An Interview with Alexandra Newman

SF Ballet trustee and former Company dancer on the nutcracker benefit luncheon and community partnerships

Alexandra Newman, San Francisco Ballet Trustee, and former SF Ballet Company dancer, is the co-chair of this year’s Nutcracker Benefit Luncheon: Land of Dreams, but her connection to SF Ballet and Nutcracker runs even deeper. Here she shares her journey to the Land of Dreams!  

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What is your earliest Nutcracker memory?

ALEXANDRA NEWMAN: This December, thirty-four years ago, marks my first SF Ballet Nutcracker experience—I sat on the edge of my seat for the entire performance. As the curtain fell, I declared I wanted to be a ballerina someday, and I never looked back! That magical experience sparked 15 years of classical ballet training, nearly 10 years as a professional dancer at SF Ballet, and, most importantly, a lifelong passion for supporting the arts.

SFB: What makes the Nutcracker Luncheon so meaningful to you?

AN: The Nutcracker Benefit Luncheon supports a wide range of SF Ballet important community and education initiatives. Having two young boys myself, sharing the joy of dance with the largest possible audience, especially children in our community, is very meaningful to me.

One partnership benefitting directly from this event is the work we do with the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco. What started with just one Clubhouse in 2015 has grown to reach more than 1,000 youths at 12 locations. From Nutcracker viewing parties to Summer Dance Camp, proceeds raised help provide equitable access to performances, film screenings, after-school residencies, and dance and music classes.

SFB: What are you most excited about for this year’s Nutcracker Benefit Luncheon? 

AN: This year, I’m joined by my good friend Sarah Heck and look forward to sharing this experience with her and our families. My son Liam has joined us the last two years, but this year will be the first year my son Charlie will attend, and I can’t wait for him to experience both the luncheon and the performance.

Each year we work with talented vendors and SF Ballet’s remarkable production team to transform the venue into a magical Land of Dreams and can’t wait to see what they do this year.

Lastly, the afternoon ends with the one-and-only San Francisco blizzard onstage at the War Memorial Opera House. While San Francisco Ballet Orchestra plays carols, the young (and the young at heart) get to twirl, dance, and play in the snow!

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