On the stage
Born in Winter Park, Florida, Sasha De Sola trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. on full merit scholarship where she studied under the guidance of Ludmila Morkovina, Anatoli Kucheruk, Alla Sizova and Vladimir Djouloukhadze. In 2004, Ms. De Sola was awarded a scholarship for studies at the Paris Opera Ballet School.
Ms. De Sola joined San Francisco Ballet where she rose through the ranks and was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer for the 2017 season. In 2020, she was appointed the Diane B. Wilsey Principal Dancer.
Sasha De Sola has danced many leading roles with the San Francisco Ballet. Highlights include Odette/Odile in Swan Lake; Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty; the titular role in Giselle; Kitri in Don Quixote; Manon in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon; Cinderella in Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella; Raymonda in Tamara Rojo’s reimagining of the classic ballet, Titania in George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Olga in John Cranko's Onegin; and Princess Henriette in John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid.
She has originated featured roles in works by Christopher Wheeldon, Helgi Tomasson, Bridget Breiner, Val Caniparoli, Liam Scarlett, Yuri Possokhov, Myles Thatcher, Trey McIntyre, Nicolas Blanc, Arielle Smith, Stanton Welch, Danielle Rowe and Dwight Rhoden.
Ms. De Sola has appeared as a guest artist with companies and in several galas around the world. She was also awarded the Junior division Bronze Medal at the Youth America Grand Prix (2004); the Best Junior Couple prize at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi (2006); and the Junior division Bronze Medal at Varna International Ballet Competition (2006). She was nominated as Dance Europe’s Dancer of the Year for 2020.
And beyond
In November 2018, On Tiptoes - De Puntitas, an illustrated bilingual children’s book based on the life of Ms. De Sola, was published. This bilingual picture book with a double cover and two stories tells the real life challenges Sasha De Sola faced, alongside a second fictional story about a boy who is inspired by her to become a dancer. Written in rhyme format in English and Spanish. The values contained in the narrative include: resilience, perseverance, personal growth, courage, self-worth.
In November of 2019, Sasha De Sola announced the launch of The Ascendant: a charity initiative in which she collaborated with the San Francisco based jewelry store, Fiat Lux. Together they released a jointly designed, dance-inspired jewelry line where all profits have benefited Dancin Power and San Francisco Ballet, two nonprofit organizations that are dear to her heart.
Ms. De Sola is also a proud donor and ambassador for High Impact Athletes, an organization that connects athletes to the most cost effective charities to create a groundswell of positive impact.
Sasha De Sola is a member of the Board of Directors for Dancin Power, a Bay Area based nonprofit that teaches interactive dance classes 100% free of charge to hospitalized children, including patients facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses. She also serves on Pointe Magazine’s Advisory Board.
She has also appeared in several advertising campaigns for Gabriela Hearst, Free People, Dr. Scholl’s, JINS eyewear, and Naja, among others. Ms. De Sola has additionally been featured as a actress in films “Dancing with Nureyev” and “Sirens Tango”.
Sasha De Sola graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Mary’s College of California with a Bachelor of the Arts in Performing Arts. Additionally, she completed Harvard Business School’s ‘Crossover Into Business’ program in 2022. In 2024, Sasha De Sola was announced as San Francisco Ballet’s inaugural Raising Leaders fellow. This professional development initiative aims to support dancers beyond the stage through mentoring, one-on-one coaching and shadowing opportunities.
Repertoire
2021 - present
RAYMONDA (ROJO) - RAYMONDA
WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR (WHEELDON) - FIRST PAS DE DEUX
MANON (MACMILLAN) - MANON
CARMEN (SMITH) - CARMEN
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (BALANCHINE) - TITANIA & DIVERTISSEMENT PAS DE DEUX
SONG OF THE EARTH (MACMILLAN) - WOMAN
WELCOME HOME (THATCHER)
LE CORSAIRE (SOARES) - MEDORA
CINDERELLA (WHEELDON)
GISELLE
THE QUEEN’S DAUGHTER (BREINER) - THE DAUGHTER
GATEWAY TO THE SUN (BLANC) - SECOND MOVEMENT PRINCIPAL
MADCAP (ROWE) - MIRROR
ROMEO AND JULIET BALCONY PAS DE DEUX (TOMASSON)
SWAN LAKE - ODETTE/ODILE
DYING SWAN (FOKINE)
DRUMROLL, PLEASE! (THATCHER)
BLUE ROSE (TOMASSON)
THE PROMISED LAND (RHODEN)
PRISM (TOMASSON) - FIRST MOVEMENT PAS DE TROIS
HARMONY (TOMASSON)
BLOOM (PECK)
DON QUIXOTE - KITRI
THE SEASONS (RATMANSKY) - WINTER AND AUTUMN PRINCIPAL
TRIO (TOMASSON) - FIRST MOVEMENT PRINCIPAL
SYMPHONY IN C (BALANCHINE) - FIRST MOVEMENT PRINCIPAL
BLAKE WORKS I (FORSYTHE) - LEAD
COLORFORMS (THATCHER)
TARANTELLA (BALANCHINE)
DIAMONDS PAS DE DEUX (BALANCHINE)
UNSAID (ROWE)
05:49 (THATCHER)
NO. 5 (ROWE)
IN THE NIGHT (ROBBINS) - 2ND PAS DE DEUX
LE CORSAIRE PAS DE DEUX
THE NUTCRACKER (TOMASSON) - GRAND PAS DE DEUX, SUGARPLUM
2016 - 2020
CINDERELLA (WHEELDON) - CINDERELLA
05:49 (THATCHER)
ETUDES (LANDER) - BALLERINA
BESPOKE (WELCH)
THE BIG HUNGER (MCINTYRE) - 1ST PAS DE DEUX
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (BALANCHINE) - TITANIA
DON QUIXOTE - KITRI
DIVERTIMENTO NO. 15 (BALANCHINE) - BALLERINA
APPASSIONATA (MILLIPIED)
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY (TOMASSON AFTER PETIPA) - AURORA
YOUR FLESH SHALL BE A GREAT POEM (MCINTYRE)
BOUND TO (WHEELDON)
“…TWO UNITED IN A SINGLE SOUL…” (POSSOKHOV) - 1ST PRINCIPAL COUPLE
THE LITTLE MERMAID (NEUMEIER) - PRINCESS HENRIETTE
SHOSTAKOVICH TRILOGY (RATMANSKY) - SYMPHONY NO. 9, CHAMBER SYMPHONY
HUMMINGBIRD (SCARLETT) - 1ST PRINCIPAL COUPLE
LE CORSAIRE PAS DE DEUX (PETIPA)
SERENADE (BALANCHINE) - RUSSIAN GIRL
ON A THEME OF PAGANINI (TOMASSON) - PAS DE TROIS
IBSEN'S HOUSE (CANIPAROLI) - ROMERSHOLM
GHOST IN THE MACHINE (THATCHER)
OTHER DANCES (ROBBINS)
FANCY FREE (ROBBINS) - PAS DE DEUX
LET'S BEGIN AT THE END (RHODEN)
TARANTELLA (BALANCHINE)
AGON (BALANCHINE) - PAS DE TROIS
HAFFNER SYMPHONY (TOMASSON) - PRINCIPAL
PAS/PARTS 2016 (FORSYTHE)
FRANKENSTEIN (SCARLETT) - JUSTINE
DIAMONDS (BALANCHINE) - BALLERINA
FUSION (POSSOKHOV)
FEARFUL SYMMETRIES (SCARLETT)
SWAN LAKE (TOMASSON AFTER IVANOV/PETIPA) - PAS DE TROIS, RUSSIAN DIVERTISSEMENT, SWAN MAIDENS
TRIO (TOMASSON) - FIRST MOVEMENT PRINCIPAL
WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR (WHEELDON) - FIRST PAS DE DEUX PRINCIPAL
CINDERELLA (WHEELDON) - STEPSISTER EDWINA
COPPÉLIA (BALANCHINE) - WALTZ OF THE HOURS, DAWN
DANCES AT A GATHERING (ROBBINS) - BLUE GIRL
PRISM (TOMASSON) - PAS DE TROIS
RUSH (WHEELDON) - PRINCIPAL PAS DE DEUX
CONTINUUM (WHEELDON) - FOURTH PAS DE DEUX
ONEGIN (CRANKO) - OLGA
THE NUTCRACKER (TOMASSON) - GRAND PAS DE DEUX, SUGARPLUM, QUEEN OF THE SNOW
2015 - previous
THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF EXACTITUDE (FORSYTHE)
GISELLE (TOMASSON AFTER PETIPA/PERROT/CORALLI) - MYRTHA, ZULMA, PEASANT PAS DE CINQ
THE NUTCRACKER (TOMASSON) - GRAND PAS DE DEUX, SUGARPLUM, QUEEN OF THE SNOW, ARABIAN
TEARS (CANIPAROLI) - SECOND PAS DE DEUX
BORDERLANDS (MCGREGOR)
FROM FOREIGN LANDS (RATMANSKY)
THE KINGDOM OF THE SHADES FROM LA BAYADERE, ACT II (MAKAROVA AFTER PETIPA) - FIRST VARIATION, SLOW VARIATION
GHOSTS (WHEELDON) - SOLOIST
FIREBIRD (POSSOKHOV) - PRINCESS
CINDERELLA (WHEELDON) - STEPSISTER EDWINA, RUSSIAN PRINCESS, WINTER SPIRIT
SHOSTAKOVICH TRILOGY, CHAMBER SYMPHONY (RATMANSKY) - FIRST PRINCIPAL WOMAN
MAELSTROM (MORRIS)
POSSOKOHOV’S THE RITE OF SPRING (POSSOKHOV) - SOLOIST
HUMMINGBIRD (SCARLETT) - SOLOIST
SUITE EN BLANC (LIFAR) - PAS DE TROIS, SERENADE
AGON (BALANCHINE) - PAS DE TROIS
BRAHMS-SCHOENBERG QUARTET (BALANCHINE) - FIRST MOVEMENT PRINCIPAL
GLASS PIECES (ROBBINS) - YELLOW SOLOIST
CLASSICAL SYMPHONY (POSSOKHOV) - SOLOIST
SYMPHONIC DANCES (LIANG) - SOLOIST
SYMPHONY IN C (BALANCHINE) - FOURTH MOVEMENT PRINCIPAL
TARANTELLA (BALANCHINE)
IN THE NIGHT (ROBBINS) - FIRST PAS DE DEUX
GUIDE TO STRANGE PLACES (PAGE) - SOLOIST
RAYMONDA ACT III (NUREYEV) - THIRD VARIATION
IBSEN’S HOUSE (CANIPAROLI) - ROMERSHOLM
SYMPHONIC DANCES (LIANG) - SOLOIST
SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS (BALANCHINE) - FIRST MOVEMENT PRINCIPAL
NUMBER NINE (WHEELDON) - PURPLE PRINCIPAL
DIVERTIMENTO NO. 15 (BALANCHINE) - PRINCIPAL
DON QUIXOTE (TOMASSON/POSSOKHOV AFTER GORSKY/PETIPA) - QUEEN OF THE DRYADS, KITRI'S FRIEND