San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) has revealed its 2026–2027 Season. Curated by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, the season explores ballet’s rich and wide-ranging legacy while pointing to its continued evolution, spearheaded by the art form’s most adventurous visionaries.
SF Ballet’s new season includes a mixed-bill reimagining the spirit of the Ballets Russes for today that includes a world premiere commission from Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, presented alongside Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun and Yuri Possokhov’s Violin Concerto; a world premiere commission from William Forsythe for the 2027 Opening Night Gala; an evening-length program of all three works in George Balanchine’s Jewels, performed by the Company in its entirety for the first time in 17 years; a showcase of Europe’s leading contemporary choreographers, including Hans van Manen, Christopher Wheeldon, and Akram Khan; sumptuous story ballets including The Sleeping Beauty and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and more.
SF Ballet’s reach extends beyond San Francisco as the company embarks on a landmark tour this summer, returning to Jacob’s Pillow for their annual Festival for the first time 70 years after the company’s East Coast debut, and bringing Mere Mortals overseas, presenting its European premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival and anchoring Sadler’s Wells’ autumn season.
SF Ballet’s 2026–27 Season will include several highlights. The annual tradition of The Nutcracker returns as the beloved family holiday favorite, set in San Francisco and honoring the company’s legacy as the first to present a full-length production of the ballet.
The season will also feature Helgi Tomasson’s The Sleeping Beauty after Marius Petipa, a ballet for all ages that preserves the grandeur of this 19th-century classic, widely regarded as the pinnacle of the classical ballet canon.
A standout mixed bill titled Titans of Choreography will showcase the stylistic diversity of three major contemporary European choreographers: the precision of Hans van Manen’s Grosse Fuge, the lyricism of Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, and the visceral storytelling of Akram Khan’s Dust.
George Balanchine’s Jewels will return to the War Memorial Opera House in full for the first time since 2009. This beloved work explores ballet’s cultural lineage across France (Emeralds), the United States (Rubies), and Imperial Russia (Diamonds).
The season also includes Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a magical journey through William Shakespeare’s enchanted forest, complete with costume and set designs by French designer Christian Lacroix.
Divine Creatures, another mixed bill, pays homage to Sergei Diaghilev’s revolutionary Ballets Russes. It features a world premiere by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber with music by Andy Akiho, the SF Ballet debut of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun — which reinterprets Nijinsky and Debussy’s mythic visions through a modern lens — and Yuri Possokhov’s technically brilliant Violin Concerto.
Finally, the season will welcome the return of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, the high-drama story ballet centered on the struggles of a tragic heroine and widely considered one of the choreographer’s finest works.
“SF Ballet’s 2026–27 season brings together a remarkable constellation of legendary artists—visionaries who have shaped the trajectory of ballet and those who continue to define it today,” said Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of SF Ballet. “I’m especially thrilled to bring Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, a creative partnership that is redefining what contemporary choreography can be, to San Francisco. Rooted in risk and reinvention, and with a wide range of stories and emotions captured on stage, this season will serve as a powerful reminder that ballet is ever-evolving—and has never been more vital.”
Single tickets for the 2026–27 Season will go on sale this fall. Packages are on sale in July.
In August 2026, SF Ballet joins the 94th season of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, returning to the Berkshires exactly 70 years after the company’s East Coast debut in 1956, the last time the company performed at the festival. An expansive two-stage engagement will feature a mixed program comprised of works by choreographers including William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, and Tamara Rojo.
Later in August, SF Ballet will present the European premiere of Mere Mortals as the Edinburgh International Festival’s (EIF) flagship dance performance, returning for the first time in 20 years alongside other handpicked programs of world-leading opera, music, and theater. Rojo’s inaugural commission for the Company and SF Ballet’s first full-length commission from a female choreographer (Aszure Barton), the EIF engagement of Mere Mortals will feature electronic music producer, DJ, and composer Floating Points performing his original score live alongside the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Mere Mortals will then travel to Sadler’s Wells in London as the anchor of the venue’s autumn season, with a four-evening engagement featuring Floating Points performing alongside the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
Additional touring engagements in 2026 will be announced on a later date.
Visit sfballet.org for more details about the 2026-27 Season.
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