No sooner had San Francisco Ballet concluded their last performance of Swan Lake this season when they announced its return with Swan Lake Encore from April 30–May 5. SF Ballet's Swan Lake is worth seeing again in and of itself, but the spring performances will have the bonus of international guest stars Natalia Osipova, Daniel Carmago, and Jacobo...

March 1, 2024—The New York Post dance critic Clive Barnes once said of Michael Smuin that, "he dares with an imagination that runs happily from Maryinsky to Las Vegas." Last night Michael Smuin's imagination ran very happily from Zorro to Frank Sinatra on the opening night of Smuin Contemporary Ballet's 30th anniversary production "Celebrating...

In what is believed to be the largest single gift ever to SF Ballet and possibly the largest ever to an American ballet company, an anonymous donor has gifted $60 million to San Francisco Ballet. The company intends to apply the donation to staging new works and revolutionizing the art of ballet.

February 4, 2024—When Diablo Ballet's Artistic Director Lauren Jonas lost her close friend and Diablo supporter Mari Cyphers, Lauren approached choreographer Penny Saunders to create a work to honor her. "I knew when her wife Kerry approached me about creating a ballet in Mari's honor who I wanted to create it," said Lauren, "And that was Penny...

January 27, 2024—If there were any doubts that incoming Artistic Director Tamara Rojo would shake up San Francisco Ballet, they were dispelled at the War Memorial Opera House last night with the world premiere of Aszure Barton's idiosyncratic Mere Mortals. The first performance of Rojo's first programmed season, Rojo has combined Barton's...

January 13, 2024—Contemporary dance company ODC announced yesterday that founder, Artistic Director, and choreographer Brenda Way will be honored next month with induction into the California Hall of Fame. Way was chosen by Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom for her achievements in the arts.

January 13, 2024—San Francisco Ballet yesterday announced that popular principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan will leave the company following next month's performance of Sir Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand. On January 24 she will dance at the company's Opening Night Gala with former SF Ballet Principal Dancer Tiit Helimets in a selection from...

For thirty years Smuin Contemporary Ballet's The Christmas Ballet has stood out among the many local annual holiday dance performances for its clever formula of dividing the performance into traditional and comedic acts: The Classical Christmas of Act 1 and The Cool Christmas of Act 2. Last night's Yerba Buena Center opening continued this...

December 14, 2023—San Francisco Ballet opened its annual Nutcracker last night to a packed and enthusiastic audience at the War Memorial Opera House. This current production is the Helgi Tomasson version that dates to 2004. Much has been unchanged over the years, yet audiences keep coming back. San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker has continued to...

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