Artistic Director

Choreographer

Dance and Music that Ignites Your Soul.

First up… Folklore meets Funk! An ancient tale of a magical bird of fire comes alive with a contemporary twist. Artistic Director Javier Velasco’s modern/ballet fusion staging, teaming classical dancers with hip hop artists, lights up the stage with originality and boundless energy.

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Firebird and Mambomania

Joan B. Kroc Theatre

Join Artistic Director Javier Velasco, the artists of the San Diego Ballet, and special guest SDB resident composer Gilbert Castellanos for this truly unique evening “pulling back the curtain” on the various facets of the artistic process. Featuring conversations, performances, and sneak peeks into next year’s artistic offerings, this is a not to be missed opportunity for lovers of art to get up close and personal in a beautiful, intimate setting. 

Imagine the Creative Spirit

The Thursday Club

A San Diego institution takes the stage with another San Diego institution! Beloved by jazz aficionados, swing dancers, and San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community, Sue Palmer burns up center stage surrounded by San Diego’s finest classical dancers. Not to be missed! The second half of the program features Artistic Director Javier Velasco’s seminal salute to Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and Benny Goodman, SDB’s Opus…Swing!

Jazz and Dance

Balboa Theatre

A rapturous evening devoted to young love and to those who remember its triumphs and tragedies. Artistic Director Javier Velasco’s re-staging of William Shakespeare’s masterpiece is a lush, yet intimate rumination that focuses on the inner desires of the most famous star-crossed lovers of all time. Truly poetry in motion!

Romeo et Juliet

Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

A rapturous evening devoted to young love and to those who remember its triumphs and tragedies.
Artistic Director Javier Velasco’s re-staging of William Shakespeare’s masterpiece is a lush, yet
intimate rumination that focuses on the inner desires of the most famous star-crossed lovers of all
time. Truly poetry in motion!

SDB celebrates the Latin soul this Fall, bringing back two of it’s audience favorites on one program! Get swept away in the evocative and romantic QUE BONITO AMOR set to a rapturous score of Mariachi music played LIVE Mariachi Garibaldi from Southwestern College and MAMBOMANIA, one of Artistic Director Javier Velasco’s sizzling signature works.

Ritmos Latinos

Southwestern College

Presented at the LOT Liberty Station in Point Loma close to the San Diego Ballet’s home studios, this event features a 30 minute world premiere film showcasing a collection of video projects created during the pandemic. “The Moving Image” is a celebration of site-specific works created for the camera’s gaze by Artistic Director Javier Velasco featuring the music of Gilbert Castellanos and Claude Debussy, as well as iconic San Diego locations including the San Diego Museum of Art.

The Moving Image

THE LOT Liberty Station

Bringing the beauty of classical ballet front and center, SDB’s new staging of GISELLE is a haunting rumination on romantic love and sacrifice. Traditionally, placed in 19th century Europe, Artistic Director Javier Velasco’s evocative production shifts the locale to the pueblos and ranchos of Spanish Colonial California. The tale of a simple peasant girl who’s love for a nobleman sparks tragedy takes on new life through the lens of San Diego’s early history. As does the poetic second act, featuring the spectral, beautiful Lloronas, the spirits of young women seeking revenge on the men who betrayed them. Highlighting classical dance in it most expressive and dramatic form.

Giselle

Lovely and lyrical. Compelling and heartbreaking. SDB’s production’s of Romeo et Juliet has been moving San Diego audiences for the past decade. A rapturous evening devoted to young love and to those who remember its triumphs and tragedies. Artistic Director Javier Velasco’s re-staging of Shakespeare’s masterpiece is a lush, yet intimate rumination that focuses on the inner desires of the most famous star-crossed lovers of all time.

Javier Velasco

Artistic Director, Choreographer

Events

Upcoming events

May 17, 2025

Romeo et Juliet · San Diego Ballet

Past events

11 - 12 Oct, 2024

Firebird and Mambomania · San Diego Ballet

Mar 24, 2024

Imagine the Creative Spirit · San Diego Ballet

About

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