Legendary Puerto Rican performer Rita Moreno is teaming up with the San Francisco Ballet for its opening night gala next year as one of several special guests at the institution’s biggest night.
The actor, singer and dancer, who has lived in Berkeley since the 1990s, has been named honorary chair at the gala the Ballet’s annual fundraiser. Best known for her turn as Anita in 1961’s “West Side Story,” Moreno is one of the last remaining stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age and is among the few artists to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award to achieve EGOT status.
The Ballet’s black tie event, scheduled for Jan. 14, will begin with a dinner at City Hall before guests make their way to the War Memorial Opera House for a dance program curated by Ballet Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, which previews the company’s upcoming season.
Gala ticket sales begin on Dec. 3.
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San Francisco Ballet’s Opening Night Gala: Dinner at 6 p.m. Jan. 14. Tickets start at $2,000. City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, S.F. • Performance at 8 p.m. Jan. 14. War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., S.F. sfballet.org
This year’s performance includes an excerpt from Mark Morris’ “A Garden,” which had its world premiere at the Ballet in 2001; “Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan” by Sir Frederick Ashton, which honors the San Francisco-born pioneer of modern dance; and the Epilogue pas de deux from Alonzo King’s “Deep River,” which will feature an appearance by Adji Cissoko, principal at Alonzo King LINES Ballet.
Other excerpts on the bill include performances from Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov’s “Don Quixote,” William Forsythe’s “Blake Works I” and George Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes,” which are among the works on the calendar for the Ballet’s 2026-27 season.
After the dance program, DJ Shellheart, the official DJ of the Golden State Valkyries, plans to join for the after-party over at City Hall. San Francisco DJ Chris Clouse and live band Wonderbread 5 are also scheduled to perform at the late-night celebration.
This article originally published at Rita Moreno teams up with San Francisco Ballet for 2026 gala.