Festival Ballet Celebrates Gala of the Stars at Irvine Barclay Theater August 7

July 23, 2025

By Lydia E. Ringwald

Festival Ballet celebrates its 16th Annual Gala of the Stars on August 7, 2026, at Irvine Barclay Theater on the campus of UC Irvine.

The annual Gala is the brainchild of Festival Ballet Director Salwa Rizkalla, who has trained many ballet artists at her Southland Ballet Academy in Fountain Valley and Irvine, who now perform in dance companies throughout the world.

Festival Ballet Director Salwa Rizkalla

Rizkalla’s summer intensive features international guest teachers who instruct her Southland students in ballet artistry and advanced technique.

At 6 pm, Festival Ballet showcases performers from the Southland Ballet Academy.

Then, at 7 pm, audiences can enjoy a medley of inspiring classics and highlights from the world’s most famous and endearing ballets.

The evening performance features classic and avant-garde choreographies by dazzling dancers from some of the world’s most prestigious and creative dance companies.

American Ballet Theater star dancer Chloe Misseldine, who has performed lead roles in ‘Giselle’, ‘Swan Lake ’, and ‘Like Water for Chocolate’, illuminates the Irvine Barclay stage for the Gala event.

Lead dancer Julian Mackay, who has performed in star roles as the ‘King of Illusions’ in John Neumeier’s ‘Wie Schwanensee,’ as James in ‘La Sylphide,’ as Romeo in John Cranko’s ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ as Albrecht in ‘Giselle,’ also dances in the August 7 Gala showcase of stars.

San Francisco Ballet Principal Sasha De Sola, dancer and choreographer Brady Farrar, and San Francisco Ballet Principal Harrison James will solo and partner in some of the world’s most famous and fabulous choreographies.

Ballet stars Michael de la Nuez and Sylvie Squires dance in the medley of performances that light up the Irvine Barclay Theater stage for the June 7 Gala event.

Tickets to the performance are available at thebarclay.org.

A ‘Welcome the Stars Dinner Cruise’, honoring Southland Ballet students who attended the Summer Intensive and honoring world-renowned dance instructors and Gala performers in the Newport Harbor, precedes the show on Wednesday, August 6.

To celebrate the occasion, balletomanes may join the stars and enjoy an exclusive Gala Dinner on the theater pavilion after the show on August 7. Gourmet dining accompanied by wine and champagne highlights the stellar Gala event.

For tickets and more information about the ‘Welcome the Stars Dinner Cruise’ and the ‘Gala of the Stars’ VIP Dinner, please visit festivalballet.org.