LOVE IS LOVE Premieres at Peninsula Lively Arts For Valentine's Day

Peninsula Lively Arts has announced plans for a Valentine's Weekend of dance, romance and storytelling with Love is Love, a multicultural, multi-company program featuring artists from across the dance spectrum, including voices from the LGBTQIA+ community. Performances are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. An Early Bird Discount Ticket Offer is available on select premium seats now through Jan. 2.

Peninsula Lively Arts invites audiences to experience a Valentine's Weekend of dance, passion, and artistry through a program that blends classical and contemporary styles with dynamic traditions from the East, West, and global South. Reflecting a wide range of cultural and personal perspectives, Love is Love explores the many facets of human connection—romance, tenderness, heartbreak, and the enduring push and pull of relationships—told through movement as a universal language all set to timeless songs and music inspired by the Valentine spirit.

Under the programming direction of Gregory Amato, Artistic Director of Peninsula Lively Arts, six  acclaimed dance companies will come together on one stage for two special performances at the  Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts: Peninsula Ballet Theatre (PBT); Oakland Ballet; Feng  Ye Dance; Peru Expressions; International Performing Arts of America; and Ensambles Ballet  Folklórico de San Francisco. 

“This program shows how love reveals itself in countless forms,” commented Artistic Director Gregory  Amato. “Each company brings its own cultural and artistic identity, so every piece becomes a different  lens on romance, longing, tenderness, and the sometimes, unpredictable arrows of Cupid. Most of the  works audiences will see are brand new—fresh creations that sparkle with new interpretations and 

new meaning for Valentine’s Day. The beauty of this event is watching these perspectives unfold one  after another, each company taking its turn to show how dance can express the many ways we love.” 

Peninsula Lively Arts Interim Executive Director Debbie Chinn adds, “This presentation marks our  debut at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, and brings together the Bay Area’s dance  community in a way that feels deeply resonant. It’s a powerful example of what can happen when  artists from different traditions and disciplines collaborate with curiosity and generosity. Audiences will  be rewarded with a vibrant, heartfelt experience that reminds us how the movement of dance—no  matter the style or cultural origin—unites us all in the shared emotions of love.” 

Program highlights include the participation of Oakland Ballet’s Artistic Director Graham Lustig, will  give an encore performance of his new work, Faun, a dramatic homage to iconic Russian dancer Vaslav  Nijinsky and his romantic relationships with his wife Romola and impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Set to  Claude Debussy’s immortal score The Afternoon of a Faun, the music will be performed live and feature  dancers from both Oakland Ballet and Peninsula Ballet Theatre. 

From award-winning Feng Ye Dance, the company will offer Peony Pavilion: Dream Lover, one of the  most celebrated and popular love stories in Chinese cultural history, in a new bold interpretation  blending Peninsula Ballet Theatre dancers with Chinese classical dancers.  

From the Andes Mountains of South America, Peru Expressions Artistic Director Monica Mendoza has  created a new duet that embodies Peruvian elegance, courtship and musicality. Zenón Barrón, artistic  director of Ensambles Ballet Folklórico de San Francisco will debut a thrilling new work—co choreographed by Gregory Amato—that will showcase the company’s virtuosity complemented by the  addition of the Peninsula Ballet Theatre dancers.  

The PBT dancers will debut five new works of romance and whimsy by company artistic director  Gregory Amato set to a wide range of music from Frederic Chopin and Nat King Cole to ABBA and  more. Emerging Bay Area choreographer Vinnie Jones has reimagined the famed Swan Lake pas de  deux as an intimate romantic work for two women and their queer expression of tenderness and  longing, aligning deeply with the infinite possibilities of the Love is Love theme.  

With details pending, the highly acclaimed International Performing Arts of America’s Artistic Director  Yang Yang Lyon, will present a loving and heartfelt new work for this extraordinary South Bay classical  Chinese dance company.  

San Francisco / Bay Area Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. URINETOWN (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble)

22.8% of votes

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7.4% of votes

3. THE DAY THE SKY TURNED ORANGE (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company / Z Space)

6.9% of votes

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