Jasmine Jimison in COLORFORMS (Dir. Ezra Hurwitz, Chor. Myles Thatcher, 2021, USA) // © San Francisco Ballet
The Bay Area is my home, so San Francisco Ballet feels like home as well. It means a lot to dance here.
Soloist Jasmine Jimison, a native of Palo Alto who was named a “breakout talent” by the San Francisco Chronicle, was appointed Apprentice in 2018 after studying at SF Ballet School, and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in 2019. She was promoted to Soloist in 2021. Jimison created a role in Myles Thatcher’s COLORFORMS, and dances in all three ballets in The Colors of Dance (March 14–19).
What has it been like to adapt your role in COLORFORMS from film to stage?
Adapting my role to the stage has been really fun, and it’s been a seamless process so far. Myles is a genius so he knows how to make anything work. In the screen version of the ballet, there was this movie magic, and we were able to do things that we can’t necessarily do on stage. So we’ve added some new choreography and it’s been fun to go through the creation process again, even though it was basically a complete ballet to start with. It’s always so fun to be in the studios with Myles. He’s just a joy to work with.
What has it been like these past few years, on a personal level, since COLORFORMS was created?
Oh, gosh. Well, I got goats over quarantine! On a more serious note, when we were creating COLORFORMS, we were just coming out of isolation—it was basically the first thing we did coming out of quarantine. I think everyone’s life has changed quite a bit since then. My outlook on life in ballet has changed. Being in quarantine, we didn’t know what was going to happen and what the future of ballet would look like. I think I learned to appreciate this art form even more and not take it for granted, especially because it’s such a short career.
Could you describe some of the differences between the choreography of these three ballets—COLORFORMS, 7 for Eight, and Blake Works I?
COLORFORMS is more grounded in movement because it was originally choreographed in tennis shoes, and to be danced outside. There’s more sticky movement, it’s a bit more contemporary and slightly emotional. 7 for Eight, I think it’s the typical Helgi style: neoclassical-classical, very light, very joyful, with that freedom of abandonment and artistry. And Blake Works I: it’s just fun, groovy. The basis of it is classical, but it’s pushing the boundaries of it with lines and attack. It’s pushed to an extreme.
As someone who grew up in the Bay Area, could you describe what it’s like to dance for your hometown company? What do you enjoy about life out here?
SFB has always been my dream company. I joined SF Ballet School when I was 12, so being in such proximity to all the amazing dancers I think fueled my passion even more. And also, the Bay Area is my home, so San Francisco Ballet feels like home as well. It means a lot to dance here. I also love the diversity of the Bay Area. I think living here and having exposure to so many different types of people and cultures has made me more of an open-minded person. And as an artist, I think it’s helped with my growth and with being able to adapt to the different roles on stage and being more versatile.
This article was first published in The Colors of Dance playbill. It is published here courtesy of San Francisco Ballet. Click here to explore the playbill.
