PRESS RELEASE

Performances at New York City Center’s “Fall for Dance” and Ballet Bend festivals expand SF Ballet’s already announced touring to Edinburgh International Festival, Sadler’s Wells, and return to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival for the first time in 70 years

SF Ballet School Trainees to perform at Idaho’s Ballet Sun Valley for the 7th year

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) August 4, 2026—Ahead of the launch of its 2026 international tour tomorrow, San Francisco Ballet today announced additional engagements this fall: the Company premiere of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun at New York City Center’s Fall for Dance ahead of its West Coast premiere in San Francisco this April, as well as the inaugural Ballet Bend festival in Bend, Oregon. The new performances add to the Company’s most robust touring schedule in decades that include performances at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, and Sadler’s Wells in London, bringing SF Ballet’s celebrated artistry to audiences across the United States and the United Kingdom. This expanded touring schedule reflects the Company’s ongoing commitment to reaching new audiences while deepening relationships with international and national presenters and festivals, following the Company’s tour to Madrid, Spain in 2024.

“It is a privilege to represent the artistry, innovation, and creative spirit of San Francisco across the country and around the globe,” said Tamara Rojo, San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director. “We are deeply committed to creating meaningful opportunities for our extraordinary dancers and to sharing the breadth of the Company’s repertoire with audiences across continents. Over the next two months, we will showcase bold new creations that expand the canon of contemporary ballet alongside exquisite classics at some of the most important stages for dance in the United States and internationally.”

Programming and principal casting for the additional tour dates follow:

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (August 5–9) | Becket, MA

• In SF Ballet’s first appearance at the festival since 1956, the Company will perform a mixed program on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage and in the Ted Shawn Theatre. On the Henry J. Leir Stage, the program features the solo from Hans van Manen’s 5 Tango’s, a pas de deux from Liam Scarlett’s No Man’s Land, Ben Stevenson’s Three Preludes, Sir Frederick Ashton’s Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, and a pas de deux from Marius Petipa’s Le Corsaire. In the Ted Shawn Theatre, the program features Hans van Manen’s Grosse Fugue, William Forsythe’s Prologue and The Barre Project, the Act III pas de deux from Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote, the Act II pas de deux from Tamara Rojo’s Raymonda, the pas de deux from George Balanchine’s Diamonds, and the pas de deux from Akram Khan’s Dust. Casting is available on our website. 

• The Albany Symphony will perform live alongside some SF Ballet performances under the direction of Shelby and Frederick Gans Music Director and Principal Conductor Martin West. SF Ballet Company Pianists Mungunchimeg Buriad and Britton Day will accompany performances of Three Preludes and No Mans Land (Buriad), and Five Brahms Waltzes (Day). 

• Tamara Rojo will participate in a free PillowTalk discussion on Saturday, August 8 at 4pm ET in Blake’s Barn to discuss how SF Ballet is shaping the future of ballet and her experience as an artistic leader, moderated by the Jacob’s Pillow Scholar-in-Residence. 

Edinburgh International Festival (August 28–30) | Edinburgh, Scotland 

• SF Ballet returns to the Edinburgh International Festival for the first time in over 20 years with the European premiere of Mere Mortals, Tamara Rojo’s first commission for SF Ballet and SF Ballet’s first full-length commission from a female choreographer (Aszure Barton), which reimagines the myth of Pandora through the lens of our current technological age. Composer, producer, and electronic musician Floating Points will perform his original score live with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra alongside SF Ballet under the direction of Martin West.  

Sadler’s Wells (September 9–12) | London, England 

• Marking SF Ballet’s first visit to London since 2019, the Company will return to Sadler’s Wells with Mere Mortals to anchor the venue’s autumn season. Floating Points will perform his original score live with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia orchestra, under the direction of Martin West, from September 9–11. 

• Preceding the performance on Friday, September 11, Natalie Haynes, writer, broadcaster, and author of Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths, will give a pre-show talk that is free and open to all ticket holders for the evening’s performance.  

UK CASTING: Principal casting for Mere Mortals at the Edinburgh International Festival and Sadler’s Wells includes Principal Dancers Nikisha Fogo, Jennifer Stahl, and Wona Park as Pandora; Principal Dancers Cavan Conley and Joseph Walsh and Soloist Fernando Carratalá Coloma as Prometheus; Principal Dancer Harrison James and Corps de Ballet members Parker Garrison and Justin-Cooper Meeks as Epimetheus; and Principal Dancer Wei Wang and Soloists Luca Ferrò and Mingxuan Wang as Hope. 

Ballet Bend (September 25–26) | Bend, OR 

• To kick off Ballet Bend’s inaugural season at Tower Theatre, SF Ballet will perform Ben Stevenson’s Three Preludes as part of a mixed bill featuring Portland’s Open Space Dance and Charlotte Ballet designed to showcase three different styles of ballet. Casting includes Principal Dancers Jasmine Jimison and Harrison James. 

Fall for Dance at New York City Center (September 30–October 1) | New York, NY 

• Returning to Fall for Dance with a Company debut, SF Ballet will perform Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun ahead of its West Coast premiere in San Francisco this April. Refracting myth through a modern lens, Faun echoes the revolutionary sensuality of Nijinsky’s L’après-midi d’un faune with a visceral duet. Casting includes Demi Soloist Jacey Gailliard and Principal Dancer Wei Wang. 

SF Ballet School at Ballet Sun Valley (October 22–23) | Sun Valley, ID 

• SF Ballet School, led by School Director Grace Holmes, will return to Ballet Sun Valley’s annual fall festival for the seventh time this October with performances by the School’s pre-professional Trainees. Programming includes the Diana and Acteon pas de deux, excerpts from Swan Lake, and the concert version of Who Cares? by George Balanchine. Additional programming to be announced. 

About San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet, led by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, is a world-leading ballet company and a trailblazing commissioner, collaborator, and presenter in dance. With a deep commitment to new and contemporary works and the classical repertoire, SF Ballet is a catalyst for the future of ballet, investing in commissions and acquisitions; presenting established and emerging choreographers with a breadth of viewpoints; uplifting dancers, artists, and creatives across disciplines; and cultivating the next generation of the world’s top dancers in its School. 

About San Francisco Ballet School
Founded alongside the Company in 1933, San Francisco Ballet School is one of the most highly sought-after training institutions in the industry and the longest continuously operating professional ballet school in the United States. The program of San Francisco Ballet School, led by School Director Grace Holmes and Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, has a dual mission: to cultivate the next generation of professional ballet dancers for San Francisco Ballet and companies around the world, and to invite young children and adults to experience the joy and creativity of dance.

Contact
Public Relations, San Francisco Ballet
press@sfballet.org
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