of 9,000 nutcrackers.

The December 2024 SF Ballet program correctly notes: “On Christmas Eve, 1944, San Francisco Ballet launched a national holiday tradition with the American premiere oI NUTCRACKER choreographed by William Christensen – the first complete version of the ballet ever staged in the United States.” My apologies for hasty research on the history of the US. Performance of NUTCRACKER Joanna Harris

Dance, Performance

Step Afrika!

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Step Afrika!
Saturday, November 2, 2024 8 PM
UC Berkeley Zellerbach Hall

Step Africa!
“The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence”

The performance of “Step Africa!” was preceded by a dynamic, important discussion held at the upstairs lobby of Zellerbach Hall. The central question was “What is ‘step’ dancing?” Jovan Scott Lewis, chair of UC Berkeley’s Geography Department, interviewed C. Brian Williams, founder and executive director of Step Afrika!, along with Antwan Davis, Bay Area music and dance educator and former member of Step Afrika!. The Q&A discussed the making of the work as well as its relation to Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Fractured History” theme.

Many dance forms are familiar to the Cal Performance audience…tap, ballet, modern, jazz, etc. But “step” was a new category, not known to the general public. The presenters explained:

“step” was practiced by African-American sororities and fraternities on college campuses as recreation and an expression of culture unique to those groups. The dance also included “African dance and an array of contemporary dance and art forms.” Brian Williams founded Step Africa in 1994. The company “promotes stepping as an education tool for young people…”

It is an amazing show! In its eleven sections the company presents the ‘history’ of black migration from its African sources to the southern slave states and ultimately to the north, (especially Chicago), to a place where, ‘luggage in hand…they are thrilled about possibilities.”

Brilliant choreography, versatile dancers and musicians (drummers, saxophone, voices, etc.) all help to create this amazing history. The costume changes are endless: the dancing superb!

All of the “Movements” are noteworthy and exuberant; I will comment on just two.
“WADE” demonstrates that “the church remained the center of refuge and community building amidst harsh conditions…” The dance shows that sense of community by illustrating baptism rituals, group participation and individual devotion to the church. It is an exceptionally clear demonstration of individual and group choreography, synchronized to illustrate this theme.

In the “Trane Suite,” Movement One “establishes the connection between past and present: the rhythm of train north” It is danced to a Duke Ellington score. Some of the dancers carry suitcases; others are observers and celebrants. One dancer, an observer, sits, stage left, and performs what can only be classified as a ‘modern-dance’ solo. Amazing! The final section “Chicago’ “finds the migrant’s new rhythm in everyday situations.” Dancers walk on and off in ‘update’ costumes: (there is a spectacular dancer in a ‘baseball’ outfit!) The program notes that this ending section is “using body percussion and vocals to highlight the collective transformation of these brave men and women”.

Funding for Step Afrika! at a higher level is attributed to DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, and National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, among many other non-governmental sources.

Step Afrika! Is indeed a transformative (and learning) experience for the audience and the larger community. Let’s look forward to the company’s return in the near future.!

PS: Jacob Lawrence: The full title of the evening is (Step Afrika! The migrations: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence). Lawrence’s 60-panel “Migration Series’ are used as backdrop projections.

ARTISTIC TEAM 

Mfoniso Akpan, artistic director, Jakari Sherman, director and projection designer, Conrad R. Kelly II, assistant artistic director, Marianne Meadows, lighting designer, production manager, and stage manager, Trevion Walker, assistant stage manager, Harlen Penn, original scenic design, Kenann Quander, original costume design, Patrick Calhoun, original sound design

CAST

Kenneth L. Alexander, Jai Bright Nya, Christian Ariel Dykes, Agyei Keita-Edwards, Keomi Givens Jr., Kamala Hargrove, Lionel D. Lyles II, Briona Jackson, Terrence Johnson, Conrad Kelly II, Abdou Muhammed, Isaiah O’Connor, Valencia Springer, Ericka Still, Brie Turner, Pelham Warner Jr., Robert Warnsley, Kanysha Williams