San Francisco, CA–Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson and San Francisco Ballet will present four new works programs at London’s Sadler’s Wells May 20–June 8, 2019. Performances will include 10 pieces commissioned by San Francisco Ballet, all of which are European premieres. Alexei Ratmansky’s Shostakovich Trilogy opens the tour, followed by three programs featuring works from SF Ballet’s critically successful Unbound: A Festival of New Works, which was staged in San Francisco in April and May of 2018. Works include those by David Dawson, Edwaard Liang, Cathy Marston, Trey McIntyre, Justin Peck, Arthur Pita, Liam Scarlett, Stanton Welch, and Christopher Wheeldon.
“We are thrilled to return to Sadler’s Wells, especially to be able to share works new to London audiences,” says Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson. “Unbound was an incredible exploration of where dance is now and where it is headed. We look forward to sharing with London audiences eight of those premiere works, along with others that span a variety of aesthetics and showcase the versatility of our San Francisco Ballet’s dancers.”
San Francisco Ballet Music Director Martin West will be conducting Royal Ballet Sinfonia for the London performances.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS:
Program A: May 29 at 7:30 pm / May 30 at 7:30 pm / June 2 at 4:00 pm
Program B: May 31 at 7:30 pm / June 1 at 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Program C: June 5 at 7:30 pm / June 8 at 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Program D: June 6 at 7:30 pm / June 7 at 7:30 pm
Sadler’s Wells
Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R
Visit the Sadler’s Wells webpage for ticket information
Email You You Xia, Director of Communications, at yxia@sfballet.org for high-res images and press inquiries
Program A:
- Alexei Ratmansky’s very personal Shostakovich Trilogy consists of three distinctly individual works inspired and driven by orchestral masterworks. Declared “a masterpiece” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “fascinating, poetic and enigmatic” (The New York Times), this dance trilogy is set to Shostakovich’s 1945 Symphony No 9, the anguished Chamber Symphony, and exuberant Piano Concerto No 1. San Francisco Ballet was the first American company to invite Ratmansky to choreograph in the U.S. That was in 2003 and was the start of an ongoing relationship during which SF Ballet has acquired six of his works in its repertory. Shostakovich Trilogy was co-commissioned with American Ballet Theatre (where Ratmansky has been artist in residence since 2009) and was first performed by San Francisco Ballet in 2014. Ratmansky explores his complex relationship with his homeland and his love and admiration for the composer in these powerful and lyrical evocations of Soviet-era Russia.
Program B:
- The Infinite Ocean is the second work for SF Ballet by Edwaard Liang, a former dancer with New York City Ballet and Netherlands Dans Theater and artistic director at BalletMet since 2013. This is a ballet dealing with spirituality, life, and death that is set to “minimalist music with this baroque feel” commissioned from English composer Oliver Davis.
- Snowblind is British dance-maker Cathy Marston’s choreographic debut with San Francisco Ballet. Inspired by Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton’s tragic story of adultery, it reveals Marston at the pinnacle of her acute narrative powers and distinctive style.
- Björk Ballet is the second work for San Francisco Ballet by Arthur Pita, described as ”surprising, mysterious and a ridiculous amount of fun” by The Guardian. Pita delves into the mischief and magic of this Icelandic icon’s music in a “cacophony of glamour, craziness and fairytale” (The Guardian).
Program C:
- Bespoke is Australian choreographer Stanton Welch’s seventh ballet for the Company and is described as a bittersweet love letter to ballet itself, set to music from JS Bach’s violin concertos.
- Hummingbird by Liam Scarlett was highly acclaimed when it premiered in 2014 and “buzzes with human stories: memories, losses, encounters, and the feelings of the dancers themselves … It’s stirring stuff, and beautiful” (The Arts Desk).
- Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, Justin Peck’s second work for San Francisco Ballet is set to a sequence of tracks by M83 and showcases his special genius for choreographing ensembles. “This is a ballet about how it feels to be young. It’s how everyone wants to dance, in their dreams” (The Arts Desk).
Program D:
- Your Flesh Shall Be a Great Poem is a personal and moving tribute to Trey McIntyre’s grandfather. Vulnerability and tenderness combine with jocularity for a sentimental work with accompanying folk songs by Christ Garneau. This is McIntyre’s second work for SF Ballet.
- Bound To© by Christopher Wheeldon also addresses a prevalent 21st-century social concern–addiction to smartphones. An exploration of how relationships can become dysfunctional when competing with social media also imparts warnings beneath the humor. This is Wheeldon’s 9thth work created for SF Ballet, for which he has been choreographing for more than 15 years.
- Anima Animus–For his SF Ballet choreographic debut, David Dawson offers a rich mix of contrasts and explores the fluid space between opposites, most notably the roles of male and female, with a score by Ezio Bosso.
ARTISTIC CREDITS:
Program A
Shostakovich Trilogy
Shostakovich Trilogy was co-commissioned by San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.
Music: Dmitri Shostakovich
Choreographer: Alexei Ratmansky
Staged by: Nancy Raffa
Scenic Designer: George Tsypin
Costume Designer: Keso Dekker
Lighting Designer: Jennifer Tipton
Symphony #9
World Premiere: October 18, 2012, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Center
San Francisco Ballet Premiere: April 2, 2014, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Chamber Symphony
World Premiere: May 31, 2013 American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, New York
San Francisco Ballet Premiere: April 2, 2014 War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Piano Concerto #1
World Premiere: May 31, 2013 American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, New York
San Francisco Ballet Premiere: April 2, 2014 War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Program B
The Infinite Ocean
Composer: Oliver Davis
Choreographer: Edwaard Liang
Scenic Design: Alexander V. Nichols
Costume Design: Mark Zappone
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
World Premiere: April 26, 2018 San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Snowblind
Composers: Amy Beach, Philip Feeney, Arthur Foote, and Arvo Pärt
Music arranged by: Philip Feeney
Choreographer: Cathy Marston
Scenic and Costume Design: Patrick Kinmonth
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
Assistant to the Choreographer: Jenny Tattersall
Adaptation of Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome by Cathy Marston and Patrick Kinmonth
World Premiere: April 21, 2018 San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Björk Ballet
Composers: Björk Gudmundsdottir, Alejandro Ghersi, and Sjón
Choreographer: Arthur Pita
Costume Design: Marco Morante
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
Visual Décor: Arthur Pita
Sound Design: Martin West
World Premiere: April 26, 2018 San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Program C
Bespoke
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Choreographer: Stanton Welch
Costume Design: Holly Hynes
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
World Premiere: April 24, 2018 San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Hummingbird
Composer: Philip Glass
Choreographer: Liam Scarlett
Scenic and Costume Design: John Macfarlane
Lighting Design: David Finn
World Premiere: April 29, 2014, San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Composers: Anthony Gonzalez, Yann Gonzalez, Bradley Laner, and Justin Meldal-Johnsen
Choreographer: Justin Peck
Costume Design: Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
World Premiere: April 20, 2018 San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Program D
Your Flesh Shall Be a Great Poem
Composer: Chris Garneau
Choreographer: Trey McIntyre
Costume Design: Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
World Premiere: April 24, 2018 San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Bound To
Composer: Keaton Henson
Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon
Scenic and Costume Design: Jean-Marc Puissant
Projection Design: Jean-Marc Puissant and Alexander V. Nichols
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
Bound To by Christopher Wheeldon
World Premiere: April 20, 2018 San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Anima Animus
Composer: Ezio Bosso
Choreographer: David Dawson
Scenic Design: John Otto
Costume Design: Yumiko Takeshima
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls
Assistant to the Choreographer: Rebecca Gladstone
World Premiere: April 21, 2018 San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
San Francisco Ballet’s engagement at Sadler’s Wells is made possible in part by Lead Sponsor Diane B. Wilsey.
The following funds of the San Francisco Ballet Endowment Foundation provide permanent support for touring by San Francisco Ballet: Lead Underwriters The Hellman Family Touring Fund, Donald F. Houghton Touring Fund, G. William Jewell Touring Fund, The Bernard Osher Foundation Touring Fund; Major Underwriters Frannie and Mort Fleishhacker Touring Fund, Stephen and Margaret Gill Family Foundation Touring Fund, Teri and Andy Goodman Touring Fund, Pamela J. Joyner and Alfred J. Giuffrida Touring Fund, Bob Ross Foundation Touring Fund, Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Touring Fund; and Underwriters Davidson Bidwell-Waite and Edwin A. Waite Touring Fund, Glenn McCoy Touring Fund, Vinie and J. Sanford Miller Touring Fund, Phyllis W. Nelson Touring Fund, and the Anne and Michelle Shonk Touring Fund.
About San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet, long recognized for pushing boundaries in dance, has a history of making history. The Company has enjoyed a long and rich tradition of artistic “firsts” since its founding in 1933, including performing the first American productions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker, as well as the first 20th-century American Coppélia. SF Ballet is one of the three largest ballet companies in the United States. It currently presents more than 100 performances annually, both locally and internationally. The mission of SF Ballet is to share its joy of dance with the widest possible audience—in its community and worldwide—and to provide the highest calibre of dance training in its School. Under the direction of Helgi Tomasson, the Company has achieved an international reputation as one of the preeminent ballet companies in the world. For more information visit sfballet.org.
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