Oceánica Ballet is proud to present Harvest Moon. Five San Francisco Bay Area choreographers present ballets of elegance, whimsy, and contemplation in a showcase of world premieres. Featured choreographers include Oceánica Ballet Artistic Co-Directors Edgar Lepe and Robert Burns Lowman, along with returning choreographer Jessica Woodman and guest choreographers Isabelle Sjahsam and Connolly Strombeck.

Intrigued by the depiction of the marriage ceremony in classical performance, Isabelle Sjahsam draws from Nijinska’s Les Noces, Shakespeare, and traditional pas de deux to create a joyful queer reclaiming of the “wedding scene,” set to excerpts from Handel’s Atalanta. Jessica Woodman presents an exploration of individuality through five solos choreographed around the personalities of the dancers performing them. Connolly Strombeck’s work explores the struggles we all experience dealing with change and accepting when the time has come to make changes for the better. Strombeck’s work asks what we need to let go of to move forward, and how do we find the courage to break our self-destructive patterns?

Edgar Lepe’s An Autumn Gala harkens to the romantic era of ballet with dances to music by Alexander Glazunov, Joseph Lanner, and Johann Strauss I. Robert Burns Lowman’s Game Night! turns tabletop games into a mod 1960’s dance romp.