The San Francisco Ballet has canceled its planned performances at the Kennedy Center this spring, confirming that its four-night run in Washington will no longer take place.
“SF Ballet’s Board of Trustees has made the decision that the company’s performances that were scheduled at the Trump Kennedy Center May 27-31 will no longer take place,” a company representative said in a statement. “SF Ballet looks forward to performing for Washington, D.C. audiences in the future.”
The company had been slated to present “Mere Mortals,” its contemporary ballet inspired by the myth of Pandora and artificial intelligence, at the Kennedy Center Opera House from May 27 through 31.
As of Saturday, the production no longer appears on the Ballet’s touring page, and a direct link to the Kennedy Center engagement on the organization’s website returns a 404 error message. The performances, however, remain listed on the Kennedy Center’s website.
Workers in December update signage at the Kennedy Center, which was renamed the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. (Jim Watson/Tribune News Service)
The decision follows weeks of mounting pressure on the Ballet to withdraw from the Washington engagement after President Donald Trump reshaped the Kennedy Center’s leadership, installed himself as chairman and approved renaming the institution the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
A Change.org petition urging the Ballet to pull out of the Washington run surpassed 7,400 signatures in recent weeks. Supporters argued that performing at the venue risked aligning the company with what they described as a politicized institution.
The controversy intensified after Trump announced plans to close the Kennedy Center for roughly two years beginning in July for what he called “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding.” The proposed shutdown has created uncertainty for resident groups, including the National Symphony Orchestra, whose musicians told NBC News they were caught off guard by the announcement.
San Francisco Ballet dancers dance the finale from “The Stars and Stripes Forever” during the performance at the Opening Night Gala at the War Memorial Opera House in January 2026. The ballet has removed its Kennedy Center engagement from its touring page, signaling a possible withdrawal amid ongoing controversy. (Laura Morton/For the S.F. Chronicle)
The San Francisco Ballet first announced its Kennedy Center engagement last year as part of its 2026 touring plans. “Mere Mortals,” commissioned by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, premiered in San Francisco in 2024 and was billed as a major touring vehicle for the company.
The Ballet did not elaborate on the timing of the board’s vote or the status of contractual arrangements with the Kennedy Center.
The upheaval at the Washington institution has extended beyond programming. This week, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell said the annual honors ceremony would move forward under a new name – the “Trump Kennedy Center Honors” – and would be held at an alternative venue during the planned two-year closure.
This article originally published at San Francisco Ballet cancels Kennedy Center performances.
