Welcome to City Brights: Ricardo Bustamante : Ricardo Bustamante : City Brights

Movin' on Up!

There is no better news for us here at SF Ballet, than when Company members are promoted. It's so great to hear that dancers are being rewarded for their hard work and dedication!

On Christmas Eve, SFB's Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson told three corps de ballet dancers--Courtney Elizabeth, Daniel Deivison-Oliveira, and Isaac Hernandez--that they had been promoted to soloist rank. Each of them has performed a diverse span of work, from the most standard corps roles to the most complex works, by choreographers from all over the world. These three dancers have applied themselves to whatever has come their way and are real examples of the diversity of this company--Courtney is from North Carolina, Isaac from Mexico, and Daniel from Brazil.

As a ballet master working with each of them, one of the common traits they share, besides great technical ability, is the level of intelligence with which they approach their work. These qualities are what is needed to attain a rank of soloist or principal in a professional ballet company. In a way, the soloist rank is the hardest since you're often expected to be able to perform accompanying roles, in addition to more challenging principal ones. Congratulations to these dancers as we move onto Opening Night Gala on January 26 and the opening of Giselle three nights later!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Jan 13 at 12:22 PM

Home Sweet Home!

Consider yourself lucky when you've got a home to go to!

It was December 8 when we moved back into our beautiful Opera House. The San Francisco Opera had just finished its Madam Butterfly and by Wednesday, the theater was ours again. Imagine all the things that need to be coordinated in order to make a mega-production like Nutcracker come to life. For it to be flawless, the artists need both time and space to rise to the occasion.

There is so much to do that each department/group within the Ballet--including the Company, the School, the production staff, crew teams, management, wardrobe, make-up/hair, and even chaperones--"kids, to the front of the line, please!"--has to work closely together for the show to go on. It's the ultimate team challenge!

It's all the more wonderful when you have your Director/Choreographer involved and expressing his ideas about the work at hand. In Europe, most Opera Houses host both opera and ballet companies and in San Francisco, we have the privilege of having the same type of arrangement.

That said we miss having the opportunity to rehearse on the stage on a regular basis. Dancers who have the opportunity to be on stage frequently have an advantage of being in top performing shape.

So this holiday season with Christmas almost here, we are in the midst of a 30-performance-run. There are so many roles to be cast in Nutcracker! The great thing is that most everyone has multiple roles to perform in a single run. No matter how many times you come to see Nutcracker, you'll see a different cast almost every time you visit!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Dec 16 at 05:16 PM

Nutcracker, Here We Come!

It's almost Nutcracker time--one of the most demanding periods for the Company artists. We've just finished a time of busy season rehearsals where your body is still trying to digest all the choreography that you've learned, while you're still figuring out the best way to dance a particular work.

Our minds are filled with awesome music from each of the season's ballets and we've had the pleasure of having people from around the world come teach their works to us. The 2011 Repertory Season is shaping up to be demanding, but incredibly diverse, with works ranging from classical and neo-classical, to modern and post-modern. Talking about post-modern: we just learned Wayne McGregor's Chroma over three weeks and it was amazing. The dancers dig the difficult style and musicality of it!

After learning so many different ballets, it is a very healthy experience to get back to Nutcracker. It's not easy dancing, don't get me wrong! It's still demanding but since we're a classical ballet company, it gets better every year. Also, reconnecting with the School students through the production is an endearing experience; the production showcases the kids from different levels of the School and they play a big role in the overall success of this holiday classic. One day until we open Nutcracker and we're working hard to make it as dazzling as last year. Be sure to come and see us!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Dec 08 at 11:21 AM

Tublar Bells, Crotales, Cowbells & More!

Right now, I'm busy working with Antoine Vereecken on Wayne McGregor's Chroma, which will have its SF Ballet premiere on Program 6 of the 2011 Season. Wayne first captured the attention of local audiences with his exciting and daring ballet, Eden/Eden, which SF Ballet performed in 2004. Having worked with Wayne on that ballet gives me a clear understanding of his style; whenever I'm asked to give a definition of it, I say 'post modern.'

Wayne is ahead of his time. Simultaneously in his work, you can see traces of other techniques blended in with his own unique and intelligent dance vocabulary; his work always looks incredibly fresh and new. It's always a pleasant surprise to see how inventive he is in putting together steps and ideas: his work is so original and so totally cool! In dance, you usually try to apply your experience and knowledge to learning a new work but in this case you need to be very open minded because he'll be asking for different ways to execute steps that might be awkward. In a way, in setting this work we're like a beehive, with everyone moving in different directions. Antoine is great to work with and knows Wayne's style so well because he's a dancer with his company, Random Dance, and has also served as a ballet master for Wayne's works.

As James mentions, the music for Chroma is by Joby Talbot and the indie band The White Stripes. In rehearsals, we've been working to understand the richness and complexity of this music. To give you an idea of the music's diversity, here's the instrumentation from the score:

3 Flutes

3 Oboes

2 Clarinets

Bass Clarinet

Soprano Saxaphone

Alto Saxaphone

3 Bassoons

4 Horns

3 Trumpets

2 Trombones

Bass Trombone

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion: Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Marimba, Tubular Bells, Crotales, Tuned Cowbells, Small Triangle, Tam-tam, Sizzle Cymbal, Large China Cymbal, Floor Tom, Bass Drum, Kick Drum, 3 Suspended Cymbals, 5 Tuned Gongs, 2 Woodblocks, 4 Roto-toms, Mark Tree, Whip, Sandpaper Blocks (or Cabassa)

Harp

Piano

Strings

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Oct 15 at 02:13 PM

Ready to Dive In!

It's been busy since the company's been back from its tour to Denmark (see video of the dancers talking about the tour); I was lucky enough to then spend ten days in London. It was a pleasure trip though I did visit English National Ballet, where I got to see terrific dancing (they are currently rehearsing Nureyev's Romeo & Juliet).

I came back revitalized, relaxed, and ready to work. Here at SFB, we've just finished rehearsing Balanchine's Coppelia. We're also taking advantage of this time to teach and rehearse Neumeier's The Little Mermaid and Nanna's Lied by Helgi Tomasson. I'm also preparing to understand the new score and steps for Wayne McGregor's Chroma, which we'll begin staging in about two weeks.

If I'm setting a piece, it helps to watch it on video and review the music with our Music Director Martin West, especially around more difficult parts of the score. This helps me better understand how the steps fit to the music. It definitely takes a lot of focus and preparation but I'm excited to dive in!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Sep 20 at 02:59 PM

Behind the Scenes in Copenhagen

Touring in Copenhagen is exciting for all of us, even for those of us who have been here before. It's an unusual setting to have a theater inside an amusement park, to say the least! Tivoli was built in the 1840's and has hosted hundreds of companies and Broadway shows over the years. It's interesting to perform ballet in the home country of August Bournonville, the father of classical dance in Denmark.

Aside from Tivoli, I was very excited to see the Opera House where the Royal Danish Ballet performs. Of note, there is a street named "Bournonville" next to the opera house here, which makes me think we should have a street named "Christensen" in San Francisco near the SF Ballet building! The new opera house in Copenhagen is fantastic! It's located just across the river and is only six years old. Prior to practicing on the stage in Tivoli, we held two days of rehearsal at the new opera house. It was fascinating to see such gorgeous, dynamic architecture with such incredible facilities.

The two programs we've presented here have been met with great success, and all of the changes in cast have kept the shows fresh. Our days include class, rehearsal until 4:30 pm, trying to eat something healthy, and then hopefully some rest before that night's performance. Although we've been in Denmark before, it feels like the first time. The company looks new and there are a lot of dancers who were not part of our company back in 1998. It's also nice to see some of the European dance world traveling to see the company. It allows us to share ideas and find out what other companies are doing. We've also had some esteemed guests here recently, including Wayne McGregor (whose work, Chroma, we're performing next season) as well as John Neumeier (whose ballet, The Little Mermaid, we're also performing next season.) It's been really nice to see familiar faces!

It's also great fun to hear what everyone will be doing on their free week after the tour. (We all chat about it over breakfast at the hotel every morning. Everyone is ready for a vacation!) Our time here has flown by!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Aug 27 at 09:25 AM

New Faces

New talent usually joins our Company in one of two ways: through the SF Ballet School, or by submitting audition materials. We are especially pleased with the new dancers on this season's roster. They include: Artem Yachmennikov (Russia), Vito Mazzeo (Italy), Daniel Baker (Australia), Kimberly Braylock (US), Koto Ishihara (Japan), Nicole Ciapponi (Canada), Elena Kazakova (Russia), Dustin Shane (US), Myles Thatcher (US), Sebastian Vinet (Chile), Sylvie Volosov (US), Evan Hewer (US), Patricia Keleher (US), Raymond Tilton (US) and Caroline Wilson (US). It's always very satisfying to see some of our own students entering into the Company (although I might be biased, as I came through the SF Ballet School myself!)

Sometimes there's a bit of an adjustment period before the dancers become fully assimilated into the Company, and that's OK. For any new dancer to SF Ballet, class is a great way to acclimate to the particular style and demands of our Company. Our most successful dancers not only have great technique, but also possess an innate sense of musicality.

We are sure to allow time for everyone to adapt to their new city, (and in some cases, new country) and new job. Many of our dancers who have never been to San Francisco are amazed at what a jewel the city is!

Another great immersion for new dancers is to go on tour, such as our current engagement in Copenhagen; it brings people up to speed on how the Company operates very quickly. At any rate, we are very pleased with the Company as is, new dancers and all!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Aug 25 at 11:37 AM

Copenhagen Bound!

We're just about to head off to Copenhagen and we look forward to being on an international stage again! It's very exciting to be traveling to Europe again. The repertory always changes a great deal, so we hope to offer the Danish audiences a fresh look at the company, with new choreography. Over seven performances, SF Ballet will perform two mixed-repertory programs that highlight the diversity of our repertory and the talent of the company. SF Ballet is performing at the prestigious Tivoli Concerto Hall in the Tivoli Gardens, where some of the best dancers in the world have performed.

It's been twelve years since the company was in Copenhagen. The repertory will include works by Tomasson, Balanchine, Elo, Morris, Possokhov, and Wheeldon. If you are interested in seeing who's dancing, here's the casting. On Tuesday, we fly to Germany, with a layover that will allow us to shop (or sleep!) in the airport, before a quick flight that has us arriving in Denmark later on Wednesday. After a long flight like this, it's important for the dancers to have a day off and get on the new time zone. Everyone needs to feel flexible and rested before they begin dancing.

I personally have been to Denmark four times, to dance as part of different broadcasts like PBS' Dance in America, but never in front of an actual Danish audience. I'll definitely keep you posted from Copenhagen! I am looking to getting some sun there since it's been so foggy here!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Aug 16 at 02:44 PM

Bring on Stern Grove!

The Ballet's Stern Grove performance is coming up this Sunday we are all hoping for good weather! We are always gratified by the warm welcome we receive from the Stern Grove audiences.

This year, we bring a very exciting program, beginning with Tomasson's Prism, which highlights a good deal of the company and is set to the music of Beethoven. It's a terrific neo-classical piece and an exciting opener since it includes a big ensemble. You can also expect to see a lot of new faces at this performance and I'll talk more about the new company members in my next blog entry. Next, Yuan Yuan Tan and Damian Smith will perform the pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain. Chris was here recently, setting a new work for next season, and he took time to rehearse with Damian and Yuan Yuan; it's an enchanted work that doesn't cease to inspire me. The third work on the program is the pas de deux from Don Quixote, Act 3, performed by Lorena Feijoo and Vitor Luiz. I have been personally rehearsing them and they both bring great chemistry and energy to the pas de deux. The finale is Mark Morris' Sandpaper Ballet, a fun and joyful ensemble work.

We hope you will join us for this free performance and bring your friends and a picnic (it's always nice to have a little wine on hand too!). Be sure to arrive early enough to get a good spot. We are thrilled to be performing and look forward to seeing you there!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Aug 04 at 12:41 PM

R&J;: A Classic Finale

Nearly everyone is familiar with the timeless tale of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There are countless versions that have been created by choreographers, film makers, and theater directors. After all, what a beautiful and timeless story! Those of us in the dance world are fortunate that Prokofiev's elegant, enduring score is integral to helping guide audiences through the romantic and tragic narrative. Prokofiev's score is so perfect, that it works for a wide variety of dance styles.

For us at SF Ballet, we look forward to interpreting the work and expressing the drama with passion and abandon.

Pictured in the photo below, are SF Ballet Principal Dancer Gennadi Nedvigin and Soloist Anthony Spaulding, practicing the sword fighting scene. The dancers really enjoy this portion of the performance, which actually requires a great deal of skill and practice.

Even if you're not a romantic, it's worth a visit to see the grand scale of Helgi Tomasson's production of Romeo & Juliet. It will certainly transport you to an emotional and poetic time and place. Bring a date, a friend, or the whole family. We have three gorgeous casts presenting Romeo & Juliet. Alternatively, I also recommend renting my favorite Romeo and Juliet film version by Franco Zeffirelli!

Posted By: Ricardo Bustamante (Email) | Apr 21 at 03:22 PM