San Francisco Ballet

Harold Christensen, who with his two brothers was a key figure behind the San Francisco Ballet, died Monday at his home in San Anselmo, Calif., at the age of 84. Christensen and brothers, William and Lew, received the Dance Magazine Award in 1973 and the Capezio Annual Dance Award in 1984. The Capezio award called the three "Western pioneers," saying they "grew out of American vernacular dance" and "made ballet prosper wherever they settled."

Don't expect kilts from Scottish Ballet. Dance aficionados probably wouldn't look for tartan plaids and merry jigs from any ballet company, no matter where they're from. But with "Lord of the Dance," Michael Flatley's wildly popular Irish step-dance dance extravaganzas, touring the globe and "Riverdance" heading back to Southern California, it's easy for a newcomer to assume a troupe from another of the British Isles might borrow from folk tradition. But "they ain't gonna get it," says Englishman Ashley Page, 55, company artistic director since 2002.

Tomm Ruud, a San Francisco Ballet principal dancer best known for his role as Drosselmeyer in "The Nutcracker," has died at age 50. Ruud died Monday at his home of AIDS-related illnesses. After 10 years with William Christensen's Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Ruud joined the San Francisco Ballet in 1975. In the 1986-87 season, he was made a principal character dancer. Ruud was born in Pasadena and raised in Afton, Wyo.

For 25 years, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts has been Southern California's preeminent presenter of dance, hosting more than 50 national and international companies. These troupes have appeared most often, with the number of appearances through the 2010-11 season: 21 -- American Ballet Theatre 7 -- San Francisco Ballet 6 -- Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg; Joffrey Ballet; Kirov (now Mariinsky) Ballet 5 -- New York City Ballet 4 -- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre; Bolshoi Ballet; Royal Ballet

The credibility of San Francisco Ballet's current stance took something of a beating Sunday night in Royce Hall, UCLA. New artistic director Helgi Tomasson may well be leading the company away from the vulgar theatricality exemplified by former director Michael Smuin. However, the stylish, assured dancing the company used to bring to its neoclassic repertory proved in short supply on the four-part program.

On stage at the War Memorial Opera House, the faces are familiar, the partnership and affiliation brand new. Sabina Allemann of National Ballet of Canada and Robert Hill of American Ballet Theatre are dancing together for the first time as principals with San Francisco Ballet, bringing their cool, almost analytical expertise to a conventionally swoony pas de deux from artistic director Helgi Tomasson's new neoclassic showpiece "Handel--A Celebration."

Until a few months ago, Helgi Tomasson was just one of the finest dancers of the New York City Ballet. That, by logical extension (no pun intended), made him one of the finest in the world. The dashing Icelandic hero somehow combined the finesse that comes from Royal Danish training, the all-American exuberance that comes from apprenticeship with the Joffrey and Harkness companies, and the brilliance that one assimilates during 15 years at the feet of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

Richard E. LeBlond Jr., 76, former president of the San Francisco Ballet who led the company to international acclaim. LeBlond headed the San Francisco Ballet from 1975 to 1987, and helped save the company from bankruptcy. A former sociology professor whose career in arts administration included leadership of the Pennsylvania Ballet in the early 1970s, LeBlond arrived in San Francisco when that town's ballet company was struggling to erase $850,000 in debt.

Casting has been announced for the new San Francisco Ballet production of "Romeo and Juliet" at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Wednesday through Dec. 4. Premiered in March, this full-evening version uses the familiar Prokofiev score, with choreography by company artistic director Helgi Tomasson and designs (sets and costumes) by Jens-Jacob Worsaae. Principal casting is as follows.: Wednesday, 8 p.m.

While still in his 20s, David Bintley became resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet, bastion of British classical tradition. Since then, he has produced full-length narrative works as well as abstract ballets and, at 32, is widely considered the creative heir to Sir Frederick Ashton. Yet Bintley remains largely unknown in the United States.

When Frederick Ashton's "Cinderella" premiered at Covent Garden in December 1948, London resembled a lovely woman with ash on her face. It was a grim time. Remnants of the war lingered in the city: rubble from the blitzkrieg, treasury coffers riddled with debt, homelessness, food rationing. A splendid fairy-tale ballet -- the first by a British choreographer -- promised an escape. In its January 1949 review of "Cinderella," Time magazine noted that the English audience was "eager to be enchanted."

Her long-standing partner fell to his knees in devoted homage before Tina LeBlanc during the extended, celebratory curtain calls, and one could sense the entire audience collectively joining in that spirit, as San Francisco Ballet said farewell to this most distinctive, exuberantly American ballerina Saturday night.

Stocks have crashed, industry is shuddering and banks are failing. The restless unemployed will soon fill the streets. Yet in San Francisco, some crazed optimist in the Pacific Stock Exchange Tower has hired Diego Rivera to decorate a private club for stockbrokers. Could this be the most doomed, stupid idea of all 1930? Here is Rivera, an intermittent communist who'd met with Stalin in Russia only two years before, perched on the scaffolding above the financial titans of Sansome Street.

San Francisco and environs may be short on snow in December, but it has more than enough jingle to make your holidays sing. You may not be able to take a sleigh ride through Golden Gate Park, but here are 10 places where you can find plenty of Christmas cheer in the shops, restaurants and shows from Union Square to South of Market. 1.

San Francisco Ballet: A review in Friday's Calendar section of San Francisco Ballet at the Orange County Performing Arts Center identified the dancers who opened "Double Evil" as Pascal Molat and Vanessa Zahorian. They were Pierre-Francois Vilanoba and Elana Altman.

Ballet junkies in need of a swan fix or a jolt of "Giselle" were out of luck Wednesday night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Which isn't to say there weren't plenty of high points -- and tutus and tights, as well as oodles of silver and gold spandex -- when San Francisco Ballet tore through the second of two programs (running through Sunday) as if on methedrine. And at 75 years of age, the oldest classical company in the U.S. may never have looked so young -- and fabulous.

Two Sunday casts for the San Francisco Ballet "Nutcracker" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center confirmed the excellence of the company as a whole. At the matinee, Jim Sohm gave Drosselmeyer more of an air of mystery than Val Caniparoli, his Saturday predecessor. But Caniparoli looked fine in the Arabian Dance, breezing through the partnering hazards opposite a pliant Virginia Long. The new Clara, Aria Rosenberg, effectively emphasized vivacity and wonder.

San Francisco Ballet, this nation's oldest classical dance company, is 75 years young -- to underscore the compliment. When you've lasted that long and are kicking up your heels as well as these dancers do, it's worth a celebration.

When asked about his plans for San Francisco Ballet, Helgi Tomasson initially sounds like someone recovering from giving an enormous party. "Will there be changes down the road?" he says. "You never know, but I haven't had a chance this year to sit back and take a look." Indeed, the 66-year-old artistic director of the country's oldest ballet company has been busy with a whirlwind of festivities this year, essentially serving as host of an ambitious, multi-pronged 75th anniversary celebration.