sfb: program 6

on saturday night i had the pleasure of an evening at the san francisco ballet with ms.tangobaby. after a delicious meal at a new-to-us restaurant called sauce {the lobster & crab sliders were amazing!}, we were enthralled & delighted by the last program of the '08 season. this program's theme was an international salute ~ the delicate battle from the national ballet of canada, duo concertant from nyc ballet {choreographed by balanchine}, and altro canto from les ballets de monte-carlo. tangobaby took a few photos of the theater which she kindly let me share with you here, and i found a few photos taken by erik tomasson of two of the performances to share as well.

a delicate battle has a continual snow falling onstage, and gorgeous combinations of dancers in white leotards, female dancers in taffeta formal gowns and male dancers in black business suits. the choreography was inventive & engaging. i adore snow so this piece was very enjoyable to watch.

but the astounding accomplishment of altro canto made all ballets i've seen so far, ever, pale in comparison. set to pre-baroque music mostly composed by monteverdi {a composer i studied & learned to appreciate while in italy}, the stage was lit by candles hanging from the ceiling in various numbers & locations depending on the scene. the partnering was absolutely incredible. words really cannot do this ballet justice so i hope these few photos and the video clip will give you an adequate glimpse into pure dance genius.

surprisingly, i found a very edited version of this ballet on youtube, but the person who made the video clip had really poor taste and dubbed some horrible techno music over the top. so if you watch {and the choreography is well worth it} be sure to turn off your volume first. ;o)

as you might expect, i was a very happy and attentive fan {captured by tangobaby}: