eight to the barre

A San Diego institution takes the stage with another San Diego institution in an unforgettable celebration of dance and live music. “Beloved by jazz aficionados, swing dancers and San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community, Sue Palmer—The Queen of Boogie Woogie—burns up center stage surrounded by some of San Diego’s finest classical dancers.. The second half of the program features Artistic Director Javier Velasco’s salute to celebrated Mexican composer Agustín Lara with San Diego Ballet’s NOCHE DE RONDA.”

Director’s Notes:
The San Diego Ballet is currently performing at a variety of venues throughout San Diego County. When we go to a space, we need to make sure that the program sits so well on the stage that it looks like it organically sprung up. Think of a ring. It has a jewel and a setting. The Conrad is one of our most beautiful Southern California settings. Past programs have included Don Juan, Romeo et Juliet, and the premiere of a new staging of Carnival of the Animals with an NEA funded score by Gilbert Castellanos. This year’s show is in that last vein. Sue Palmer is one of San Diego’s most beloved institutions. I have a long, personal relationship with her dating back to projects that with did with another San Diego icon, the beloved Candye Kane. A few years back, Sue and collaborated on the creation of the piece Eight to the Barre and have been looking for the proper venue to reset it. That is why it gives me great pleasure to bring it back this year and to introduce the Conrad to San Diego’s own Queen of the Boogie Woogie. Our plan is to “respectfully” blow the roof of of the place. – Javier Velasco