San Francisco Ballet's Program Three, Reviewed

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Some might say that George Balanchine's choreography is hip, and not just because he had an affinity for jutted torsos and angled limbs. If anything, Balanchine ballets aren't your typical pretty girl, princely boy, safe dancemaking. Here in the U.S., Balanchine's legacy gave way to a wilder ballet form than most Europeans were accustomed to, what with his penache for open hips and 180 degree grand battements (leg kicks!). Quickly, Balanchine, a Russian himself, became synonymous with American ballet, and when companies perform his work, it's a testament to ballet's own metamorphosis from an elite art form into something more unique and accessible.

San Francisco Ballet's Program 3, entitled Balanchine Masterworks, features three Balanchine ballets: Serenade, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, and Theme and Variations.The three are very different, yet much of the movement vocabulary derives from the same place, pulling from the ballet vernacular and Balanchine's own reinterpretations and liberties, ones that feature curved backs and flexed limbs, precision, and a lack of plot.

The most accessible of three may be Serenade, which began as a dance piece for Balanchine's students. As the rehearsals progressed, so did Serenade, and Balanchine weaved in pieces of the rehearsal, such as a fall and wavering attendance, into the work. It's often said he lived by the mantra, "Use what you've got."

And that's what he's done in Serenade, to great effect. The opening may be my favorite part: the curtain rises and the stage is filled with 17 women, adorned in ankle-length ocean blue tutus, looking toward their right arms raised high up on an angle with hands flexed. The stage basks in the blueness, and it's more heavenly blue than Smurfiness.

Saturday afternoon, the dancers moved with crisp and quick precision yet with tender emotion. Elana Altman, debuting in the Angel role, towered over everyone, somewhat in height but more so in command and stage presence. This girl is like the Heidi Klum of ballet--all eyes zoom in on her.

Yuan Yuan Tan and Pierre-François Vilanoba were paired as the waltz couple, and while she looked serene and youthful, he showed signs of ever-growing rust, with legs not quite stretched and wonky landings. The SF Ballet Orchestra gallantly swerved through Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings," and the score is quite catching. Dahdada-Dum...

Stravinksy Violin Concerto is one of Balanchine's leotard ballets. That is, no sets, no extra colors, just leotards, tights, and for the women at one time or another, a black skirt. The focus here is the music and movement, beat and rhythm. There's angular movement, strange yet organic positions, and if this if the first ballet you've ever seen, you might just exclaim, "Dang, that's some weird shit!"

Altman and Tiit Helimets, working his way back post-injury, led the first movement, and again, Altman blew Helimets, an always impressive dancer with soft knees and refined carriage, and everyone else out of the water. She flirts with the audience, but not in a Nutrasweet, Valentine's Day, oh-you-brought-me-chocolates-and-roses kind of way.

No, this is a do-you-see-what-my-feet-are-doing?-cuz-it's-damn awesome-and-by-the-way-check-out-my-super-duper-sexy-chiseled-back type of presence. She epitomizes cool and confident while weaving a fresh youthfulness throughout her dancing. But let me stop playing favorites... Vanessa Zahorian and Davit Karapetyan danced the second movement, and where Altman and Helimets ooze truth and honesty, here Zahorian and Karapetyan move like cats with spidey sense, stretching their limbs with a ting of coyness. The corps of sixteen men and women rounded out the cast.

Last on the bill was Theme and Variations, a tutu ballet that, for all except the main duo, focuses way too much on aquamarine and periwinkle (it's like My Little Ponies exploded onstage). With teal drapings and chandeleirs hanging from above, Theme and Variations is lighter than most Balanchine works, embodied with a pureness of soul that swoops across the stage as the corps begins their procession.

But this ballet isn't for pussies; feet move with warp-10-like speed, bodies fly through the air, and astounding abs are required. Maria Kochetkova and Taras Domitro, as the principal couple, revel in Tchaikovsky's "Suite No. 3 for Orchestra," conducted by David LaMarche's fine baton, she with a sparkling lightness and he with legs dipped in liquid gold. All went well until the bows, when Domitro failed to show, causing many to stir and wonder where he went?

A rousing round of applause to Elyse Borne, Bart Cook, Maria Calegari, and Helgi Tomasson for an exceptional staging; the entire company looks grand.