Ahead of a season filled with premieres, dancers and revelers converged at City Hall and War Memorial Opera House
Words by DIANE DORRANS SAEKS
On Wednesday, January 22, the soaring classical rotunda of San Francisco’s City Hall was turned into a chic and intimate nightclub to celebrate the opening night of the San Francisco Ballet 2025 season. Event designer J. Riccardo Benavides deployed artful projections of contemporary architecture and shimmering golden up-lights to dazzle the sold-out crowd, which included Mayor Daniel Lurie and his wife, Becca Prowda.
After cocktails and dinner, guests dashed across Van Ness Avenue into the San Francisco Opera House, where the appearance onstage of event honorary chair Ayesha Curry, introduced by artistic director, Tamara Rojo, drew applause.
“I am so honored to be here at the ballet tonight, the fulfillment of every little girl’s dreams,” said Curry. “I am also here to admire the brilliance and athleticism of the dancers. Believe me, they are indeed athletes.”
Dede Wilsey, in a Monique Lhuillier mauve lace gown and ruby parure, admitted that she has been obsessed with San Francisco Ballet since she first arrived in San Francisco in the late 1960s. “I was invited to join the SFBallet Auxiliary, and there I made lifelong friends,” said Wilsey, a major benefactor for decades. “This ballet company was founded in 1933, and it has a great history. I love the pageantry of opening night, and the elegance and passion of the dancers.”
Champion equestrian Yurie Pascarella said she follows the dancers closely, and enjoys observing their progress, from promising apprentices to world-class principal dancers and soloists. She wore a gold-sequined gown by Elie Saab, acquired last summer in Monte Carlo. “San Francisco Ballet galas are rather grand occasions, and I thought it would be perfect,” she said.
At the after-party in the Rotunda, principal dancers Nikisha Fogo and Jasmine Jimison, along with friends Angela Tafoya and Kamperett designer Anna Chiu, dazzled on the dance floor.
Highlights of the 2025 season include the first appearance of British dancer/choreographer Akram Khan performing his haunting work Dust, in the Cool Britannia program. Zac Posen, the new creative director of San Francisco–based Gap, is designing new costumes for Christopher Wheeldon’s In the Golden Hour. The season, which ends on May 4, presents works by Liam Scarlett, Hans van Manen, and George Balanchine.
Feature image:
January 29, 2025
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