Bay Area Stringer

“Cool Britannia”
San Francisco Ballet Wed. Feb. 20, 2025 7:30pm
War Memorial Opera House San Francisco, CA

Marvelous Innovative Events

Although all three of the ballets presented as “Cool Britannia” are new to San Francisco audiences, they are apparently not ‘new’ having been produced in earlier years. ”Chroma”, the first on the program, was performed in SF in 2011; it was first seen in London in 2006. Tamara Rojo, SF Ballet’s artistic director, formerly a director in London, has made it possible for SF audiences to revisit these unusual works.

Sir Wayne McGregor, the choreographer of “Chroma,” states in his notes, states; “Each intervention, usually some kind of addition, is an attempt to see the context of the body in a new or alien way.” For San Francisco audiences, seeing Rojo’s programming, “Chroma” was indeed a ‘new way.’ Women wore no “point” shoes!

The word “Chroma” is more familiar as “chromatic”… defined as full of color. For the ballet, the backdrops hold the color: the dancers are in pale costumes. The ten dancers ( Andre´, Cauthorn, Chung, Conley, Fogo, Hernandez, Prigent, Jimison, Sullivan and Wang) are among the most skilled and dominant in SFB. All move very quickly with extended gestures, lifts and stage crossings. The program cover illustrates the costumes and “the stretch” of this amazing work. This ballet is “modern dance”.

(As a reviewer, I received many questions about “Chroma.” Ballet audiences will need to “stretch” their viewing. Contemporary dance is beyond the 19^th century idiom.)

After “Chroma” the program settled into “Within the Golden Hour” followed by “Dust” two more usual ballet works. “Within the Golden Hour” was choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon (SFB, 2008). The work is dominated by three dance couples (Mayo and Thatcher, Devivo and Prigent, Fogo and Price) and chorus members. Unlike “Chroma” the women and now in “point” shoes. To music by Bosso and Vivaldi, all move in delightful but comfortable patterns, usual in ballet and musical theater. Wheeldon notes “I think dance is most successful when it’s making the music visual.”

The program closed with “Dust” (North American Premiere). The choreography by Akram Kahn, feature dancers Barkman and Cauthorn and a large group of dancers. It too was premiered at the English National Ballet (2013). Program notes tell us “With this tragic narrative, Khan champions the courageous humans of world war 1 who selflessly stepped into unfamiliar territories and embodied the strength of a nation.” “Dust” is very dark and dramatic. It is a strange work to conclude an otherwise program of exuberant dance technique and color. But it is very touching that we remember the many dimensions that dance narrative brings, past, present and future.

Friday, February 7, 2025 8 pm
Zellerbach Auditorium UC Berkeley

Excellent performance: Repetitive Rhythms

The Twyla Tharp Dance Company performed two works at Zellerbach Auditorium to a welcoming ‘new year’ audience of devoted Cal supporters. First on the program was “Diabelli” choreographed in 1998. The music, played live by pianist Vladimir Rumyantsev, was Beethoven’s “33 variations on a Waltz” by Diabelli. The music and the attentive audience both presented an enormous challenge.

Tharp’s company of ten dancers are talented, skilled and precise in their range and variety of dance technique and indeed wonderful to watch. Yet, Tharp’s choreography, challenging and varied as it is, presents a constant series of entrances and exits. Sometimes the stage is full; more often soloists and duets appear for short sections, then are reorganized into larger group.

This choreographic design is central to both works on the program. “Slacktide” (a 2025 West Coast Premiere), although lighter and more playful in character and movement, uses the same patterns. There are delightful duets and trios between the men dancers interspersed with acrobatic duets for men/women partners. Some solos (many consisting of humorous movement) provide a light quality to the live music by the Third Coast Percussion (and Constance Volk, flute.) The score is entitled “Agnuas da Amazonia” by Philip Glass, a delightful work. (Costuming was varied, although all dancers were in black. Shorts on dancers legs cut the line…not a good choice.)

Tharp has been a renowned choreographer in the ‘modern dance’ world and has received numerous honors and awards. Her dancers appear to be fundamentally ballet trained, although they adapt to the movement ‘quirks’ that Tharp demands. As my guest remarked, “Although the music in almost entirely different, both dance works begin to look…and feel alike in a short time.”

The dancers are: Angela Falk, Zachery Gonder, Oliver Greene-Cramer, Kyle Halford, Daisy Jacobson, Miriam Gittens, Nicole Ashley Morris, Marzia Memoli, Alexander Peters, Molly Rumble, Reed Tankersley. Applause and kudos to the dancers and the musicians, all extremely skilled and talented.

Tharp, although she is a “master” of her craft, might refresh the style and shape of her choreography so that audiences can follow the many variations and remember the movement.