San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet announce first co-commission of full-length ballet
- Ikuko
- Mar 1
- 2 min read
San Francisco Ballet (SFB) and The Joffrey Ballet announced the world premiere commission of Yuri Possokhov’s Eugene Onegin.
It is based on Alexander Pushkin's classic novel. It will be the first full-length co-production between SFB and The Joffrey Ballet, SFB said in a press release on 24th February 2025.
"The world premiere of Eugene Onegin will lead San Francisco Ballet’s 2026 repertory program at the War Memorial Opera House from January 23 to February 1, 2026, and close the Joffrey’s 2025–26 Season at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago, running from June 4–14, 2026," the press release said.
John Cranko's 1965 ballet Onegin is also based on Pushkin's Eugene Onegin.
The Joffrey Ballet announced its 2025-2026 season at Lyric Opera House on the same day, 24th February 2025.
The new season features four programmes, the U.S. premiere of Liam Scarlett’s Carmen,
Christopher Wheeldon's The Nutcracker, American Icon and Eugene Onegin, the company said in its press release.
American Icons is a programme of ballets by four trailblazing artists of the 20th century, including Secular Games by Martha Graham, Voluntaries by Glen Tetley, a founding member of The Joffrey Ballet, and Remembrances by the company co-founder Robert Joffrey and Kettentanz by Gerald Arpino, also a co-founder of the company.
The next season will mark The Joffrey Ballet’s 70th anniversary and 30 years of calling Chicago home.
For tickets and more details, click here.
SFB's British push
SFB will announce the full 2025-2026 season later in spring. The company is currently performing Tamara Rojo's Raymonda.
Joseph Caley will dance the role of John de Bryan on 1st and 8th March as a part of Artistic Director Rojo's push to bring, I believe it is safe to say, her British heritage to the Bay Area.
Caley, currently Principal of the Australian Ballet, danced the role in 2022 when Rojo's Raymonda premiered with the English National Ballet. She was ENB's artistic director then.
Crystal Costa, who was a dancer with Rojo's ENB, was invited to SFB as a stager of Akram Khan’s Dust, as part of the Cool Britannia programme in February.
As a personal note, I watched Rojo's Raymonda with ENB in 2022 in the London Coliseum with Shiori Kase as Raymonda, Isaac Hernández as John de Bryan, Jeffrey Cirio as Abdur, Precious Adams as Sister Clemence. I am afraid I cannot remember who Henriette was. To be brutally frank, if I may, the consensus among my friends and me was the dance, classical and character alike, was amazing but the costumes and the plot were somewhat awkward.
I saw Rojo performing in Dust as a part of the Lest We Forget triple bill in Sadler's Wells in London years ago. It was ace.
