James Sofranko, the newly appointed artistic director to the Grand Rapids Ballet, has a lot in store for the upcoming 2018-19 season. Having only started his work with the company and having moved to Grand Rapids last month, Sofranko has still managed to find adjusting easy.

“It’s been really easy so far to get to know everyone,” Sofranko said to WKTV. “Everyone’s really welcoming and happy. I already feel like Grand Rapids is a nice place to live.”

Sofranko was most recently a featured soloist for the San Francisco ballet, and has a unique background that should bring a special flavor to the Grand Rapids Ballet.

“I studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and then I spent 18 years in a classical ballet company in San Francisco (the San Francisco Ballet) where I was a soloist,” he explains, “So I have kind of a foot in both contemporary and classical traditional ballet worlds. … As a dancer I was versatile and I could do both of those well, and I’d like to bring that out of the dancers here in Grand Rapids.”

When asked about his current projects, Sofranko explained that currently he is teaching the summer program and preparing for the dancers to arrive around the end of the summer.

“The summer program is going on right now so I’m teaching class for them,” he said. “So for now it’s just a lot of office work and meetings and planning and scheduling. But I’m really eager to get back in the studio. That will happen when the dancers come.”

And when the dancers do come, Sofranko has a lot in store for the Grand Rapids Ballet.

The season will open with a gala dedicated to his arrival, featuring “Wild Sweet Love”, a ballet that Sofranko is particularly enthusiastic about, as well as his first choreographic work for the company.

“I’m really excited about ‘Wild Sweet Love’. It’s from a choreographer named Trey McIntyre and it’s a great piece. It’s set to music from Queen, The Partridge Family, Roberta Flack, Lou Reed; a lot of different pop music so that already makes for a very fun evening, and you leave the theater singing some tunes, and it’s kind of a romp through the world of love.”

Other ballets that are slated for Sofranko’s Welcome Gala include “Allegro Brilliante” and “Ghost Light”, and Sofranko will be presenting a new piece as well.

The gala is sure to be a night to remember, complete with “an elegant seated dinner with James, local dignitaries, VIPs, and fellow ballet lovers at L3VEL at The B.O.B in downtown Grand Rapids,” according to the ballet’s website. The event will be concluded with “a glamorous, glitter-filled champagne after-party with beautiful and talented dancers at Peter Martin Wege Theatre.”

Tickets for the gala can be purchased via Ticketmaster through the Grand Rapids Ballet website. The event will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 18.

Sofranko, while receiving a warm welcome from Grand Rapids, concluded his interview with WKTV by expressing his belief that ballet is for everyone.

“If you’ve never experienced a ballet performance before, you should come on out and see one,” he said. “You don’t need to be nervous that you’ve never seen anything like this before. You don’t have to have any pre-knowledge about what ballet is or what art is. There’s so many different ways to enjoy this art form.”

And with the Grand Rapids Ballet ready for an exciting new start this fall, there will be many chances to enjoy it, as well.