San Francisco Ballet announced today that principal dancer Sara Van Patten will be leaving the San Francisco company at the end of the 2022 season, after 20 years with the renowned company. Van Patten will give her last performance with SF Ballet in a special event celebrating her tenure on April 16 at the War Memorial Opera House.
Van Patten joined the San Francisco Ballet as a soloist in 2002 and was promoted to a principal dancer in 2007. During her incredible 20-year tenure she has entertained audiences with stirring performances in Helgi Tomasson’s Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote, and Nutcracker. Her career highlights include principal roles in John Cranko’s Onegin, Wheeldon’s Cinderella, and John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid.
“Sarah is an immensely talented artist who has brought to this Company a diverse range of abilities, both in her dancing and in her dramatic interpretations of some of the great roles of classical ballet,” said Tomasson. “She has been integral to the creation of some of my own ballets, as well as ballets by numerous other choreographers who have worked in our studios throughout the past two decades. It has been a pleasure to work with her and we will miss her dearly.”
Van Patten, beyond dancing with the San Francisco Ballet, is a choreographer, producer, and director. As founder and artistic director of Tahoe Dance Camp she gave a place for artists to safely create and work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nonprofit has been a haven for dancers, choreographers, and other artists, giving them a space to work, create, collaborate, and perform before returning to their studios.
“It has been an incredible 20 years dancing for San Francisco Ballet,” said Van Patten. “I feel so fortunate to have been given the opportunity from Helgi when I was 17 to join the company as a soloist. I never could have imagined then what has ended up being such an amazing journey. Thank you to so many people behind the scenes and in the audience who have supported and helped me along over these years. I will forever cherish this chapter in my life and I look forward to what is next!”
Tickets for Sarah Van Patten’s farewell performance will go on sale March 4, 2022.