The Nuts, SFB’s Season’s Finale

If anything, the December 30th 4 p.m. performance drew a wonderfully lively crowd. Katy Warner mentioned that her daughter had been Clara at one time; she also remembered when she was part of the Snow scene. This was before her tenure with Dance Spectrum under Carlos Carvajal, and then working with Alonso King, in the early seasons of Lines Ballet.

Alexander Reneff-Olson’s the finale’s Drosselmeyer, expanded his command of the role with finesse and flourish. For his Dresden-like doll Julia Rowe’s staccato pointe steps and port de bras proved the best I’ve watched since Carla Blanco, now teaching in Spain; that takes some doing, believe me.

Jim Sohm and Joanna Berman conveyed grandparent status. She, sweet, cheerfully turning to Sohm’s big-hearted flourishes, both making for well-earned audience approval.

Frances Chung and Calvin Conley prevailed through the snow storm, well-timed, secure in their assignments. A surprise ending to the snow scene were the fistfulls of fake snow flung by the corps as the music wound to its climax.

Katisha Fogo provided elegance to the Sugar Plum Fairy, a certain inner containment exuding quiet authority; her arabesques a slight, but definite accent cementing the impression. Fogo’s individuality is such that I hope to see her essay some comic role that the repertoire possesses or that gets conjured up on her behalf.

Ming Yuan Wang, being chased by the paper demons in the Chinese variation, delivered notable ballon and height as he avoided the dangerous red silhouettes.

Wona Park and Wei Wang completed the magic of Act II with their tidy rendering of the grand pas de deux. While I use the word tidy because of size,  they lacked nothing in bravura, excellence or the air of natural dispatch in assignment,  emphasizing speed and dazzle in execution

For me, their innate elegance conjures up traditional Asian calligraphy, the years of practice, concentration and the eye hand coordination in the use of the brush, a meditation of will, spirit and skill.

I should not finish the seasonal comments without acknowledging the flexibility, skill, dash and elevation of Davide Occhipenti, Joao de Silva and Jack Seltzer brought to their Act I variations.

As Katy and I left the foyer, parents, children and adults were still snapping images on their cell phones recording a memorable after noon at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House.

Nuts – Second View

As you can’t help but be aware, I am a sucker for multiple castings, and probably could scrunch into a sleeping bag if tickets and space were available to witness all casts.

With Brooke Byrne, co-owner of Geary Dance Center, I saw San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker the second time on December 26, the matinee. This time Jasmine Jimison inhabited the grand pas de deux with Mingyuan Wang as her cavalier and Wona Park dispensed with the Sugar Plum Fairy duties. Welcoming Ricardo Bustamonte and his charge to the evocation of Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory.

Jim Sohm and Katita Waldo were the grand parents, Jim with his stiff gallantry and broad gestures, Katita, fluttery, flighty, but clearly ready for anything.

There were, as usual, a number of double duties – Nathaniel Remez as both the Mouse King, hamming it up with relish and conviction and later the lead Russian in the Vilzak variation in Act II.

Chronic Complaint: The invisibility of the Snow Queen and King both at the Act I and Final Curtains. Why are they dispensed with, minus curtain call, instead of along with the snow debris on the floor?

Wona Park displayed her duties with a casual yet authoritative air, and of course, was seen with her usual competence in the Waltz of the Flowers. When it came to technical skill, Mingyuan Wang essayed his role as a Prince with his difident, but competent air. He and Jasmine Jimison provided a worthy climax in the Act II pas de deux. They also allowed a glimpse into how the running leap onto the Prince’s shoulder is accomplished, the discovery an exciting revelation. Wang invariably is correct in all his solo assignments; more partnering would allow him to display greater ease with the task. Jimison danced with her usual liquid phrasing.