San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan and Chelsea Clinton with her new book She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History will be the headliners at the Ballet’s March 2 fundraising event. Celebrating Women’s History Month, the event is to raise funds for girls’ scholarships and financial aid programs at the San Francisco Ballet School.
Also participating will be the illustrator for Clinton’s book, Alexandra Boiger, herself the author-illustrator of the Max and Marla books, and the illustrator of more than 20 picture books.
Tickets for the event in the Fairmont Hotel range from $300 to $2,500. Proceeds will support girls’ scholarships and financial aid programs at San Francisco Ballet School, which awards more than $1.2 million in scholarships and financial aid each year.
The school offers a challenging curriculum, taught by faculty members drawn from the ranks of S.F. Ballet and companies around the world. The school benefits from its close relationship with the company, and it is a fundamental part of the institution — more than half of the company’s dancers are graduates.
The curriculum emphasizes strong classical technique, a flow of movement and athleticism that suggests a sense of energy, freedom, and joy. This style — which reflects the kind of dancing favored by S.F. Ballet — adapts to meet the demands of any choreographer, any company, and any type of movement.
Clinton’s book, a sequel to She Persisted, celebrates 13 women who have used their voices and determination to create change and shape history through science, the arts, sports, education, and activism.
Women in the book include Marie Curie, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Viola Desmond, Sissi Lima do Amor, Leymah Gbowee, Caroline Herschel, Wangari Maathai, Aisha Rateb, J.K. Rowling, Kate Sheppard, Yuan Yuan Tan, Mary Verghese, and Malala Yousafzai.
These women, the author says, “overcame adversity to change the course of history across the globe. Inspired by the overwhelming response from young readers to the stories of the 13 American women shared in [the earlier] She Persisted, I decided to write She Persisted Around the World and hope these incredible women’s stories further empower kids to use their voices and dreams to positively shape the world around them and our shared future.”
