I am a parent who spent a long time searching for the best ballet school for both my daughter and…read moremy son, and without a doubt City Ballet School San Francisco is hands down the best ballet school in the Bay Area if you're looking for REAL professional training. What sets City Ballet School San Francisco apart is the level of seriousness and results -- they consistently produce the highest number of students who go on to dance professionally, far more than any of the other schools around here. The faculty is made up of dancers/teachers who have performed and had careers with major companies (Bolshoi, Mariinsky, ABT...). Compared to other ballet schools in the area, like Bayer Ballet or Osipova Ballet Academy -- where teachers may hold teaching diplomas that sound impressive -- having a diploma is not the same as having lived the career. You need to feel what it's like on stage, to understand the sensations and subtleties of the body. Books and certificates can't replace real, lived experience. Nowadays, anyone can get a teaching diploma from JKO, but that doesn't automatically make you a good teacher. Too often, it has become a business, and, sadly, that can take away from the art itself. Another big advantage is that City Ballet School San Francisco has its own theater in the building. That means students don't just train in the studio -- they get real stage experience throughout the year. And it's not just putting kids in a mice costume for Nutcracker and making them run around for free labor, like at other schools. Here, they actually get professional-level stage opportunities that help them grow as artists. And what really makes City Ballet School San Francisco stand out for us as parents is their real men's program for boys. My son benefits from training designed specifically for male dancers -- something I don't know of any other school in the Bay Area offering at this level. This program is essential, and it shows how seriously the school takes preparing boys for professional careers in ballet. Simply put, City Ballet School San Francisco combines world-class training, experienced faculty, unique performance opportunities, and a dedicated men's program, making it the clear leader for professional ballet training in the Bay Area.

My daughter has been with the school now for 8 years. It has a full men's program with partnering,…read moreintricate pointe work, Contemporary, Variations, Character classes. You will not find a better ballet education. They are placing several students every year in Professional companies. Not to mention they have their own theater adjacent to the school. CBSF is the real deal!

Uforia films are one of the best cinematographers (wedding videographers) that I know. Their…read moreartistic vision and final product is amazing! As a professional photographer I have been working along side with Alex and Diana for 7+ years and working with them is joy and I mean it! They are easiest videographers to get along with. So friendly, cooperative and will never get in front of photographers (unlike others). At the same time their final product is top of the line. You can check out their work at http://uforiaweddings.com Another reason why I like their wedding videos is because they are they focus on both artistic shoots but mainly their goal is to tell a story!

We had a great experience working with Aleks! We had a particular vision for our video and he was…read moreso amenable to our ideas and any changes we requested. His team showed up at the hotel on-time and was super professional, positive, and patient (especially with my crazy family) throughout the day. The best part, of course, is the amazing quality and content of the videos he produces - he even provided us with an incredible 1-minute teaser that we could share with our friends only a week after the wedding. Highly recommend Uforia for your wedding!

I've provided DJ services and audio equipment rental for various Bash Creative Events (In SF and…read moreLas Vegas). I've worked closely with both Annalee and Danielle and they are both ON IT!!!! Nothing seems to get by either of them which has always made for flawless events. They are suuuuper organized and pay attention to every detail. It is always an absolute pleasure to partner with Bash Creative not only because their events are beautiful, classy, and well run but because their highly efficient communication and customer service is spotless! No waiting around for contracts or deposits. Requests from my end are handled immediately. If you are looking for a creative agency to deliver an outstanding event, good news - you've found them!

Annalee and crew do an awesome job. Her team is personable and fun to work with!…read more Her passion for perfection shows.

We brought the team in for a concert with two back to back bands, and overall it was a very good…read moreexperience. The sound quality was clear and well balanced for most of the night, and they handled our multitrack recording request professionally. The lighting setup added nice energy to the event and was managed smoothly. We received several compliments on the production, and the show ran well overall. There were s few small areas that could be refined, but was still a solid performance and a positive experience.

Arik is thoughtful, talented, hardworking and funny. He has all the equipment needed to make an…read moreevent a success. I worked with him recently and his execution was flawless in a complex situation with numerous instruments and speakers in a live event setting. Don't hesitate to hire him.

I know it's been years, but please bring back your themed film nights. Those were SO cool.read more

Okay okay, I didn't say anything years ago because I didn't want to earn so many nerd points. But…read morethis. place. is. rad. THE most obscure films you would otherwise never hear about. From any decade, from any place in the world. Regular film. Stop motion. Dead formats. Funky special guests (and sometimes food) to go along with the twice-weekly theme nights. Very much for the artistically / culturally / designally / experientially inclined. Only thing is, it IS an attic - allergy sufferers may run into issues. It's been hit or miss for me on the sneeze front. Thing says to RSVP. But every time I've called, I've been told I don't need to RSVP and to simply show up.

I attended an event at Gallery 16 last night and have to say I was very impressed. The space was…read morenice and open (they'd moved some things around so accommodate the large crowd), the ceilings were high and the windows let in so much natural light. The staff there was really friendly and professional. I can imagine that this space would work well for a number of events - art openings, cocktail parties, even weddings. The floors are painted wood and the ceilings are wood as well, with exposed brick walls. It's about 6 blocks from the Montgomery BART station, and just a few from SFMoMA.

Nice space! Spacious space. Warehouse-like space. Etc. Went to an event last night. One man show…read more Free booze. Free blues rock band - Tiny Television? This 2 yr old kid (3?) was tapping along like it was nobody's business!!!

We initially planned to shoot a promotional video with BAYCAT in late March, 2020, which, of…read morecourse, couldn't go as planned. When the pandemic hit, the BAYCAT team was proactive and communicative about other plans and ideas, and we ended up making a remote video in the fall. My team was so impressed by their creativeness and the quality of their storytelling. They managed to turn all our ideas and hopes into a reality. The editing process was clear and efficient, and BAYCAT was amazingly responsive to our feedback, even when we were vague about what we wanted. It was hard to imagine that a fully remote video could feel complete and rich, but they made it happen!

I was not familiar with BAYCAT until our non-profit, ALearn, won an award from the Super Bowl 50…read moreFund which contracted BAYCT to produce a video on us. They are wonderful to work with! Very professional, detailed and TALENTED -- starting from the pre-shoot meeting to planning production details, to the actual shoot and final product. We so enjoyed working with BAYCAT on the video. The whole ALearn team is absolutely thrilled with the final cut: superbowl50.ba/alearn. Thank you, Liz, Katie, Jose, Ryan, Alyssa!

On a Tuesday night, the last thing I want to do is surround myself with high art and pretentious…read morepeople. I want to unwind. Last night, Carrie Fisher's show was a little like reading Entertainment Weekly on heavy doses of codeine (which happens to be her drug of choice). There was this warm relaxing glow to the whole evening, complete with complimentary wine after the show. Oh, and George Lucas was sitting three rows in front of me. As in, THE George Lucas. As in, "these are not the droids you are looking for" George Lucas. Debbie Reynolds was in the audience once again (she came for the first preview), and Fisher even "outed" her at one point, yelling "Right, mom?? RIGHT??". Perfection. The production is not a play as much as a loosely organized string of silly anecdotes about Hollywood and testimonials to addiction and its aftermath. You won't be able to discuss the actress's "layered performance" and the "subtle nuances" of the character's rites of passage. This show is not for culture snobs but for Americans hooked on reality tv and Flavor Flav. The next production at Berkeley Rep, Les Waters' TRAGEDY, will bring back your exploration of the futility of man's existence in a postmodern world. I'm sure it will be brilliant. But for now, I'll pour myself a drink and keep laughing.

I should have known what type of evening I was headed for when I saw four old women dressed in the…read moreRed Hat Society uniform - scarlet red sequent berets with head too toe matching ensembles probably purchased from QVC - enjoying the roast turkey special in the window at Cosmic diner. As I walked by thinking "that will be me one day" little did I know I was already one of them. I would run into this gaggle of elderly girl power again in the first mezzanine of Studio 54 for a preview performance of Carrie Fisher's one woman show Wishful Drinking. Now, you may ask, "why did you get a ticket to that, Kristen?" Good question, a one-woman show created and performed by the woman most famous for being chained to a blob while wearing a metal bikini normally would not be on my theatre to-see list, but I love solo performances. To carry an entire show solo, in my opinion, is the boldest act of theatrical courage I can witness and when one pops up I like to support the person who takes on the challenge. Highlights of this style have been Vanessa Redgrave in Year of Magical Thinking and the most memorable of them all Christopher Plummer in Barrymore. So where does a bipolar Princess Leia fit into the mix? I have to say she doesn't. If I was in Branson, MO with my fellow silver fox bus tour members I think I would have loved this show, or at least would have been giggly shocked by some of the references to drugs, gay men and the love life of Eddie Fisher. But I'm a New Yorker, please - we are sitting in Studio 54 the walls have more shocking stories. And as for opening the show with a charming - and odd - antidote about waking up next to a gay guy dead in your bed - hello I live in Chelsea I can hear more hard core gay stories during Musical Monday at Splash. Ms. Fisher is a snappy lady. I would love to have her as a guest at a dinner party because I bet she is magnificent with her spontaneous one-liners and jokes around a table, but she is not much of an actress - or she was having a manic episode on stage - I'm not sure which. I felt bad for the director because I can't imagine his instruction was pace, use your hands a lot and talk fast. Plus, did she choose the costumes? She kept making jokes about her weight and her looks - she looks like her Mother (Debbie Reynolds) with a hint of her Step-Mother (Connie Stevens) added on via plastic surgery - but she came out wearing silk pajamas and kicked off her shoes. You wear pajamas for comfort not for attractiveness, so don't make fun of yourself for not looking great. The delivery of the stories felt very stale and she forgot her accounts more then once blaming her early morning trip to the Today show as the reason (I would also blame whatever medication she obviously is on). There was some predictable interaction with the audience and a very predictable bit about a Princess Leia sex doll that looked more like an anime character to me, but I guess the point was made. The Red Hats loved the show laughing at all the bits and blushing at the mere mention of "gay". I suspect they stayed after to get pictures and autographs that I know Ms. Fisher happily obliged. I left vowing to never move to Florida, keep my plastic surgery to a minimum and if I ever end up marrying a man who leaves me for another man I will do the sensible thing and act like it never happened.