"Voices", "In Memory of...", "Diamonds"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 8, 2026
The evening’s performance had works by Ratmansky, Robbins, and Balanchine, and though none showed them at their finest, it did show that craft and imagination, plus very good dancing, can be rewarding. Ratmansky’s “Voices” is rather austere opening work, an experiment in movement to pure sound without melody or clear rhythm; ironically the biggest applause went to the
New York City Ballet
"Continuum", "Each in Their Own Time", "Distant Cries", "Concerto DSCH"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 1, 2026
NYCB’s programming has had some ups and downs this season, and this program, called forthrightly “Contemporary Choreography III” (Contemporary Choreography I and II were danced in the Fall and Winter seasons respectively so it seems that one contemporary collection a season is allotted), opened with three rather dark and knotty works, which, perhaps coincidentally, were
New York City Ballet
"Divertimento No. 15", "Zakouski", "Composer's Holiday", "Heatscape"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
April 29, 2026
This evening’s program, one pas de deux (Peter Martins’ “Zakouski”) and three longer works (Balanchine’s sublime “Divertimento No. 15”, and two newer works by younger choreographers (Gianna Reisen’s “Composer’s Holiday” and Justin Peck’s “Heatscape”), seemed to be designed to show off the company’s current impressive collection of dancers. “Zakouski” celebrated the soon to
New York City Ballet
"Symphony in C", "Agon", "Firebird"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
April 24, 2026
This all-Balanchine program had a packed and enthusiastic audience, saluting several debuts and two farewells—Megan Fairchild, who danced the first movement of “Symphony in C”, is retiring at the end of the season and Taylor Stanley, who performed the sarabande in “Agon”, has announced his 2027 retirement. The company seemed to sense the audience’s excitement, and the dancing was
American Ballet Theatre
"Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois", "Firebird"
American Ballet Theatre
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
March 21, 2026, matinee
There were feathers in both ballets danced at the Saturday matinee—lots of feathers in Ratmansky’s “Firebird” and a feather in Raymonda’s hair in Susan Jaffe’s new staging of the Grand Pas from Petipa’s “Raymonda”. The feathers in “Firebird” (costumes by Galina Solovyeva) had a flashy exoticism, so appropriate for Ratmansky’s post modern take on the
American Ballet Theatre
"Mozartiana", "Neo", "Firebird"
American Ballet Theatre
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
March 18, 2026, evening
There were three very strong women, supported by three very fine men, in this performance. Chloe Misseldine and Michael de la Nuez made their debuts in Balanchine’s celestial “Mozartiana”, Christine Shevchenko, with James Whiteside, made her debut in Ratmansky’s “Neo”, a witty and physical pas de deux , and Catherine Hurlin and Daniel Camargo made their second appearances in Ratmansky’
American Ballet Theatre
"Othello: A Dance in Three Acts"
American Ballet Theatre
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
March 10, 2026
ABT’s quest for seat-filling full-length ballets has in recent years focused on works based on literary works (“Crime and Punishment”, “Jane Eyre”, Virginia Woolf, “A Winter’s Tale”, etc.), with often disappointing results. There are few choreographers around who can spin choreographic gold from complex sources and “Don Quixotes” don’t turn up very often. Of course, the balletic
American Ballet Theatre
"Mozartiana", "Nuages", "Firebird"
American Ballet Theatre
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
March 14, 2026, matinee
The sold out audience enjoyed two ballets plus one brief pas de deux, each with its own distinct atmosphere and music. Appropriately, nuages is French for clouds, which were floating in the background of the ballet Jiří Kylián set to Claude Debussy’s dreamy “Trois Nocturnes”. “Mozartiana”, to Tchaikovsky’s “Suite no. 4”, based on themes by Mozart, is another of Balanchine’
New York City Ballet
"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
New York City Ballet
"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.
New York City Ballet
"The Sleeping Beauty"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 13, 2026
Peter Martins’ 1991 production of “The Sleeping Beauty” returned to City Ballet for two well-sold weeks; it has remained basically unchanged for 25 years, with the same strengths and weaknesses. Fortunately this performance, with Indiana Woodward and Chun Wai Chan as the royal couple and Ashley Laracey as the Lilac Fairy, and a number of debuts in supporting roles, was definitely on
New York City Ballet
"Dig the Say", "This Bitter Earth", " "The Naked King", "Everywhere We Go"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 5th and February 8th, 2026
Alexei Ratmansky’s new ballet “The Naked King”, a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s always timely “The Emperor Has No Clothes”, is another of his explorations of ballet’s history. Shortly before he died Diaghilev had come up with the idea of using the Andersen story for a ballet,