Audio Description & ASL for Smuin’s The Christmas Ballet

This “capacious, ever-growing tradition” (San Francisco Chronicle) returns to spread yuletide cheer throughout the Bay Area.

 

Audio Description for The Christmas Ballet – Sunday, December 21, at 2:00 pm

There will be Audio Description, as well as a pre-show Haptic Access Tour, at the performance on Sunday, December 21, at 2:00 pm.

 

ASL for The Christmas Ballet – Friday, December 19, at 7:30 pm

There will be ASL interpretation at the performance on Friday, December 19, at 7:30 pm.

 

Purchase Tickets

To purchase tickets, reserve a headset for Audio Description, and/or reserve a place on the Haptic Access Tour, please call the Smuin Box Office at 415-912-1899 or send an email to boxoffice@smuinballet.org

 

Short Show Description

Haptic Access Tour

Arrive by 12:30 pm on Sunday, December 21, for a 15-minute live pre-show tour that allows patrons to experience—through touch and their own movement— the space, performers, costumes, and objects in addition to key movement elements in the performance. Patrons should gather in the lobby of the Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA at 12:30 pm. The haptic access tour will begin at 12:45 pm.

About the Program

Michael Smuin’s wonderfully adaptable toast to the holidays features new works this year by Julia Adam Dance director Julia Adam, Artistic Director Amy Seiwert, and San Francisco Ballet Soloist Myles Thatcher. In addition to beloved Michael Smuin classics, look for favorite numbers by Val Caniparoli, Nicole Haskins, Ben Needham-Wood, and Rex Wheeler. And, of course, Santa Baby will be there too, sauntering across the stage and inviting you to join her—and us—in celebrating everything magical about the season.

For more information, to book a spot in a Haptic Access Tour, or to reserve a headset please call:  415-912-1899

Note to group organizers: We currently have a total of 20 headsets available. We recommend that you ask people to reserve them. To date we have not had more AD users than we could accommodate. If you believe that you will have more AD users than this (i.e. you are working with a school group or organization) please let us know ASAP. We can purchase more receivers and headsets, but it takes up to a week for us to receive shipment.

 

Date and Time

For ASL:  12/19/2025 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM

For Audio Description:  12/21/2025 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Show Length

The show is 2 hours long and 3 and a half hours long if you join for the Haptic Access Tour on Sunday, December 21.

Location of event

Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA

700 Howard Street, San Francisco, California 94103

Contact

For more information, please contact the Smuin Box Office at 415-912-1899.

Gravity Access Service

The audio described performance is possible through a partnership with Gravity Access Services.

Your Gravity Audio Describer is

Ian Buchanan

About Audio Described Performances

For audience members who are blind or visually impaired, Smuin Contemporary Ballet partners with Gravity Access Services to offer live audio description and haptic access tours for selected performances. Audio description is a live audio track spoken by a professional audio describer to audience members with visual impairments through a wireless headset system. It provides clear and engaging descriptions of the meaningful visual details of a performance. Haptic access tours (20-30 minutes) are a live pre-show tour that allows patrons to experience—through touch and their own movement— the space, performers, costumes and objects in addition to key movement elements in the performance.

Your ASL Interpreters is

Pilar Marsh