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Leïla Ka's Maldonne

Leïla Ka's Maldonne


"Maldonne"
Leïla Ka
Co-Presented with Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival
New York Live Arts
New York City
February 27 and February 28 (matinee), 2026


French choreographer Leïla Ka is not one to shy away from the depths and vulnerability of womanhood. Co-presented with Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels at New York Live Arts, Ka’s "Maldonne" stretches the definition of femininity, utilizing five dancers and 40 dresses to

By Miranda Stück
Point and Counterpoint

Point and Counterpoint


"Suite en Blanc", "Flight Pattern"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
February 27, 2026


The National Ballet of Canada opened their winter season with a mixed program of two works that could not be more different: Serge Lifar’s potpourri of classical bravura dancing “Suite en Blanc” and Crystal Pite’s somber commentary on the global refugee crisis “Flight Pattern.” Both works feature a large ensemble of 36 company dancers. The former

By Denise Sum
A Story For Another Time

A Story For Another Time


“Romeo & Juliet Suite”
L.A. Dance Project
Festival: Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Park Avenue Armory
New York, NY
March 2, 2026


You could see what Benjamin Millepied was going for with his version of “Romeo and Juliet.” An immersive, hybrid-medium reimagining of the greatest love story ever told – Sergei Prokofiev’s score abridged, every corner of Park Avenue Armory's Gothic grandeur weaponized, plot trimmed to its central characters and live performance spliced with real-time cinematography beamed

By Marianne Adams
The Company They Keep

The Company They Keep


"Dances at a Gathering,” “Diamonds”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 27, 2026


What a joy it must have been to be alive and a patron of New York City Ballet in the 1960s, the decade when the company premiered Jerome Robbins’s “Dances at a Gathering” and George Balanchine’s “Jewels.”  Now, in 2026, as the company danced both works – the Robbins complete, the Balanchine represented by its final act, "Diamonds" – to

By Marianne Adams
Duende in Chapters

Duende in Chapters


Gala Flamenca
Flamenco Festival
New York City Center
New York, NY
February 26, 2026


The Flamenco Festival opened its 25th year at City Center with a gala featuring four of the dance form's greats – Eva Yerbabuena, Manuel Liñán, El Farru, and the young Juan Tomás de la Molía – painting a story of rich traditions and deep passions over a series of individual vignettes.  Running at over two hours with no intermission, it was a formidable tale poignantly punctuated by

By Marianne Adams
Chopin, Chiffon, and Diamonds

Chopin, Chiffon, and Diamonds


"Dances at a Gathering", "Diamonds"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 26 and 27, 2026


In the past, “Dances at a Gathering” has been programmed as the closing ballet, letting the audience drift out, luxuriating in the memory of Chopin and chiffon.  However as time went on, it seemed that some in the audience used the final profound nocturne, where the dancers stand and let their thoughts flow through the music, as a

By Mary Cargill
Do You See?

Do You See?


“Ebony Magazine: to a Village,” “Clear As Tear Water,” “Gatekeepers,” “Upside Down”
Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
February 25, 2026


Program A of Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE's weeklong run at The Joyce Theater was, at its heart, a celebration – of collaboration, of community, and of Wunmi Olaiya (who goes by Wunmi), the London-born, Lagos-raised musician and designer whose music, costumes, and creative vision have been woven into the EVIDENCE aesthetic for decades. The evening honored

By Marianne Adams
Depth of Field

Depth of Field


“BIPED,” “Mycelium”
Lyon Opera Ballet
Festival: Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
New York City Center
New York, NY
February 21, 2026


In a three-night engagement at New York City Center, Lyon Opera Ballet presented two substantially contrasting works that nonetheless formed an unexpectedly coherent program: Merce Cunningham's landmark "BIPED" paired with Christos Papadopoulos's "Mycelium" – works opposite in structure, atmosphere, and era, yet united by a shared exposition of what happens to the human body when it is asked

By Marianne Adams
A New Beauty Awakens

A New Beauty Awakens


"The Sleeping Beauty”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 19, 2026


In a two-week run of Peter Martins’s staging of “The Sleeping Beauty,” New York City Ballet saved the best debut cast for last. The beauty of this “Beauty” was in the nuance, and Emma Von Enck as Aurora and Dominika Afanasenkov as the Lilac Fairy gave transcendent, intentional performances, while David Gabriel was a gallant and hopeful Prince. Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara's first outing

By Marianne Adams
Doubleheader

Doubleheader


"The Sleeping Beauty"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 21, 2026, matinee and evening


Two “Sleeping Beauties” in one day may seem like too much a good thing, but as Mae West said “Too much of a good thing is wonderful”.  Two very different couples, Mira Nadon with Peter Walker (matinee) and Emma von Enck with David Gabriel (evening), were each dancing their second “The Sleeping Beauty” after debuting earlier in the week.

By Mary Cargill
Step Sequined

Step Sequined


Trinity Irish Dance Company
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
February 17, 2026


The Riverdance phenomenon may have faded from public consciousness, but Trinity Irish Dance Company wasted no time at The Joyce Theater in proving that Irish dancing is not only alive and well — it is more of the present moment than ever. In a program of nine works including two world and one New York premiere, the company tapped, twisted, and slapped infectious rhythms with an energy that

By Marianne Adams