Exhilarating, Nurturing, Stimulating

Festival Ballet Theatre, a non-profit organization, is Orange County’s premier ballet company founded in 1988 by Artistic Director, Salwa Rizkalla.

Our mission is to enrich Orange County’s artistic and economic vitality, to inspire love and appreciation for dance, and to invigorate ballet by:

• Presenting a season of exhilarating classical and contemporary performances,
• Providing a nurturing environment for dancers and choreographers,
• Offering stimulating educational outreach programs.

With reverence for classic masterpieces and a focus on developing future tours de force, Festival Ballet Theater is committed to presenting the best of dance, enriching lives, and developing a new generation of audiences and artists.

We offer professional-quality classical productions and highlight the works of world-renowned choreographers, giving audiences a rich, fulfilling experience with each of our nearly two dozen annual performances. Aspiring to heights of artistic excellence, FBT simultaneously attracts the best in professional dance to its home base while sending its own dancers out as artistic ambassadors to the nation.

How we carry out our mission

• Presenting treasured full-length classical ballets productions.
• Highlighting the works of world-renowned choreographers who have received critical acclaim.
• Inviting world-class ballet artists in leading roles to share the stage alongside company dancers; providing a unique experience for audiences and dancers.
• Fostering the next generation of artists and providing employment opportunities for professional dancers in Orange County.
• Presenting various educational outreach programs To increasing the developmental growth and creativity of children by
  • reaching out to diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups and introducing artistically underserved children and adults through ballet
  • enriching school curriculum
  • offering free dance performances at various sites throughout the community
  • collaborating with Orange County arts organizations and events to promote arts education and appreciation

Our season

Festival Ballet Theatre is passionate about its role in keeping the arts alive and thriving in Orange County, creating and presenting dance for residents who appreciate excellence in dance performance. Our season each year includes more than 20 performances at the Irvine Barclay Theatre: “The Nutcracker” in December and two full-length ballet productions, and the International Ballet Festival: Gala of the Stars. All of these use local dancers, enriching and enlivening the performing arts experience in our Orange County community.

Our performers: a who’s who of ballet

The company’s productions spotlight internationally acclaimed guest artists from prestigious companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, Nashville Ballet, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Stattsballet Berlin and Stuttgart Ballet.

As part of our pledge to foster careers for those who show talent and drive, we offer selected dancers from our Southland Ballet Academy studios and open audition to the community the unique opportunity to dance alongside these international stars of ballet. Each of our productions offers an impressive roster of homegrown, up-and-coming Southern California talent.

Aspiring to heights of artistic excellence, FBT simultaneously attracts the best in professional dance to its home base while sending its own dancers out as artistic ambassadors to the nation.

Honors and awards

Arts Orange County named Festival Ballet Theatre Outstanding Arts Organization of the Year in 2001 and in 2014 recognized Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla with the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award.

Our director

Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla has contributed to the Orange County, California community for more than 40 years by presenting full productions of classical ballet alongside new contemporary and original works. Through her non-profit organization, Festival Ballet Theatre, she invites world-class dancers to perform leading roles and promotes excellence in dance performance, while providing top-tier classical ballet training at Southland Ballet Academy.

During her professional dancing career, Ms. Rizkalla performed key roles in well-known classical ballets and worked under the direction of world-renowned choreographers, including Leonid Lavrovsky and Serge Lifar. She trained in the Russian Vaganova method at the Higher Institute of Cairo, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Ballet Pedagogy, and later secured a lifelong teaching credential from UCLA. She established Southland Ballet Academy in 1983 and debuted Festival Ballet Theatre in 1988. In addition to teaching and directing, she has served on the faculty at several local colleges and institutions.

Her contributions have been recognized by numerous arts organizations. The Orange County Music and Arts Administrators and Orange County Performing Arts Center jointly named her the Orange County Arts Educator of the Year for Secondary Dance (2003). Youth America Grand Prix has repeatedly recognized Ms. Rizkalla as an Outstanding Teacher, and Arts Orange County honored her with the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award (2014). Additionally, the OC Register named her one of Orange County’s 100 Most Influential people in 2017.

Ms. Rizkalla is honored to have impacted the lives of hundreds of students and their families through her teaching. She remains a dedicated educator, energetic promoter of the arts, and active participant in the cultural life of her community.

Ms. Rizkalla has been honored to impact the lives of hundreds of students and their families through her teaching. She is proud to be a dedicated educator, an energetic  promoter of the arts, and an active participant in the cultural life of her community.

Ms. Rizkalla has been honored to impact the lives of hundreds of students and their families through her teaching. She is proud to be a dedicated educator, an energetic  promoter of the arts, and an active participant in the cultural life of her community.