A San Francisco Nutcracker

By Terez Rose, 19 December 2015

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“There is nothing San Francisco Ballet can’t do with great ease, ballet’s greatest illusion.”

Reviewed at War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco on 16 December 2015

The Nutcracker (Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Helgi Tomasson)

San Francisco Ballet

American Ballet Theatre's double bill is short and sweet in New York

Ivy Lin, 15th March

American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

Mejia debuts in a sumptuous Sleeping Beauty at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 12th February

Roman Mejia and a raft of soloist debuts galvanized Peter Martins' Sleeping Beauty. An elegant production with some incidental messiness and the structural liability of a princess' dependence on a kiss.

****1

Dutch National Ballet brings much needed heat to this winter season

Mark Vicente, 10th February

The Dutch National Ballet helped shake off those winter blues with a mixed programme that highlighted ballet’s love affair with Latin rhythms and movement.

****1

NYCB: Balanchine + Ratmansky program warms the audience

Ivy Lin, 20th January

NYCB has a winning triple bill with its Balanchine + Ratmansky program. Excellent dancing and contrasting works sends the audience home in buoyant mood.

*****

Ballet Nights, The New Year’s Day Concert: a win on all fronts

Deborah Weiss, 1st January

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence’s winning formula for his Ballet Nights series has brought in new and old works, concert and dance, and continues to push the boundaries into 2026.

****1

NEBT’s Nutcracker: pared down, efficient and exuberant

Deborah Weiss, 18th December

Valentino Zucchetti's Nutcracker for New English Ballet Theatre's may be economical on numbers but the cast make up for it in commitment.

***11

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Terez Rose

Terez Rose is a writer and former dancer whose work has appeared in numerous journals, anthologies and online publications. She is the author (as Terez Mertes Rose) of the Ballet Theatre Chronicles (Off Balance, Outside the Limelight, Ballet Orphans, Other Stages) and A Dancer’s Guide to Africa. Visit her at The Classical Girl where she blogs about classical music and the performing arts.

San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker ushers in the holiday