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2026 · Dance – stage work

The Fifth Point

Keelan Whitmore

A world-premiere ballet for five dancers by Keelan Whitmore, inspired by the Romantic-era 'Pas de Quatre' and expanding its four ballerinas to five to explore visibility, individuality, belonging and collective identity. In place of Cesare Pugni's original music, Ben Juodvalkis wrote a suspenseful original score that opens with a low drone and snaking synthesizers.

Recollections

“This piece was a re-imagining of a classic composition and ballet, which was a new and interesting approach for me. I felt a kinship with the original Pugni composition, and was happy to toss in some modern spice.”

Ben
Premiere
2026-07-25
Venue
Cowell Theater at Pier 2, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (Ballet22 Summer Season 2026)
Where
San Francisco, CA
Performances
Ballet22 Summer Season 2026: Saturday, July 25, 2026, 8 PM (world premiere) and Sunday, July 26, 2026, 4 PM.
Credits
Choreography: Keelan Whitmore. Original score: Ben Juodvalkis (developed Feb–July 2026; an Ella Fitzgerald sample was replaced with original sound for licensing). Rehearsal director: Meredith Webster. Dancers: Lucas Ataide, Taiyo Makimura, Liam Vincent Hutt, William Robinson, Jake Speakman. Stage manager: Byron Roman. Lighting design: Daniel Weiermann. Videography: Alexander Irwin. Photography: Alexis Cuarezma, Maximillian Tortoriello. Performance photography: Reneff-Olson Productions. Presenter: Ballet22 (Theresa, Lorris Eichinger, Daniel R. Durrett).

Photographs

The Fifth Point on stage: five dancers in black asymmetric draped costumes gathered in a single pool of white light, reaching upward and outward in different directions, one seated on the floor in front, against a glowing orange striped backdrop.

Reneff-Olson Productions

Five male dancers in black asymmetric draped costumes and pointe shoes, posed together in a dramatic side-lit studio portrait — three standing, two kneeling and seated in front.

Alexis Cuarezma & Maximillian Tortoriello

Three shirtless male dancers posed at a ballet barre under blue and pink stage lighting, one wearing a white tutu.

Ballet22

Ballet22's 2026 season promotional photo: three male dancers en pointe against a deep blue backdrop, one in a white tutu, one in pale green tights and one in a dark green leotard, arms raised.

Ballet22

Ephemera

Engraved 19th-century title page inside an ornate border, topped by a royal coat of arms: 'Pas de Quatre', naming Perrot, the dancers Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi, Cerito and Lucile Grahn, Her Majesty's Theatre, and the music by Signor Pugni.

Title page of the published Pas de Quatre

Handwritten orchestral full score, first page, marked 'Introduzione' and signed Pugni, with a column of instrument names down the left margin and sparse ink notation across the staves.

Pugni’s original manuscript, which I sent Keelan

Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica)

Full company curtain call on the Cowell Theater stage after the world premiere, dancers in dark asymmetric costumes bowing hand-in-hand with two men in casual button shirts and jeans, warm orange stage light behind them and an audience visible in silhouette.

Curtain call after the premiere

The same curtain call a moment later, the line raising joined hands together.

The same bow, a moment later

The same curtain call from another angle, taking a final bow.

The final bow, from the other side

Recordings of Keelan's voice, sprinkled throughout the score.

From Keelan’s program note for the premiere.

Keelan: I've always been fascinated by the idea that traditions survive not because they remain unchanged, but because each generation finds new meaning within them. The Fifth Point began as a response to Pas de Quatre, but it ultimately became an exploration of how we honor history while making room for new voices, perspectives, and possibilities. For me, the work is both a gesture of reverence and an invitation towards transformation.

Press

“Ben Juodvalkis's terrifically suspenseful original score began with a low drone and snaking synthesizers.”

“delivers a sharp premiere by Keelan Whitmore”

Elsewhere

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Ben Juodvalkis © 2026