The World Beyond the Stage

Regardless of the scale of a ballet work, from solo dancer to grand full-length ballet, the wardrobe, hair/wig, and make-up on the dancer(s) are an integral part of how audiences take in a performance. To that end, SF Ballet's Production Department retains dedicated staff for each of these aspects to prepare dancers and to give them the necessary tools needed so that for each performance, SF Ballet dancers go on stage looking their best from head to toe.  

The most fundamental costume piece associated with ballet is the pointe shoe. Properly fitted shoes are crucial for ballet dancers to execute the complex movements audiences see on stage. Dancers use varying techniques to customize their pointe shoes to their needs in rehearsal and in performance, depending on the ballet being performed. Due to the nature and construction of pointe shoes, dancers will go through a pair of brand-new shoes in one evening, and if it's a demanding performance, such as a story ballet, maybe even only one act.  

For full-length story ballets, scenic design is an integral part of how the story is told.  SF Ballet’s Nutcracker sets have had many changes throughout the years. From using  repurposed materials during wartime for the first production in 1944 to the opulent design of the current production that premiered in 2004, the sets for Nutcracker, and so many other such ballets, play a significant part in how audience members experience a performance.

As these sets will usually have several moving components, the Stage Manager plays a critical role in running the show, overseeing everything happening off and onstage, allowing for the performances to proceed as seamlessly as possible. This aspect is also just one part of the stage manager's role, as not only do they manage the physical set changes, but the start/stop of the show, light cues, and other related aspects. 

SF BALLET ORCHESTRA

Music is inextricably linked to any ballet performance. Throughout its history, SF Ballet has been accompanied by talented musicians. In 1975, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra was formally established, with renowned conductor Denis de Couteau as the first Music Director, a position he held until 1998, when he retired as Music Director Emeritus. de Coteau sadly passed away the following year in 1999. On January 5, 2022, SF Ballet announced a new partnership with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to create a new fellowship advancing opportunities for black musicians. In honor of the new fellowship, several members of the SF Ballet Orchestra shared their remembrances of de Coteau and his legacy here.

In 2005, Martin West was named Music Director and Principal Conductor. Since then, he has made a number of critically-acclaimed recordings with the SF Ballet Orchestra, with the Orchestra winning 2 Grammy Awards in 2015. 

A NEW DIGITAL FRONTIER

When the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the 2020 SF Ballet season to abruptly end, the Company had to pivot in a new direction to allow performances to reach its audiences. While performances are always recorded for archival purposes and select performances have been recorded for broadcast on television and/or cinemas, SF Ballet filmed a performance of George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream on March 14, 2020, specifically intended for online streaming. Subsequently, world premieres from choreographers Danielle Rowe and Myles Thatcher were reimagined as dance films, which premiered as part of San Francisco Ballet's first ever all-digital season in 2021.