Touring a big dance company is challenging at the best of times, never mind the fiscal constraints and travel uncertainties of today. And yet, just when circumstances are as difficult as ever, San Francisco Ballet is planning an extensive American tour — the show must go on.
As SF Ballet Executive Director Branislav Henselmann told SF Classical Voice: “While touring requires significant financial investment and complex logistical coordination — from transporting sets and costumes to accommodating our large company of dancers and musicians — the value it provides is unmatched. Through touring, the Ballet serves as an ambassador for our distinctive artistry and the innovative spirit of San Francisco itself."
SF Ballet’s fall itinerary is as follows:
— Akram Khan’s Dust at the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center, Sept. 16-17
— Liam Scarlett’s Frankenstein at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA, Oct. 2-5
— Mixed repertoire by the SF Ballet School trainees, including a world premiere by Myles Thatcher, with Ballet Sun Valley at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum, Idaho, Oct. 23-24
— A Works & Process discussion about Yuri Possokhov’s Eugene Onegin with the choreographer, SF Ballet’s artistic director Rojo, and Joffrey Ballet’s artistic director Ashley Wheater at New York’s Guggenheim Museum on Nov. 1. The event will include the first public look into rehearsals for the new work ahead of the January 2026 world premiere, with excerpts performed by company dancers.
Touring and collaborating with other companies has been a hallmark of SF Ballet since the company was founded in 1933 by the Christensen brothers from Utah. After a storied career with George Balanchine’s American Ballet, Lew Christensen returned to the West Coast in 1949 to lead SF Ballet for over two decades.
In another long-term leadership role, former Balanchine danseur noble star Helgi Tomasson spent 37 years as artistic director and principal choreographer at SF Ballet, taking the company to New York eight times, hosting 12 ballet companies for “United We Dance: An International Festival” marking the United Nation’s 50th anniversary, and producing a festival of 12 new ballets by international choreographers in 2018.
Tamara Rojo, Tomasson’s successor and the current SF Ballet artistic director, knows as much as anyone about touring.
“Our trip to Madrid last fall was thrilling for the company. We are very excited to perform for audiences across the country and expand upon the company’s rich history of touring repertoire that reflects the breadth and renowned artistry that defines SF Ballet,” Rojo said.
“From a new work developed through our Creation House initiative staged on our incredible trainees, to two stops in New York City that bring innovative voices and exceptional collaborators to the forefront, the performances this fall represent the company’s approach to pushing the boundaries of ballet, which will continue for our local audiences during our 2025–26 mainstage season,” Rojo continued.
Henselmann said of the plans: “We're able to share our original contemporary commissions, such as our upcoming Onegin, with new audiences, showcasing our world-class dancers alongside the unique creative DNA of the Bay Area; a region where artistic innovation and technological advancement converge in ways found nowhere else.
“These performances allow audiences across the country and world to experience how Bay Area artists grapple with contemporary questions through ballet, making each tour an opportunity to represent our company's artistic vision and the broader cultural identity of our home region.”
