Ballet San Jose Trades in Pointe for Blue Suede Shoes

Back after rave reviews for previous performances of this piece, the Ballet San Jose is currently performing "Blue Suede Shoes", a dance ensemble paying homage to Elvis and others during that era. Two weekends ago, the ballet hosted their annual gala, this year entitled the Blue Suede Shoes Gala, and it was one of the best parties I've attended in a long time and featured a few of the dancers from this week's performance. It closes on Sunday (I'll be at that one), so get your tickets while you can. Due to the new ownership of the Elvis brand and permission issues, this ballet may never be performed again. Last call!

US Nationals Retrospective - This Week In Figure Skating

I don't have the opportunity to blog about figure skating as often as I'd like but tonight I had to write about how exciting some of the new skaters on the scene are and how much potential they have. I was a bit worried for a while that the Japanese and Chinese teams were going to dominate in 2010 but I think we have some major contendors coming up in the ranks - even without veterens like Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen.

First off, I was incredibly impressed by Evan Lysacek's performance in both of his programs. He's finally got everything working in his favor and the best part is - I don't think he's peaked yet. Maybe has this year, but not career-wise. He can add a second quad if he needs it, and he can strengthen his spins and artistry. He is incredibly talented and he can give Brian Joubert some tough competition. Then you have his incredibly gorgeous girlfriend, Tanith Belbin along with her partner, Ben Agosto, creating a wonderfully intricate new program and posting some fantastic scores to win their fourth gold at Nationals. Gregory and Petukhov looked great, by the way. It's nice having two strong dance teams for once. And the bronze medalists, Davis and White, were impressive too. They have a definite future.

For the pairs, a new couple is on the scene and they - according to Peter Carruthers (and I believe him) have the talent to play in the same field with the Chinese pairs. That's Brooke Castile / Benjamin Okolski. Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris (sounds like a Greek philosopher, doesn't it?), another new team, had a shot at the gold but they need a little more training. John Baldwin Jr. and Rene Inoue, on the other hand, are looking tired. I would be surprised if they make it to 2010 with these newer teams hot on their trail.

But back to the men - Ryan Bradley earned his bronze, it wasn't handed to him from years of medals. He skated well and deserves to be on the World team. He probably has no chance at medaling there but that won't be his goal. He's got the best deal of anyone - just to have fun in Tokyo. I think Johnny Weir is one of those US mens' champions who will never get the Olympic gold because he doesn't have the nerves for it. I don't think he'll capture the World gold either unless it's one of those odd years when everybody else just bombs and he has a fabulous day. He's an incredible skater, but he doesn't have the long-term concentration I think he needs at this point. Senioritis may be setting in.

For the ladies, I really wanted Kimmie Meissner to win, I'll admit it. And I really wanted Alissa Czisny to get that bronze. I have nothing against Emily Hughes - her jumps are huge and she's improving artistically but Kimmie has the whole package more consistently and even without the World title, she was ready to be US champion. Of course, even with the silver medal, Emily still placed higher than Sarah Hughes ever did on the national level. I expect Emily can still improve as can all three of them. But Alissa is the only one who has artistry that comes close to Mao Asada.

I can't wait to see nationals the next two years with Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang, both of whom are clearly good enough to be on the Senior level. I'm excited that ABC decided to show both of their programs in their entirety as the Junior ladies' champions (1 & 2, respectively). They could both be the next Mao Asada easily. Thirteen years old and they possibly could have contended for medals on the Senior level. (It's hard to know since the points are different, programs are shorter in Jr. level and they don't do as many jumps.) That's what I miss about not having attended one of these competitions in person in several years - seeing the entire field of competitors shows how good the top tier skaters really are. And it's always nice to have a reminder of how high the jumps can be.

So Worlds will be in April. That's three months - a quarter of a year - from now, which makes a big difference in where skaters are as to the polish on their programs, how tired they are from training, how strong they are physically and whether they have sustained injuries or other setbacks. Some skaters peak earlier in the year. Michelle Kwan was one of those - always peaking at Nationals and rarely holding onto that level of performance by Worlds. Kimmie Meissner wasn't ready to peak last year at the Olympics but she peaked late and won Worlds. We'll see what happens to her this year. Perhaps since she wasn't at her very best at Nationals, that's actually a good sign. Evan Lysacek has peaked at seemingly random times in the past, but seems to be steady so far. I think he'll be back on the podium again.

One note about choreography - the more years I watch figure skating as well as dance, I learn how important both music and choreography are to skaters' programs. This year, I would give choreography awards to Beatrissa Liang's short program, Kimmie Meissner's short program, Evan Lysacek for both of his programs, Johnny Weir's short program, Belbin and Agosto's new free dance, and Gregory and Petukhov's free dance program. These all stood out. There were a few others well choreographed who didn't receive medals but what stood out for me in these were the intricacies in footwork, edge control, arm motions as well as facial expressions. The pairs got close - they get points for trying, but their programs I don't think were quite as beautifully conceived choreographically.

Music choice is also key. A few skaters chose abominably whereas others picked great music for them. One of the dance teams in the top ten chose the Beatles and although they didn't have the speed of the champions or the complexity in their moves, the music still moved the audience and made a difference in their scores. I saw way too many bland music choices this year. It makes me miss Michael Weiss's Van Halen and Metallica because so many programs blended together in the bland department. I wish I could remember which ones irked me the most. If I get a chance to review the recording again later, I will.

Newest BalletSJ Board Member Enthusiastic About Organization and Nahat Nomination

I've blogged before about the Ballet San Jose. Tuesday night, I was elected to their Operating Board. ('Operating Board' is another way of sayiing 'Board of Trustees'.) Having wanted to be more involved in a performing arts organization for a long time, I was approached by a friend who also serves on the board to check it out and see if I might be interested. One thing led to another, and now I'm on board.

It's a wonderful group of people, led by John Fry, CEO OF Fry's Electronics. (So if you're an arts lover and you need electronics in the Bay Area, go to Fry's - some of the money will inevitably end up in a dancer's pocket.)

Rather than toot my own horn, you can read my friend, Sherri's post. It just reitterates my bio really but she also says some nice things. Thanks Sherri!

So now that I'm hooked, I'll be going to the remainder of the performances this year. If you want to learn more about them, check out the web site and drop me a line. The artistic director, Dennis Nahat, is incredibly talented. And he was just nominated for an Izzie award (he's a past recipient). That's the SF Bay Area dance equivalent of the Oscars (that unfortunately doesn't have a web site that's easy to find) for his production of Romeo and Juliet last year. Congratulations Dennis!

The next performance of the ballet is a Valentine Potpourri, including a four part mix of classic and modern dance. And here's the thing about this ballet vs. others in the area - San Francisco will always have an incredible ballet company that does exquisite traditional and inspiring performances. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Berkeley performing arts communities bring in groups like the Alvin Ailey dancers and Mikhail Barishnikov's White Oak Dance Project. These are amazing to see, but they are quite different from Ballet San Jose. I don't consider any of these troupes competitors - they each provoke their own emotional response through their art.

BSJ excels in a unique spot that I haven't quite figured-out how to best describe it yet, but it's an original blend of artistry, storytelling, and risk-taking choreographically. The audience tends to be more casual and it's a beautiful theatre, so you get this feeling like you have a private dance recital in your own home and the artistic director made it just for you. (At the Nutcracker, I wanted to snuggle up next to the fireplace they had on the stage.) Of course not all the dancers aren't as polished as some in other dance companies, but this organization is only twenty years old. And it has been restarted in a few different incarnations in order to come to its current position in the Bay Area community. That's part of its beauty coming from someone who's entrepreneurial-minded.

Anyway, words can only scratch the surface in describing performing arts, so you'll just have to come see for yourself.

Ballet San Jose - Giselle, the Nutcracker & Blue Suede Shoes

The Ballet San Jose, revamped in 2000, is beginning its new season tonight with "Giselle", a well-known ballet. I can't make it, unfortunately, but wanted to pass along the info to performing arts lovers in the Bay Area.

They are also hosting a Nutcracker Black Tie Ball on December 14 at the San Jose Museum of Art, with a performance to follow at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. I plan to be there. It should be a lot of fun.

In the spring, their major annual fundraiser, this year the Blue Suede Shoes Gala, based on their "Blue Suede Shoes" ballet, a "classic rock in a one-act ballet danced to 36 master recordings of Elvis Presley's greatest hits", will be held at the Fairmont.

Twyla Tharp & Bob Dylan On the Stage

I read in the New Yorker that Twyla Tharp recently choreographed a new compilation of dance programs to Bob Dylan's music in a similar fashion to what she did for Billy Joel's music with "Movin' Out," called a musical but IMHO false advertising.

I'm a Billy Joel fan and a performing arts lover, and I went to see "Movin' Out" expecting something closer to "Mamma Mia", the musical made up of Abba songs. I was disappointed to find the complete lack of dialogue and even greater lack of plot. "Movin' Out" would've been fine performed as a modern dance program but I reject that it could be called a musical. With my expectations set improperly, I kept waiting for dialogue and story. Had I known it was all dance, I would've come into it with a much different attitude (and I probably wouldn't have paid as much for seats.) I enjoyed it, but not in the way I would've enjoyed a real musical.

Now, Tharp is doing the same thing - supposedly Dylan approached her for this - called "The Times They Are A-Changin" and it's reportedly more like Cirque du Soleil than anything else. I'd go see it, but I'm not paying Broadway prices again for something that should be performed on a dance stage.

Sinatra in New York

Not often does a national dance troupe pay homage to Old Blue Eyes - let alone a ballet company - but this fall, the American Ballet Theater (ABT) is performing a work entitled "Sinatra Suite" by renowned choreographer, Twyla Tharp, who has worked with Barishnikov, David Byrne and other greats. (I love her work.)

The ABT Opening Night Gala at the New York City Center is on October 18, also featuring Balanchine's "Symphonie Concertante".