Alonzo King LINES Ballet Reveals 44th Fall Season

Alonzo King LINES Ballet has announced its Fall 2025 Season, featuring the return of Deep River, the collaboration between choreographer Alonzo King, Grammy Award–winning vocalist Lisa Fischer, and composer, pianist, and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran. LINES' fall season also includes a special screening of the feature-length documentary ORIGINS by director Drea Cooper at SFMOMA.

Since premiering in San Francisco in 2023, Deep River has been performed by LINES Ballet on stages around the world to critical acclaim, including at the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and the American Dance Festival. Named one of Pointe magazine's 12 standout performances of 2024, the work was praised as “both beautiful and meditative… an unforgettable experience.” The work melds dance with Black spirituals and music from the Jewish liturgical tradition, and is a powerful reminder of the strength of love and hope in times of adversity.

At the center of Deep River is the extraordinary voice of Lisa Fischer, whose emotive power is interwoven with Jason Moran's evocative compositions. Deep River serves as a meditation on the power of the human spirit and, according to King, is a reminder that “love is the ocean that we rose from, swim in, and will one day return to”—and that love can set us free. Please note: the San Francisco performances will feature pre-recorded music; musicians will not perform live.

Deep River took shape during the filming of ORIGINS, in spectacular settings ranging from the mountains and plains of the Arizona desert to the galleries of SFMOMA, with much of the choreography developed as the cameras rolled. That overlap makes ORIGINS more than just a documentary; it also becomes part of Deep River's story, showing how both works grew side by side.

ORIGINS made its world premiere earlier this year at the 68th San Francisco International Film Festival and is directed by Emmy Award winner Drea Cooper. It will be screened at SFMOMA on November 1. Produced by Julie Costanzo, Gary Kout, Robert Rosenwasser, and Cooper, ORIGINS is an intimate portrait of Alonzo King and the company dancers, blending performances with personal stories and insights. It offers a poetic meditation on the meaning of life and the connections that bind us, illustrating how movement becomes a universal language of transformation. Through King's words and the dancers' physicality, ORIGINS elevates dance beyond performance—into a place of deep human connection.

Together, these two works speak to a fall season filled with hope, reflection, and shared humanity. 

San Francisco / Bay Area Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. URINETOWN (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble)

17% of votes

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

9% of votes

3. SWEENEY TODD (Cabrillo Stage)

8.7% of votes

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