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San Francisco Ballet Pulls Out of Kennedy Center Performances
San Francisco Ballet Pulls Out of Kennedy Center Performances
The ballet company, one of the country’s most prestigious, had been under pressure to cancel its shows amid President Trump’s takeover of the performing arts center.
A scene from the San Francisco Ballet’s “Mere Mortals,” which the company was scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center in late May. Chris Hardy
By Julia Jacobs
Published Feb. 28, 2026
Updated March 1, 2026
The San Francisco Ballet has withdrawn from a series of performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the company said on Saturday, in the latest cancellation during the Trump administration’s takeover of the institution.
In a statement, the ballet company said its board of trustees had decided to call off the five-day run of performances that was scheduled for late May. ... “SF Ballet looks forward to performing for Washington, D.C., audiences in the future,” the statement said. ... In a statement responding to the ballet company’s decision, Richard Grenell, whom President Trump appointed as the Kennedy Center’s president last year, said, “Professional artists should perform for everyone — not just for people they agree with politically.”
For weeks, the ballet company has been under pressure from some patrons to cancel its performances as Mr. Trump has ramped up his efforts to remake the institution. The center’s Trump-allied board voted to add the president’s name to the center in December, a decision that prompted an uproar from Democrats and has been challenged in court. Mr. Trump, who installed himself as chairman of the center more than a year ago, announced this month that he would shut it down this summer for a two-year renovation project. ... The Kennedy Center has seen a wave of cancellations since Mr. Trump’s name was added to the building’s marble facade, including by the composer Philip Glass and the soprano Renée Fleming. The past year has been one of sustained upheaval at the institution, as ticket sales have fallen and dozens of employees have resigned or been fired.
The decision by the San Francisco Ballet, one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the country, is the most prominent cancellation from the dance world so far. Starting on May 27, the company had seven performances scheduled of a contemporary ballet called “Mere Mortals,” which was inspired by artificial intelligence and Greek myth. The news of the cancellation was earlier reported by The Bold Italic, an online publication.
{snip}
Adam Nagourney contributed reporting.
Julia Jacobs is an arts and culture reporter who often covers legal issues for The Times.
The ballet company, one of the country’s most prestigious, had been under pressure to cancel its shows amid President Trump’s takeover of the performing arts center.
A scene from the San Francisco Ballet’s “Mere Mortals,” which the company was scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center in late May. Chris Hardy
By Julia Jacobs
Published Feb. 28, 2026
Updated March 1, 2026
The San Francisco Ballet has withdrawn from a series of performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the company said on Saturday, in the latest cancellation during the Trump administration’s takeover of the institution.
In a statement, the ballet company said its board of trustees had decided to call off the five-day run of performances that was scheduled for late May. ... “SF Ballet looks forward to performing for Washington, D.C., audiences in the future,” the statement said. ... In a statement responding to the ballet company’s decision, Richard Grenell, whom President Trump appointed as the Kennedy Center’s president last year, said, “Professional artists should perform for everyone — not just for people they agree with politically.”
For weeks, the ballet company has been under pressure from some patrons to cancel its performances as Mr. Trump has ramped up his efforts to remake the institution. The center’s Trump-allied board voted to add the president’s name to the center in December, a decision that prompted an uproar from Democrats and has been challenged in court. Mr. Trump, who installed himself as chairman of the center more than a year ago, announced this month that he would shut it down this summer for a two-year renovation project. ... The Kennedy Center has seen a wave of cancellations since Mr. Trump’s name was added to the building’s marble facade, including by the composer Philip Glass and the soprano Renée Fleming. The past year has been one of sustained upheaval at the institution, as ticket sales have fallen and dozens of employees have resigned or been fired.
The decision by the San Francisco Ballet, one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the country, is the most prominent cancellation from the dance world so far. Starting on May 27, the company had seven performances scheduled of a contemporary ballet called “Mere Mortals,” which was inspired by artificial intelligence and Greek myth. The news of the cancellation was earlier reported by The Bold Italic, an online publication.
{snip}
Adam Nagourney contributed reporting.
Julia Jacobs is an arts and culture reporter who often covers legal issues for The Times.
Arts & Entertainment
San Francisco Ballet cancels Kennedy Center performances
By Aidin Vaziri,
Staff Writer
Updated Feb 28, 2026 10:36 a.m.
San Francisco Ballet dancers dance the finale from “The Stars and Stripes Forever” during the performance at the Opening Night Gala at the War Memorial Opera House in January 2026. The ballet has removed its Kennedy Center engagement from its touring page, signaling a possible withdrawal amid ongoing controversy.
Laura Morton/For the S.F. Chronicle
The San Francisco Ballet has canceled its planned performances at the Kennedy Center this spring. ... “SF Ballet’s Board of Trustees has made the decision that the company’s performances that were scheduled at the Trump Kennedy Center May 27-31 will no longer take place,” a company representative said in a statement. “SF Ballet looks forward to performing for Washington, D.C. audiences in the future."
The company had been slated to present “Mere Mortals,” its contemporary ballet inspired by the myth of Pandora and artificial intelligence, at the Kennedy Center Opera House. But as of Saturday, the production no longer appears on the Ballet’s touring page, and a direct link to the Kennedy Center engagement on the organization’s website returns a 404 error message. The performances, however, remain listed on the Kennedy Center’s website.
Workers in December update signage at the Kennedy Center, which was renamed the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
Jim Watson/Tribune News Service
The decision follows weeks of mounting pressure on the Ballet to withdraw from the engagement after President Donald Trump reshaped the Kennedy Center’s leadership, installed himself as chairman and approved renaming the institution the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
A Change.org petition urging the Ballet to pull out of the Washington D.C. run surpassed 7,400 signatures in recent weeks. Supporters argued that performing at the venue risked aligning the company with what they described as a politicized institution.
{snip}
Feb 28, 2026 | Updated Feb 28, 2026 10:36 a.m.
Aidin Vaziri
Staff Writer
Aidin Vaziri is a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle.
San Francisco Ballet cancels Kennedy Center performances
By Aidin Vaziri,
Staff Writer
Updated Feb 28, 2026 10:36 a.m.
San Francisco Ballet dancers dance the finale from “The Stars and Stripes Forever” during the performance at the Opening Night Gala at the War Memorial Opera House in January 2026. The ballet has removed its Kennedy Center engagement from its touring page, signaling a possible withdrawal amid ongoing controversy.
Laura Morton/For the S.F. Chronicle
The San Francisco Ballet has canceled its planned performances at the Kennedy Center this spring. ... “SF Ballet’s Board of Trustees has made the decision that the company’s performances that were scheduled at the Trump Kennedy Center May 27-31 will no longer take place,” a company representative said in a statement. “SF Ballet looks forward to performing for Washington, D.C. audiences in the future."
The company had been slated to present “Mere Mortals,” its contemporary ballet inspired by the myth of Pandora and artificial intelligence, at the Kennedy Center Opera House. But as of Saturday, the production no longer appears on the Ballet’s touring page, and a direct link to the Kennedy Center engagement on the organization’s website returns a 404 error message. The performances, however, remain listed on the Kennedy Center’s website.
Workers in December update signage at the Kennedy Center, which was renamed the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
Jim Watson/Tribune News Service
The decision follows weeks of mounting pressure on the Ballet to withdraw from the engagement after President Donald Trump reshaped the Kennedy Center’s leadership, installed himself as chairman and approved renaming the institution the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
A Change.org petition urging the Ballet to pull out of the Washington D.C. run surpassed 7,400 signatures in recent weeks. Supporters argued that performing at the venue risked aligning the company with what they described as a politicized institution.
{snip}
Feb 28, 2026 | Updated Feb 28, 2026 10:36 a.m.
Aidin Vaziri
Staff Writer
Aidin Vaziri is a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle.
2 replies
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