San Francisco Ballet dancers perform in “The Nutcracker” at the War Memorial Opera House in 2024. The group is scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center in May.

In March, weeks after President Donald Trump purged the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ board of members he deemed too “woke” and broke political precedent to install himself as chair, the artistic team behind “Hamilton” canceled the musical’s planned performances at the capital’s crown-jewel arts venue — where San Francisco Ballet is scheduled to perform next May. 

“This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it,” “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda told the New York Times, while producer Jeffrey Seller said in a statement posted on X that the politicization of the formerly bipartisan institution “flies in the face of everything this national cultural center represents.”

Celebrated soprano Renée Fleming and popular band leader Ben Folds quit their Kennedy Center advisory roles, musician Rhiannon Giddens and actress Issa Rae canceled engagements, and performers in a production of “Les Misérables” refused to take the stage when they learned Trump would be attending the show. 

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But a surprising number of dance organizations, including the Mark Morris Dance Group and American Ballet Theatre, proceeded with appearances. Perhaps their leaders........

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