San Francisco Ballet announces its 2025–2026 season
San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) has announced its 2025–2026 Season, curated by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo. Works include the world premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s Eugene Onegin, the return of Aszure Barton and Floating Points’ commission Mere Mortals, a George Balanchine programme tracing his influences, a full evening dedicated to William Forsythe, and tragic and comic story ballets.
The company has also announced part of its upcoming touring schedule as well as promotions and newly appointed company members.
No SF Ballet season is complete without its annual onslaught of Nutcracker performances, and the latest production, set in San Francisco, is back for the holiday season.
The world premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s Eugene Onegin, a co-commission with The Joffrey Ballet from SF Ballet’s choreographer-in-residence, with a new score by Ilya Demutsky, based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel.
Balanchine: Father of American Ballet is a programme comprised of Diamonds, Serenade, and Stars and Stripes, iconic works in Balanchine’s repertoire that trace the evolution his style and influences spanning Russian imperialism to Americana.
A full evening-length presentation of Forsythe’s ongoing project The Blake Works, a collection of works set to the music of James Blake and including new barre training-inspired iterations choreographed remotely during the pandemic.
August Bournonville’s La Sylphide represents Romantic-era ballet in the programme, and Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov’s version of Don Quixote is also in next season’s lineup.
2025-2026 sees the return of Aszure Barton and Floating Points’ monumental hit Mere Mortals, reimagining the ancient tale of Pandora’s Jar through the lens of artificial intelligence creating an immersive sensory experience.
“As SF Ballet’s repertoire continues to evolve and expand,” said Rojo, “We invite audiences to experience a season representing the best ballet has to offer, with our world-class dancers bringing to life a dynamic range of classical and contemporary choreography and stories capturing everything from the drama of the everyday to the mythic and ethereal.
“In addition to our commission of a new Onegin launching the season, we are thrilled to offer another chance to experience the AI-inspired Mere Mortals, and will continue to share this spirit of innovation and excellence beyond the Opera House stage as we bring the company across the country and the world.”
Following a successful tour to Madrid’s Teatro Real last autumn, SF Ballet has announced 25/26 Season tours to Southern California, including Orange County’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts and LA’s Hollywood Bowl. Additional touring engagements both in the United States and internationally will be announced soon.
Roster
Beginning with the 25/26 Season, SF Ballet is implementing demi-soloist and first-soloist ranks within the existing company structure. This organisational expansion offers company dancers a clear ladder of career progression during their time at SF Ballet
Soloist Cavan Conley is promoted to Principal Dancer; Soloists Katherine Barkman and Joshua Jack Price to First Soloists; Corps de Ballet members Jihyun Choi, Luca Ferrò, Nathaniel Remez, Mingxuan Wang, and Seojeong Yun to Soloists; and Corps de Ballet members Thamires Chuvas, Dylan Pierzina, Simone Pompignoli, Alexis Francisco Valdes, and Adrian Zeisel to Demi Soloists; the company will welcome Francesco Gabriele Frola (English National Ballet), Patricio Revé (Queensland Ballet), and Madeline Woo (Royal Swedish Ballet) as Principal Dancers and Ángel García Molinero (Boston Ballet) as a Soloist.
All SF Ballet Apprentices from the 24/25 Season — Maya Chandrashekaran, Carlota Cruz, Emmitt Friedman, Justin-Cooper Meeks, Benjamin Taber, and Juliana Wilder — have been promoted to the corps de ballet. Six SF Ballet School Trainees have been named Apprentices for the 25/26 Season: Anna Chaziroglou, Logi Gudmundsson, Aaliyahmarie Key, Logan Shaw, Amelia Soh, and Asher Stephenson. The roster is effective from 1 July 2025.
San Francisco Ballet 2025–2026 Season
Nutcracker
December 5–28, 2025
On Christmas Eve 1944, SF Ballet made history with the American premiere of Nutcracker, launching a national holiday tradition that continues to enchant audiences today. Set in 1915 San Francisco during the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker takes place in a city celebrating a new age of technology and international collaboration, much like the San Francisco of today.
SF Ballet will host its fourth annual Sensory Friendly Performance of Nutcracker on Sunday, December 28 at 11 am, in partnership with Autism Society SF Bay Area, creating a welcoming space where neurodiverse audiences of all ages and abilities can experience the wonder of Nutcracker in a relaxed setting.
2026 Opening Night Gala
January 21, 2026
SF Ballet will host its 93rd Season Opening Night Gala on January 21, 2026, featuring a one-night-only performance of special excerpts and audience favorites from the 25/26 Season and beyond, along with a fundraising dinner and after party at San Francisco City Hall. Additional details to be announced at a later date.
Eugene Onegin
January 23—February 1, 2026
Onegin is a richly layered and deeply human exploration of love, regret, and the heart’s fragility. Resident Choreographer Yuri Possokhov’s world premiere brings new depth to Alexander Pushkin’s classic, where a single choice alters the course of a life. Set in the final days of imperial Russia, this cautionary tale follows a jaded aristocrat forced to face the weight of his choices after a fateful encounter with the earnest Tatiana.
This major co-production with The Joffrey Ballet is a bold collaboration featuring an original score by Fulbright Scholar and Golden Mask Award-winner Ilya Demutsky, costume design by Academy Award-winner Tim Yip, striking sets by Olivier Award-nominated Tom Pye, and a libretto by Valeriy Pecheykin. A monumental experience for a modern audience, Onegin is an expression of Possokhov’s unique ability to blend contemporary choreography with classical tradition.
Balanchine: Father of American Ballet
February 10–15, 2026
A tribute to the driving force behind modern ballet in America, ‘Balanchine’ showcases George Balanchine’s artistic evolution in three iconic works. Diamonds is a reflection of the choreographer’s training in the Russian tradition and a deep knowledge of classical technique. Serenade — the first ballet Balanchine created for American dancers — captures the emotional depth and innovative drive of his early time in the United States. Stars and Stripes, joyful and patriotic, was made as a tribute to the vitality of the American spirit.
‘Balanchine’ is set to scores by Tchaikovsky and Sousa, orchestrated by Hershy Kay. Each ballet offers a look into one of the 20th century’s greatest choreographers, celebrating Balanchine’s legacy of technical mastery and artistic vision.
Forsythe’s The Blake Works
February 27—March 8, 2026
In an electrifying series that pushes the limits of contemporary ballet, ‘The Blake Works’ sets William Forsythe’s fascinating choreography to the multi-layered music of Grammy Award-winning artist James Blake. ‘The Blake Works’ reimagines ballet with striking movement and a deep connection to music, featuring the pieces Prologue, The Barre Project, and Blake Works I. High-energy, dynamic, and rhythmically driven, this program launches ballet into new territory. Forsythe’s hallmark deconstructed aesthetic will be on full display.
‘The Blake Works’ marks the SF Ballet premiere of Forsythe’s latest works presented alongside audience-favorite material in a first-of-its-kind North American program and a true celebration of Forsythe’s innovative spirit.
Don Quixote
March 19–29, 2026
A whirlwind of fiery dancing and playful wit, Don Quixote is ballet’s original romantic comedy. Inspired by Cervantes’ classic novel, this energetic production brings the streets of Spain to life with bold characters, dazzling choreography, and a love story that steals the spotlight. Choreographed by Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov and packed with passion, humor, and spectacular dancing, Don Quixote is a family-friendly ballet experience for all ages.
La Sylphide
April 10–16, 2026
La Sylphide continues to captivate audiences nearly 200 years after its debut, with timeless themes of human nature still relatable today. When James, a young Scottish farmer, falls under the spell of a mystical sylph, he risks everything to follow her into an enchanted world, only to learn the devastating price of chasing the unattainable. With its signature Romantic era enchantment complete with misty woodland scenes and a tutu-clad corps de ballet, La Sylphide is a hauntingly beautiful classic tale of love and illusion.
Mere Mortals
April 24—May 3, 2026
Inspired by the Greek myth of Pandora’s Jar, Mere Mortals explores society’s relationship with artificial intelligence and its boundless potential, as well as the unforeseen consequences of progress. A fully immersive sensory experience, music and movement unite within a captivating environment of light and video. Originally commissioned for Artistic Director Tamara Rojo’s inaugural season, the program returns in 2026 as a fusion of electronic music, festival culture, and contemporary ballet.
Mere Mortals merges the bold choreography of Aszure Barton with the visionary music of composer Floating Points, who performs live alongside the SF Ballet Orchestra at every performance.
SF Ballet School Spring Festival
May 2026
Catch a glimpse of the next generation of dancers in San Francisco’s iconic War Memorial Opera House. This gala-style event supports SF Ballet School’s scholarship and financial aid programs, bringing the most promising rising talent to the stage. Additional details to be announced at a later date.
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET 25/26 SEASON ARTISTS OF THE COMPANY
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Tamara Rojo
PRINCIPAL DANCERS
ANDRÉ, Dores
CAUTHORN, Max*
CHUNG, Frances
CONLEY, Cavan
DE SOLA, Sasha
FOGO, Nikisha
FROLA, Francesco Gabriele
HERNÁNDEZ, Esteban
JAMES, Harrison*
JIMISON, Jasmine*
PARK, Wona*
REVÉ, Patricio
STAHL, Jennifer*
WALSH, Joseph
WANG, Wei*
WOO, Madeline
GUEST PRINCIPAL DANCER
KURANAGA, Misa
FIRST SOLOISTS
BARKMAN, Katherine
PRICE, Joshua Jack*
SOLOISTS
BALDWIN, Kamryn*
CARRATALÁ COLOMA, Fernando
CHOI, Jihyun*
DEVIVO, Isabella*
FERRÒ, Luca
GARCÍA MOLINERO, Ángel
MAYO, Carmela*
MUKHAMEDOV, Sasha
POWELL, Elizabeth*
PRIGENT, Victor*
REMEZ, Nathaniel*
ROWE, Julia*
THATCHER, Myles*
WANG, Mingxuan*
WEEKS, Lonnie
YUN, Seojeong
DEMI SOLOISTS
CHUVAS, Thamires*
PIERZINA, Dylan*
POMPIGNOLI, Simone
VALDES, Alexis Francisco*
ZEISEL, Adrian*
CORPS DE BALLET
ALBERS, Sofia*
BELLISSIMO, Juliana*
BLENKINSOP, Rebecca
BRISTOW, Samantha*
CHANDRASHEKARAN, Maya*
CÍTORES NIETO, Rubén*
CRUZ, Carlota*
DAVIDOFF, Benjamin*
FRIEDMAN, Emmitt*
GAILLIARD, Jacey*
GARRISON, Parker*
GONZALEZ, Gabriela
GROOT, Jakub HO, Lleyton*
KUNDZINS, Andris*
LEE, Katharine
LEE, SunMin*
LÓPEZ, Lucas
MATEER, Elizabeth
MEEKS, Justin-Cooper*
MOYER, Nicole*
NAKANO, Rimi
OCCHIPINTI, Davide*
OLSON, Pemberley Ann*
PENG, Hui-Wen
PERCILIO DA SILVA, João*
RACKOW, Leili* ST. CLAIR, Anatalia*
STANFORD, Jasper True*
STEINBACH, Tyla*
STEPHENS, Jamie Adele*
SULLIVAN, Archie
TABER, Benjamin*
WATSON, Angela*
WEIRICH, Maggie*
WILDER, Juliana*
WINDEY, Juliette
APPRENTICES
CHAZIROGLOU, Anna*
GUDMUNDSSON, Logi*
KEY, Aaliyahmarie*
SHAW, Logan*
SOH, Amelia*
STEPHENSON, Asher*
PRINCIPAL CHARACTER DANCERS
BERMAN, Joanna*
BUSTAMANTE, Ricardo*
CANIPAROLI, Val*
DECAMINADA, Kristi*
LYONS, Jeffrey
MOLAT, Pascal
WALDO, Katita*
*Received training at San Francisco Ballet School
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 Italian ballerina 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.
