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San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Select list of winners at the 2025 Tony Awards
Choreography Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, 'Buena Vista Social Club' Book of a musical Will Aronson and Hue Park, 'Maybe Happy Ending' ___
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
At City Ballet, Casting, Coaching and Dances Worth Watching
Looks can be deceiving, even in ballet. On paper, the spring season of New York City Ballet looked safe and dutiful, with no premieres, except the stage performance of a pandemic-era dance film and more recent contemporary works, some welcome (by Alexei Ratmansky), others not so much (everything else). But the season had a surprising sense of purpose, which came from casting, coaching and commendable repertoire. Suzanne Farrell, the former City Ballet star, worked with the dancers on four ballets. The 50th anniversary of the Ravel Festival made for a memorable trip back to 1975. And debuts were plentiful; more than that, they were meaningful choices, the kinds of roles that challenge dancers at the right time and give them the space to grow. Ratmansky didn't need to present a premiere. Two sides of his artistry were already on display. There was the buoyant, technical 'Paquita,' his spirited look at classicism in the 21st century; and 'Solitude,' a remarkable ballet illustrating the inner turmoil and outer tragedy of the war in Ukraine, with dancing shaped by and seeped in sorrow. It is even stronger now — quietly devastating with an icy spareness and, from the dancers, deep, grounded conviction. Its placement on a program between Caili Quan's 'Beneath the Tides' and Justin Peck's 'Mystic Familiar' seemed clueless, as if all of contemporary ballet is on an equal playing field. It's not. Other programs were dragged down by ballets that felt like needless filler — Peck's blandly lush 'Belles-Lettres' and Christopher Wheeldon's drippy 'After the Rain' pas de deux. The pas de deux made what should have been a strong program of ballets by Jerome Robbins and Ratmansky interminable. Ballet is an art, but its athletic demands can be cruel: Gilbert Bolden III, a new, much-valued principal dancer, tore his Achilles during a performance of 'Scotch Symphony.' His recovery will take months. But that show went on — Jules Mabie filled in for him — and the season, which included a farewell to the longtime principal Andrew Veyette, ended on a cheerful note with Balanchine's enchanting 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' made even more so by the debut of Mira Nadon, dancing with Peter Walker, in the second act divertissement. She moves like silk. Here are a few other standout ballets and performances. Kyle Abraham Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
New York City Ballet's New Season: Premieres, a Revival, a Retirement
In its 2025-26 season, New York City Ballet will welcome one dancer, Ryan Tomash, and bid farewell to another, Megan Fairchild, who will depart after 25 years with the company. 'Megan is absolutely beloved by every single person here within our institution,' Wendy Whelan, City Ballet's associate artistic director, said. 'She'll be a huge loss for us, just in every way — as an artist, as a mentor, as just a kind, humane presence. She's a gem; that's all I can say.' Jonathan Stafford, the company's artistic director, added that Fairchild was one of the rare dancers to have been a principal for more than 20 years. 'She's just had this longevity in her career at the highest level,' he said. New York City Ballet's 2025-26 season, the company announced Monday, will feature four world premieres; the return of George Balanchine's 'Symphonie Concertante,' last performed by the company in 1952; and two story ballets: 'The Sleeping Beauty' and 'Coppélia.' The new works will be by Jamar Roberts (Oct. 8); Justin Peck (Jan. 29), City Ballet's resident choreographer; Alexei Ratmansky (Feb. 5), the company's artist in residence; and Tiler Peck (May 7), a principal dancer. The season opens Sept. 16 with two all-Balanchine programs: The first features his one-act 'Swan Lake,' along with 'Donizetti Variations' and 'Ballade'; the second has 'Square Dance,' 'Episodes' and 'Western Symphony.' Also in fall, Tomash, now a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, will make his debut with the company as a soloist. The winter season, in addition to the two world premieres, will feature Jerome Robbins's 'Antique Epigraphs,' and a 14-performance run of Peter Martins's 'The Sleeping Beauty,' one of the company's largest productions, with more than 100 dancers, including students from the School of American Ballet. Story ballets, Stafford said, 'are really important access points to an audience that maybe isn't aware of what New York City Ballet is, or even what classical ballet is.' He added that audiences might be more inclined to see something they know, like a familiar fairy tale. Other season highlights include company premieres of Justin Peck's 'Heatscape' (Sept. 25), created for Miami City Ballet in 2015; and Christopher Wheeldon's 'Continuum' (May 1), set to Ligeti, and created for San Francisco Ballet in 2002. The season will close with 'Coppélia,' which will include Fairchild's farewell performance (May 24). 'We do a lot of ballets every year,' Stafford said, 'but this season feels especially bountiful in terms of new opportunities that will be offered to our current roster dancers.' A full lineup can be found at
