the little mermaid {sf ballet}

I am in San Francisco right now and last night I was treated to a night out to the ballet. For 2 weeks, the San Francisco Ballet is performing The Little Mermaid, based on the original story by Hans Christian Andersen. Led by Hamburg Ballet Director and Chief Choreographer, John Neumeier, the SF Ballet does a modern interpretation of the tragic story of a mermaid enduring so much because of her committed love for a human Prince. What I loved so much about this performance was the melding of the choreography, stage design, and costume design. The mermaid costume complimented the choreography that resembled movement under water...the minimalist set design utilizing neon lights {I wish I could find a picture!} complimented the bold color palette of the costumes...some of the company dancers seamlessly transitioned from being sea creatures to being supporters of the mermaid...I don't think my descriptions can justify the truly original and unique production they put on. It was VERY modern - choreography, music, set design, everything - but I really appreciated the opportunity to see a full-feature ballet that was quite different from the NYC ballet companies. Check out the video above or here to get a preview and behind-the-scenes look at this performance...

{Photos courtesy of San Francisco Ballet}
Labels: design, movies + music + culture, travel

Yesterday were the Oscars - and despite not having had a chance to see a lot of the nominated movies, I watched a good part of the show. {Looks like I need to check out The Hurt-Locker, yes?} One movie I did watch was
Tis the season of the big art fairs in NYC - and this morning I got to check out the Private Preview of

Yesterday, while it drearily rained outside, I spent a few hours at the Met Museum where there was a chamber music concert at the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium right inside the museum. With a program of Mozart, Ravel and Brahms pieces, the intimate auditorium space was filled with soothing music from string instruments and piano by Yefim Bronfman.



Over the weekend, I saw the play

This is the last week for the Met Museum exhibit called


This weekend I got surprise tickets to see the legendary jazz drummer,
After seeing signs for the new 


Last night was the 1st night of 
My friend took me to see
I never got a chance to post this, but I went to the 

This past weekend was a getaway to
This Festival is part of the Yale School of Music and hosts summer music programs for aspiring musicians. All of the members of the Tokyo String Quartet {and other artists} are mentors and teachers for the program. All of this takes place on acres of land of rolling green hills owned by Ellen Battell Stoeckel. Upon her death in 1939, she left her estate in a private trust with instructions that the facilities be used for Yale University’s summer music school, ensuring an enduring artistic legacy. Now in its 68th season, the Yale Summer School of Music - Norfolk Chamber Music Festival has a dual teaching/performance purpose. So we as visitors also got to hear bravo student performances {their final recital at the end of the program}.
Also on the premises is The Art Barn that houses the studios for fine art summer student programs. The studios were vacant at this point of the summer, but I got some fun shots of their work and materials scattered through the space.
We stayed in the cottages that are distributed through the estate that usually host the faculty members. The musicians and their families stay here over the duration of the summer - as my friend did in his early childhood years - and I got to see how this summer program nurtures the arts in a simple and unpretentious way. This weekend ended up being a really nice few days in the peaceful countryside surrounded by beautiful music and wonderful friends and families.
It's August! Actually, close to mid-August already - yikes! Found this seasonally appropriate artwork by 
When one visits the Met Opera House at Lincoln Center, no matter how many times you go, you cannot help but be awed by their chandeliers. They adorn the center of the lobby space {11 of them of many sizes}, as well as inside the theater {21 of them}. When you are in your seat and the lights dim and the chandeliers rise up passing your eye-level, you cannot help but follow the lights with your eyes up to the top of the theater ceiling. That excitement and drama never gets old. Last night, I visited the Opera House to see a nice performance of Pamela Herrera and Marcelo Gomes in ABT's 
Visited the special exhibit 
Right now the
Someplace I have always wanted to go is 


