Night + Day

The British Invasion Relatives wave family members off and wait wistfully by the shore for their return in Sergeant Early's Dream, a haunting suite of dances set to traditional Irish and Scottish folk songs. Weaving ballet with folk dance steps, the piece suggests a hard life in the Old World and anxiety about migration to the new one, as dancers brawl, mourn, carouse, and fall in love in a series of vignettes. The ballet, choreographed by Rambert Dance Theater's Christopher Bruce, will surprise people who didn't think they liked ballet, and offer a strong start to the San Francisco Ballet '99 season. The "Best of Britain" program matches Dream with The Invitation, Sir Kenneth MacMillan's 1960 dramatic portrait of lost innocence, and Gala Performance, Anthony Tudor's over-the-top comic ballet about clashing egos; this season's highlights also include full-length productions of Othello and Giselle, and the premiere of Mark Morris' Sandpaper Ballet. The season opener begins at 8 p.m. at the War Memorial Opera House, 401 Van Ness (at McAllister), S.F. Admission is $10-115; call 865-2000.