San Francisco Ballet Presents Cinderella
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2017 Season Infinite Worlds PROGRAM 08 Cinderella “ City National helps keep my financial life in tune.” So much of my life is always shifting; a different city, a different piece of music, a different ensemble. I need people who I can count on to help keep my financial life on course so I can focus on creating and sharing the “adventures” of classical music. City National shares my passion and is instrumental in helping me bring classical music to audiences all over the world. They enjoy being a part of what I do and love. That is the essence of a successful relationship. City National is The way up® for me. Michael Tilson Thomas Conductor, Educator and Composer Hear Michael’s complete story at cnb.com/Tuned2SF Find your way up.SM Call (866) 618-5242 to learn more. 17 City National Bank 17 City National 0 ©2 City National Personal Banking CNB MEMBER FDIC May 2017 Volume 94, No. 7 Table of Contents Paul Heppner Publisher Susan Peterson PROGRAM Design & Production Director Ana Alvira, Robin Kessler, Shaun Swick, Stevie VanBronkhorst Production Artists and Graphic Design 08 Mike Hathaway PAGE 26 Sales Director Brieanna Bright, Joey Chapman, Ann Manning, Rob Scott 5 Greetings from the Artistic Director 39 Sponsor & Donor News Seattle Area Account Executives & Principal Choreographer Marilyn Kallins, Terri Reed 42 Great Benefactors San Francisco/Bay Area Account Executives 7 History of San Francisco Ballet Jonathan Shipley Ad Services Coordinator 43 Artistic Director’s Council Carol Yip 9 Board of Trustees Sales Coordinator Endowment Foundation Board 44 Season Sponsors Sara Keats Jonathan Shipley 11 For Your Information 47 The Chairman’s Council Online Editors 12 Explore Ballet 49 The Christensen Society 14 Leadership 54 Corporate & Foundation Support Leah Baltus Editor-in-Chief 18 Artists of the Company 56 The Jocelyn Vollmar Legacy Circle Paul Heppner Principal Dancers Publisher Principal Character Dancers 60 Friends of SF Ballet Dan Paulus Soloists Art Director Corps de Ballet 66 Thank You to Our Volunteers Gemma Wilson, Jonathan Zwickel Senior Editors © 26 Program 08 Cinderella 67 San Francisco War Memorial and Amanda Manitach Visual Arts Editor Performing Arts Center San Francisco Ballet Orchestra Barry Johnson 34 Associate Digital Editor 36 San Francisco Ballet Staff Paul Heppner President Mike Hathaway Vice President Genay Genereux San Francisco Ballet | Vol. 94, No. 7 Accounting & Office Manager 2017 Repertory Season All editorial material © San Francisco Ballet, 2017 Sara Keats Chris Hellman Center for Dance Marketing Manager 455 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 Ryan Devlin © Business Development Manager Cover: Maria Kochetkova // Erik Tomasson Above: San Francisco Ballet in Wheeldon’s Cinderella© // © Erik Tomasson Corporate Office 425 North 85th Street Seattle, WA 98103 p 206.443.0445 f 206.443.1246 [email protected] 800.308.2898 x105 www.encoremediagroup.com FOLLOW US BEFORE AND AFTER THE PERFORMANCE! Encore Arts Programs is published monthly by Encore Media facebook.com/sfballet twitter.com/sfballet Group to serve musical and theatrical events in the Puget Sound and San Franc isco Bay Areas. All rights reserved. youtube.com/sfballet instagram.com/sfballet ©2017 Encore Media Group. Reproduction without written permission is prohibited. PROGRAM 08 SAN FRANCISCO BALLET 3 B:8.625” T:8.375” S:7.375” B:11.125” T:10.875” S:9.875” We care for the city that feels like a dear friend. We perform nearly 40,000 mammograms a year at our Breast Health Center of Excellence. When you call this city home, you call CPMC your hospital. cpmc2020.org EAP full-page template.indd 1 3/8/17 9:53 AM 40757 Version:01 08-11-16 hr 40757_SFEncore_Walking 1 SF Ballet-Encore_Walking Saved at 08-11-2016 from by Printed At None Job info Approvals Fonts & Images Job 40757 Art Director Fonts Client Sutter Health Copywriter Helvetica Neue LT Std (75 Bold, 45 Light), Media Type Magazine Account Mgr Helvetica Neue (Bold) Live 7.375” x 9.875” Studio Artist Trim 8.375” x 10.875” Proofreader Images Bleed 8.625” x 11.125” Pubs SF Ballet Notes Inks SF Encore Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black None Greetings from the Artistic Director & Principal Choreographer Thank you for joining us at the Opera House for Christopher Wheeldon’s magical Cinderella©. This ballet, a modern take on the timeless tale, includes whimsical special effects, puppetry, and projections. Even after watching it many times, I still find moments of this ballet that take my breath away. One secret of this Cinderella© is that it’s as enjoyable to dance as it is to watch. It’s always a pleasure to have the talented choreographer Christopher Wheeldon working in our studios with our dancers — and this production involves our entire Company. It’s wonderful to see the dancers in different contexts, stretching themselves in dramatic and comedic roles. I hope you’ll enjoy this production as much as we do. I also hope you’ll join us again for our 2017–18 Season. Our 85th Repertory Season will launch in January with the return of our acclaimed The Sleeping Beauty, after a ten-year absence. We’ll revisit our smash hit of this season, Frankenstein, and will dance brilliant works by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Benjamin Millepied, Justin Peck, Val Caniparoli, and more in three glorious triple-bill programs. I’ve invited The National Ballet of Canada to Erik Tomasson bring their production of John Neumeier’s Nijinsky. It’s a deeply © moving work and you’ll love getting to know this company’s talented dancers. The centerpiece of our 2018 Repertory Season is Unbound: A Festival of New Works. The scale of this festival is unprecedented: 12 new works by 12 talented, international choreographers. These dancemakers represent a wide variety of viewpoints, styles, and backgrounds. In creating this festival, which will take place over 17 performances (four distinct programs of three new works each) from April 20 to May 6, 2018, we are bringing the future of ballet to San Francisco. On behalf of the entire Company, thank you for joining us this season. Sincerely, Helgi Tomasson Artistic Director & Principal Choreographer PROGRAM 08 SAN FRANCISCO BALLET 5 An evening at the ballet is an inspiration. Living in San Francisco is a dream. Let Frank Nolan’s knowledge of the market work for you. Let him inspire you in this magical city. AMONG THE TOP 10 REALTORS IN SAN FRANCISCO FRANK NOLAN | 415.377.3726 [email protected] BRE#01300017 EAP full-page template.indd 1 4/12/17 9:29 AM History of San Francisco Ballet A tradition of innovation flows through Helgi Tomasson’s arrival as artistic director in the history of San Francisco Ballet. Long 1985 began a new era at SF Ballet. Like Lew recognized for pushing boundaries in Christensen, Tomasson had been a leading dance, SF Ballet has always built upon dancer for George Balanchine, one of the most strong classical roots, while continually prominent choreographers of the 20th century. exploring and redefining where the art Tomasson has choreographed extensively for the form is headed. The San Francisco Opera Company and has staged acclaimed full-length Ballet was founded in 1933, primarily to productions of Swan Lake (1988, 2009); The prepare dancers to appear in lavish opera Sleeping Beauty (1990); Romeo & Juliet (1994); productions. In 1942, the ballet officially Giselle (1999); and a new Nutcracker (2004). He separated from the opera and was has also expanded the repertory to include new renamed San Francisco Ballet. works by choreographers William Forsythe, Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, Christopher Wheeldon, Val From the late 1930s to the 1970s, SF Caniparoli, and many others. Ballet was led by three brothers: Willam, Lew, and Harold Christensen. The young In 1991, SF Ballet performed in New York City for company was the first to create full-length the first time in 26 years. The New York Times American productions of Swan Lake (1940) proclaimed, “Mr. Tomasson has accomplished and Nutcracker (1944). SF Ballet performed the unprecedented: He has pulled a so-called on the East Coast for the first time in 1956, regional company into the national ranks, and at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. The he has done so by honing the dancers into a following year, the Company toured 11 classical style of astonishing verve and purity. Asian nations, the first performances of an SF Ballet under Helgi Tomasson’s leadership is American ballet company in Asia. The tour one of the spectacular success stories of the was so successful that it was followed by arts in America.” a four-month tour of Latin America in 1958 and a three-month tour of the Middle East Under Tomasson, SF Ballet has also undertaken in 1959. ambitious programming. In May 1995, SF Ballet hosted 12 international ballet companies for The 1970s were tumultuous. The UNited We Dance: An International Festival, Company started an annual season in the commemorating the 50th anniversary of the War Memorial Opera House in 1972, and signing of the United Nations Charter in the Michael Smuin was appointed associate War Memorial Opera House. In 2008, the New artistic director in 1973. But in 1974, SF Works Festival, organized to mark the Company’s Ballet faced bankruptcy. Dancers rallied 75th anniversary, introduced 10 premieres by 10 community support with an extraordinary choreographers. In recent years, the Company’s grassroots effort called “Save Our Ballet,” touring programs have also become increasingly Top, l-r: SF Ballet founders Lew, successfully bringing the Company back extensive, with international engagements Willam, and Harold Christensen from the brink. SF Ballet then developed the first in Paris, London, Moscow, Hamburg, Athens, in the 1940s; Bottom: Members of San Francisco Ballet under long-range plan for an American dance company Shanghai, and Beijing.