Celebrating the 2025–26 Season at LINES Ballet

A special message from Associate Artistic Director & Dancer, Adji Cissoko

Dear LINES family,

As we begin the last month of our fiscal year at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the community that allows us to carry our work forward. Moving into my new role as Associate Artistic Director while continuing to perform with the company has been such an honor, and also an eye-opening experience.

Over the past few months, I’ve gained a new perspective on what it takes to sustain bold, boundary-pushing art in the world. Today I write to you not only with gratitude but with urgency. We’ve had an amazing year, but we need your help to keep us moving forward into our 45th anniversary season!

If our work has ever moved, inspired, or challenged you to see the world differently, I hope you’ll consider making a gift to support the future of LINES Ballet today. Every gift, no matter how small or large, makes a difference. A gift before June 30 helps us finish the season strong. creative discovery in San Francisco from June 8–August 1, 2026.

Donate to LINES Ballet today!

Scroll down to learn about some of the highlights of our amazing 2025–26 season. Thank you for your support in making all of this vital, life-affirming work possible.

See you soon,

Adji Cissoko,
Alonzo King LINES Ballet Associate Artistic Director & Company Dancer

Summer Program

In summer 2025, junior, advanced, and pre-professional dancers from across the country traveled to the LINES Dance Center for our annual Summer Program. Students sharpened their technique, ignited their creativity, and experienced Alonzo King’s unique approach to dance firsthand. Our 2026 Summer Program begins June 8. Tickets to our 2026 Summer Program performances are on sale now:
June 27: Pre-Professional performance
August 1: Advanced performance

Touring

Through an extensive domestic and international touring schedule, the artists of LINES Ballet serve as cultural ambassadors for San Francisco. Over the past year, LINES thrilled audiences at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC, the Vail Dance Festival in Colorado, Aspen, Santa Fe, Jackson Hole, Northridge, West Palm Beach, and a four-week engagement in venues across France.

Community Programs

Throughout the year, LINES’ Community Programs provide students and families with unique opportunities to engage with our artists and teachers, to practice the philosophy of Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and experience the joy of dance. In 2025-26, our programs included Family Experiences, Student Matinees, Field Trips, and School Residencies.

We are also hosting a Summer Camp for Grade 5 through Middle School this July: Register through June 26!

SFMOMA Collaboration

On Saturday, September 6, the artists of LINES Ballet took part in an extraordinary day-long collaboration with SFMOMA, as part of the museum’s video installation/exhibition, Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors. In total, our dancers performed for an astounding 830 guests, many of whom waited patiently for hours to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event. View a video compilation of the day on our Instagram.

LINES Dance Center

This year, LINES Dance Center offered Advanced/Professional ballet class six days a week, and was home to 27 classes per week in ballet, jazz, Latin Ballroom, Bollywood, Salsa, and ecstatic dance. Numerous Broadway musicals rented our studios to rehearse, including Hamilton, The Lion King, Funny Girl, MJ the Musical, & Juliet, Moulin Rouge the Musical, and Phantom of the Opera. Local opera company Opera Parallèle also rehearsed with us for three weeks, in preparation for their premiere of Doubt.

We are proud to be an excellent venue for music rehearsals, dance, dance/fashion photography, and much more… Come visit!

Deep River

From September 18–21, our fall home season at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts featured Deep River, Alonzo King’s internationally acclaimed masterwork. With a score by longtime LINES creative partner Jason Moran and vocals by celebrated vocalist Lisa Fisher, Deep River is a profoundly moving work exploring love, resilience, and the human spirit.

BFA at Dominican University of California

Our BFA at Dominican University of California dancers spent the year hard at work in the studios and classrooms, strengthening technique, further developing artistry, and challenging critical thinking skills. They embraced opportunities to choreograph on their peers and to perform works by renowned artists at Angelico Hall on campus, Black Choreographers Festival, Dancing in the Park, and the annual one-night-only showcase at YBCA. Congratulations, Class of 2026!

ORIGINS

Throughout the past year, ORIGINS, Emmy Award winning director Drea Cooper’s cinematic portrait of LINES Ballet, screened at film festivals across the U.S., garnering numerous awards and critical accolades. In November, we presented three sold-out screenings at SFMOMA. Soon we’ll announce more Bay Area screenings of this spectacular film!

LEGACY & Ode to Alice Coltrane

In April, we returned to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for our sold-out Spring Season, captivating audiences with the world premiere of LEGACY, a thrilling collaboration with Grammy Award-winning musician esperanza spalding, as well as the return of Ode to Alice Coltrane, a transcendent work honoring the spiritual legacy and musical genius of Alice Coltrane.

As you can see, your generosity fuels more than performances—it powers bold artistry, transformative education, and human connection for tens of thousands each year.

A gift before June 30 helps us finish the season strong and secures the future of the arts in San Francisco.

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