75th Anniversary Gala
War Memorial Opera House
January 23, 2008
San Francisco Ballet’s 75th anniversary officially kicked off last night with the Diamond Gala Celebration, an evening-long tribute to America’s oldest professional ballet company. The evening’s performance portion opened with the "Star Spangled Banner" and a welcome and salute to past Christensen Medals awardees hosted by Board Co-Chairs Pamela Joyner and James Herbert (who was presented with his own medal onstage), and what followed was a lengthy but congratulatory tribute to the company.
First to take the stage (at least in pointe shoes and slippers) were advanced-level students of San Francisco Ballet School, performing excerpts of the American premiere John Niemeyer’s “Yondering,” a work that examines the transition from adolescent to adult (and with nice, expressive choreography to boot). What a joy it was to see these young dancers perform on the mainstage! They leaped, sautéd, and spun with crisp attack and flowing, natural epaulment...For more, go here.
Photo Credits:
San Francisco Ballet School Students in Neumeier's "Yondering" © Chris Hardy
San Francisco Ballet School Students in Neumeier's "Yondering" © Chris Hardy
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