Tamara Rojo announces San Francisco Ballet’s 2024–2025 Season
San Francisco Ballet’s new season includes “high-drama story ballets, inventive contemporary voices, and works rarely seen by US audiences”.
San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) has announced its 2024-2025 Season, curated by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, which includes story ballets envisioned by Rojo and Sir Kenneth MacMillan; a quartet of ballets by Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen; and works by contemporary choreographers Christopher Wheeldon, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. The company will also go on its first international tour since 2019, to the Teatro Real in Madrid, as well as its roster of dancers that includes returning principal dancers Dores André and Max Cauthorn as well as newly promoted and appointed soloists and corps de ballet dancers.
In 2025, SF Ballet will explore a range of choreographic and artistic styles and deliver profound human connections through dance – said Rojo – from seduction to heartbreak, and from stories of conflict to gothic science-fiction.
I am thrilled to expand the classical repertoire for SF Ballet with works that showcase the brilliance of our dancers, while continuing to engage fresh perspectives and uplift the artistry of leading creatives from around the world.
SF Ballet’s 24/25 Season will include:
Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, which will be performed for the first time by SF Ballet, Cool Britannia, a triple bill celebrating the new wave of British voices with Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, and the North American premiere of Akram Khan’s Dust.
Tamara Rojo’s Raymonda “celebrates the best of Marius Petipa‘s original ballet” with Alexander Glazunov’s score in a dramatic, contemporary story.
There is the return of Liam Scarlett’s Frankenstein to San Francisco; a tribute to Hans van Manen with four works by including the San Francisco premiere of 5 Tango’s; Broken Love, a double bill of two works from the 2024 season: Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Broken Wings, and, of course, Nutcracker, set in San Francisco.
At the Teatro Real in Madrid, from 15-22 October, the company will perform eight performances of Helgi Tomasson‘s Swan Lake.
Roster & Artistic Team
SF Ballet also looks forward to welcoming to the company, and welcoming back, established artists and emerging talent, including the return of Dores André and Max Cauthorn as principal dancers; the promotion of SF Ballet corps de ballet members Kamryn Baldwin, Carmela Mayo, and Joshua Jack Price to Soloist; and the appointment of soloists Fernando Carratalá Coloma and Victor Prigent, both from English National Ballet. Additionally, SF Ballet Apprentices Sofia Albers, Jacey Gailliard, and Dylan Pierzina have been promoted to the corps de ballet, and Rebecca Blenkinsop (English National Ballet), Jakub Groot (Czech National Ballet), Lucas López (Joffrey Studio Company), Archie Sullivan (English National Ballet), and Juliette Windey have been appointed to the corps de ballet. Six SF Ballet School Trainees have been named apprentices for the 24/25 Season: Maya Chandrashekaran, Carlota Cruz, Emmitt Friedman, Justin-Cooper Meeks, Ben Taber, and Juliana Wilder. The roster is effective beginning July 1, 2024.
San Francisco Ballet’s 2024–2025 Season
Nutcracker
Dec 6-29, 2024
SF Ballet will present the 20th anniversary of Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker, a Bay Area tradition. Tomasson’s version, set in San Francisco, builds upon SF Ballet’s legacy as the first American company to present a full-length production in 1944, paving the way for the work to become a holiday classic. The sensory-friendly performance of Nutcracker, which provides a welcoming environment for neurodiverse audiences of all abilities, returns on December 29 at 11 a.m.
2025 Opening Night Gala
January 22, 2025
San Francisco Ballet will host its 92nd Season Opening Night Gala on January 22, 2025. Details to be announced at a later date.
Manon
January 24-Feb 1, 2025
A full-length ballet in three acts, Manon is considered one of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s most notable works, showcasing his expertise of narrative choreography and acute insight into human psychology. A full-length adaptation of Abbé Prévost’s novel “L’Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut,” Manon was choreographed by MacMillan in 1974 during his tenure as director of The Royal Ballet. Torn between her desire for a life of splendor and riches and her devotion to her true love, the heroine’s struggle to escape poverty makes Manon one of the most dramatic and devastating ballets, showcasing the juxtaposition between Manon’s impoverished origins and the lavish world she longs to inhabit. This is MacMillan at his best: finding full expression in the impassioned duets of the central couple, visceral and desperate in their desire.
Manon will feature original Royal Opera House stage design and costuming by Nicholas Georgiadis, and a score drawn from the collected works of French composer Jules Massenet.
Cool Britannia
Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, Akram Khan’s Dust
February 13-19, 2025
Three pieces—Wheeldon’s mesmerizing Within the Golden Hour, McGregor’s inventive and energy-driven Chroma, and Khan’s impactful Dust—make up a program celebrating the new wave of British voices in ballet.
Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, last seen at SF Ballet in 2012, explores the drama of the human body and its ability to communicate extremes of thought and emotion. The score, drawn from original music by stage and screen composer Joby Talbot and arranged by rock band The White Stripes, is combined with stark, minimalist designs by architect John Pawson.
Christopher Wheeldon’s mesmerizing Within the Golden Hour was created for SF Ballet in 2008 as part of the New Works Festival. Around three central pas de deux, the ballet exhibits Wheeldon’s complex weaving of ensembles, creating intricate lattice movements that shift and mutate in this reflection on the beauty of movement.
Akram Khan’s Dust was one of Tamara Rojo’s first commissions for English National Ballet and Khan’s first-ever work for a ballet company. Now, the one-act ballet commemorating World War I will have its North American premiere in San Francisco. Told in three sections, the piece explores the trenches and the men building and living inside of them, the social shift toward women in the workforce during the war, and the relationship between these women and their loved ones on the frontlines. A score by composer Jocelyn Pook combines vocals, poetry, and an original recording of a soldier from 1916.
Raymonda
March 1-8, 2025
Starring a huge cast of dancers and commanding a full orchestra, this lavish adaptation by SF Ballet’s Artistic Director Tamara Rojo is set against the backdrop of the 19th-century Crimean War, drawing on the figure of Florence Nightingale to create a Raymonda who redefines the role of women in wartime and society. This lavish adaptation celebrates the best of Marius Petipa’s original—with its glorious and sensuous score by Alexander Glazunov—and updates it with a dramatic new story.
The original Raymonda is rarely seen in the U.S., and no dance company performs it in its entirety. This version marked Tamara Rojo’s debut in direction and choreography, and was nominated for the FEDORA – Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for Ballet in 2020.
Frankenstein
March 20-26, 2025
Based on Mary Shelley’s 19th-century novel-turned-pop culture classic, the ambitious production returns to the SF Ballet stage. Featuring sensational choreography, costumes, special effects, pyrotechnics, and an original score, Liam Scarlett’s virtuosic production of the 19th-century science fiction novel is a visceral, profoundly emotional tale of life, death, love, and identity.
Set to an original, sweeping score by Lowell Liebermann, this ballet takes the audience on a captivating journey through scientist Victor Frankenstein’s ambitious plan to animate a patchwork of lifeless body parts, setting in motion a detrimental chain of fateful events. Renowned ballet and opera designer John McFarlane’s cinematic artistry transports audiences to Shelley’s world with stunning period-piece costumes set in a dramatically lit, circular anatomy theater, combined with electrifying pyrotechnics and expertly rendered special effects makeup that transform previous notions of horror into an allegory of the human condition.
Frankenstein will return for encore performances from April 26-May 4, 2025.
Van Manen
Solo, 5 Tango’s, Grosse Fuge, Variations for Two Couples
Apr 5-19, 2025
A tribute to Hans van Manen, this program showcases the nuance and elegance of the Dutch choreographer’s extensive oeuvre. Often dubbed “the grandmaster of contemporary ballet” and globally recognized for his unparalleled body of work, this program celebrates Van Manen’s dynamic vision as a leading choreographer of his generation.
Van Manen’s profound interest in human connection takes center stage in this collection of four of his most renowned ballets, including the SF Ballet premiere of his critically acclaimed 5 Tango’s. Set to a wide range of musical voices—from the maestro of nuevo tango, Astor Piazzolla, to Bach, Beethoven, Britten, and beyond—the choreographer’s inventive style is on full display, blending classical and contemporary themes while showcasing the dynamic range of SF Ballet’s principal dancers.
Broken Love: Broken Wings & Marguerite and Armand
April 8-18, 2025
Two standout hits that captivated audiences in 2024 Repertory Season, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Broken Wings and Sir Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand, return for a reprisal, both a testament to the enduring power of love despite hardship, illness, and injury.
Returning after its U.S. premiere, Broken Wings is a vibrant, colourful exploration of the life and surrealist art of Frida Kahlo, who lived in San Francisco in the early period of her career. Featuring an original score interwoven with mariachi and Mexican folk music and a chorus of skeletons, Broken Wings offers a unique opportunity to enter the realms of Kahlo’s paintings through the lens of her wildly creative spirit.
Ashton’s deeply passionate and lushly designed Marguerite and Armand, with highly coveted principal roles originally created for ballet superstars Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn—who famously performed with SF Ballet’s company during the “Summer of Love” in 1967—will return to SF Ballet, the second American ballet company to perform this work.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
