SF Ballet Cancels Kennedy Center Shows
The San Francisco Ballet has canceled all of its upcoming performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The company cited "unspecified unforeseen circumstances" for the abrupt cancellation and is now contacting ticket holders about refunds.
The scheduled performances of "Mere Mortals" from May 27-31 were canceled by the San Francisco Ballet's Board of Trustees. This decision came after significant pressure, including a Change.org petition that gathered over 7,400 signatures urging the ballet to withdraw from its engagement at the Kennedy Center. The controversy stems from President Donald Trump's recent changes to the Kennedy Center's leadership and his renaming of the institution to "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." This move has been met with criticism and has been described as a "hostile takeover" by some. Supporters of the cancellation argued that performing at the venue would risk aligning the company with a politicized institution. The petition, started by a self-described longtime supporter of the ballet, expressed concern that the new atmosphere at the Kennedy Center could compromise its reputation for artistic freedom and diverse cultural expression. The San Francisco Ballet is not the first to pull out of the venue. Other prominent artists and institutions, including soprano Renée Fleming, musician Rhiannon Giddens, and the creators of the musical "Hamilton," have also canceled their engagements in response to the changes.
