Ballet22 - Summer Season 2026

Ballet22
Summer Season 2026
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center for the Arts & Culture, San Francisco
July 25th, 2026

If you were at the Cowell Theater on Saturday night, you could feel the pure, unbridled joy emanating from the concert dance stage. Because over the weekend, Ballet22 invited audiences to celebrate their annual summer season of mixed repertory offerings. Founded in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, the company is bound and committed to challenging gender assumptions and upending ingrained notions in traditional and contemporary ballet, and to featuring men, trans and non-binary performers en pointe. This year’s triple bill deeply lived into that vision, and applied it to a vast range of work. With excerpts from the Romantic classic Coppélia to 2021’s striking La Follia to the world premiere of Keelan Whitmore’s The Fifth Point, Ballet22 proves once again that they are continuing a significant and vital expansion of the ballet performance landscape.

For their classical offering, Ballet22 opted to present a suite of dances from 1870’s Coppélia. Truthfully, the full-length, three-Act narrative is not my favorite, but I do love the choreographic vocabulary of Arthur Saint-Léon, Marius Petipa and Enrico Cecchetti. So, this abridged selection of solos, duets and group sequences fit the bill perfectly for me. Romantic era ballets are known for demanding a complex equation of strength, lightness and grace which each member of Ballet22’s cast more than delivered. Footwork was balanced, controlled and precise while paying careful attention to upper body placement. There were long diagonal phrases of single-footed relevés. Detailed petit allegro. Floaty, breathy boureés. And if you ever took Cecchetti ballet examinations, you would recognize the specific, and somewhat rare, hand positions from that tradition. I even saw a few glimpses of Cecchetti’s fifth arabesque. 

Victor Maguad & Daniel R. Durrett in Verzola's La Follia
Photo Reneff-Olson Productions

Act II brought contemporary works to the table, beginning with 2021’s La Follia, choreographed by Durante Verzola and set to the Baroque masterwork “Sarabanda in D Minor” by Arcangelo Corelli. Danced by Daniel R. Durrett and Victor Maguad, the duet was also decidedly Baroque. Not in terms of having old-fashioned physical vocabulary – quite the opposite. But in the sense that the two bodies on stage were in dialog with each other throughout, much like a Baroque musical invention. With a courtly tone, they conversed in unison; and sometimes via question and answer. They punctuated moments in the score with staccato arms and deep pliés in 2nd position. Once again, the footwork stunned (enviable brisés) as did strong effacé body positioning. La Follia is a special duet and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to take it in.

Ahead of the final dance, the world premiere of The Fifth Point, choreographer Keelan Whitmore noted that the quintet was inspired by the iconic Pas de Quatre, another Romantic era project that brought famed ballerinas of the time together in a single piece. And so, he shared that The Fifth Point similarly mines themes of “coming together.” 

As the lights went up on the most contemporary piece of the evening, the cast arranged itself in picturesque, posed vignettes – very reminiscent of Pas de Quatre. But quickly, the dancers took over the stage with reckless abandon. Jumps in 2nd evoked a beating heart; pulsating urgency, a charged tone. Unison phrase material spoke to that sense of togetherness, while simultaneously honoring the individuality of each artist. And as the five dancers took turns in the spotlight, the preceding soloist would greet and welcome them with generous, open arms. A lovely example of how to comport oneself as part of a community.

 

Woodminster Summer Musicals - "Carousel"

Woodminster Summer Musicals
Carousel
Woodminster Amphitheater, Oakland
July 11, 2026

In a region as climately temperate as the Bay Area, outdoor performance is a summer staple. Most years I take in one or two of these delightful al fresco experiences – at Stern Grove, Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater, Cal Shakes (RIP) or at Woodminster Amphitheater amongst the trees in the Oakland Hills. An East Bay institution, Woodminster Summer Musicals has over a half century of theatrical history. Since 1967, the group has been deeply committed to sharing a diverse collection of full-length musicals with local audiences during the summer months. Currently mid-way through its 59th season, this year’s offerings are an eclectic bunch, representing both contemporary and traditional musical theater stylings. And on Saturday evening, a good-sized house gathered to take in July’s show, Carousel, directed by Joel Schlader, choreographed by Sarah Pon and Blake Hennessy-York, with vocal direction from Debra Lambert. Over two delicious acts, the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein classic mined themes of youth, romance, consequence, disaster and reconciliation alongside a touch of magical realism.

Carousel’s narrative centers around the relationship between carnival hypeman Billy Bigelow and ingenue Julie Jordan, and the coastal community in which they live. Early on, they have a mutual attraction, and in (very) short course, wed. Married life is hardly a fairytale, and after a host of dark events and circumstances, tragedy eventually strikes. Life goes on, but is marred and marked by the past. And in the end, a chance is offered up which may provide some redemption and healing. Much action happens along the way amidst powerhouse vocal numbers and a beautiful ‘dream’ ballet.

Parts of the show will be tough for a 2026 viewer. Categorizing the narrative themes, conversational exchanges and gender dynamics as dated is a dramatic understatement. The show’s messaging about violence, specifically domestic violence, is both disturbing, and frankly, bizarre. And…Carousel was created in the 1940s, eight decades ago. As I watched Carousel on Saturday night, I was keenly struck by all these truths. Though I was also aware I was there to comment on this performance, by this cast, on this night and in this place and that is what follows.

The cast of Carousel
Photo Stephen Woo & Anna Chibisova

The Prologue Carousel Waltz transported its audience to the seaside town’s carnival, complete with a juggler, magician, stilt-artist, cotton candy and the titular carousel ride. It was colorful, dynamic and full of joy. The women’s and men’s ensemble featured many highly-trained, incredibly strong ballet dancers who delivered Pon and Hennessy-York’s movement phrases with technical proficiency, grace and confidence. It is no easy feat to choreograph interesting group sequences on a small-ish stage with a large cast, and here, there was elegance and flow to spare, and nothing looked overly fussy. Another standout dance moment came later in the Act, during the chorus’ “Hornpipe.” Celtic-inspired patterns met with percussive footwork which matched perfectly with the shanty-style music. Being a dance writer, I was mostly focused on the show’s physicality, but the strength of the leads must be mentioned. Cody Craven as Billy, Elise Walters as Julie, Ashley Garlick as Carrie, Michael Parrott as Enoch and Susan Himes-Powers as Nettie dazzled - vocally, in scenework and with undeniably commanding presence.

Dance-wise, Act II is all about the dream ballet where Billy gets to see his daughter Louise, now a teenager (danced by Pon). First comes a brief glimpse of her carefree side – long, stretchy arabesques and delicate, whimsical brisés. As characters from the town enter the picture, her posture and demeanor speak to gains in strength and confidence. But the ballet isn’t all lightness and breeze. As the score takes on a darker tonality, cancan dancers emerge from the carousel. There’s an ominous sense that the seemingly innocent carnival ride also breeds anger, temptation and danger, something Louise and her family are well versed in. 

The lengthier sequence was great and the leads were terrific, but the most important aspect of Carousel’s dream ballet is that it moves the story forward. It gives Billy a chance to learn about his daughter - her personality, her struggles, her dreams, who she is. And in the 1940s, dance as a story element was somewhat new in musical theater. Choreography as more than a celebration of movement or style. Choreography as a narrative contributor, a narrative force. A trip down dance history lane will point to a number of choreographic voices who contributed to this paradigm shift. Perhaps most notable is the iconic Agnes de Mille, creator of Oklahoma’s famed dream ballet in 1943. She did it again, two years later, as the original choreographer of Carousel. 

San Francisco Ballet - "Mere Mortals"

San Francisco Ballet
Mere Mortals
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
May 3rd, 2026

This past Sunday, Bay Area dance audiences marked a moment in time as San Francisco Ballet danced the final performance of its current season. What a way to say goodbye! Or I guess more accurately, ‘see you later’ as they will be back in the Opera House before we know it. For this last program, Artistic Director Tamara Rojo programmed 2024’s Mere Mortals. Choreographed by Aszure Barton to an original score by Floating Points, the one-act, hour-plus performance was completely hypnotic, potent and mesmerizing. And though this was not the first time the work has graced the War Memorial stage, this was the first time I had seen it.

As Mere Mortals commenced, electronic music rumbled from the orchestra pit. Dry ice filtered onto the stage, alit with glowing red tones. Wei Wang took center stage in a slick black unitard (costumes by Michelle Jank). Hamill Industries’ celestial projections abounded. Everything about Mere Mortals was decidedly futuristic and you could hear a pin drop in the theater as viewers took it all in.

Mere Mortals has a narrative foundation, with its source material found in the Greek myth of Pandora’s box. Pandora is tempted by a jar that she is not to open. And when she gives into that temptation, havoc is released. Over the course of sixty-seven minutes, you could see that story arc and its characters, relationships, confrontations and consequences. There was emotion. There was desire. And plenty of manipulation at play.

San Francisco Ballet in
Aszure Barton & Floating Points'
Mere Mortals
Photo Lindsey Rallo

While I too saw the story unfolding, for me, Mere Mortals was most impressive as a conceptual science fiction adventure. Like a dance experience launching the viewer into an otherworldly atmosphere, introducing the inhabitants of a new land, a new place. With an eclectic mix of choreographic language, Wang (as Hope) welcomed us aboard this journey. His solo was peppered with flexed feet and superpassé, but also very classical developpés and mid-air rotations.

Then came the full cast; an army of dancers aggressively taking the space. They moved with urgency, their pulsing motions mirroring the score. Led by Joseph Walsh as Prometheus, stylized pedestrianism and pounding fists suggested militaristic robots, though it didn’t necessarily read as nefarious. More just the intense power that can be found in a committed collective. Nikisha Fogo’s Pandora emerged from the group, rising above and orbiting around them. Coordinating arms gave a decidedly reptilian tone; quizzical heads also suggesting other species. And Fogo’s series of promenade to passé reinforced themes of control and measuredness.

Mere Mortals had fantastic visual effects, though audience members who suffer from motion sickness may have had to look away during the lengthy, moving projection sequence mid-way through.

Now clad in lamé gold, Wang’s character reappeared in the last third of the piece, like he was bookending the experience. The ensemble, also now in gold, joined him, and the stage looked like a glowing sun. Earlier choreography for Wang and the corps returned, but the mood and tone was quite different. There was a peacefulness and calm, even in Barton’s staccato movements. And a slow rise in sixth position appeared to signal a new chapter, the beginning of another day or perhaps the conclusion of our journey to the land of Mere Mortals. 

San Francisco Ballet in Aszure Barton & Floating Points' Mere Mortals
Photo Lindsey Rallo