NUTCRACKER to Return to San Francisco Ballet in December

This winter, from December 8-27, San Francisco Ballet will return to the stage with thirty-three performances of Helgi Tomasson's Nutcracker, a Bay Area tradition of the past eighteen years. This year's performances feature the complete roster of 110 SF Ballet School children dancing across the casts-returning to pre-pandemic levels-as bugs, soldiers, mice, and partygoers, returning in full following last year's condensed number of 64 children. "This is a most joyous return to the stage for our students, many of whom have missed their favorite holiday tradition over the past three years," says SF Ballet School Director Patrick Armand. "Nutcracker offers an invaluable opportunity to prepare a dancer for their career, to instill professional values and rigor in a supportive and fun environment-we are thrilled to be back."

Nutcracker also offers audiences the chance to see dancers new to SF Ballet's roster of 83 artists, including Principal Dancers Nikisha Fogo and Isaac Hernández, and Soloist Katherine Barkman dance in lead roles such as the Sugarplum Fairy, The Nutcracker Prince, and King and Queen of the Snow. Set in San Francisco in 1915 during the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Tomasson's Nutcracker features designs by Tony Award winners Michael Yeargan (scenic) and Martin Pakledinaz (costume), lighting designs by James F. Ingalls, and projection design by Wendall K. Harrington, and an iconic blizzard of 150 pounds of snow billowing from the fly space. In 1944, SF Ballet became the first ballet company in the United States to perform a complete version of Nutcracker, establishing a holiday tradition that resonates today.

On Sunday, December 18, returning for the first time since 2019, SF Ballet will open its studios for three in-person Nutcracker-themed workshops for audiences of all ages and experience levels. Originally created in partnership with Autism Fun Bay Area and College of Adaptive Arts, SF Ballet's Nutcracker Sensory-Friendly Dance Workshop offers guests of all abilities the chance to interact with Nutcracker's story, choreography, music, and costumes up close. For children ages 3-6 and their families, SF Ballet will also offer two Nutcracker Let's Dance Family Workshops that explore ballet through hands-on, interactive activities and storytelling. The workshops will be held on December 18; tickets go on sale on November 1.

Nutcracker Benefit Luncheon: Land of Dreams returns on Sunday, December 11, 2022 at San Francisco City Hall and the War Memorial Opera House. Featuring lunch, sweet treats, and activities followed by a performance of Nutcracker, the event's proceeds benefit SF Ballet School's world-renowned training, Youth Programs, and scholarship funds. The event is currently sold out; contact 415-865-6625 or msullivan@sfballet.org with any questions or to add your name to the waitlist for tickets.

Fun Facts about Tomasson's Nutcracker

Nutcracker features 83 Company dancers and 110 SF Ballet School students in 183 breathtaking costumes, the largest production in SF Ballet's 90-year history.
150 pounds of "snow" are used for each performance, requiring at least 12 stagehands to deploy. The snow is also recycled from year to year, which means that some of it is from 2004, the year of the premiere.
Nutcracker uses 45 stagehands while a typical triple-bill performance uses approximately 20.
The houses on the street drop in Act 1 are based on San Francisco's iconic "Painted Ladies."
Nutcracker tickets start at $19 and may be purchased online at sfballet.org or by calling 415-865-2000, Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm Pacific.

Casting for Nutcracker will be available here at least one week before each performance. Press images for Nutcracker are available on the online press photos page.

NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCE DATES

DAY
DATE
TIME
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Monday
Tuesday
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 16
December 17
December 18
December 20
December 21
December 22
December 23
December 24
December 26
December 27
7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
2 pm, 7 pm
11 am, 4 pm
11 am, 4 pm
11 am, 4 pm

COVID-19 SAFETY POLICIES

In adherence with requirements contained in federal, state, and local health orders, the War Memorial Opera House does not require patrons to wear masks while in the venue, or to provide proof of COVID-negative tests, vaccinations, and/or boosters. The Opera House strongly encourages all unvaccinated persons to wear well-fitted masks and permits eating and drinking to take place in designated areas. More information on policy changes can be found here.

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

San Francisco Ballet is one of the world's leading ballet companies. As a commissioner, collaborator, and presenter, the Ballet performs locally, nationally, and internationally with the top choreographers, artists, and dancers while proudly celebrating its trailblazing role in dance. Since its founding in 1933 as the first professional ballet company in the United States, the organization has been an innovator in dance and an originator of well-loved cultural traditions, from staging the first American production of Swan Lake to being the first company in the United States to present an annual holiday Nutcracker. In the progressive, innovative spirit of San Francisco, its mission is to share the beauty of classical and contemporary ballet, the joyful, transformative experience of dance performance by artists working at the highest caliber, and to provide exceptional training opportunities for the next generation of professional dancers in its School.

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