We are thrilled to announce Sacramento Ballet’s 2026/27 Season: Legacy in Motion, celebrating our rich history and an exciting step into the future.
This season marks a pivotal moment for our organization as we welcome new artistic leadership and continue to build on the legacy that has shaped ballet in our region for generations. We are especially proud to introduce our new Artistic Director, Tiit Helimets, whose distinguished international career and artistic vision will help guide Sacramento Ballet into its next chapter.
Legacy in Motion reflects both where we’ve been and where we’re going, honoring the artists, audiences, and traditions that have defined us, while embracing new perspectives and creative possibilities.
Single Tickets go on sale August 17.
Click Here to SubscribeOur 2026/27 Season includes:
Long and Winding Road
October 23–25, 2026 | THE SOFIA
From Balanchine to the Beatles: An Evening of Brilliant Contrasts
Sacramento Ballet opens its thrilling 26/27 Season, Legacy in Motion, with three works that together map the extraordinary range of ballet today. As one of the 20th century’s most essential neoclassical works, Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments sets the tone with cool, geometric brilliance. Julia Feldman’s Hearts follows: a striking, kaleidoscopic ensemble piece whose intricate patterns and hypnotic, minimal score have helped establish this Sacramento Ballet company artist as one of the nation’s most exciting emerging choreographers. Stanton Welch’s Long and Winding Road closes the program with pure delight, sending beloved Beatles hits soaring through vivid Baroque orchestral arrangements, paired with high flying technical feats that will leave you breathless.
Program:
The Four Temperaments — George Balanchine
Hearts — Julia Feldman
Long and Winding Road — Stanton Welch
Performance Time – Approximately 2 hours, with two 15 minute intermissions
Nutcracker
December 12–24, 2026 | SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center
Sacramento’s Favorite Holiday Tradition
Sacramento’s most beloved holiday tradition returns to the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. When Clara receives a mysterious nutcracker on Christmas Eve, she is swept into a world of magic, wonder, and dazzling adventure. With Tchaikovsky’s iconic score performed live by the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, and more than 250 young dancers sharing the stage with Sacramento Ballet’s professional company, this is the holiday experience Sacramento families return to year after year. Gather your friends and loved ones and celebrate the magic of the season together. Now with an extended run through Christmas Eve, and a dedicated Sensory Friendly performance.
Program:
Nutcracker – R. Colby Damon, Julia Feldma, Nicole Haskins
Performance Time – Approximately two hours, including one 15 minute intermission.
Wild Sweet Love
March 5–7, 2027 | THE SOFIA
A Program of Passion, Legacy, and Discovery
This March, The SOFIA becomes the stage for an evening with real emotional sweep. Trey McIntyre’s Wild Sweet Love, which had its world premiere right here at Sacramento Ballet twenty years ago, returns as a testament to its enduring power: a warm, playful, and deeply human work set to beloved pop and rock ballads from Queen, Roberta Flack, Lou Reed, and more, now performed by companies across the country. Ron Cunningham’s Boléro, set to Ravel’s iconic score, honors the extraordinary choreographic legacy of Sacramento Ballet’s beloved former Artistic Director. And incoming Artistic Director Tiit Helimets makes his choreographic debut with the company with a stunning classical work, marking an exciting new chapter for Sacramento Ballet.
Program:
Wild Sweet Love — Trey McIntyre
Bolero — Ron Cunningham
New Work — Tiit Helimets
Performance Time – Approximately 2 hours, with two 15 minute intermissions
Giselle
April 9–11, 2027 | SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center
The Ballet That Has Broken Hearts for Nearly 200 Years
Few works in the ballet canon reach as deeply as Giselle. A story of tragic heartbreak, ethereal transformation, and the healing power of love, it has moved audiences to tears since its premiere in 1841. Now, Artistic Director Tiit Helimets brings his acclaimed staging, first created for Oregon Ballet Theatre, to Sacramento Ballet’s stage. With Adolphe Adam’s achingly beautiful score performed live by the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, this is an evening of devastating emotion, spectral beauty, and the extraordinary, redemptive power of love.
Program:
Giselle — Choreography by Tiit Helimets
Performance Time – Approximately 2 hours, with one 15 minute intermissions
Beer & Ballet
May 27–30, 2027 | THE SOFIA
The Season Finale Worth Raising a Glass To
Beer & Ballet is unlike anything else in Sacramento Ballet’s season. Each year, company dancers step off the stage and into the choreographer’s role, creating original works that reveal their artistic voices in a way no other program can. The result is an evening of pure discovery: eclectic, surprising, and deeply personal, spanning an extraordinary range of styles and music. Grab a local brew, settle in, and experience ballet as it happens, raw, joyful, and utterly alive.
Program:
New Works by Sacramento Ballet Company Artists
Performance Time – Approximately 2.5 hours, with two 15 minute intermissions
Beyond the stage, we are expanding our impact, growing our school programs and launching a new satellite campus to reach more students, while reimagining our community engagement efforts to ensure ballet remains accessible across our region.
We invite you to join us for this extraordinary season and experience the power, beauty, and artistry of live dance.
Photo Credits:
Header– Dancer:AVA GRACE WILLIAMS & EDUARDO CAZAREZ. Photo: TONY NGUYEN
Long and Winding Road– Dancer: WYATT MCCONVILLE-MCCOY, Photo: TONY NGUYEN
Nutcracker– Dancer: PARKER LOUIE. Photo: TONY NGUYEN.
Wild Sweet Love– Dancer: JULIA FELDMAN. Photo: TONY NGUYEN
Giselle– Dancer: MIA STEEDLE. Photo: TONY NGUYEN.
Beer&Ballet– Dancer:ISABELLA VELASQUEZ. Photo: TONY NGUYEN.