Join Jennie Scholick, PhD for a quick overview of George Balanchine's& A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hear about the ballet's creation in 1960s New York, revisit the story to figure out which dancer is Hermia and which one is Helena, and find out what to look for in this magical and mystical ballet!

Swan Lake may be the most iconic ballet in history. But despite its success today, the creation of Swan Lake in 19th-century Russia was far from smooth-sailing. For one, Tchaikovsky bristled at the idea of being labeled a “ballet specialist” like Ludwig Minkus, who would compose bars of music to spec: 8 bars of “happy” music for an entrance, or 16 bars of “dramatic” music for a finale, depending on the choreographer’s needs. Plus, the premiere of the ballet in Moscow was deemed a critical failure. Among all the challenges associated with its debut, how did this ballet find its wings and soar to success?

Ah, yes: star-crossed lovers, show-stopping swordsmanship, and a tragic ending for the ages. On the surface, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet seems like a natural and easy fit for the balletic stage. But the conception of this now-classic ballet, which has only been around for about 80 years, came with a host of challenges for its composer, Sergei Prokofiev. In this episode of To The Pointe, learn about the USSR’s influence on the original ballet and how it’s morphed over time, landing at SF Ballet in 1994 when Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson put his own spin on the classic love story.

Join Jennie Scholick, PhD for a deep dive into Nutcracker. Learn about this iconic ballet’s history, story, and what to look for. 









































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All You Need to Know About Program 05 Before You Watch

Program 05 includes three ballets made expressly for San Francisco Ballet dancers: Helgi Tomasson’s 7 for Eight, Cathy Marston’s Snowblind, and David Dawson’s Anima Animus. In this episode of To The Pointe, learn about the job of a principal choreographer, hear from Cathy Marston and Principal Dancer Sarah Van Patten in their own words about creating Zeena in Snowblind, and discover more about the gender role play on display in Dawson’s Anima Animus.
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This production was part of the 2021 Season
Header Photo: San Francisco Ballet in Marston’s Snowblind // © Erik Tomasson

George Balanchine's Jewels comprises three ballets—Rubies, Emeralds, and Diamonds—that evoke the styles and moods of the United States, France, and Russia, respectively. Get to know a bit about Jewels, its creation in 1967, and what to look for in each ballet before this dazzling classic hits the screen on April 1 during SF Ballet's 2021 Digital Season. 

Get a quick overview of the three ballets that make up Program 03: Ratmansky’s Symphony #9, Danielle Rowe’s Wooden Dimes, and Yuri Possokhov’s Swimmer.

All You Need to Know About the 2021 Digital Season Before You Watch!
If To The Pointe is like a mini audio program note, this episode is like a mini-mini program note. Get a quick overview of the entire 2021 Season, and hear from choreographer Danielle Rowe and Artistic Director & Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson in their own words about their works. Tune in to later episodes for deeper dives into each program!
Check out the 2021 season
Header Image: Sarah Van Patten in Rowe’s Wooden Dimes // © Lindsay Gauthier

Join Associate Director of Audience Development, Jennie Scholick, PhD for a deep dive into the three ballets on Program 3: Dance Innovations. Hear from Edwaard Liang, Trey McIntyre, Johnny Eliason, and Lise Lander and find out what to look for in this exciting lineup of ballets.

Like what you heard? Subscribe to our To the Pointe podcast on Apple Podcasts to access archived episodes and have new ones delivered straight to your devices!

Header Image: Yuan Yuan Tan and Vitor Luiz in Liang’s The Infinite Ocean // © Erik Tomasson

Gong, chimes, woodblocks…. typewriter? In this special edition of To The Pointe, David Rosenthal, SF Ballet Orchestra’s Principal Percussionist, discusses his role in “The Typewriter,”  composer Leroy Anderson’s most famous novelty number and one of eleven pieces in Mark Morris’s Sandpaper Ballet, onstage February 11–22.

At the end of the podcast, David performs a snippet of the piece with help from PR & Communications Manager Kate McKinney, who “chimes” in with the carriage return. 

Join Associate Director of Audience Development, Jennie Scholick, PhD for an exploration of the ballets on Program 2: Classical (Re)Vision. Hear from choreographer Stanton Welch and find out what to look for in his Bespoke, the rotating Director’s Choice ballets, and Mark Morris’s Sandpaper Ballet.

Like what you heard? Subscribe to our To the Pointe podcast on Apple Podcasts to access archived episodes and have new ones delivered straight to your devices!

Header Image: Jennifer Stahl and Carlo Di Lanno in Welch’s Bespoke // © Erik Tomasson

Join SF Ballet’s Jennie Scholick for a surprise summer season preview. Learn what SF Ballet’s up to this summer and what to look forward to on the 2020 season!

Like what you heard? Subscribe to our To the Pointe podcast on Apple Podcasts to access archived episodes and have new ones delivered straight to your devices!

Header image: San Francisco Ballet in Liang’s The Infinite Ocean // © Erik Tomasson



2020 Season Tickets Available Now

Join SF Ballet’s Jennie Scholick and Martin West and American Ballet Theatre’s Nancy Raffa for a deep dive into Alexei Ratmansky’s Shostakovich Trilogy, opening May 7. Learn about Ratmansky, Shostakovich, the ballet’s creation, and what to look for in this informative audio program note.

Like what you heard? Subscribe to our To the Pointe podcast on Apple Podcasts to access archived episodes and have new ones delivered straight to your devices!

Header image: SF Ballet in Ratmansky’s Shostakovich Trilogy // © Erik Tomasson

Join SF Ballet’s Jennie Scholick, PhD for a (not-too) deep dive into John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid. Learn about it’s creator, the plot, and what to look for in this engaging audio program note!

Like what you heard? Subscribe to our To the Pointe podcast on Apple Podcasts to access archived episodes and have new ones delivered straight to your devices!

Header image: Yuan Yuan Tan in Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid  // © Erik Tomasson

SF Ballet’s Jennie Scholick, PhD dives deep into Program 05: Lyric Voices. Learn about Trey McIntyre’s Your Flesh Shall Be a Great Poem, Christopher Wheeldon’s Bound To©, and Yuri Possokhov’s “…two united in a single soul…” and find out what to look for in these ballets!

Header image: Dores André and Benjamin Freemantle in Wheeldon’s Bound To © // Photo © Erik Tomasson

Join SF Ballet’s Jennie Scholick, to learn about Program 06: Space Between. From Justin Peck’s Rodeo, to Liam Scarlett’s Die Toteninsel, to Arthur Pita’s Björk Ballet, this program has something for everyone. Hear about the creative process, the music, and what to look for in these three ballets.

Header image: Dores André in Pita’s Björk Ballet // © Erik Tomasson

Join Jennie Scholick, PhD for a quick overview of The Sleeping Beauty‘s creation, story, and choreography. Learn what to look and listen for, and discover some fun facts along the way!







Header image: San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson’s The Sleeping Beauty // © Erik Tomasson

Join SF Ballet’s Jennie Scholick, PhD to learn all about Program 3: In Space and Time. This episode covers Helgi Tomasson’s neoclassical The Fifth Season, Cathy Marston’s dramatic Snowblind, and Harald Lander’s thrilling Etudes–and you’ll get a peak behind the scenes as we talk to Cathy Marston about her ballet and to repetiteur Johnny Eliasen about Etudes. If you like minimalist music, 19th-century literature, or Degas paintings, this program may have something for you.

Header image: Mathilde Froustey and Ulrik Birkkjaer in Marston’s Snowblind // © Erik Tomasson

Join SF Ballet's Jennie Scholick, PhD to learn all about Program 02: Kaleidoscope. From George Balanchine's classical Divertimento No.15, to Benjamin Millepied's romantic Appassionata, to Justin Peck's contemporary Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, this program has something for everyone.

Join Jennie Scholick, PhD for a deep dive into Don Quixote, appearing at San Francisco Ballet in January 2019. Learn about this iconic ballet’s history, story, and what to look for. 







Header Photo: Jim Sohm in Tomasson/Possokhov’s Don Quixote // © Erik Tomasson







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