The Choreography of Lew Christensen

The Choreography of Lew Christensen

• Con Amore (1953) A comic masterpiece, Con Amore is Christensen's most popular and widely performed ballet.

• Filling Station (1938) One of the classics of American ballet--the first ballet danced by an American company, based on an American theme, with music and designs by American artists.

• Four Norwegian Moods (1976) A charming and lyrical duet choreographed for San Francisco Ballet dancers Susan Magno and Keith Martin. Four Norwegian Moods was performed as part of the New York City Ballet's 1999 Stravinsky Festival.

• Il Distratto (1967) One of Christensen's most popular and enduring ballets, Il Distratto is a brilliant combination of classical dance and Christensen's famous wit.

• Jinx (1942) Dramatically dark and haunting--superstition is the central theme in Christensen's classic one-act ballet.

• Nutcracker (First complete production by Lew Christensen 1954, revised 1967, 1986) Lew Christensen's Nutcracker has been performed annually by San Francisco Ballet for nearly half a century and has been seen by more than half a million audience members at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House. Christensen's Nutcracker has been aired on national television and portions of the choreography have been performed world-wide as part of San Francisco Ballet's historic State Department tours. The Nutcracker, first staged in America by Willam Christensen as a modest holiday presentation, has today become an annual tradition performed by over 150 ballet companies across the country making it the most widely seen ballet in the dance repertory.

• Vivaldi Concerto Grosso (1981) Christensen's final work, his most eloquent and lucid choreographic creation.

• NEW! Beauty and the Beast (1958) The moral reads "Beauty is only skin deep." So, this ballet says, is beastliness. One of the most widely acclaimed works from the San Francisco Ballet repertory.

• NEW! Don Juan (1973) Breathtaking sets and sumptuous costumes provide the background for the dashing swashbuckler and his encounters with maidens, foes and his eventual demise.

• NEW! Shadows (1961) A ballet about isolation-- an intimate work for six women and five men created for San Francisco Ballet's 1961 summer workshop series.

• NEW! Scarlatti Portfolio (1971) Christensen's classic blend of wit and humor with the grace and beauty of classical dance.

• NEW! Divertissement d'Auber (1959) Showcasing the technique of classical ballet at its peak, the form and movement of Divertissement d'Auber runs the gamut of the dancer's virtuoso vocabulary.

• NEW! Airs de Ballet (1971) A jewel of classical charm and perfection choreographed for New York City Ballet principal dancer Violette Verdy.

  Information about the following Christensen ballets will be available soon:

• Baiser de la Fee (1977)

• Beauty and the Shepherd (1954)

• Caprice (1959)

• Charade, or The Debutante (1939)

• Cinderella (1973)

• Danses Concertantes (1959)

• Fantasma (1963)

• Le Gourmand (1951)

• Jest of Cards (1962) Christensen's 'existential' ballet with a score by Ernst Krenek.

• Lady of Shalott (1958)

• Life: A Do It Yourself Disaster (1965) America's first "pop-art" ballet.

• Lucifer (1965)

• Original Sin (1961) Provocative, and distinctly American in its treatment, Original Sin is choreographed to a commissioned score by John Lewis and the Modern Jazz Quartet with a libretto by San Francisco beat poet Kenneth Rexroth.

• Variations de Ballet (1960)

• and many more

Performances

• NEW! January 29 through February 9, 2008, San Francisco Ballet, Filling Station, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. Ticket information: (415) 865-2000.

• February 15-18, 2007, Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley. Il Distratto. San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd in San Jose. Box Office: (408) 288-2800.

• May 6 through 9, 2004, Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley. Vivaldi Concerto Grosso. San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd in San Jose. Box Office: (408) 288-2800.

• November 28 through December 28, 2003, San Francisco Ballet, Nutcracker, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. Ticket information: (415) 865-2000. Lew Christensen's Nutcracker has delighted audiences for nearly half a century.

• November 13, 14, 15, 2003, Barnard College/Columbia University. Con Amore Barnard Dances at Miller Theatre Presents Three Modern Classics and One Premiere. Barnard Dances at Miller will feature ensemble works by four major choreographers. Con Amore, created by Lew Christensen with music by Gioacchino Rossini, will be staged for 18 dancers by original cast member Virginia Johnson. The work was first performed by the San Francisco Ballet in 1953 and is about love as depicted in 19th-century European engravings. The Miller Theatre is located on the Columbia University campus at 116th Street and Broadway. Tickets are $10 ($5 for senior citizens and holders of a Columbia University I.D.). For ticket reservations, call the Miller Theatre box office at 212 854-7799. For press information contact Sandra Velásquez at 212-854-2995, svelasqu@barnard.edu.

• April 29, 30, May 2, 4, 8, and 10, 2003, San Francisco Ballet, Jinx, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. Ticket information: (415) 865-2000.

• January 29, 2003, San Francisco Ballet, Four Norwegian Moods and Divertissment d"Auber, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. Ticket information: (415) 865-2000.

• November 8, 9, and 10, 2002, Oakland Ballet, Four Norwegian Moods, Paramount Theatre, Oakland. Ticket information: (510) 286-8914. .

• September 13, 14, and 15, 2002, Oakland Ballet, Jinx, Paramount Theatre, Oakland. Ticket information: (510) 286-8914. The 1999 performances of Jinx by the Oakland Ballet were the first of a Lew Christensen work by a Bay Area company other than San Francisco Ballet. The performances were also nominated for the 1999-2000 Isadora Duncan Dance Award for outstanding achievement in restaging.

• May 13-22, 1999, New York City Ballet, Four Norwegian Moods, New York State Theater, New York. The New York City Ballet presented four performances of Christensen's Four Norwegian Moods as part of the company's 1999 Stravinsky Festival. Four Norwegian Moods was also performed as part of New York City Ballet's 1982 distinguished Stravinsky Centennial celebration. Danced by Helgi Tomasson and Nichole Hinkla, Four Norwegian Moods was the only work by a choreographer outside of New York City Ballet to be represented at the festival.

• March 9-20, 1999, San Francisco Ballet, Con Amore, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco.

Resources

• History The history of San Francisco Ballet and the directorships of Lew and Willam Christensen from the San Francisco Ballet web site.

• The biographies of the Christensen Brothers from the San Francisco Ballet website.
  • Lew Christensen
    
  • Harold Christensen
    
  • Willam Christensen

Reference

Links

• CyberDance - Ballet on the Net - Home Page. A collection of over 3,500 links to classical ballet and modern dance resources on the Internet.

• Artslynx International Dance Resources. Dance Links, Ballet Links, and other resources organized into accessible link libraries.

• Creators: Does Lew Get His Due?. Admirers say he was America's second-greatest balletmaker -- so why is this West Coast genius little more than a footnote in history books? Article by Jim Williams, from the BalletWeb site.

• Nutcracker - Information and Links for the Nutcracker Ballet.A site dedicated to providing information about the Nutcracker Ballet including the story, the history, the music and where to go to see the Nutracker Ballet.