Musings on ballet, classical music, the violin, and life
I had the opportunity to sit and talk face-to-face with author Terez Mertes Rose the other day (okay so it was a mirror), about her recently released novel, Ballet Orphans, a prequel and Book 3 of the Ballet Theatre Chronicles series. Here’s what she had to say…. What was the most challenging thing about writing … Read more
I am using “entranced” as description for the second time in San Francisco Ballet’s digital 2021 season with the premiere of Danielle Rowe’s Wooden Dimes. As the second of two world premieres, as well as the second dance film of the season, it invites comparison to Myles Thatcher’s Colorforms. Both transported me. Entranced me. Wooden … Read more
Why the San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker Online production, you ask? Because of course you have other options to watch The Nutcracker online this year. Dozens upon dozens of options, from companies all around the world. So. Here, up front, are ten good reasons: Because the first full-length North American Nutcracker started right here Those 600 … Read more
The world of COVID-19 restrictions introduced itself to me in a rather heavy-handed fashion. On March 6th, San Francisco Ballet opened a new production, Balanchine’s glorious A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I rose the next morning, eagerly anticipating my trip to San Francisco for the weekend to attend two performances. Turning on my computer, I opened … Read more
We are living in a time rife with uncertainty, upheaval and high tension, for which, I’ve decided, Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the perfect antidote. Created in 1962 to music by Felix Mendelssohn, it was George Balanchine’s first original full-length ballet, and quickly hailed as a masterpiece. San Francisco Ballet audiences haven’t seen it since 1986, … Read more