Excitement was in the air at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, July 19th when the Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Ballet shared the stage for “Tchaikovsky Spectacular.” The evening of beautiful dancing and powerful music was capped off with fireworks and an appearance by the USC Trojan Marching Band.
The musical offerings that bookended the dance excerpts were “Capriccio Italien, Op. 45” and “1812 Overture.” I loved watching the energetic composer, Carlos Miguel Prieto, lead the talented orchestra. I was impressed by the sound control and range. At times, a single tambourine trembled, and the noise was simultaneously soft yet still audible throughout the vast outdoor venue. The fireworks for the grand finale of “1812 Overture” were impeccably timed with beats of the song so that we didn’t miss too much of the music.
San Francisco Ballet with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl – Conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto – Jasmine Jimison and Joseph Walsh in “Swan Lake” – Photo courtesy of LA Phil.
As the dancers entered the stage for selections from “Swan Lake, Op. 20,” the audience eagerly applauded. Seeing the dancers in front of the orchestra made them seem even more otherworldly with their fluid, expansive movements. Jasmine Jimison and Joseph Walsh performed the Act II White Swan Pas De Deux, both showing a shy vulnerability in their initial connections. Jimison had beautiful high extensions, and Walsh partnered her expertly. In a repeating step, Jimison would extend her leg to the front and fall softly into a deep backbend in Walsh’s arms.
Next up was the power-packed Black Swan Pas De Deux from Act III, performed by Wona Park and Wei Wang. It was unique to see two different dancers perform Odette and Odile, as a typical Swan Lake experience includes seeing the same dancers’ take on these two opposing roles. Park showed crisp and controlled movements as she portrayed the manipulative Odile. Seeing the two pas de deuxs back to back, I noticed some of the shared movements and how they were performed with different energy to represent the two characters. Jimison, as the white swan, was softer and more subtle, while Park was sharper and in control, never quite releasing fully into the arms of her partner.
San Francisco Ballet with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl – Wona Park and Wei Wang in “Swan Lake” – Photo courtesy of LA Phil.
The dance continued into the male and female variations, as well as the coda, famous for the fouetté section for the ballerina. Wang was especially impressive in his jumps; when he reentered in the coda, his first leap flew above the heads of the violinists. His solo included a sequence with a jump with the leg out to the side into a tour jeté off of only one leg, a challenging step because it removed the usual momentum of the preparation into the leap. Park was confident in her turns, starting off her solo with a challenge sequence of pirouettes and outside attitude turns. She breezed through her fouettés, performing multiple pirouettes with each prep to the resounding applause of the audience. I could feel the dancers’ excitement as the piece ended on an exclamation point with a final toss into the air of Park.
I do wish that the original order of the dances were kept from “Swan Lake,” as the energy dropped a bit from this grand ending into the Dance of the Cygnets from Act II. In the full ballet, this would appear sequentially between the two pas de deuxs, and I think keeping it there would have been a better sequence. The four cygnets danced with their arms linked and traveled back and forth across the stage with sharp footwork and precise positions. Aside from slight differences in the angle of their heads, they were clones of each other. The four cygnets were Katherine Barkman, Isabella DeVivo, Carmela Mayo, and Julia Rowe.
San Francisco Ballet with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl – Katherine Barkman, Isabella DeVivo, Carmela Mayo, and Julia Rowe in Dance of the Cygnets from “Swan Lake” – Photo courtesy of LA Phil.
After the intermission, the final dance of the night was the Pas De Deux from George Balanchine’s “Diamonds,” performed by Sasha de Sola and Harrison James. This excerpt is part of a triad of dances representing different gems, and I enjoyed Balanchine’s interpretation of the diamond having a soft, sure confidence. After watching the more classical excerpts from “Swan Lake,” I liked seeing the less formal structure behind Balanchine’s choreography. Rather than visible patterns of repeating a step or sequence, there was more of an ebb and flow to the overall dance. de Sola and James danced well together, sizing each other up in the start as they walked in circular paths. de Sola had a quiet confidence in her port de bras, bringing to life the regal assuredness of a diamond. As they danced closer together, they wove around each other in sequences of shapes, showing off strong lines. A highlight was when James slowly rotated de Sola in a front extension with a deep backbend, showing a more neoclassical take from Balanchine on a typical partner promenade.
This night featured an exciting variety of dancing and music in the iconic and ethereal setting of the Hollywood Bowl, and I greatly enjoyed both the sounds and steps.
For more information about the San Francisco Ballet, please visit their website.
To learn more about the Los Angeles Philharmonic, please visit their website.
To see what is happening next at the Hollywood Bowl, please visit their website.
Written by Rachel Turner for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: San Francisco Ballet with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl – Conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto – Jasmine Jimison and Joseph Walsh in “Swan Lake” – Photo courtesy of LA Phil.
