San Francisco Ballet takes the stage at Megaron
A rich winter season comes to an end at the Athens Concert Hall this week, with a series of performances by the celebrated San Francisco Ballet. In town to perform works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, among others, the troupe will take to the stage of the Friends of Music Hall on Wednesday, with additional performances nightly from Thursday to Sunday. Established in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet, the company’s mission remains sharing the beauty and joy of dancing with the rest of the world through a multitude of performances in the US and abroad, while providing excellent training for its dancers at the company’s school. Many of the company’s achievements in recent years are due to its artistic director, Helgi Tomasson. Born in Iceland, Tomasson is a former New York City Ballet principal dancer and one of the finest of his generation. He took over the creative reins of the San Francisco Ballet in 1985, and is credited with turning the company around; what used to be a respected local troupe developed into a global artistic force with a vast repertoire. Furthermore, Tomasson is also the director of the San Francisco Ballet School, which is intrinsically linked to the company and its future. At the Athens Concert Hall, the company will be accompanied by the Athens State Orchestra. From Wednesday to Friday, the dance troupe will be performing «Agon,» with music by Stravinsky and choreography by the great ballet master George Balanchine, followed by «In the Night,» to music by Chopin and choreography by Jerome Robbins, as well as «Prism» to music by Beethoven and choreography by Tomasson. On Saturday and Sunday, the troupe will stage «Rubies,» to music by Stravinsky and choreography by George Balanchine; «Valses Poeticos,» to music by Enrique Granados and choreography by Helgi Tomasson; «Two Bits,» to music by Aaron Kernis and choreography by Tomasson; «Solo,» to music by Bach and choreography by Hans von Manen; and «Prism,» to music by Beethoven and choreography again by Tomasson. The San Francisco Ballet at the Athens Concert Hall, 1 Kokkali & Vas. Sofias, tel 010.728.2000.
