Fall offers a harvest of performances for every taste, with today’s family-friendly Trolley Dances and classics such as “Cinderella” and “Giselle,” iconic ballet productions that tell a tale of romantic love and heartbreak. The season also includes the French company Ballet Preljocaj, inspired by the theme of gravity and Ballet Collective San Diego returns to The Conrad with “Idioma,” a dynamic program inspired by the universal language of dance.
A group of dancers perform during San Diego Dance Theater’s 2024 Trolley Dances program. It is back this month with the final performance today. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego Dance Theater: 2025 Trolley Dances
Today is the last day to take part in this San Diego dance institution. Take a roundtrip excursion on the MTS Green Line Trolley and follow a tour guide to see site-specific dance by choreographers Jean Isaacs, Blythe Barton, Lavina Rich and more. The ticketing table is next to the Café at the Fashion Valley Transit Center. Tours depart hourly starting at 10 a.m. with last tour at 3 p.m. today only. Fashion Valley Transit Center,1205 Fashion Valley Road, San Diego. $41.80 general admission, $26.50 for students, seniors, military, and professional artists. Children age 8 and younger are free with an adult ticket. Free parking. 619-225-1803, sandiegodancetheater.org/trolley-dances
Angela Rebelo and Laurence Gonzalez of Ballet Collective San Diego will perform in “Idioma” next weekend in La Jolla. (Samantha Zauscher)
Ballet Collective San Diego: ‘Idioma’
Last year, the collective thrilled the audience with visually arresting works danced to classical and contemporary music that riveted the audience. This year, the classically trained dancers return with “Idioma,” which mean “language” in Spanish. Inspired by conversations that are witty, passionate and impactful — the dancers will use body language to express ideas and emotions that resonate beyond words. 5 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $51-$85. 858-459-3728, theconrad.org
Pace Live: ‘A Taste of Ireland — The Irish Music and Dance Sensation’
This spirited group pays tribute to traditional and contemporary Irish dance with Celtic-themed sets and precise, enthusiastic performances. Irish songs, videos of the Emerald Isle and professional steppers from “Lord of the Dance” and “Riverdance” have social media reviewers writing that they would “see it again in a heartbeat.” There are two shows: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $58.80-$94.80. artcenter.org; and at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 12. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., San Diego. $66.60-$98.10. sandiegotheatres.org
A scene from Rosin Box Project’s “Ghost Light Masquerade” dance event, which returns to San Diego in late Oct.. (Carly Topazio)
The Rosin Box Project: ‘Ghost Light Masquerade’ ART in System
Wear a mask and wander through a haunted theater in this popular, annual production. Dancing spirits, dressed in Victorian-era garb, stir up devilry as the night unfolds. There’s a cash bar and food available for purchase. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23-25 and Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Oct. 26, 28-29. The Soap Factory, 2995 Commercial St., San Diego. $54-$65 admission, $10 parking fee. Early bird discount available online. therosinboxproject.com
San Diego dance icon Jean Isaac photographed in Sept. 2020 at Liberty Station in San Diego. (Eduardo Contreras / U-T File)
Jean Isaacs: ‘The Legacy Concert’
The award-winning choreographer and San Diego Dance Theater’s former artistic director has selected works from more than 50 years of creating dance for this concert. Humorous, poignant and provocative pieces will be performed by more than a dozen professional dance artists. 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18-19. Light Box Theater, 2590 Truxtun Road, Suite 205, San Diego. $25-$40. ticketleap.events/tickets/jean-isaacs/legacy-concert
San Francisco’s La Mezcla dance company will present “Ghostly Labor” on Oct. 24 at UC San Diego in La Jolla. (Domonique Washington)
La Mezcla: ‘Ghostly Labor’
ArtPower presents La Mezcla (the mixture), an all-female, San Francisco-based dance and music ensemble that creates work with social justice themes. This dance/theater production combines tap, Mexican and Afro-Caribbean dance styles and rhythms to tell the experiences of farm and domestic workers throughout California. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24. UC San Diego Epstein Family Amphitheater 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. $30-$50. 858-534-1430, artpower.ucsd.edu
Marshall Whitely of San Diego Ballet will perform in the San Deigo Museum of Art’s Centennial Celebration in October. (Canela Photography)
San Diego Ballet: San Diego Museum of Art Centennial Celebration Art
A collaboration with the San Diego Museum of Art honors a century of visual art programming as part of the museum’s Centennial Celebration. The residency begins with a dance program honoring the Art of the America’s exhibit, accompanied by choreography created to composer Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Three Latin American Sketches. 7 p.m. Oct. 24, 8 p.m. Oct. 25 and 2 p.m. Oct. 26. San Diego Museum of Art, James S. Copley Auditorium, 1450 El Prado, San Diego. $48 and up. sandiegoballet.org
Brian Heil and Megan Jacobs with City Ballet corps in City Ballet of San Diego’s “Giselle,” playing Oct. 25 and 26 in Escondido. (City Ballet of San Diego)
City Ballet of San Diego: ‘Giselle’
A classic ballet choreographed by Elizabeth Wistrich tells the story of a beautiful, but fragile peasant girl who falls for a nobleman and dies of heartbreak after she discovers he’s engaged to another. After death, she is joined by the sisterhood of the Wilis, the spirits of betrayed women who take revenge by making men dance to death. In the end, foregiveness offers redemption. 8 p.m. Oct. 25; 2 p.m. Oct. 26. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $39-$99. 858-272-8663, cityballet.org
The French dance company Ballet Preljocaj will perform “Gravity” at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Nov. 9. (Jean Claude Carbonne)
Ballet Preljocaj: ‘Gravity’
What goes up, must come down, around, through and above in this lyrical, evening-length exploration of gravity through movement. The La Jolla Music Society has invited one of the most inventive contemporary dance companies in France to present a ballet performance inspired by the choreographic ideas of weight, constraint and the limitations and advantages of gravity. 7 p.m. Nov. 9. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., San Diego. $48.15-$118.85. 858-459-3728, sandiegotheatres.org
Scenes from World Ballet Company’s “Cinderella,” playing in Nov. in Escondido and downtown San Diego. (World Ballet Company)
World Ballet Company: ‘Cinderella’
The company that brought “The Great Gatsby” to the San Diego Civic Theatre last year will present the classic tale of a poor girl who is beautified by a fairy godmother and captures the heart of a prince. The show is renowned for an international cast of dancers, elaborate, hand-crafted sets and glittering hand-sewn costumes. 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $60-$138. artcenter.org; and 7 p.m. Nov. 14 at the San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., San Diego. $52.50-$131.65. sandiegotheatres.org
Classical Arts Entertainment: ‘Swan Lake’
International ballet stars perform in “Swan Lake,” a full-scale production accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s famous score. The family-friendly production boasts custom scenery, exquisite costumes. 2 p.m. Dec. 2. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., San Diego. $61.75-$109.35. sandiegotheatres.org
MOMIX: ‘Alice’
The La Jolla Music Society presents MOMIX, a company of dancer-illusionists, led by Moses Pendleton. Inspired by “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” the ensemble transforms, shrinks and grows as Alice journeys down the rabbit hole with the inventive use of ropes, ladders, props and other dancers. 7:30 p.m.. Dec. 6, San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., San Diego. $39.95-$129.05. 858-459-3728. sandiegotheatres.org
Originally Published: September 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM PDT