A King Re-Gendered Setterfield in Lear. Photo by Patrick Moore, courtesy NYLA. Play King Lear? Valda Setterfield has done so many other things that when she turned 79, she felt ripe for the challenge. At the request of Irish maverick choreographer John Scott, she played (and danced) the plagued king in Ireland two years ago, […]

Swoon In costume for Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Photo by Jayme Thornton. Just about every woman on our staff has a crush on Amar Ramasar. And no, not just because he’s so good-looking. There’s something in the way he lets his inner child come out to play onstage, dancing like he’s giddily challenging […]

New York City Ballet’s Amar Ramasar has grown into more than just an endearing kid from the Bronx. In recent seasons, he’s become an intriguing, sophisticated artist. But he still can’t help radiating his love for dance. Ramasar’s favorite red shirt is a hand-me-down from Christopher Wheeldon. Photo by Jayme Thornton. In a large studio […]

New York City Ballet’s fall season opened last week with Peter Martins’ production of Swan Lake. The company is looking ahead to their gala tomorrow, followed by a month of works new and old. The marketing department seems particularly excited about its premieres, many of them created by new choreographers (perhaps part of their admirable […]

The NYCB principal uses cross-training to lengthen and support her body without wearing it out. Mearns, here in Allegro Brillante, starts her warm-up with a hot shower. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy NYCB. A few years ago, Sara Mearns’ weeks were packed with gym visits and Gyrotonic training. But as her schedule at New York […]

How NYCB draws in—and retains—coveted young audiences The young Justin Peck has become a choreographic face of NYCB. His most recent ballet: Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes. Photo by Paul Kolnick, courtesy NYCB. A dapper young man wakes up in a mysterious drawing room to the vision of a beautiful woman in an evening gown with […]

Misty Copeland doesn’t typically spend her days balancing on demi-pointe in lace-up sneakers, wearing the briefest of running shorts and a T-shirt knotted jauntily above her hips. But Under Armour’s series of “I Will What I Want” ads presents a portrait of this artist as an athlete—in the brand’s athletic wear. And for the makers […]

Leriche in Kyle Abraham’s Counterpoint. Photo by Todd Rosenberg, Courtesy HSDC. Emilie Leriche Both delicate and strong, Emilie Leriche can move with the softness of a cool puff of air or strike a pose worthy of the mythic huntress Diana. She crystallizes moments in time with the magic of a born performer. And she’s whip-smart—as […]