San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Program 6: “L’Arlesienne”, “Continuum”, “Death of A Moth”
April 4, 2002

San Francisco Ballet’s Program 6, which runs in repertory with Program 5 for two weeks, is an uneven mix of pieces, but nonetheless, there were several memorable moments and a clear standout in the premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s “Continuum”.

Roland Petit’s “L’Arlesienne” led off Thursday evening’s performance, with Lucia Lacarra and Pierre-François Vilanoba as the hapless Vivette and her delusional husband Frédéri. Lacarra’s neat footwork and her expressive extensions spoke volumes, but there was very little shading of her character to distinguish Vivette from Juliet, or Desdemona or any of the other impassioned young heroines she has played. Vilanoba, who returned after a foot injury had sidelined him for most of the season, was understandably cautious in some of the pyrotechnics. Still, his elegant musicality supported the difficult passages even if the steps themselves lacked depth, and he literally threw himself into the demanding final solo. Many things improved since the company performed this work last year, but while the corps looked better rehearsed and Lacarra and Vilanoba danced well, overall the piece still lacked direction. Unfortunately, “L’Arlesienne” requires dramatic focus from everyone on stage, not just the principals, to pull off the rather thin story. Similarly, Petit’s architectural style and simple folk steps can look silly unless there is a complete conviction from the dancers. Although the music, Georges Bizet’s “L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2”, was given finely-tuned, vigorous dynamics by conductor Neal Stulberg, even that was not enough to give flight to the ballet.

The next work on the bill, “Continuum”, is a kind of sequel to Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia” which he created for New York City Ballet, where the 29 year-old is their first-ever official artist-in-residence. Both works feature manipulative duets, spare costumes and a stark, dissonant score assembled from György Ligeti’s piano works, and like “Polyphonia”, “Continuum” will probably elicit comparisons to Balanchine’s famous abstract ballet, “Agon”. Wheeldon’s effort is by no means a masterpiece on that scale, but it is still a fascinating work and, like most of his pieces, well constructed.

“Continuum” owes much of its impact to Natasha Katz’s highly dramatic lighting design. At the outset, a slow-moving drop pulls upward to reveal a starkly lit background cyclorama with eight dancers, clad only in green leotards and tights, moving in silhouette. The drop moves up and down during the piece, sometimes shielding, sometimes exposing the dancers to the pure colors behind it, but it is always a palpable presence, like a ninth person onstage. The dancers are aware of its effect, using it to highlight their own movements. In a duet with Yuan Yuan Tan and Damian Smith, they were seemingly crushed by the drop lowering slowly across the back, giving the impression of bodies melting against an oppressive heat.

Tan’s performance was a highlight of the piece. No one in the company folds and unfolds her limbs quite like she does, and in her first duet with Smith, they created outrageous images and shapes that became flashes of humor in the midst of a serious meditation. Kristin Long, who is a completely different kind of mover, cruised powerfully through a brief solo and in a pas de deux with Gonzalo Garcia, she fearlessly invented clever phrasing of steps to add spontaneity. Likewise, Julie Diana and David Arce moved capriciously through their duet, making the most of Diana’s fluid arms and back. In the end, though, it was Muriel Maffre and Benjamin Pierce who showed the effectiveness of lengthy lines and control. From her first impossibly slow rise onto pointe, the undulation of Maffre’s body never ceased, holding the audience spellbound.

Val Caniparoli’s “Death of a Moth”, which premiered last season, closed the program. Caniparoli’s work always has feel for emblematic imagery and yet his high velocity choreography fits the dancers so easily that they can freely add their own layers of significance to his steps. The entire ensemble danced with intensity and commitment, but among the standouts were the dynamic pairing of Tina Le Blanc and Yuri Possokhov; Chidozie Nzerem, steadily partnering a fleet-footed Muriel Maffre; and Julie Diana, who propelled herself recklessly into precipitous turns.

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This review initially appeared on Criticaldance.com April 6, 2002.

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