Performer: Vitor Luiz

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.

Benjamin Freemantle danced the opening solo, gorgeously, in the role of the grandfather as a dreamy young Adonis. 

Set to Frank Moon’s moody, thematic score, the curtain rises on a foggy night scene as a shiny black stretch limousine glides onstage—the real deal, dazzling to behold, like a noir film come to life.

Here technology breathes theatricality into vast architectural sets, where shadows haunt and light electrifies. 

This version of Coppélia is a testament to Balanchine’s ability to accept the history of dance with equanimity and grace.