>> when there's good children's theater, it is good theater. if it is good theater, you would like it. even if it is for children that, is what i think. i know for the velveteen rabbit, i feel it is a story for kids and much older people. it is about being a young child and loving a toy or friend and it is also about what it means to get old. in 1986 my son was 2.

i decided i would like to adapt the velveteen rabbit. mind you, i had never read it as a child but heard it as a mother. my first time was a bedtime story recording. it was through that that i defined the theme and really determined how i was going to produce the story. is it true listening to it. when i made the dance i watched my son, since i have been taking him to live performances since he was 6 years old. he loved it when he saw his peers or when someone was reading to him or he heard language. early when the bunny first comes out they go, ah, the

rabbit. i think talking, flying, something they can relate to. and the adults love nana. nan na is the main adult figure in the show. the fairy is played by the same person. fair is very much like the love for your first child. pure love. nature is a beautiful thing. all wild rabbits come from nature. i think nature is mysterious, beautiful, not something our kids get very much these days.

there's fantastical spectacle because of computers and film. i think in live performance, in a way being paired down, you can be more successful and ask everybody to buy into the world you are in. if it is a simple world they will buy in, as long as the world is consistent that you have on stage. in some ways i also want that message for kids. it doesn't have to be spectacle but how you feel and having fun and taking things seriously, not about being blown away. >> what is real? it is a thing that happens to you when a child loves you for a long, long time. >> i think it is a success. for the most part if you are three to seven, you sit in the seats and most of the time the kids are

engaged. they laugh and ask questions. i think that is success. the fact we tour it and do it here, it is lasting. i really want to say the reason it is lasting is because of the story marjorie williams wrote is a gem of a story. if it was just an okay story, it wouldn't have lasted this long. i have had people say that is the first show i ever saw, that is why i am a choreographer. i have had people that have come back when they are 20 and 23 years old. little kids and people in their 50s and 60s are telling me how much they love it. they come back more than once, they come back year after year.

>> ladies and gentlemen, welcome. it is my privilege at this time to introduce to you navy counselor first class petty officer, steven powell. would you please rise for the singing of the american national anthem. ♪ oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light ♪ what so proudly we hailed, at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous

fight ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched we're so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there ♪ oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ or the land of the free, and the home of the brave ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please continue to stand as we proudly present you the singing of the canadian national anthem. oh, canada, our home and native land ♪ true patriot love in all thigh son's command ♪ with glowing hearts see see thee rise. from far and wide, oh, canada. we stand on god for thee. god keep our land.

glorious and free. oh, canada, we stand on god for thee. oh, canada, we stand on god for thee ♪ [applause] >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen. please take your seats. mayor lee, vice admiral beman, major general spies casy doyle.

welcome to the city of san francisco fleet week. the city of san francisco ed lee supports the city services and recognizes that san francisco plays a key role in honoring our troops and families during this 2012 fleet week. on behalf of vice admiral beman, we proudly welcome you today. >> the 2012 san francisco fleet week is a city and county event produced and executed by the san francisco fleet week association in conjunction with commander, u.s. navy third athlete, gerald

beman and the united states marine corps major general spie s. the association is comprised of 12 board of directors, all of whom are volunteers. the chairman, major general michael myatt. united states marine corps retired. jod jodie breakenridge, retired. senator finestein and george schulz. the san francisco fleet week board of directors are planning fleet week year round and many city and counties are beginning their own programs to do what

san francisco has done with their unprecedented efforts toward humanitarian assistance and training. today we have a world-class lineup for the entire bay area. we have a spectacular venue at the marina green showcasing the marina green. the physical symbol of commitment of federal, state and local agencies to the emergency preparedness of the bay area in a time of crisis. in that wasn't enough, after the parade of ships this morning, the navy's premiere flight demonstration, the blue angels will perform their most daring maneuvering over, under and around the golden gate bridge. as we gather today, we celebrate our nation's service members and also remember that it's the 75th

anniversary of the golden gate bridge. thank you, ladies and gentlemen for your attendance today. it is my honor to serve you. sit back, relax and enjoy the event and especially the san francisco fleet week parade of ships and air show demonstration. at this time, it's my sincere privilege to welcome to the podium, he is the san francisco fleet week chairman of the board, u.s. marine corps retired major general, michael myatt. [applause] >> well, thank you very much, lieutenant galvin and thank all of you. i specifically want to thank the st. francis yacht club for allowing us to have in event here. it add us so much dignity here. there are so many people to

thank here, particular in my case. aren't we blessed? i have these two great honorary co-chairs. secretary schulz, i thank you so much, sir for your guidance. senator finestein would be here except she's got a plane to catch because she's got a busy schedule. she said last night, tell everybody i would be here if i didn't have a big schedule, she's running for re-election this time. i do want to thanks my board of directors and specifically because i was out of pocket for a few months. jodie brekenridge made things happen. what you see today is a big part of what jodie has made happen. my job is to introduce a number of people, but the first person i want to bring up here is the

biggest supporter in san francisco of what we're trying to achieve. the mayor of our great city and county of san francisco. he talks the talk and walks the walk. please help me welcome mayor ed lee. [applause] >> thank you. good morning everybody. or good afternoon. what a wonderful day. this week every single day we waken, my staff has given me a list of all events. i looked at it and said, we're going to do all that and look outside here and today you see this weather, no wonder it's been said that we're going to stretch out fleet week not only this week, but more year round. if we can encourage this kind of weather every single day, that's what we're going to do. thank you again, general myatt

for your leadership. i want to single you out. general myatt, because you provided that very special leadership for our fleet week association to bring together all of the different elements and keep them focusd and progressing. i have constantly praised senator finestein for bringing this fleet week aboard since 1981. i told her that again as we were aboard the u.s.s. macon to celebrate these opportunities and to be joined, of course by our marine corps, u.s. coast guard. united states navy, the canadian fleet as well and they're leadership. this is a special week and we have of course many activities. but this is one that i have focused on much because it's not only a celebration and a thank you to our men and women in

uniform, but all we're practicing those very things, those now progressive things that we're identifying that are gaps, ones that i continue thanking our city agencies, our port, office of emergency management and all the agencies in the city are so appreciative of this opportunity and the practice what they have been learning on table exercises. and then to get to see the landing of a hover craft on ocean beach. to be able to talk to the actual navy personnel as to how they can do a pop-up tent of an emergency trauma center at ocean beach within an hour and communicate and practice that exercise is invaluable to our city as we prepare more and more the details and gain on the expertise that our military has with respect to logistics. this is what makes us so happy,

charlotte, to be in our great city. i know you wake up saying we're so lunge to be in san francisco. thanking george again for his leadership. it's an honor to host this. anita and i are so lucky to be in this city and be the mayor of the city. the intelligence and the fortitude to have everybody working together and advance on the celebration and preparedness and to celebrate the humanitarian assistance that our forces have. and with that, if i may, i would like to welcome up someone who had the distinguished career in the united states navy, and also has welcomed me aboard the u.s.s. macon a couple times this week, but also i want to single out my interests in his past, not only has he had so much leadership in the u.s. navy, but

i note for you this man has had practice of landing on our aircraft carrier some 1067 times. admiral beman, please come forward. >> we didn't get a chance to do this last evening. the mayor has as busy a schedule as anyone in the crowd as all of us collectively. i would like to take the opportunity to present a plaque in honor what the mayor has meant to san francisco fleet week and a small token of the service, may you display it proudly in your office or whenever there's room. i am sure you have been honored

so many times. i can't thank you enough for your >> thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you. >> well, good morning. secretary schulz, charlotte, it's nice to see you and very kind of you to join us again this morning. mayor lee, my fellow mere mortal flag officers. ladies and gentlemen, which is not to suggest that my fellow flag and general officers are not ladies or gentlemen, but if you know some of them. i want to say thank you to the st. francis yacht club and the san francisco fleet association for hosting this once again. [applause]

>> this is my second year of being able to take part in the festivities for fleet week. second year to be hosted at the st. francis yacht club and the highlight of the week. being here would be the highlight of any week, let alone any week. what a perfect day to be overlooking the san francisco bay, the golden gate bridge, the golden gateway to the specific. celebrating the relationship we have between the city, the neighborhood and the sea services. i could thing of no better way to celebrate the rich maritime history than being here today and i would like to say that third fleet dialed up this weather for you, but that would be selfish on my part. i can tell you as a sailor entering into a port such as this, it makes you feel like

coming home. and as you'll see today, the ships are recreating a path that has been crossed by millions of sailors dating back to our world wars, the golden gate bridge for many of them was the last thing they saw of the american soil and the first they saw when they came home. for us today, showing that recreating that path way if you will, it's a huge complement to the city for the way that you have always embraced our returning sailors, marines and coast guardsman that served forward and are finally coming home again. the parade of ships is a visible display of a partnership between the bay area and the sea services that has been strengthened. just this week, we brought together military leaders, local

and state leaders and industry to discuss something that is important to all of us. when the next natural disaster or crisis takes place on our home ground, assembling the team that's going to take care of that has been a wonderful thing. we can't imagine where we would be had we not conducted these senior leadership conferences the last couple years. building partnerships is something we consider important to our nation and the service in particular. as i mentioned last evening, just this last summer, we conducted the world's largest maritime exercise. rim of the pacific and the state of hawaii in their operating areas. it brought together 22 nations to include russia and new zealand for the first time.

some 22,000 airmen and seamen to build a relationship in the event of the next natural disaster or crisis that happened in the pacific theater, we have a collective group of nations to preserve humanity, life, liberty and justice. whether we're building partnerships at home or aboard, we know our navy, your navy on the west coast cannot do what we do without your support. i thank you again this morning for making what we do possible, and more importantly, i want to thank you for understanding the importance of what your sea services do. i think you'll enjoy the parade of ships this morning. i can recall last year we sat

here waiting for the fog to lift. we saw an advertisement of an insurance company offering new low rates. we made vital use of the time. i'm excited you're all here and will see the parade of ships and the blue angels air show. thank you very much. [applause] >> we're going to modify the program here because the admiral wants to make a presentation to somebody that has been important to fleet week for a number of years. could we bring up monique moyer.

>> that wasn't mine. >> monique, again, i want to say thank you and on behalf of third fleet and all of sea services, you spoil us with your hospitality here and the port authority of san francisco. we have a wonderful relationship and we hope it will be an enduring one and have your leadership to thank for that. as a small token of appreciation, may you reflect on it finely when you think of the third fleet and sea thank you very much. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. good morning, everyone. good morning secretary schulz. mayor, how you are this morning? all the vice admirals. commodores and our major general myatt and major general spies.

it's my honor to serve as port director. we had the opportunities to talk about all the places that the port of san francisco has intersected with the navy and our tenure together dates back before the golden gate bridge was here. before alcatraz to the time of the gold rush when there wasn't protection of yorba buena. they sent the navy out to protect our wealth and constructed alcatraz. we had the honor of sending out 2.5 million men from piers 18 and 20 and where it's home ported. this is a major port in the world and the state. and one of ou