25 to Watch 2018: Alston Macgill

The most interesting dancers are the ones who aren’t quite knowable. Watch New York City Ballet corps member Alston Macgill in Peter Martins’ blazing Fearful Symmetries, and you might peg her as the kind of speed-demon powerhouse who’s most lethal in contemporary works. Watch her as the high-flying third-movement soloist in Balanchine’s Symphony in C, and you’ll notice a grander, more majestic sweep to her dancing, an easy command of the stage that feels inherently classical. She’s a natural “leotard ballet” dancer; she’s a natural “tutu ballet” dancer. She’s just a natural.

Macgill with Harrison Ball in Symphony in C. Photo by Paul Kolnik, Courtesy NYCB

Macgill, who has only been in the corps for a year and a half, has already built an impressive roster of roles. (In fact, she first danced the Symphony in C soloist part as an apprentice.) A favorite of choreographers, she has originated parts in Nicholas Blanc’s Mothership and Lauren Lovette’s For Clara. Look for her to expand her repertoire—and show us as-yet-undiscovered sides of her artistry.

Find out who else made Dance Magazine‘s “25 to Watch” list this year.