Career Highlights

(Above): Cisneros (right) as Odette and Anthony Randazzo (left)
as Prince Siegfried in Helgi Tomasson's Swan Lake.
Photo Credit: Museum of Performance + Design, 1989.

    After completing her apprenticeship, Cisneros became an official member of the San Francisco Ballet in 1977 (“Evelyn Cisneros: One of the First Hispanic Prima Ballerinas in the U.S.”). The ballet company was under the directorship of Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin. When first joining the company, she was in the corps de ballet. While forming part of this group, she faced discrimination for being Latina. She was required to wear certain makeup to lighten her skin and “fit in” with the other dancers (Ogden). This was difficult for Cisneros, but she persevered and made it her goal to climb the ranks within the company. Her first appearance as a prima ballerina was actually when she was replacing a dancer who got injured. Despite learning the choreography in just five hours, Cisneros left a lasting impression on the choreographers and directors, quickly making her the company’s favorite dancer (Godoy). She subsequently began dancing principal roles, with many of them being choreographed by Smuin. Arguably, her biggest accomplishment is becoming the first Hispanic prima ballerina. She went on to perform nearly every single starring role from the San Francisco Ballet’s repertoire. Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, Odette from Swan Lake, The Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker, Cinderella from Cinderella, and Juliet from Romeo and Juliet are just some examples of Cisneros’ starring roles (“Evelyn Cisneros: One of the First Hispanic Prima Ballerinas in the U.S.”). In 1985, there were many changes to the San Francisco Ballet. Smuin was replaced by artistic director Helgi Tomasson (“Cisneros, Evelyn: 1959—: Ballerina”). Cisneros had a difficult time adjusting, considering she had such a close relationship with Smuin. Eventually, she ended up establishing a prolific relationship with Tomasson, with him creating many roles for her (“Cisneros, Evelyn: 1959—: Ballerina”). Under the company’s new direction, Cisneros began focusing more on modern dance. In 1995, Val Caniparoli created Lambarena for her, which allowed her to showcase her brand new contemporary style (“Cisneros, Evelyn: 1959—: Ballerina”). She eventually retired in May 1999, at the age of 40. Her final performance was before the mayor of San Francisco and culminated with a standing ovation. She danced with the San Francisco Ballet Company for 23 years. Upon her retirement, she entered the world of education. She worked as ballet coordinator at the San Francisco Ballet, principal of Boston Ballet’s North Shore Studio, and artistic director at the National Dance Institute (Hilton).

(Above): Cisneros as Cinderella in Act 1 of Michael Smuin's Cinderella.
Credit: The San Francisco Ballet.


(Above): Cisneros as Cinderella dancing with Alexander Topciy as The Prince
in Michael Smuin's Cinderella. Credit: The San Francisco Ballet.

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