Sarah Van Patten
Founder & Artistic Director
Founder's Story
Like many of you, I was sheltering in place with my family during the summer of 2020, completely restless and uncertain of the future. Since San Francisco’s theaters were closed, and the performing arts world was turned upside down, I knew we needed a way to keep our art form alive. I invited a group of artists to my North Lake Tahoe home and transformed my living room into a functional dance studio. We came together to safely create at a time when we didn’t know how long it would be before we could return to a studio. I brought a film team up to document our creative process and the journey of us coming back together. I will be sharing these films with the public in the fall of 2021.
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Since then, Tahoe Dance Camp has evolved. We are a 501(c)(3) organization that brings world-class dancers, choreographers, and other artists to beautiful Lake Tahoe to freely create, collaborate, and perform. We are currently developing our summer festival company and residency.
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Sarah Van Patten is a principal ballerina with the San Francisco Ballet. She is celebrating her 20th season with the company in the upcoming 2021/22 season.
Tahoe is a destination that draws people from all over with its breathtaking landscape and welcoming community. We hope to play a vital role in developing and strengthening the Arts within this community and to become a world-class destination of the Arts for years to come.
Our Opening Performance
Classical Tahoe has graciously extended their venue for our first performance. Scheduled for July 24th, the single-evening show will provide a great introduction of Tahoe Dance Camp to the North Lake Tahoe area. I am thrilled to offer a program that showcases the highest level of San Francisco Bay Area dancers, world-renowned choreographers, and phenomenal musicians.
For many of the artists, this will be their very first in-person performance since the beginning of the pandemic. After a depleting year, it is my hope that this performance will offer you respite, hope, and healing—may it be the first of many to come.