Thread for reviews, impressions, etc. on Programs 5 and 6.

The SF chronicle liked this program. They say Fifth Season maybe Helgi's best work yet.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...DDG6THVIFC1.DTL

Thanks for the link, balletdad. Are you going to see, or have you seen these programs yourself?

I will be going tonight.

Artifact Suite brought the house down last night-- huge ovations for the ballerinas, even bigger for the corps -- even the pianist, Michael Mcgraw (who indeed put the boogie in their butts) got huge applause.

O and those corps dancers -- Lily Rogers!!! I'll say it again, Lily ROGERS!!! Brooke Moore!!!

It's rare for a ballet to bring out our women's personalities -- we're used to seeing wonderful performances from the corps men, who dance like stars of other companies -- but this time the girls are as on fire as the boys. Even in the DARK, you can tell who they are. Megan Low, who's not got anything like an extreme build, is dancing huge, and with such gusto.

And of course the guys-- Garrett Anderson, as always, Jaime Garcia Castillo, Joseph Phillips, James Sofranko especially.

And Ilana Altman, incredible phrasing, like Zorro.

When the curtain went down, the dancers could be heard cheering onstage. They know what they did.

Everybody, if you can get there, you've just got to go.

who danced the four couples in allegro?

Opening night it was Muriel MaffrewithPierr-Francois Vilanoba, and Lorena Feijoo with Pascal Molat.
Muriel tore it up, but Lorena is nevergoing to be outdone, and she had an exit being spun around while flaring her legs upstage and rteturning to soussus downstage that made the crowd go crazy...... She's got blazing accuracy.

Funny, it shows you some of hte difference between Balanchine and Forsythe to see Lorena -- she's almost never cool enough to do Balanchine, but in Forsythe she can follow her natural instincts gofor broke and it's exactly what's called for

That is, indeed, a delight to hear from the audience side of the curtain. Miami does it too. Thanks to all who post on the San Francisco site for your vivid comments.

Joan Boada and TinaLeBlanc were pretty brilliante in Handel Chaconne, which they are doing again Sunday afternoon. They've done the one of the best realized Balanchine works this year so far, Harlequinade, at the Gala. He dances in perfect measures, she articulates steps so well that it looks as though she is adding beats rather that leaving steps out, as is often the complaint about restaged Balanchine.

Thank you for that, Quiggin. I agree about LeBlanc's beats and technique. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you so much for the reports -- I haven't been able to travel to the Bay Area this season, and it's great to hear what's going on with such a terrific company.