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Upcoming Performances
As we finalize the details of our upcoming 2026 season, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, and update you on our successful 2025 season. Last season, we presented a special live preview performance of the upcoming world premiere Alicia in the Land of Wonders in conjunction with College of San Mateo’s Ethnic Studies Festival.
This new narrative ballet relates the tale of Alicia, the daughter of immigrants to the U.S., who reconnects with her heritage through Mexican folktales, images, and music woven together in an adventure loosely inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Choreographed by Oceánica Ballet Artistic Co-Directors Edgar Lepe and Robert Burns Lowman, Alicia in the Land of Wonders is based on Edgar’s personal love of his heritage and features music by José Elizondo, various Mexican composers, and others.
Our most recent production, The Headless Horseman + Viva La Vida, features an adaptation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” that “make[s] this 200-year-old story timely” as reviewed by Jocelyn Tong for The Daily Cal. We invite you to read the full review below:
Check back soon for information about our upcoming performances!
For information about our past performances, see below.
The Headless Horseman + Viva La Vida
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Past Performances
2025
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Join Oceánica Ballet for festive autumn vibes in an evening of story ballets inspired by Halloween and Día de los Muertos! Oceánica Ballet’s two-act family-friendly production of The Headless Horseman + Viva La Vida returns for 2025. Act 1 adapts Washington Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” exploring Ichabod as an outsider haunted by cruel townsfolk and the legendary Headless Horseman alike as he seeks a sense of belonging. Act Two features the original story of Lucio and Lupita in a multicultural tale about transcending loss and the resilience of love, celebrated through a joyful folklórico-infused ode to life inspired by Día de los Muertos. Throughout both stories, the wisdom of women across time and cultures is amplified.
Called “delightful from start to finish” by Jen Norris Dance Reviews, this production is bewitching entertainment for the fall season. “Through clever theatricality... Oceánica Ballet’s cast of dancers brings this story to life with a joie de vivre that has me looking forward to future showings of this work... creating a tradition for family audiences.”
The Headless Horseman + Viva La Vida will be performed October 25-26, 2025 at the College of San Mateo Theatre.
This production contains creepy sounds and spooky puppetry which may affect very young children.
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Click here to read a transcript of the poem recited in the prologue of Viva La Vida.
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In conjunction with College of San Mateo’s Ethnic Studies Film Festival, Oceánica Ballet will present a special live preview performance of Act 1 of the upcoming world premiere Alicia in the Land of Wonders. This new narrative ballet relates the tale of Alicia, the daughter of immigrants to the U.S., who reconnects with her heritage through Mexican folktales, images, and music woven together in an adventure loosely inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Choreographed by Oceánica Ballet Artistic Co-Directors Edgar Lepe and Robert Burns Lowman, Alicia in the Land of Wonders features music by José Elizondo, various Mexican composers, and others.
As part of CSM’s Ethnic Studies Film Festival theme “art as resistance,” this event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a brief Q&A session with the artists.
Alicia in the Land of Wonders will be presented in one performance only at 12:45pm on Thursday, April 24th, 2025 at the College of San Mateo Theatre (1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94402).
Free event open to the public.
2024
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Two one-act story ballets come together in an evening of chills, humor, heart, and autumn festivity celebrating Halloween and Día de los Muertos.
Oceánica Ballet's fall production features the tale of Ichabod and The Headless Horseman, adapted from Washington Irving’s classic “Legend of Sleepy Hollow;” and the original tale of Lupita in Viva La Vida, a celebration of life inspired by Día de los Muertos.
Called “delightful from start to finish” by Jen Norris Dance Reviews, this production is bewitching entertainment for the fall season. “Through clever theatricality... Oceánica Ballet’s cast of thirteen dancers bring this story to life with a joie de vivre that has me looking forward to future showings of this work... creating a tradition for family audiences.”
The Headless Horseman + Viva La Vida will be performed October 12-13, 2024 at College of San Mateo Theatre (1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94402).
This production contains creepy sounds and spooky puppetry which may affect very young children.
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Oceánica Ballet soars in a showcase of dances with themes of flight and retro Americana. Flying Colors features works by Bay Area choreographers, presented at Hiller Aviation Museum, June 8-9 at 12:30pm and 2:30pm with purchase of museum admission.
2023
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Join us for the bewitching conclusion to Oceánica Ballet’s 2023 Season this autumn in San Francisco! Oceánica Ballet presents Sleepy Hollow & Lupita, a double bill featuring the legend of the Headless Horseman adapted from Washington Irving's classic tale, and a ballet celebration of life inspired by Día de Los Muertos.
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Oceánica Ballet presents Horizons, August 19-20 at Hiller Aviation Museum with purchase of museum admission. The adventure and endless possibilities of summer come alive in this showcase of ballet works by Bay Area choreographers.
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Five choreographers explore themes of change and transformation. Andrea Salazar’s “Shaped” explores the pain and joy that push revolutionary changes in ourselves. Connolly Strombeck's "Bloom" is a neoclassical celebration of personal growth and discovery, in which each movement examines the beauty of a different type of flower. Vinnie Jones reimagines Swan Lake’s white swan pas de deux with two women. Also featuring Vinnie Jones’s “Il Purgatorio,” Robert Burns Lowman’s “Echoes,” and Edgar Lepe’s "A Soul's Dream."
2022
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Join Oceánica Ballet this Thanksgiving for a free virtual Fall Festival celebrating friends, family, and all those we’re thankful for. Featuring the online premiere of Jessica Woodman’s Till Death; and highlighting one of our current online offerings, Patience Gordon’s And Here We Are.
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Oceánica Ballet presents Sleepy Hollow & Lupita, a double bill featuring the legend of the Headless Horseman adapted from Washington Irving's classic tale, and a ballet celebration of life inspired by Día de Los Muertos.
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Oceánica Ballet presents Journeys & Destinations, a showcase of ballets celebrating the places life takes us, featuring works by Bay Area choreographers Edgar Lepe, Robert Burns Lowman, Isabelle Sjahsam, Connolly Strombeck, and Jessica Woodman.
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A vibrant collage of classical and contemporary ballets by Patience Gordon, Vinnie Jones, Edgar Lepe, and Robert Burns Lowman exploring themes of cohabitation, coexistence, and collaboration.
2021
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San Francisco Bay Area choreographers Isabelle Sjahsam, Jessica Woodman, Edgar Lepe, Robert Burns Lowman, and Connolly Strombeck present five world premiere ballets of elegance, whimsy, and contemplation.
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Read a review of Blue Skies in Everything South City:
Oceánica Ballet Blue SkiesInaugural Opening: A Wavicle of Enchanting and Joyful Delight
Featuring five world premiere ballets exploring themes of resilience, hope, and joy by Constanza Murphy, Edgar Lepe, Jessica Woodman, Matthew Ebert, and Robert Burns Lowman.