Nutcracker season is long gone and the San Francisco Ballet has kicked off its 2013 season with a trio of performances – Suite en Blanc, In the Night, and Borderlands.
The company is only the third in the U.S. to showcase Suite en Blanc in its repertoire, mainly because choreographer Serge Lifar’s work is rarely seen in this country. The all-white ensemble executes a series of separate but linked dances ranging from floaty to flirty to majestic.
In the Night is a ballet that explores three faces of love – the joyful discovery of youthful love, the deep connection of mature love, and the physical desire and emotional friction of a struggling love. The elegant choreography by Jerome Robbins is perfectly arranged to four dreamy piano nocturnes composed by Frédéric Chopin (love love love).
Wayne McGregor, who has choreographed movement for Thom Yorke of Radiohead (among others), is obsessed with the belief of communicating ideas through the body. In the world premiere of Borderlands (and his first commission for SF Ballet), McGregor brings something quite different to the stage – a visceral ballet complemented by an electronic score and LED lights. Be prepared to be impressed with something outside the realm of classical ballet.
8 p.m. Thurs 1/31, Fri 2/1, Sat 2/2; 2 p.m. Sat 2/2 and Sun 2/3. War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness @ Grove. Buy tickets here.
