Closer Than Yesterday, directed by Lisa Le Lievre, follows San Francisco Ballet’s Carmela Mayo as she prepares for the 2022 Helsinki International Ballet Competition. The documentary shows Mayo, who had recently recovered from surgery, rehearsing competition variations with partner Esteban Cuadrado and coach Tiit Helimets. A series of twists and turns complicate the days leading […]

A shower of flowers and a sustained standing ovation marked the end of an era: Yuan Yuan Tan’s retirement from San Francisco Ballet after almost 30 years on February 14, her 48th birthday. A muse to choreographers, an inspiration to generations of dancers, and a deeply beloved audience favorite, Tan, known as YY to friends and colleagues, played a central role in the company’s success during Helgi Tomasson’s­ long tenure as artistic director.

For dancers, strengthening acting ability can enhance not only artistry and confidence but also storytelling onstage. After all, there is a lot of overlap between the two art forms. “Acting is mostly listening and being present,” says Isadora Wolfe, the associate artistic director of Sleep No More and a teacher of the Acting for Dancers class at The Juilliard School. “Dancers have those skills. That’s what we’re doing all the time: listening in a million different ways.”

The spring performance season is moving full steam ahead with literary-inspired ballets, a queer reimagining of Carmen, and premieres drawing from everything from the upcoming solar eclipse to contemporary American politics. Here’s what’s grabbing our attention.

It’s a big year for ballet lovers. On Wednesday, November 1, get ready to celebrate the 10th anniversary of World Ballet Day! For the past decade, the annual event has given viewers an inside look at classes, rehearsals, and performance previews through livestreams from companies across the globe. This year’s celebration, hosted by The Royal Ballet, […]

Unexpected collaborations, women-led ballets, superstar choreographers turning their talents to opera and musical theater, singular dancemakers wrestling with issues of labor, environmental justice, and more—here’s what our contributors are looking forward to most as the 2023–24 season gets underway.

A plethora of premieres and a pair of limited engagement touring appearances add up to a packed dance calendar, from coast to coast and even across the pond. Here’s what has us most intrigued.

Being at San Francisco Ballet for more than 10 years has shown me that classical ballet isn’t just a physical activity; it is a language, a way of expression, and it connects people. Being the first Asian male principal dancer in the company’s history has allowed me to bring my culture into my work.