Comment on San Francisco Ballet review: 'Serenade’ still splendid

San Francisco Ballet review: 'Serenade’ still splendid

The 17 corps women in blue, posed on the diagonal, hands caressing foreheads, feet turning out in unison suggest (like the beginning of Balanchine’s later “Theme and Variations”) that miracles of movement poetry begin with the technical prose of the classroom. “Serenade” (set to Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C with the two final movements reversed) muddies that wearisome distinction between narrative and abstract ballet (the way Balanchine did constantly). All that makes “Serenade” a happy hunting ground for folk determined to find “meaning” in their dance, but these episodes flow with the irresistibility of a dream, while Balanchine’s interpretation of his beloved Tchaikovsky’s music has spoiled this score for later choreographers. The company’s established principals animated the performance, but it also introduced the subscription audience to the company’s newest male principal. A wobbly arm here and there among the corps pattern was nothing to disturb the enchantment, fostered by Martin West’s conducting. The process happened repeatedly Tuesday in this extravaganza that mingles Bach with traditional African music (It was inspired by a decades-old compact disc collection.). Dressed in Sandra Woodall’s African fabric sheath, Lorena Feijoo devours her solos, adhering to that beat, sweeping her arms and manipulating her torso and shoulders in a way that no other woman on the roster can do. “RAkU” (2011) has not improved with age; resident choreographer Possokhov recasts the story of the burning pavilion in Tokyo, shifting the focus from the arsonist to the woman he assaults. The Japanese setting looks great in Alexander V.

 

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