Boca Raton is getting a serious dose of big-league ballet next summer. Boca Ballet Theatre is closing its summer season with a full-length production of La Bayadère on August 1-2, 2026, and it is loading the cast with name-brand talent. American Ballet Theatre principal Skylar Brandt will share the stage with Philadelphia Ballet principals Sterling Baca and Scarlett Güémez, performing alongside students and alumni from Boca Ballet’s summer intensive. The two-performance run, set for a Saturday evening and Sunday matinee at Olympic Heights Performing Arts Theater, is being billed as a classical showcase built around the famed "Kingdom of the Shades" sequence.
BBT announced the casting and dates on its site, noting that the performances will cap the company’s 35th season and will “feature elite principal guest artists.” As outlined by Boca Ballet Theatre, shows are scheduled for August 1 at 7:30 p.m. and August 2 at 2 p.m. at Olympic Heights Performing Arts Theater (20101 Lyons Rd). The company describes the project as a full-length narrative ballet, staged with professional production values rather than a workshop-style showcase.
Star Power Onstage
Skylar Brandt, a principal with American Ballet Theatre, is one of ABT’s most visible dancers and has been in the top rank since 2020. According to Skylar Brandt, she received a Princess Grace Foundation-USA dance fellowship in 2013, and her repertory already includes Gamzatti in La Bayadère. That mix of precision technique and firsthand experience in the ballet makes her a natural fit for the casting.
Philadelphia Ballet Principals Joining The Cast
Sterling Baca, now a principal with Philadelphia Ballet, started out with American Ballet Theatre’s second company and became an ABT apprentice in May 2011 before heading to Philadelphia as a principal in the 2016/2017 season, according to his company bio. Philadelphia Ballet highlights his range across classical and contemporary repertory. Scarlett Güémez, who trained in Monterrey and in Havana, was promoted to coryphée in 2020 and joined Philadelphia Ballet for the 2022-23 season, per her dancer page. Philadelphia Ballet lists her credits with Companía Nacional de Danza de Mexico and several featured classical roles.
From Workshop To Mainstage
The production will serve as the finale of Boca Ballet’s Directors’ Summer intensive, a professional five-week program that runs June 29-August 2, 2026, and culminates in a fully staged performance. Students in the program spend the summer training with visiting directors and faculty, then step into the spotlight alongside guest principals for the August shows. Boca Ballet Theatre describes the intensive as a bridge between studio training and professional-level work.
What To Expect
La Bayadère, choreographed by Marius Petipa to a score by Ludwig Minkus, is best known for the "Kingdom of the Shades" scene, a hypnotic procession of white-clad dancers that has become one of classical ballet’s defining images. Historical accounts note that the Shades sequence has been restaged repeatedly over the years and remains a cornerstone of the traditional repertory. For more on the ballet’s history and its central Shades scene, Petipa Society offers a detailed overview.
Full casting details and ticket information are available from Boca Ballet Theatre, and the casting announcement was also carried by local outlet Boca Raton Tribune. The mix of top-tier guest artists with Directors’ Summer participants gives Boca audiences a rare front-row look at emerging dancers sharing the stage with established principals.
