An Invitation to Dance from San Francisco Ballet

SF Ballet Student Showcase, Red Carpet Bay Area
San Francisco Ballet School students in Neumeier's Yondering. (© Chris Hardy)

San Francisco Ballet School Student Showcase at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater May 25 – 27, 2016, celebrated and highlighted the diversity of talent in the school. From young students beginning their training to advanced students on the verge of professional dance careers. Student performances featured class demonstrations by Level 2-8 students, choreographed by faculty member Parrish Maynard. Trainees and various upper-level students performed excerpts from John Neumeier’s Yondering, a world premiere by Maynard, Marius Petipa’s Le Corsaire pas de trois, SF Ballet soloist James Sofranko’s Means to an End, and SF Ballet Corps de Ballet member Wei Wang’s Focus.

“Student Showcase features some of the brightest young talents in ballet today and you’ll see them in a wide variety of contemporary and classical works,” said SF Ballet School Associate Director Patrick Armand. “Our integrated and varied training program makes our students incredibly versatile so that they’re prepared for a professional career and are able to work with any choreographer, company, and style of movement.”

Scenes from An Invitation to Dance, San Francisco Ballet Student Showcase and San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary Benefit Dinner:

San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary hosted a benefit dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel following the performance on May 26th. Chairs Michelle Gilman Jasen and Samara Diapoulos welcomed some 400 supporters and raised funds for scholarships and financial aid programs for SF Ballet School students in need.

SF Ballet Auxiliary event photos by Drew Altizer Photography

— Related — more Red Carpet Bay Area coverage of SF Ballet Student Showcase events: