Susan's City Scene

PRODUCTIONS THAT ARE ON POINTE: SAN FRANCISCO BALLET OFFERS LOVE, FANTASY, SIN AND REDEMPTION. The San Francisco Ballet, the oldest professional ballet company in America, includes eight programs, both the classic and the cutting edge, performed in alternating repertory now through May 7.

Program 1 brings Choreographer Helgi Tomasson’s Haffner Symphony, a new work set to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D Major. Created for the Mozart and His Time Bicentennial Celebration in 1991, the work features scenic and costume design by Santo Loquasto and lighting design by Thomas R. Skelton.

Program 2 offers Alexei Ratmansky’s Seven Sonatas, a new work by Yuri Possokhov, and William Forsythe’s Pas/Parts 2016. Seven Sonatas, set to seven keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, features costume design by Holly Hynes and lighting design by Brad Fields.

Program 3 opens on Friday, Feb. 17, with the North American premiere of Liam Scarlett’s full-length production of Frankenstein. The ballet in three acts is a co-production with London’s The Royal Ballet. The commissioned score is by American composer Lowell Liebermann.

Program 4 opens on Tuesday, March 7, with an all-Balanchine Program that includes Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Prodigal Son and Diamonds. Last performed on tour in 2010, Stravinsky Violin Concerto is set to Igor Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto in D. Set to music by Sergei Prokofiev, Balanchine’s Prodigal Son was first created in 1929 for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes. The ballet, based on a biblical parable, features universal themes of sin and redemption.

Program 5 opens on Thursday, March 9, with Possokhov’s Fusion, a world premiere by Pita, and Scarlett’s Fearful Symmetries. Fusion features music by Graham Fitkin and Rahul Dev Burman; scenic, video and projection design by Benjamin Pierce; costume design by Sandra Woodall; and lighting design by James F. Ingalls. The work for 12 dancers was originally created for the Company’s New Works Festival in

2008.

Program 6 opens Friday, March 31, with an encore presentation of Helgi Tomasson’s Swan Lake. Tomasson choreographed his first production of Swan Lake for S.F. Ballet in 1988 and in 2009 he created a new version, featuring scenic and costume design by Jonathan Fensom; lighting design by Jennifer Tipton; projection design by Sven Ortel; and hair, wig and makeup design by Michael Ward.

Program 7 opens Wednesday, April 5, with Helgi Tomasson’s Trio, a new work by S.F. Ballet Corps de Ballet member Myles Thatcher and Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour. Trio, set to Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, features scenic design by Alexander V. Nichols, costume design by Mark Zappone, and lighting design by Christopher Dennis.

Program 8 opens Friday, April 28, and features Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, a co-production by S.F. Ballet and Dutch National Ballet set to the music of Sergei Prokofiev. The work was given its world premiere by Dutch National Ballet in December 2012 and its U.S. premiere in May 2013 by S.F. Ballet.

“MEET THE ARTIST” INTERVIEWS AND “POINTES OF VIEW” LECTURE SERIES. S.F. Ballet presents its entertaining and informative “Meet the Artist” series at Friday evening and Sunday matinee performances. The 30-minute interviews with company artists, management and guests of S.F. Ballet begin one hour prior to performance; all ticket holders are invited to attend free of charge. In addition, S.F. Ballet presents “Pointes of View” lectures on Wednesdays during the season, which are free and open to the public. For more information about these and other education programs visit sfballet.org.

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET PARTICULARS. The home of the San Francisco Ballet is the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. Individual tickets are available at sfballet.org or (415) 865-2000. The Opera House has wheelchair accessible seating on the Orchestra and Dress Circle levels. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. The S.F. Ballet Orchestra accompanies all programs.

CONNECT WITH S.F. BALLET ONLINE. Follow San Francisco Ballet @sfballet — there’s a channel for everyone. S.F. Ballet’s digital presence offers numerous ways to connect with the artists of the Company. Join the largest group of S.F. Ballet fans online at facebook.com/sfballet. Follow a global conversation about ballet at twitter.com/sfballet. Experience a backstage photographic journey from the perspective of the company members at instagram.com/sfballet. For behind-the-scenes perspectives, read short essays and interviews at sfballetblog.org. And, of course, see S.F. Ballet in motion at youtube.com/sfballet.

Susan Cohn is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and the American Theatre Critics Association. She may be reached at susan@smdailyjournal.com.