PANDORA GOES DIGITAL

A visually striking ballet where myth,
machines, and modern anxiety collide

San Francisco Ballet closes out its 2025–2026 season with Mere Mortals, a contemporary ballet choreographed by Aszure Barton with music by Floating Points.

It’s a modern-day spin on the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box. Despite being warned about the consequences, Pandora opens the box, releasing all elements of human suffering into the world. She nearly overlooks releasing “Hope,” the final element remaining inside.

Here, that ancient myth is refracted through a distinctly contemporary lens: artificial intelligence, technological progress, and the uneasy relationship between humanity and its own creations. Barton’s choreography blends narrative suggestion with abstract movement, allowing the ballet to function both as storytelling and as a broader meditation on where society may be headed.

The ballet opens with soldiers dressed in black marching in unison, immediately establishing a stark, dystopian tone. Electronic music, layered with orchestral elements, underscores the action while digital projections transform the stage into a shifting, futuristic landscape. The result is an immersive environment where myth and modern technology collide—an approach that feels especially apt in the Bay Area, where Barton first developed the work in 2024 and where the tech industry continues to shape global culture.

Throughout the one-hour production, the dancers—at times more like a collective force than individual characters—shift visually from black to gold, suggesting the emergence of hope amid the darkness. The choreography emphasizes unity, repetition, and precision, reinforcing the tension between human expression and mechanized movement. (Production Design & Visuals by Hamill Industries, costumes by Michelle Jank.)

The score’s fusion of electronic sound and symphonic texture further distinguishes the piece from more traditional ballets. Combined with evolving projections that move from shadowy monochrome to bursts of vivid color, the production creates a layered sensory experience that is as much about atmosphere as it is about narrative.

While Mere Mortals may be more conceptual than classical story ballet, its ambition is clear. It invites interpretation rather than dictating it, posing questions about technology, control, and the future of human connection without offering easy answers.

No matter one’s level of familiarity with ballet, Mere Mortals is likely to spark conversation long after the final moment. In closing its season with such a bold, contemporary work, San Francisco Ballet finishes on a striking and thought-provoking note.

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photos by Lindsey Rallo

Mere Mortals
Aszure Barton and Floating Points
San Francisco Ballet
War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA
ends on May 3, 2026
for tickets, call 415.865.2000 or visit SF Ballet

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