SF Ballet Announces First In-Person Performance in 17 Months

SF, California.  The San Francisco Ballet, in partnership with Stanford Live, announced its first in-person performance since shutting down in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The performance, titled Starry Nights: SF Ballet’s Return to the Stage, will take place at the Frost Amphitheater the weekend of August 13-14.  This will be the Company’s first performance at Stanford University in over 50 years.  After seventeen months of virtual programming, dancers are thrilled to perform on stage.  Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson says: “Starry Nights is a celebration of our dancers’ resilience and a symbol of gratitude to the community that has ushered us through this remarkable time.”  Tickets go on sale July 10 at 12 PM via Stanford Live.

Established in 1933, the San Francisco Ballet is the oldest professional ballet company in the United States.  By 1939, under the Company’s ballet master William Christensen, the SF Ballet performed the first full-length American production of Coppélia (1938).  Its first international debut in 1957 featured performances in eleven nations across Asia and the Middle East, followed quickly by another tour to Latin America in 1958.  In 1974 the SF Ballet established an extraordinary grassroots effort “Save Our Ballet” that rescued it from the brink of bankruptcy.  Now, 88 years later, the Company remains one of the most preeminent ballet companies in the world.

The San Francisco Ballet was the country’s first arts organization that ceased performances in light of the burgeoning COVID-19 outbreak.  Its 2021 season featured entirely virtual performances until now.  The upcoming performance of Starry Nights includes George Balanchine’s Serenade (1935) and Tarantella (1964), as well as Danielle Rowe’s For Pixie (2017) to the music of Nina Simone.  It will close with Helgi Tomasson’s The Fifth Season (2006) accompanied live by the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra conducted by Martin West.  There will be two performances only.

From the San Francisco Ballet:

San Francisco Ballet, long recognized for pushing boundaries in dance, has a history of making history.  Our mission is to share our joy of dance with the widest possible audience, both locally and around the world.  Join us for our long-awaited return to live performances, featuring a thrilling blend of poetry and athleticism.