The Charm of Tivoli</h1> <article> <h1>The Charm of Tivoli</h1> <p>Quinn Wharton — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:40:24 +0000</p> <p>The strangest thing about the Copenhagen tour has been the environment we worked in. <a href="http://www.tivoli.dk/">Tivoli Gardens </a>is the theme park that inspired Disneyland; it was the genesis for that whole enterprise. </p> <p>When I first walked into the park I was stunned; it’s sort of polar opposite to the environment that we usually perform in. Yet here I was, walking to the theatre while the cotton candy machine was getting warmed up and the rides were groaning and crunching, waking from their night’s hiatus. </p> <p> The more time that I spent in the park, the more I came to feel that my initial reaction was a biased one. The Gardens have retained a huge amount of the tradition and culture from when it was first created. There is a show that happens every day, in the old pantomime tradition, about a ballerina and a Harlequin chasing each other and being thwarted by a white clown. It’s been going on for decades and is a story that every child in Denmark knows. </p> <p>All the rides were actually really enjoyable–from the big roller coasters to the Drop Zone. I had forgotten how much fun it is to wander around in a big, bright festival environment. Then, when the sun starts to set, the park gets even more magical. Everything is covered in lights, creating a beautiful glow to walk around in. Usually a jazz band or classical orchestra is performing by the lake, so you can hear live music from pretty much everywhere in the park. It just feels like a very honest environment and has a different undercurrent from the theme parks back home. </p> <p>Maybe I’m partial because Tivoli is in Europe, or maybe it’s just because Tivoli is such an ancient establishment, but this is a theme park I would be happy to come to again and again. Below are a few pictures I took of Tivoli at night. </p> <div id="attachment_2546" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 545px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/The-Nimb.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Nimb Hotel</p></div> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_2547" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 545px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Concert-Hall-at-Night.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Tivoli Concert Hall at Night</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Pic of the Week</h1> <p>Open Studio 455 — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:15:41 +0000</p> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_2539" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 545px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Pic-of-the-Week_827.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">SFB dancers "talk" to Emu & Teddy for the Danish Ministry of Culture website.</p></div> ]]> </article> <article> <h1>Sweet Dreams from Copenhagen!</h1> <p>Quinn Wharton — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:30:06 +0000</p> <p>Sleep is incredibly important for what we do. On tour even more so: we don’t have our apartments to go back to or our regular schedule to settle into. Especially when flying, you’ll see us sleeping everywhere, from the comfortable to the odd. It helps that what we wear most of the day is basically tight-fitting pajamas. its very easy to want to curl up in a hoodie and some slippers. These photos were taken during our plane flight from SF to Copenhagen (including a layover). So we had a real reason to be sleeping in every nook and cranny and I thought it was still worth capturing.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Quinnblog1.jpg"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Quinnblog2.jpg"></a></p> </article> <article> <h1>Arts Forum 2010: State of the Arts in SF</h1> <p>Glenn McCoy — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:51:09 +0000</p> <p>On August 17, San Francisco Ballet and more than 30 other San Francisco cultural organizations hosted<a href="http://sites.google.com/site/artsforum2010/"> <em>Arts Forum 2010: State of the Arts in San Francisco</em></a>. The event was designed to engage candidates running for public office in the upcoming elections and to educate them about the significant impact the arts have on our city. Over 400 artists, arts managers, arts funders, and arts supporters attended along with 24 candidates. The candidates were encouraged to develop their own platform on the arts as part of their campaigns this fall.</p> <p>The program, held in the Forum at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts featured a panel discussion by Kary Schulman, Director of San Francisco Grants for the Arts; Moy Eng, Interim Program Officer for Arts and Culture at the San Francisco Foundation; and Joe D’Alessandro, President & CEO of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau. These experts offered facts about the history of arts funding in San Francisco, the tremendous reach of arts education programs offered by the city’s arts organizations, and the impressive economic impact the arts have on the area.</p> <p>Randy Cohen, Vice President of Local Arts Advancement for American for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit advocacy organization for the arts, gave the keynote address. Armed with research data from mapping studies of the nation’s 680,000 arts establishments and employees, Randy painted a compelling picture for the positive impacts of the arts and culture industry and the wisdom of supporting it. Check back for more statistics from Randy’s speech in a later post.</p> <p>In the meantime, allow me to share a few facts here about the value of San Francisco’s arts community. Did you know that . . .</p> <ul> <li>Over 4 million people participate in and support the programs and activities offered by our arts organizations, with at least 1 million coming from outside the city. They are estimated to spend over $95 million while they are here.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>San Francisco’s arts community provides jobs to over 4,500 artists, dancers, singers, musicians, writers, filmmakers, scientists, stage technicians, designers, clerical and administrative workers, and more. Over 1,700 of these workers live in the City of San Francisco and the other 2,500 commute daily, contributing to our economic and cultural vitality.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>San Francisco’s arts community produces hundreds of free or low-cost community programs throughout the city’s diverse neighborhoods.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>San Francisco’s arts community maintains a strong commitment to educational programs, offering high quality education programs serving almost every public school in the city. These programs reach over 700,000 young people each year.</li> </ul> <p>What can you do to support this vital part of our community? Let the candidates running in your district know that you want them to make it a priority to support the arts in San Francisco.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2010-Arts-Forum-Save-the-Date.jpg"></a></p> </article> <article> <h1>Pic of the Week</h1> <p>Open Studio 455 — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:44:32 +0000</p> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_2511" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 545px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/photo.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Photo taken at the gates of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen!</p></div> ]]> </article> <article> <h1>Pic of the Week</h1> <p>Open Studio 455 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:16:56 +0000</p> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_2504" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 545px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/New-Image.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Stern Grove Festival 2010: Yuan Yuan Tan and Damian Smith in Wheeldon's After The Rain. (© Erik Tomasson)</p></div> ]]> </article> <article> <h1>My Summer: Woodcarving, Wine and the World Cup!</h1> <p>Ben Stewart — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:10:33 +0000</p> <p>I hope everyone had a restful summer vacation. I had the best summer of my life, (especially since I completed my Masters degree in March) and I finally enjoyed a real vacation this summer – no work or school! My wife, Erin, and I celebrated our third anniversary in Napa, went to our family cabin, and spent time on a houseboat. All three were places of extreme relaxation and serenity which I was very grateful for. I had never been on a house boat and it was the most amazing thing ever. Our little puppy Holly even enjoyed it and learned to swim for the first time.</p> <p>This summer I also began reading the greatest sci-fi masterpiece ever (<em>Dune</em>) and discovered my favorite hobby to date: woodcarving. I’m working on three projects – a picture frame for my wife’s wedding photo, a Real Zaragoza plaque, and a jewelry box. I really want to take classes so I can actually learn what I’m doing. (What you see below is my best attempt with the little I know about woodcarving.)</p> <p>Looking ahead, I’m excited to be starting my fifth season with the Company and I look forward to heading to Denmark! Oh, and one more important thing that’s happened since I last blogged with you… SPAIN won the World Cup! Viva Espana!</p> <div id="attachment_2479" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 331px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/IMG_0571.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">My wife and I at Cliff Lede Vinyards in Napa for our 3rd Anniversary!</p></div> <div id="attachment_2481" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 331px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/IMG_1651.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The wood frame I carved for my wife...</p></div> <div id="attachment_2495" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 331px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/clip_image0011.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">...and here's the finished, stained version!</p></div> <div id="attachment_2482" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 331px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/IMG_2058.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The wooden Real Zaragoza plaque I carved.</p></div> <div id="attachment_2483" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 331px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/IMG_1640.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Me, Diego Cruz, and Rubén Martín Cintas celebrating Spain's World Cup win at City Hall!</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>Pic of the Week</h1> <p>Open Studio 455 — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:31:34 +0000</p> <p>Here’s a picture of a poster in <a href="http://www.sfballet.org/about/pressroom/pressreleases/view.asp?id=10193134">Copenhagen</a> announcing SFB’s upcoming engagement! The photo was taken by a friend of Corps member <a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/category/all-posts-by-luke-willis/">Luke Willis</a>, during her travels in Denmark.</p> <div id="attachment_2475" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 545px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Copenhagen1.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Photo courtesy of Amanda Gellett</p></div> </article> <article> <h1>What I did on my Summer Vacation</h1> <p>Quinn Wharton — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:54:07 +0000</p> <p>We’re finally back to work after a long, fruitful summer break. One of the things I really cherish about the ballet world is the summer vacation. Almost all of my friends who are outside of the ballet world, don’t really get a solid vacation period, just a few days here and there and maybe a full week. But usually after a <em>Nutcracker</em> and repertory season, we get a full month off, which is much needed. </p> <p>This summer, I spent my vacation visiting friends and traveling in Europe. The dance community is very small and you end up knowing a lot of people all over the world, which is wonderful. Knowing dancers from all over also creates solidarity and makes us appreciate the art form more. The cross- pollination of information also gives us a bigger picture of where the dance world is headed. So my vacation became a sort of cultural exchange, as well as just a really good adventure. I travelled for the most part in the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, with brief one- or two-day forays into other countries. My favorite country had to be Italy: everyone was warm and welcoming. I also spent more time outside of the main cities which helped a lot; it took me a little while to realize true vacation means spending some time in nature. </p> <p>The highlight of the trip was staying with some friends of friends in San Damiano d’asti in the Barolo wine country, about an hour outside of Torino. Our hosts were so welcoming, and the space was amazing: a 15th century farmhouse that they had been remodeling. The farmhouse still has its old beams and original brickwork, but all of the insulation and wiring, including modern amenities, are in the process of being added. Overall, though I got tired of living out a suitcase, the trip was a huge success.</p> <p>Now we’re all back at SFB and settling into the groove. The first few days felt like the return to school after summer break—you’re excited to see everyone and hear what people did while they were away. Being refreshed also helps you feel ready to take on your work again. In no time, it feels like you never left and the experiences of vacation become like half-formed dreams, floating in the background until the next break rolls around.</p> <p> I’ll be sharing more about my summer adventures in the next issue of <em>Backstage</em> magazine.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Pic of the Week</h1> <p>Open Studio 455 — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:01:14 +0000</p> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_2451" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 331px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Caroline-Wilson2.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">SFB Apprentice Caroline Wilson in Company class. (© Erik Tomasson)</p></div> <div id="attachment_2455" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 226px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Dustin-Shane2.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">SFB Corps de Ballet member Dustin Shane in Company class. (© Erik Tomasson)</p></div> <div id="attachment_2458" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 226px"><a href="http://www.sfballetblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Koto-Ishihara3.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">SFB Corps de Ballet member Koto Ishihara in Company class. (© Erik Tomasson) </p></div> ]]> </article> </main></body></html>