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The ballet culminates with fouettés, bravura leaps from the oversized ensemble and a rousing finish with all 44 dancers onstage. It was an exuberant end to an intelligent, satisfying production, both of thought and movement.

“Your love affair with ballet, your time with ballet, is short,” explains Welsh about his ballet Bespoke, “Eventually you lay down, and dance keeps moving. It’s a bittersweet thing.”

Among the standouts at the San Francisco Ballet gala evening performance were Ana Sophia Scheller in Rubies, Sasha De Sola in Études, Benjamin Freemantle in Agon, and Misa Kuranaga and Angelo Greco in Handel-A Celebration.

Most of the pieces were choreographed at a similarly demanding level, with speed, precision and immaculate timing as necessities.

The San Francisco corps de ballet shines as the collective core in Helgi Tomasson's Swan Lake.

San Francisco Ballet's first program of 2016, featuring Forsythe's rarely performed Pas/Parts and the revival of 7 for Eight and Magrittomania, leads the way into an exciting season.

San Francisco Ballet's Giselle brought enthusiastic Beijingers out in hordes to see Yuan Yuan Tan in the title role at the National Center for the Performing Arts on Friday night. 

On the second night of San Francisco Ballet’s second visit to Beijing, the company treated their Chinese audience to a varied programme: Tomasson’s Caprice, Wheeldon’s Rush, van Manen’s Variations for Two Couples, and Balanchine’s Theme and Variations.