Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson and Director Patrick Armand are excited to share three newly captured performances by SF Ballet School Trainees as well as recorded class observations and a review of the 2020–2021 School Year as part of the San Francisco Ballet School Virtual Festival which will stream this summer on Thursday, June 17, 2021.
Beginning with dinner at a virtual table at 6 p.m. PDT, the program, featuring world premieres by SF Ballet School Faculty members Dana Genshaft and Viktor Plotnikov as well as the SF Ballet School Premiere of the pas de quatre from Sir Frederick Ashton’s Swan Lake, will begin at 7 p.m. PDT.
“The Virtual Festival celebrates the resilience of our students and faculty throughout this most challenging year,” says SF Ballet School Director Patrick Armand. “I’ve been heartened by the students’ commitment to their artistry and craft, and their dedication to excellence despite the circumstances.”
Premiering at the Festival will be a Graces, a piece by Plotnikov who joined SF Ballet School’s Faculty for the 2020–2021 School Year. The work was created for three couples and set to the fourth movement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
The choreography is challenging, says Plotnikov, but “the Trainees are fun, open-minded, driven, and eager-to-dance upcoming professionals. It’s been a pleasure to create this work on them.”
Genshaft, who has been a part of SF Ballet School’s faculty since 2015, will also be sharing her new piece titled Future Papers. The work is set to music composed by San Francisco-based Kamran Adib and choreographed for seven dancers.
“This piece is inspired, quite simply, by the idea of returning to the theater,” Genshaft says. “After so much has been put into question this year, I wanted to embrace the feeling of connectivity and joy of dancing together. Rather than make a piece that is ‘happy,’ I wanted to make a piece that fights through the heaviness of the moment and arrives in a hopeful place together—from our Zoom bubbles, back to a shared space on stage.”
All rehearsal and performance activity associated with the recording of the Virtual Festival program were conducted under strict safety protocols in compliance with the San Francisco Department of Public Health guidelines.
“The success of the Spring Festival’s performance program is thanks to the tremendous effort put forth by the students, their parents, and our fine faculty. It will be a pleasure to share the culmination of these year-long efforts with our dedicated supporters, both local and abroad,” Armand says.
San Francisco Ballet School Virtual Festival Viewing Information
Tickets to attend the Virtual Festival begin at $500 for adults and extend to $25,000 for a private, virtual table of 10. Each ticket will include a private, virtual table, meet-and-greets with SF Ballet School students and SF Ballet company members who are SF Ballet School alumni, gourmet, home-delivered dinners from McCalls Catering, Ernest Vineyards and gifts.
RSVPs must be placed by June 2. Tickets may be purchased online at sfballet.org, by calling 415-865-6639 or emailing specialevents@sfballet.org.
Proceeds from the Virtual Festival and annual fundraising dinner will support the scholarships and financial aid the School distributed to talented and deserving students each year, totaling more than $1 million annually.
The complete Virtual Festival program will stream at no additional cost on SF Ballet @ Home from June 18 to June 24. Patrons who attended the June 17 Virtual Festival will receive an access link to the stream via email on June 18, but those who did not must sign up to view the free stream via SF Ballet @ Home. Access to the stream is valid for a consecutive 72-hour period during the run of the program, expiring on June 24 at 9 p.m. PDT. Though the event will be accessible for free, $29 donation is suggested by SF Ballet School.
Featured Photo of San Francisco Ballet School Spring Festival Rehearsal © Erik Tomasson
