(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) September 19, 2024—San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) is thrilled to announce principal casting for its highly anticipated Madrid tour, presenting Helgi Tomasson’s timeless Swan Lake at the Teatro Real from October 15–22.
Casting for this landmark engagement includes Principal Dancers Sasha De Sola, Wona Park, Nikisha Fogo, and Jasmine Jimison as Odette/Odile, and Principal Dancers Aaron Robison, Wei Wang, Max Cauthorn, and Harrison James as Prince Siegfried. James will be making his production debut in Tomasson’s Swan Lake, having formerly danced as Prince Siegfried in Karen Kain’s Swan Lake with The National Ballet of Canada.
SF Ballet is undertaking its first international tour since 2019 and first under the direction of Artistic Director Tamara Rojo following her appointment in 2022 as the first woman and fifth overall artistic director in the world-renown company’s 91-year history. This tour marks SF Ballet’s first-ever engagement in Madrid and a homecoming occasion for Rojo, who spent her formative years in Madrid before establishing a global career as a celebrated leader and award-winning principal dancer. Each performance promises to enchant and inspire, showcasing the Company’s distinct blend of tradition and bold innovation under Rojo’s leadership.
SF Ballet is available for interviews and media opportunities.
Tickets & Performance Dates/Times
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 – 19:30 (De Sola/Robison)
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 – 19:30 (Park/Wang)
Thursday, October 17, 2024 – 19:30 (Fogo/Cauthorn)
Friday, October 18, 2024 – 19:30 (Jimison/James)
Saturday, October 19, 2024 – 17:00 (De Sola/Robison) and 21:00 (Park/Wang)
Monday, October 21, 2024 – 19:30 (Fogo/Cauthorn)
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 – 19:30 (Jimison/James)
Swan Lake, the most well-known of the classical ballets, made its U.S. premiere at SF Ballet in 1940. Tomasson’s Swan Lake includes set and costume designs by Tony Award–winner Jonathan Fensom and is danced to the score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, performed in Madrid by the Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real under the direction of SF Ballet Music Director and Principal Conductor Martin West. Swan Lake offers a dramatic and choreographic challenge for the dancer in the dual role of Odette/Odile, who encompasses both the innocence of Odette and the flashy malevolence of Odile. This production also showcases male dancers in the first act, offers standout moments for the corps of 30 swans, retains Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s original second act, and adds a divertissement in the third. It has remained one of the most popular productions in the company’s repertory since its premiere in 2009.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit teatroreal.es
Swan Lake
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Black Swan Pas de Deux and Act II Choreography: after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Scenery and Costume Design: Jonathan Fensom
Lighting Design: Jennifer Tipton
Projection Design: Sven Ortel
Hair, Wig and Make-up Design: Michael Ward
Additional Principal Coaching: Julio Bocca
World Premiere (Choreography by Julius Reisinger): March 4, 1877—Bolshoi Theatre; Moscow, Russia
Petipa-Ivanov Production Premiere: February 8, 1895—Mariinsky Theatre; St. Petersburg, Russia
SF Ballet Premiere (Choreography by Willam Christensen): September 27, 1940—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
Current Production Premiere: February 21, 2009—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
Run time: 2 hours and 33 minutes with two intermissions
MEDIA CONTACTS
International & national media:
Josh Balber / Emma Gold / Aliyah Armstrong, Resnicow and Associates
212-671-5175 / 212-671-5186 / 212-671-5179
jbalber@resnicow.com / egold@resnicow.com / aarmstrong@resnicow.com
Spanish media:
Macarena Blanchón
+ 34 646 91 90 71
macarena.blanchon@blanchon.agency
San Francisco media:
Kate McKinney, San Francisco Ballet
415-865-6610
kmckinney@sfballet.org
ABOUT THE TEATRO REAL
Located in one of the most important historical quarters of Madrid, the Teatro Real is at the hub of the Spanish capital’s most ambitious 19th-century town planning project: next to the Austrias district and facing the Royal Palace. The inside space of 78,210 square meters in the Teatro Real make this iconic building unique. The main auditorium, which seats 1746 (depending on the size of the orchestra pit), is a copy of the 1850 original when the theatre was inaugurated. Behind its curtain, this landmark building conceals one of the most advanced theatre stages in Europe, with innovative technology permitting various sets to be used and replaced at record speed thanks to a system of overlapping platforms.
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
San Francisco Ballet, led by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, is a world-leading ballet company and a trailblazing commissioner, collaborator, and presenter in dance. With a deep commitment to new and contemporary works and the classical repertoire, SF Ballet is a catalyst for the future of ballet, investing in commissions and acquisitions; presenting established and emerging choreographers with a breadth of viewpoints; uplifting dancers, artists, and creatives across disciplines; and cultivating the next generation of the world’s top dancers in its School.