Pleasanton’s only professional ballet company, Ballet Roots Dance Company, is celebrating its fifth anniversary with two nostalgic shows this weekend featuring all-time fan favorites.
Grounded in ballet, the seven-person repertoire will incorporate many dance styles including bachata, originating from the Dominican Republic.
“I’m happy to be able to bring back the pieces everyone has been wanting to see again,” Ballet Roots artistic director Talia Fallis said.
“We not only have a mix of classical and contemporary ballet, but we also have the one-of-a-kind fusion pieces that combine ballet with other forms of dance that you simply won’t see from other ballet companies,” she added.
Fallis formed Ballet Roots in 2019 after noticing a lack of professional ballet companies in Pleasanton. She hoped to not only bring the dance form to the city at a professional level, but also to provide local dancers the opportunity to perform.
“A lot of times, to be a professional dancer you have to move across the country and go where you have work offered,” Fallis said. “So I’m so happy to be able to provide that opportunity for professional dancers right here in Pleasanton.”
The company’s first performance in 2020 featured three dancers, including Fallis and her sister Tenaya. Coming full circle, two pieces from that premier will be featured in the fifth anniversary shows.
“I’m grateful that we’ve made it this far,” Fallis said. “It definitely feels like we’ve grown and we’re stronger than ever.”
Through its growth, the company has always been a melting pot for dancers with varied training, Fallis explained. Whether the artists bring backgrounds in modern, contemporary or ballroom, she said she supports them incorporating different dance styles into ballet performances.
“I just wanted more freedom to explore and create different forms of art and really stretch the boundaries of what a ballet company can perform,” said Fallis, who also owns and teaches at the Vineyard Ballet Academy in Pleasanton with her sister.
Ballet Roots’ fifth anniversary performances are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. this Saturday (April 12) at the Firehouse Arts Center in downtown Pleasanton. Tickets are available at firehousearts.org.
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