Your Guide to Starry Nights
Everything You Need to Know about SF Ballet at Stanford this Summer
Thinking of going to San Francisco Ballet’s performances at Stanford Live on August 5 & 6? Here’s all you need to know to have a wonderful evening under the stars.
Returning to Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheater following the sold-out success of the Company’s debut in 2021, San Francisco Ballet is performing a program of three short ballets that range from romantic to athletic to brilliantly cool.
What’s onstage
Each performance begins at 8 pm with Helgi Tomasson’s 7 for Eight, a blend of elegance and expressivity, poetry and pyrotechnics for eight impeccable dancers. Following this beautiful ballet is Jerome Robbins’ romantic In the Night, following three couples at different stages of their relationships. The stunning summer evening ends with the South Bay premiere of William Forsythe’s Blake Works I, a ballet that will “explode your ballet prejudices” (San Francisco Chronicle). Set to the 7 songs of James Blake’s album The Colour in Anything, Blake Works I starts with the precision of ballet vocabulary, speeds it up, pushes it to the limit of physicality, then refracts it like a kaleidoscope as 30+ dancer are driven by pop music and joy.
Live music for 7 for Eight, set to music by J.S. Bach, and In the Night, danced to Chopin nocturnes, will be performed by musicians from the Grammy Award–winning San Francisco Ballet Orchestra under the direction of Martin West.

Where
Performances are held at the Frost Amphitheater, an outdoor venue on Stanford University’s beautiful campus. Frost provides the best of both worlds—an incredible outdoor theater where you can watch beautiful ballet and enjoy snacks al fresco, AND one that is accessible from public transport. Frost also has free parking.
How Much?
Tickets begin at $40.
Bites & Drinks
What is a summer evening under the stars without good food? You can bring your own picnic (click here to learn more about Stanford Live’s food and drink policy), or order anything from water, beer, and cocktails to cheese or charcuterie plates from your seat using your phone!

Safety
Both SF Ballet and Stanford Live are committed to keeping you safe. You can learn more about what you can and cannot bring into the amphitheater, as well as the venue’s COVID protocols, on the Stanford Live website.
Have other questions? Check out Stanford Live’s FAQ page for more information.
Starry Nights runs for two nights only—on August 5 & 6 at 8 pm.
Learn more about Starry Nights
Header Image: Stanford Live in Frost Amphitheater // © Peter Prato