THE EARLY YEARS
In 2011, Robert Smelick, a long-time resident of Sausalito, CA, organized the predecessor of Ballet Sun Valley for the purpose of bringing the best of world-class ballet to the Sun Valley Pavilion. Having been a parent of a San Francisco Ballet School student and having served on the Board of San Francisco Ballet for decades, Bob had a long history in the world of ballet.
In 2005, Bob and his family toured with San Francisco Ballet to Paris, France for the first ever “Les Étés de la Danse” in the open-air venue Gardens of Les Archives Nationales. This incredible performance left a permanent impression that lingered in the back of Bob’s mind. When he and his wife attended the grand opening of the Sun Valley Pavilion – he knew instantly it would be the perfect open-air venue in the mountains for the ballet art form.
After years of discussions, in 2012 he partnered with the Sun Valley Resort to secure a date in the Sun Valley Pavilion and on July 8, 2012 San Francisco Ballet performed to a sold-out audience. Some years later, after delays related to dates aligning for both the Resort and artists, Smelick brought two consecutive International Dancer Festival to Sun Valley in 2017 and 2018 that featured internationally renowned artists from around the United States and Europe.
San Francisco Ballet returned to the Pavilion in 2019 with thirty-eight dancers in two sold-out performances featuring programming that one would expect to see exclusively in a major metropolitan performing arts center. Their return also marked the beginning of a new era for Ballet Sun Valley... One with a vision for complex works performed by world-class ballet companies from around the globe. In most recent years, Ballet Sun Valley has welcomed Boston Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet and in 2025...the National Ballet of Canada!
In addition to the outstanding on-stage presentations, Ballet Sun Valley also introduced an Education Program, taught by professional faculty from these highly acclaimed ballet companies. All of these education programs are offered free of charge to accepted participants.
Sadly, Mr. Smelick passed away very unexpectedly not long after the 2022 Festival with Boston Ballet. His vision and legacy live on in Ballet Sun Valley.
Thanks to Bob’s vision, perseverance, and business acumen, the foundation was set for Ballet Sun Valley to be established as a staple among the rich cultural offerings of the Wood River Valley.
SUMMER FESTIVAL TIMELINE
After many years of discussions with the Sun Valley Resort and the San Francisco Ballet, Mr. Smelick persuaded both parties of his vision to bring world class ballet to the Pavilion for the first time. An agreement was reached in 2011 and the inaugural festival was held in 2012, featuring 20 dancers from the San Francisco Ballet, most of them Principal dancers. The event sold out and received rave reviews from the audience and accolades from the dance world. Helgi Tomasson, San Francisco Ballet's Artistic Director praised the festival's venue, the Sun Valley Pavilion, calling it one of the most beautiful venues in which the company had ever performed.
Inaugural performance of world class ballet at the Sun Valley Pavilion - San Francisco Ballet
2012
In August of 2017, Ballet Sun Valley brought its first independent dancer festival to the Sun Valley Pavilion. The festival featured 22 artists world-class ballet companies in the United States and abroad including - American Ballet Theatre (Isabella Boylston), The Royal Ballet (Eric Underwood), New York City Ballet (Tyler Angle), The Mariinsky Ballet (Xander Parish), The Royal Danish Ballet (Ida Praetorius) and San Francisco Ballet (Maria Kochetkova) amongst others. Highlights of the two sold-out performances included an excerpt from Swimmer and a world premier honoring the total solar eclipse - eight/twenty-one/seventeen choreographed by Gemma Bond.
BSV International Dancer Festival
2017
BSV International Dancer Festival
2018
In 2018, Ballet Sun Valley again produced an international dancer festival at the Sun Valley Pavilion. The festival showcased 22 dancers in two sold-out performances. Renowned ballet companies represented in the Festival included American Ballet Theatre (James Whiteside), Paris Opera Ballet (Léonore Baulac), New York City Ballet (Tiler Peck), San Francisco Ballet (Dores André), Royal Swedish Ballet (Dmitry Zagrebin) and more! Highlights included a mesmerizing rendition of The Dying Swan by Misty Copeland and the high energy In Creases choreographed by Justin Peck with Maestro Martin West stepping from the Conductor’s stand to the stage to play the piano.
BSV Summer Festival featuring San Francisco Ballet
2019
In July 2019, the Summer Festival featured the highly anticipated return of San Francisco Ballet. The company outdid themselves in their follow up visit to the Pavilion with 38 dancers and two sold out performances. The first evening featured a gala style program with highlights from SFB’s season. The second evening featured a mixed repertoire bill which included works by Stanton Welch, Trey McIntyre and Justin Peck. This is the type of programming that one would expect only in a major metropolitan area, establishing the model for future BSV summer festivals.
BSV Summer Festival featuring Pacific Northwest Ballet
in a Digital Presentation
2020
In 2020, all ballet companies were forced to cease touring due to the COVID pandemic that swept the globe. As dancers and the rest of the world quarantined at home, a deep desire to find human connection arose. As a result, the digital performance space blossomed.
BSV Summer Festival featuring Two Festivals:
July: International Dancer Festival
August: BalletX
2021
Ballet Sun Valley returned to the Sun Valley Pavilion stage for the first time since 2019 in 2021 with a celebration that included two distinct festivals. The energy and enthusiasm of both the audience and artists was palpable as the healing power of live performance shaped the summer.
In July 2021, an International dancer festival was organized featuring artists from New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Washington Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. 16 dancers performed an astounding 27 works!
In August 2021, BalletX took the stage in our first ever showing of a contemporary ballet company. 10 dancers performed a gala-style performance and took us on a journey through time and space in their mesmerizing work Sunset, o639 Hours.
BSV Summer Festival featuring Boston Ballet
2022
In 2022 BSV returned to presenting a Summer Festival featuring a major, world-class ballet company. Boston Ballet brought 32 dancers to Sun Valley to perform two high-energy evenings of dance. Highlights included a new work choreographed by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Tiler Peck, a work by Boston Ballet resident choreographer, William Forsythe, Blake Works I – originally created for Paris Opera Ballet, and for the finale, the unforgettable DEVIL’S / eye choreographed by Stephen Galloway and set to the music of five Rolling Stones’ songs. Galloway knows a thing or two about The Rolling Stones as he serves as a creative consultant and choreographer for the band.
BSV Summer Festival featuring Dutch National Ballet
2023
For the first time, BSV was able to present a major ballet company from abroad - Dutch National Ballet! This acclaimed company had not toured in the United States for 40 years, breaking that streak in Sun Valley with two outstanding evenings of dance. The first program was a tribute to master Dutch choreographer, Hans van Manen. The second evening featured a gala-style program with a mix of classical and contemporary works. Immediately following the close of the Festival at a backstage BSV champagne toast to donors and dancers, dancer Elizabeth Tonev was promoted to soloist after her exceptional performance in Grand Pas Classique!
BSV Summer Festival featuring The Joffrey Ballet
2024
After years of conversations, the Mavericks of American Dance, The Joffrey Ballet, took the stage in our 2024 Festival. With 31 artists, the company presented two breathtaking performances. Highlights included the melodic Yonder Blue by choreographer Andrew McNicol and the artistic explosion of Under The Trees’ Voices by Nicolas Blanc. The Festival also marked the retirement of two dancers who took their final dance steps on the Sun Valley Pavilion stage.