San Francisco Ballet Ushered in a New Era at its Opening Night Gala

On Wednesday evening, guests arrived at San Francisco’s City Hall in black tie to attend the Opening Night Gala for the San Francisco Ballet. Not only did the night signal the start of a season, but it also served as the city’s official welcome to Tamara Rojo, the company’s glamorous new artistic director. (She was previously the English National Ballet's artistic director and a lead principal dancer there.)

Dressed in a gold lamé gown and headband, Rojo held court at a cocktail party and dinner hosted at City Hall; trumpeters in the rotunda of the Beaux-Arts building signaled it was time to sit for dinner at around 6 p.m.

Among the dinner party guests were the legendary Rita Moreno (who sported tinsel in her gray hair for added flair), actor Ana de la Reguera (who was wearing a sculptural jacket she found at a vintage store in her native Mexico), Nancy Pelosi, and her husband, Mr. Paul Pelosi, who together served as this year’s honorary chairs.

After dinner, at quarter to 8 p.m., the trumpeters were back, and they played once again to urge guests to cross Van Ness Avenue and enter the War Memorial Opera House, home of the San Francisco Ballet, for a performance.

Splashed on the exterior of the theater were posters announcing Mere Mortals, a new ballet from choreographer Aszure Barton, which will mark Rojo’s first major contribution to the company. But that wouldn’t premiere for a couple of days; instead, the gala’s program consisted of greatest hits, so to speak, including pas de deuxs from Justin Peck’s Hurry Up We’re Dreaming, Marius Petipa’s Diana and Actaeon, and Swan Lake. The latter was performed by Sasha de Sola and Isaac Hernández, Rojo’s husband, who recently returned to the company as a principal dancer after getting his start there in the corps de ballet in 2008.

“Some will be teasers of the season, some will be crowd pleasers, some are just nice to have,” said Rojo of the night’s program. “But it's all to celebrate the outstanding diversity of this beautiful company.”

After the audience heard from board chair Alison Mauzé, Rojo spoke to the room. As a dancer, she knows a thing or two about timing, and skillfully built anticipation for the forthcoming Mere Mortals.

“This is a work inspired by artificial intelligence, the technology that’s being developed just streets away from where we are, and it has brought together the most exciting team of artists,” she told the audience. “I have a small request for you this evening. If you haven't got it yet, please purchase your tickets for Mere Mortals. You shouldn't miss it.”

Those in the room—the theater consisted of the city’s most dedicated balletomanes—needed little convincing to return to the ballet, but if they did, Rojo’s words certainly did the trick.