Get a sneak peek at Sacramento Ballet’s ‘Romeo & Juliet,’ debuting on Valentine’s Day

Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers return to the stage for a Valentine’s Day opening night in the Sacramento Ballet’s production of Romeo & Juliet.

The show represents a debut for Korean dance artist Young Soon Hue, who has never before opened a full-length ballet featuring new choreography in the United States.

“Young Soon is very good at making it the dance more emotional and real,” said Anthony Krutzkamp, the ballet’s artistic and executive director. “I think it because that raw feeling, it brings out an inner sadness and happiness that I haven’t felt that Romeo and Juliet in a very, very long time.”

The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera will perform a live orchestration of the classic Prokofiev score.

“It was my dream to choreograph this piece,” Young Soon Hue said. “It’s just beautiful, not because it’s my choreography, but the dancers are beautiful.”

The show’s four performances at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center will start Friday night and conclude with a matinee on Sunday. Tickets are still available.

The runtime of the show is approximately two hours, much shorter than the Shakespeare version.