There are several ways to enjoy our podcasts:
- Listen to the audio online by clicking the "LISTEN" link. When you are done listening, click the "back" button on your browser to return to this page.
- Download the individual MP3 files to your desktop or audio player. Right-click (or Control-click in MacOS) on the "Download" link and select "Save Link As."
- Subscribe to our audio podcast and receive new updates automatically. To subscribe, copy and paste the URL below into your podcast subscription software.
http://podcast.sfballet.org/pointes_of_view.xml
Or click on the iTunes icon to see a preview and subscribe to our podcast series in iTunes (please note that this will launch iTunes):
The information, views and opinions expressed in podcasts are strictly those of the participants and do not represent directly or imply any official position of San Francisco Ballet Association.
2012 Season Podcasts
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Don Quixote is well-known as a rollicking comedy packed with virtuoso dance. We will hear from Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson and Technical Director Christopher Dennis about the process of bringing San Francisco Ballet new scenery.
57 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
In this program, San Francisco Ballet performs three works by 20th century choreographic giant George Balanchine and focuses on the variety of his output, from the classic and traditional Divertimento #15, through a revival of the romantic Scotch Symphony. Ballet Scholar Carrie Gaiser Casey, Ph.D. with San Francisco Ballet’s Visiting Scholar Dr. Beth Genné, a historian of dance and of art at the University of Michigan and Dr. Stephen Hinton, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Music at Stanford University, will explore and comment in depth on the role of modernism in art and music in the 1940s, focusing on the cutting-edge ballet The Four Temperaments, choreographed by Balanchine in 1946 and set to the music of Paul Hindemith.
58 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The company shows off its versatility performing the lush classicism of Rudolph Nureyev’s Raymonda Act III, the wrenching drama of Yuri Possokhov’s RAkU, and the contemporary creation of Ashley Page’s world premiere Guide to Strange Places. Assistant to the Artistic Director and Ballet Master Ricardo Bustamente and Soloist Elana Altman expand on the training and the discipline that allow San Francisco Ballet dancers to master this span of styles.
58 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
This program features Symphonic Dances a world premier by emerging choreographer Edwaard Liang. Ballet Master Katita Waldo shares how a choreographer takes a work from conception to production. Also on the program is Helgi Tomasson’s The Fifth Season and Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces.
58 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Guest: Martin West
The wealth of varied music in our repertoire contributes significantly to its impact. We will explore this through the eyes of Music Director and Principal Conductor Martin West as we discuss Choreographer in Residence Yuri Possokhov's newest ballet Francesca da Rimini and the return of Alexei Ratmansky's Le Carnaval des Animaux, along with an encore of Helgi Tomasson's Trio.
58 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Guest: Betsy Erickson, Principal Dancer Gennadi Nedvigin, and Megan Williams
Prominent choreographer Mark Morris creates his 8th world premier Beaux for San Francisco Ballet. Ballet Master Betsy Erickson, Principal Dancer Gennadi Nedvigin, and Megan Williams Repetiteur for Mark Morris offer insights into the production of this world premiere. Returning contemporary works, Christopher Wheeldon's Number Nine © and Wayne McGregor's Chroma are also featured on this program.
58 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Guest: Bruce Sansom, Ricardo Bustamante and Anita Paciotti
John Cranko's Onegin opens the season and Assistants to the Artistic Director and Ballet Masters Bruce Sansom and Ricardo Bustamante along with Ballet Master Anita Paciotti, review the season and discuss the challenges and rewards of dancing full-length dramatic works and the company's commitment to keeping this genre vital.
60 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Guest: Judy Flannery and Glenn McCoy
As we wrap up the season, we revisit John Neumeier's The Little Mermaid, a heart-wrenching story of sacrifice and unrequited love told through dance and drama and hear from Executive Director Glenn McCoy and Media Consultant and Producer Judy Flannery about SF Ballet's past, present, and future media projects.
1:01:34 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Guest: Jennifer Stahl and Gaetano Amico III
The acclaimed ballet Chroma, created by contemporary British choreographer Wayne McGregor, inspires a discussion about the edgy and challenging movement vocabulary SF Ballet dancers must master. Corps de Ballet Dancers Jennifer Stahl and Gaetano Amico III talk about volume and variety dancing in the corps presents as well as the opportunities they have been given to dance featured roles.
58 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Guest: Christopher Dennis, Technical Director
Technical Director Christopher Dennis begins by describing his journey from being a student of theater to his current position overseeing the technical aspects of all SFB productions. Through a discussion of the season's varied repertoire, he highlights the challenging problems to be solved in bringing the designer's vision to the stage.
60 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo by Marc von Borstel
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Guest Speaker: Doug Fullington
San Francisco Ballet's 2011 Visiting Scholar Doug Fullington, gives a lecture and detailed history of Coppélia. He traces the ballet's lineage from its origins in France, on into Russia and, finally, over to America, culminating in George Balanchine's brilliant 1974 production for New York City Ballet.
60 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photos ©David Allen
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Dance Scholar Mary Wood interviews Principal dancers Sophiane Sylve and Pascal Molat
Principal dancers Sophiane Sylve and Pascal Molat describe their career journeys from their French training through performing in other companies, and being attracted to SFB by the diverse and varied repertoire. They each discuss the challenges and satisfactions of performing the classics, Balanchine works, and the contemporary ballets of Forsythe and McGregor. Sophiane Sylve comments on her commitment to transmitting the art form as a teacher in the SFB School.
58:32 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David
Martinez
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Dance Scholar Mary Wood interviews Helgi Tomasson, Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer
San Francisco Ballet's Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer, Helgi Tomasson, presented his views on maintaining the company's widely diverse repertoire. He feels strongly that classical technique and discipline are the key to the dancers' versatility. He discussed his newest work, Trio, as well as the other contrasting works on this all-Tchaikovsky program.
57:57 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photos ©David Allen
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Dance Scholar Mary Wood interviews Martin West, Music Director and Principal Conductor; Bruce Sansom, Assistant to the Artistic Director and Ballet Master
Martin West and Bruce Sansom discussed how music informs the movement in George Balanchine's Symphony in C, Ashton's Symphonic Variations, and other ballets. Martin described the collaboration involved in the creation of Yuri Possokhov's RAkU to a commissioned score by SF Ballet Orchestra bassist Shinji Eshima. Bruce recounted his experience of learning and performing Symphonic Variations at the Royal Ballet.
58:17 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Dance Scholar Mary Wood interviews Ricardo Bustamante, Assistant to the Artistic Director and Ballet Master
Ricardo Bustamante presented an overview of the responsibilities of his position, and provided a review of the company's trip to Copenhagen during August, 2010. He joined host Mary Wood in updates of promotions and new company members, then commented on the repertoire for the season ahead. He concluded with a vivid description of the ballet Giselle, and included commentary on 2 video clips, one from SFB's current production, one from his own production done for the Dutch National Ballet.
58:32 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Dance Scholar Mary Wood interviews Principal Dancers Tiit Helimets and Damian Smith along with Ballet Master and Assistant to the Artistic Director Ricardo Bustamante
The audience gets insight on the innovative production of The Little Mermaid, by Hamburg Ballet Director and Chief Choreographer John Neumeier.
59:06 Minutes
Listen | Download
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Dance Scholar Mary Wood interviews Isabelle Fokine and SF Ballet Masters Betsy Erickson and Bruce Sansom
Mary and her guests, including the granddaughter of revolutionary choreographer Mikhail Fokine, discuss the SF Ballet premiere of Fokine's Petrouchka, which was first performed by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballet Russes in 1911. 44:23 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Dance Scholar Mary Wood interviews Music director Martin West and UC Berkeley Musicologist Richard Taruskin
Mary discusses the legendary career of ballet icon, George Balanchine. 63 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Dance Scholar Mary Wood interviews Ballet Master Anita Paciotti and Ghosts Costume Designer Mark Zappone
Mary investigates the development of Christopher Wheeldon's new World Premiere, Ghosts. 63 Minutes
Listen | Download
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sonia Evers, Art Historian, Educator and San Francisco Ballet Trustee
Dance Scholar Mary Woods gives a preview of the 2010 season including insights about the new productions and other upcoming highlights. Later, Sonia Evers discusses her role on the Board and her involvement with SF Ballet School. 48:31 Minutes
Listen | Download
Photo ©David Allen
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Val Caniparoli-Pointes of View Lecture (part 1 and 2)
Dance Scholar Mary Woods interviews Principal Character Dancer, Val Caniparoli about choreographers Stanton Welch and William Forsythe, as well as his own choreographic endeavors. 24:51 Minutes
Listen to part 1 | Download part 1
Photo ©David Allen
Wednesday, February 6, 2008, 6:00pm
Dance Scholar Mary Wood Interviews San Francisco Ballet Executive Director, Glenn McCoy
Mr. McCoy shares his insights into the delicate balance between artistic vision and administrative management at a major American ballet company. He also discusses San Francisco Ballet's 75th Anniversary season and the New Works Festival. 48:31 Minutes
Listen | Download
Wednesday, January 30, Green Room
6:00pm
Mary Wood interviews Ballet School Administrative Manager and former Company dancer Jim Sohm
Listen | Download
More Podcasts
