CREATION HOUSE
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MEET CREATION HOUSE, A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND CREATIVE INCUBATOR
Welcome to Creation House, a new initiative offering SF Ballet company members, SF Ballet School students, and guest artists an expansive portfolio of choreographic opportunities.
The program is dedicated to research, creation, and talent development, and provides a ladder of opportunity through the school, company and beyond. With space and time for creative exploration and mentorship, four strands of activity illustrate SFB’s commitment to innovation, nurturing upcoming talent, and connecting artists.
The strands of activity within Creation House are:
Choreographic Residencies
Choreographic Residencies are dedicated to supporting the creation of bold, new, contemporary works by established international choreographers who are commissioned by SF Ballet. These residencies will offer focused studio time built into the company’s schedule to explore, experiment, and develop the concept of a work before embarking on the formal creation process.
Where relevant, this developmental phase will also foster dialogue with collaborators in other disciplines (like music, production design, and costume design), allowing space for creatives to find shared language and entry points to the work.
Choreographer Aszure Barton and the creative team for Mere Mortals, which opened the 2024 Season, have been the first to hold a Choreographic Residency with the company.
The Choreographic Exchange and Physical Play workshops
Choreographic Exchange sessions make space for visiting international choreographers to lead informal discussions about their creative practice and career with company dancers who have an interest in choreography. This opportunity will also be offered to budding choreographers at SF Ballet School, ODC/Dance artists, and composers at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a passion for dance composition.
An extension of the Choreographic Exchange sessions, Physical Play Workshops will be led by the visiting artist and continue their conversation into the studio. Providing exercises and tasks to examine alternative approaches to making dance, visiting choreographers and participating artists can play and explore new ideas together without the pressure of producing a finished result.
Creation House launches with a Choreographic Exchange session led by Arielle Smith, a visiting choreographer from London who has been commissioned to develop a reimagined Carmen for the 2024 Season.
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“I truly enjoyed these conversations and learned a lot from them. It was interesting and inspiring to hear the personal stories of these fantastic choreographers who have excelled in the field.”
– SF Ballet company dancer and participant of the Choreographic Exchange conversations
“I came out of each session wanting to dance even more! It was refreshing to be in a space where I could freely explore my abilities.”
– SF Ballet company dancer and participant of the Physical Play workshops
ChoreoLabs
ChoreoLabs is a research and development platform designed for early-career choreographers both within the company and from across the discipline, grounded in an explorative and research-led practice. Scheduled for a two-week period during the company’s summer break (beginning in 2024), ChoreoLabs will offer emerging choreographers studio space, dancers (a combination of those from the company, ODC/Dance, and freelance artists), and time to trial fresh choreographic ideas, providing an opportunity to gain the experience needed for future commissions.
The SF Ballet School Choreographic Program
The SF Ballet School Choreographic Program is a commitment to encouraging and developing the skills of young choreographers. Starting in Year 7 and up to the Trainee level, the goal of the program is for students to have had the opportunity to choreograph and have new work made on them by their peers, company members, and professional artists by the time they finish their training at SF Ballet School.
"To be able to listen to Tamara and Kerry’s perspectives, get their feedback, advice, mentoring, and to hear about their own experiences, is invaluable."
– Pemberley Olson
Corps de ballet dancer with the company and recipient of the first Creation House commission to choreograph on the school students.
