Bay Area Premiere

Love is all-consuming for Anna, who is married but finds herself caught in the maelstrom of a life-changing love affair with the dashing Count Vronsky. The stunning dancers of the Joffrey Ballet return with Anna Karenina, a ravishing full-length story ballet by Yuri Possokhov based on Tolstoy’s timeless novel and featuring an original score by award-winning composer Ilya Demutsky, performed live by the Berkeley Symphony. When it premiered in 2019, the ballet won the “Oscars of Dance,” the Benois de la Danse International Prize for Best Choreography. Set in the late 19th century, the production styles Anna’s tragic tale as a psychological thriller, weaving together themes of love and loss, violence and betrayal. “A sweeping, cinematic and sometimes heart-pounding take with unfailingly superb dancing throughout” (Chicago Sun-Times).

This performance is made possible, in part, by an anonymous Patron Sponsor, Daniel Johnson and Herman Winkel (March 16), and Beth DeAtley (March 17).

All UCB students in attendance at the Mar 15 performance are invited to attend a reception on the Zellerbach Hall Mezzanine immediately following the performance. Learn more at calperformances.org/ucb-students