March 24 through today!

I've been really behind with posting links to the San Francisco Appeal. Eek and sorry! But if you want to read everything in real time, the best way to do that is to add the Appeal's RSS feed (or just mine, if you'd like) to your reader (or whatever you use to manage blogs, rss, etc.).

On March 24, I wrote about dance anywhere, an annual event where "people [dance] wherever they are at the same time: noon here in San Francisco, 3PM in New York, 8PM in Paris, etc."

On March 31, I spoke with Aline Wachsmuth, a dance/collaborate with LEVYdance who says that "[b]eing a dancer in this particular company has given me room for growth as a mover, a choreographer, a dance viewer, and a person. I'm really grateful to have such an amazing collaborative relationship with Ben [Levy]."

And on April 7, I previewed Stephen Pelton Dance Theater's The Dance Hour. Pelton said that, "I chose the framing device of a radio hour, as a way of prompting the audience to expect varying points of view. So it is a very eclectic program. But as many of the performers have been working together for some time, it feels as if the ensemble really shines as a whole."

Today, I reviewed SF Ballet's Program 7. About Jerome Robbins' The Concert, I wrote, "The 21 dancers, clad in powder blue leotards, tights, and shoes, funnel in to see a concert, and from there we zoom off with them into music-inspired daydreams."

SF Ballet's The Little Mermaid 2010

I reviewed SF Ballet's The Little Mermaid at the SF Appeal.

Excerpt:
Van Patten moved naturally through Neumeier's organic and earthy choreography, displaying her heart on her sleeve as she wrestled with confinement and social expectations. By the end, she looked emotionally wrecked (which here is a good thing), and the audience gratefully acknowledged that with several standing ovations.

The entire review is here.

dance flash @ the appeal: Q&A with chitresh das

This week, I Q&A-ed Chitresh Das at the SF Appeal:

How did you two [you and Jason Samuels Smith] meet and what prompted this collaboration?

We met several years ago while practicing backstage at the American Dance Festival at Duke University. I started to dance and Jason said. "How can you do that with your bare feet?"

dance flash and review @ the appeal: hope mohr and sf ballet

Two things from last week at the SF Appeal:

A Q&A with Hope Mohr:

"I made many detours away from the path of dancing, but I finally heard--and listened to--the voice inside that was still saying, "Dance!" I had to return to dance to be true to myself."

And a review of SF Ballet's Program 4 (which was held until this AM b/c of a backlog):

"It's almost like a battle: think Eminem in pointe shoes (oh gee, what an image), battling with his body instead of his mouth."

dance flash @ the appeal: sf ballet 2010, program 3

Here's a quick little excerpt from my review over at the SF Appeal of San Francisco Ballet's Program 3:

Last on the bill was Theme and Variations, a tutu ballet that, for all except the main duo, focuses way too much on aquamarine and periwinkle (it's like My Little Ponies exploded onstage). With teal drapings and chandeleirs hanging from above, Theme and Variations is lighter than most Balanchine works, embodied with a pureness of soul that swoops across the stage as the corps begins their procession. But this ballet isn't for pussies; feet move with warp-10-like speed, bodies fly through the air, and astounding abs are required.

Yuan Yuan Tan and Anthony Spaulding in Balanchine's Stravinsky Violin Concerto.
© Erik Tomasson

dance flash @ the appeal: sf ballet 2010, program 2

Maria Kochetkova in Robbins' Opus 19/The Dreamer. © Erik Tomasson

Here's an excerpt from my review of SF Ballet's program 2.

Maria Kochetkova, a tiny angel of a dancer, entered with giant windmilling arms and scissor-kicking skips, and as the piece progressed, she continued to pull Karapetyan on a string through his deep and whimsical trance as Franklin D'Antonio's violin finely soared above the orchestra.

See the full review at the SF Appeal here.

dance flash and other stuff @ the appeal: 2/2010!!!

yours truly is truly busy this week. i reviewed "beyond the pole," a mockumentary about two british dudes taking their environmental crusade to the north pole yesterday. it has nothing to do with dance; wait, scratch that. there are two scenes at a salsa dancing class! today i previewed "love everywhere," a multi-location dance and theater piece that kicks off at city hall on friday at noon. still to come: two, albeit brief, reviews of sf ballet!

beyond the pole excerpt:

The film opens up with one of the funniest parts: Mark and Brian explaining the why behind hiking, training, and ferrying (no planes here!) to the North Pole. They banter back and forth and finally show off what's under their shirts: more shirts. The tees say, "Don't be impotent. Be important." Ah, boys.

full review is here.

love everywhere excerpt:

Chong Shuch says, "I feel like [Love Everywhere] is just a really special thing. You know, this is the six-year anniversary of when they started issuing the same sex marriage licenses, so this piece is... really joyful and very much a celebration of those marriages, like a Valentine's Day celebration of love in this huge public space where so many people have been married. For Friday, I think it's going to be really fun..., and I hope that the performance will bring to the forefront this whole marriage equality issue without being political about it. I hope we can put some pictures and images out there in the world that bring life to that issue. "

full preview is here.

in addition, i got a chance to see sean dorsey's work at dance mission this week, and i was really blown away. so much so that i wrote to my undergrad's dance, gender studies, and glbt? heads and insisted they host him in some shape, form, or manner.