Stars shine above and below
Gala: Glittering decor, Pelosi’s visit leave patrons ‘Spellbound’
As guests entered City Hall for the San Francisco Ballet’s 2020 seasonopening gala on Thursday, Jan, 16, their eyes were drawn upward to the building’s famed dome, twinkling with more than 1,000 feet of lights while LEDlit trees set the scene below.
The theme of the gala was “Spellbound,” and for one night, the rotunda was transformed into an enchanted forest while the ceiling became a starry sky that held patrons captive. As costumed fairies and wood sprites mingled with guests, the 87yearold company celebrated both new beginnings and notable anniversaries that drew arts patrons like honorary chair Thomas Horn, Dede Wilsey, George and Charlotte Shultz, Yurie and Carl Pascarella, and even a surprise appearance by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi.
It was also the first seasonopening gala for the company’s new executive director, Kelly Tweeddale, while it was the 35th season for
Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson. Beloved principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan also celebrated a career milestone as she began her 25th season with the company.
“We’re starting a new decade by hitting the ground running,” Tweeddale said. “It’s not just this season. We’ve been planning the next five years, which include some really exciting new commissions, new tours, new places to go outside San Francisco and new work to bring to San Francisco.”
While the decor, the fashions and several of the performances channeled the world of fantasy, the night’s fundraising goal was grounded firmly in reality: The evening raised more than $3 million to support the company’s programming
and education work.
“It’s our obligation as privileged people to pass the torch along to the next generation,” Wilsey said. “The arts have no future without them, which is upsetting to those of us who love it.”
Here are highlights from the evening: Kelly Tweeddale’s first dance For new San Francisco Ballet Executive Director Tweeddale, the night felt like “coming home.”
“I studied ballet and always thought I would work in the field of dance,” she said. “It’s exciting. It’s also a time when having a new set of eyes to say, ‘How can we do things differently?’ is really important.”
Among her plans for the ballet are continuing to explore how technology and dance can interact, and how new technology can continue to connect the company’s work to new audiences.
“We’re committed to exploring movement and dance and technology without losing what ballet is,” Tweeddale said.
Another major priority for Tweeddale is expanding who makes ballet in San Francisco.
“We should be looking for the next women choreographers, dancers of color, creators of color. That is the next decade for ballet,” she said. “You can do tradition and break barriers at the same time.”
Earning ovations During the meal by McCalls — Dungeness crab salad, smoked braised beef short rib and chocolate ballet slippers dusted with gold — steering committee member Paula Elmore expressed how happy she was to be back in San Francisco after years of living in Europe. When asked what the biggest difference is between audiences in England, Belgium and San Francisco, she noted that San Franciscans take their dance very seriously.
“We don’t just give ovations here,” Elmore said. “We make you earn them.”
Tomasson still going During his opening remarks, Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson recalled seeing his first ballet at age 5 with his mother.
“They were dancers from the Royal Danish Ballet,” Tomasson said later. “I remember the lights, the costumes and of course the movement and the music. My mother told me that when I would hear music on the radio, I would try and do what I had seen.”
That memory is still a driving force for him, and he said that at performances of the holiday favorite “Nutcracker,” he still sees in children’s eyes that spark that made him love dance. When asked if after 35 years he might be considering retirement, he said no.
“I’ve worked all my life,” said Tomasson. “I just go day by day and bring new things to the company, new challenges for the dancers and the audience. That is what keeps me going.”
Actor makes a cameo Tony Hale, who is currently in San
Francisco performing in ACT’s “Wakey, Wakey,” attended the gala as a guest of the Ballet. The “Veep” and “Arrested Development” star said that even though he never studied ballet, he gets asked that because of his tendency to play physical comedy as the quirky sidekick.
After the rousing Act 1 opener “Men’s Regiment” from “Stars and Stripes,” Hale joked that watching the performance made him realize, “I better get to a CrossFit class.”
Speaker in the house Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi inspired a rush of photographers — and guests with smartphone cameras — when she walked into the box hallway during intermission. Pelosi’s presence was unexpected for many, given the impeachment proceedings currently under way in Washington, D.C. For all the dance stars on the stage, it was a politician who had the biggest celebrity moment at the gala.
The afterparty Following the performance, guests moved back over to City Hall for more food, music and a little dancing of their own. Like Cinderella, many stayed until midnight, a light rain misting as they waited in the valet line for their pumpkins, or Ubers.
Luckily, there have been no reports of glass slippers left behind.
“I’ve worked all my life. I just go day by day and bring new things to the company. ... That is what keeps me going.”
Helgi Tomasson, S.F. Ballet artistic director for 35 years