Evelyn Cisneros-Legate
Director of Ballet Pacifica Academy
Born in Long Beach California and raised in Huntington Beach, Cisneros began studying ballet at the age of 8 in an effort to overcome her profound shyness. Cisneros later received full summer scholarships to the San Francisco Ballet School and the School of American Ballet and upon completing her high school education, she began her apprenticeship with the San Francisco Ballet in 1976. In 1977 she joined the Company under the directorship of Co-Artistic Directors, Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin. Cisneros soon began dancing principal roles, many choreographed for her by Smuin himself. She performed her original roles in national television broadcasts of A Song for Dead Warriors and The Tempest, as well as the title role of Cinderella and noteworthy “live broadcast” from the White House in 1982. Her success continued under San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director, Helgi Tomasson, appointed in 1985. She has danced the leading roles in a diverse repertoire of classical ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, La Sylphide, and La Fille Mal Gardeé. Numerous resident and visiting choreographers have created works for her including Tomasson, Val Caniparoli, James Kudelka and Mark Morris. Her contemporary repertoire included works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Stanton Welch and Jiri Kylian. She has toured the world performing with the Company and as a guest artist.
Cisneros has been featured on the covers of Dance Magazine, Ballet News, and Hispanic Magazine, and received numerous awards for her community activism and artistic achievements. She is held in high regards by the Hispanic community of the Bay Area and serves as role model to many. Cisneros holds honorary doctorate degrees from Mills College and the University of California at Monterey Bay. In May of 1999, Cisneros retired from the San Francisco Ballet with a Gala performance in her honor, and in celebration KQED produced a 1/2hour documentary of her life, entitled Evelyn Cisneros, Moving On.
Following retirement in 1999, Cisneros became the host of KQED’s monthly current events program “Bay Windows”. During this time, Cisneros also became an artistic consultant with San Francisco Ballet, where she hosted and provided content for Family Connection workshops, pre-performance talks, Community Matinees and the Ballet’s popular Casual Friday Program. In November 2001, Cisneros was appointed Ballet Education Coordinator in the San Francisco Ballet Center for Dance Education. In this capacity, she hosts, prepares and presents content for Community Matinees, movement workshops and discussions for our popular Family Connections Series, and for Dance Education on Tour. Miss Cisneros is also part of a team of educators training ballet docents involved in the IMPACT program. She prepares study guide content to educate students and teachers about the key elements of ballet, including music and terminology.
Since 2000 Cisneros has taught at summer intensive courses for the The Boston Ballet School in Boston Ma.Kansas City Ballet in Crested Butte Colorado, City Ballet School in San Diego and a week long intensive in Carmel Ca. Regular teaching engagements include the New York City Ballet Workout at the Bay Club in San Francisco twice weekly, and for Smuin Ballet SF. She has staged ballets for Val Caniparoli and Michael Smuin for the following ballet companies: Pacific Northwest Ballet, State Theatre Ballet in South Africa, Northern Ballet Theatre in Leeds England, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Florida, Kansas City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet. Cisneros also has taught company class for the following ballet companes: Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, State Theatre Ballet in South Africa, Northern Ballet Theatre in Leeds England, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Florida, and the Kansas City Ballet.
Prior it’s closing, Cisneros was Academy Director for Ballet Pacifica in Irvine California for eight months, and served as Ballet Pacifica’s Company Artistic Director, producing the Nutcracker performed at the Barclay Theater for 21 performances. She has also co-authored “Ballet for Dummies” with conductor Scott Speck, which is available at most bookstores and at Amazon.com. Cisneros is married to recently retired principal dancer Stephen Legate, and they have a son Ethan and daughter Sophia, who are their ultimate accomplishments and joy.