Ballet Arizona’s Family-Favorite Evening of Free Performances Returns to the Valley

PHOENIX – Ballet Arizona’s annual Ballet Under the Stars performances, presented by the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation, returns Sept. 19-28 at six Valley locations. For the first time, Ballet Under the Stars expands to Chandler and Peoria with its free public performances. Ballet Under the Stars is the perfect show for the entire family and a great way to introduce ballet to young people for the first time.

This year’s Ballet Under the Stars will include excerpts from both contemporary and classic ballets. Audiences will get to experience the tango inspired Piazzolla Caldera by celebrated choreographer Paul Taylor, a striking duet from Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, as well as an excerpt from Ib Andersen’s Swan Lake – which will grace the stage in full later this fall.

Since its inception in 1997, these performances provide an evening of fun for Arizonans of all ages. Guests bring chairs, blankets and picnics to experience the beauty of dance in outdoor parks across the county. Ballet Arizona invites Arizonans to delight in a spectacular evening showcasing excerpts from a range of ballets, offering a vibrant portrayal of the art form’s diversity.

Attracting 9,000 viewers annually, Ballet Arizona welcomes Arizonans to experience dance in their community in a unique outdoor setting complete with a professional stage, lighting and costumes. Event goers can indulge in local food trucks and enjoy ample space for picnicking and for aspiring young dancers to move along with the performance. “We are thrilled to open the 2024-2025 season with an extraordinary program like Ballet Under the Stars,” said Artistic Director, Daniela Cardim. “This is a wonderful opportunity for Arizonans to discover the magic of ballet under the open sky together with their loved ones –right in their own neighborhood. Ballet Under the Stars is a favorite for thousands of Arizonans each year, and I am very much looking forward to experiencing it for the first time myself in my new community.”

Ballet Under the Stars also showcases world premiere performances choreographed by local school students through the Class Act program. Each year, Ballet Arizona’s professional dancers and teaching artists provide a three-week dance training class for students in four different elementary schools across the Valley. The culminating highlight of their work is delivered as a performance as part of Ballet Under the Stars. This educational program is provided to students’ tuition-free and is generously funded by Joan Benjamin and Laurence Cherkis.