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.
- 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. Presenter: Ballet22 (Theresa, Lorris Eichinger, Daniel R. Durrett).
Press
“Ben Juodvalkis's terrifically suspenseful original score began with a low drone and snaking synthesizers.”
“delivers a sharp premiere by Keelan Whitmore”
Elsewhere
- Ode to Authenticity — Fjord Review, 2026-07-25
- A Joyous New Season from Ballet22 — Rachel Howard's Footnotes (Substack), 2026-08-04
- Ballet22 - Summer Season 2026 — Dance Commentary by Heather Desaulniers, 2026-07
- Ballet22: Oakland company challenges dance gender roles in its 2026 summer season — Bay Area Reporter (EBAR), 2026-07-19
- THE CANON and THE BODY — The Dance Lens (Substack), 2026-07-18
- Ballet22 to Return to Cowell Theater with Classical and World Premiere Works — BroadwayWorld, 2026-06-29