“Swan Lake”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 17 and 19, 2025
In a move full of risk and opportunity, American Ballet Theatre bookended its Met season with two blocks of its production of “Swan Lake,” now in its 25th year. The immortal classic, even in ABT’s flawed rendition, remains a tried-and-true blockbuster, but more crucially serves as an unforgiving vehicle for showcasing and assessing a company’s talent. While all eyes this
“Sylvia”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 10, 2025
“Sylvia” was American Ballet Theatre’s marquee offering this season, at least if you were trying to draw a conclusion from the company’s marketing and the sheer saturation of this ballet across the media. Presented by ABT for the first time in almost a decade, this Frederick Ashton ballet had many debuts, some misses, and a truly mesmerizing partnership in Chloe Misseldine as Sylvia and
“The Winter’s Tale”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 3, 2025
Christopher Wheeldon’s “The Winter’s Tale,” set to original music by Joby Talbot, graced the stage during American Ballet Theatre’s Met season only seven times, but it was clear that this addition to the company’s repertory is a worthy one. Set to Shakespeare’s story but danced with Wheeldon’s modern language, it is precisely the kind of vehicle the company
“Woolf Works”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 17, 2025
In a full lineup of classics or classical-feeling story ballets, Wayne McGregor’s “Woolf Works” to Max Richter’s music stood as American Ballet Theatre’s one edgy and daring offering this season. Rooted in literary works by Virginia Woolf and wholly embedded in McGregor’s signature pliant style, this ballet showcased the company at its versatile best, with deeper and more seasoned interpretation from how
“From You Within Me,” “Variations Pour Une Porte et Un Soupir,” “Mystic Familiar”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 29, 2025
New York City Ballet's "New Combinations" program proved that while anything old can feel new again, the new can just as easily feel like a rehashing of the old. Along with Christopher Wheeldon’s dreary 2023 ballet “From You Within Me” and George Balanchine’s experimental 1974 work “Variations Pour Une Porte et
“Crime and Punishment”
American Ballet Theater
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
November 1, 2024
As a novel, Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” can be deeply intellectually rewarding or torturously challenging. As a ballet, Helen Pickett’s adaptation, which premiered during ABT’s fall season, was solely the latter. Set over twenty scenes to commissioned score from Isobel Waller-Bridge, the work felt like it was based on the CliffsNotes version of the book, not the actual
“Ará,” “Network,” “Toujours,” “Monarcas,” “Moss Anthology: Variation #5,” “This Bitter Earth,” “The Golden Turtle,” “Divinity in Paradox”
vildwerk.: “Time To Protect Our Planet” Program
Theatre of Museo del Barrio
New York, NY
October 15, 2024
Can dance save the world? The question feels rhetorical, but vildwerk., a new foundation that seeks to raise global environmental awareness through dance, is on a mission to have it at least help. Featuring commissions from noteworthy choreographers of our time, such as Joshua
“In Creases,” “Solo,” “Partita,” “Everywhere We Go”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
October 12, 2024
Ten years is a long time to be doing anything, and when it comes to serving as Resident Choreographer and creating ballets at a rate of up to four per year for one company, it’s an especially admirable feat. It was thus fitting that New York City Ballet celebrated Justin Peck’s big anniversary as a resident
“Signs,” “Beneath the Tides,” “Concerto for Two Pianos”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
October 11, 2024
In the Contemporary Choreography program of recent ballets by all female creators, including this season's world premiere, New York City Ballet presented rich dancing and a level of comfort with the material that is seldom seen with newer works. It may not have been the best choreography the company has in its repertory, but all three works were
“Like Water for Chocolate”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
July 16, 2024
American Ballet Theatre ending its five-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House with Christopher Wheeldon’s “Like Water for Chocolate” seemed like an emblematic move committed to its determined new identity – a company of story ballets, new world-class choreographies and solid, home-grown dancing talent. It is an encouraging direction for the troupe, even if the ballet itself was not the most scrumptious dish ABT
“Woolf Works”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
June 26, 2024
For its second week of the 2024 New York summer season, American Ballet Theatre stuck to the literary works theme, but with an unexpectedly modern, multi award-winning twist. Created in 2015, Wayne McGregor’s “Woolf Works” is everything one would expect from him – highly physical, seemingly stripped-down yet loaded with meaning and detail, and pushing the boundaries of traditional ballet. But it was also
“Equilibrio”
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
June 19, 2024
It can be too easy to forget just how many elements make up the tapestry of the flamenco genre, but Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana company’s performance of Emilio Ochando’s new “Equilibrio” expertly brought the various strands into focus. Conceived originally as a solo performance in 2020, Ochando expanded the COVID-19 pandemic creation to the whole company. Infused with a few modern twists