Firebird Rising

Long before the dancers take the stage, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s season at New York City Center feels like one of the most energizing cultural events of the spring. Crowds in the lobby wait to take photos of the archival Firebird wings on display, and upstairs, a DJ gets the party started. Once the curtain rises, the energy stays high all night long.

Performance

Dance Theatre of Harlem: “Higher Ground” by Robert Garland / “Nyman String Quartet No. 2” by Robert Garland / “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactidue” / “Firebird” by John Taras

Place

New York City Center, New York, NY, April 16, 2026

Words

Rebecca Deczynski

Alexandra Hutchinson in “Firebird” by John Taras. Photograph by Rachel Papo

This evening, Dance Theatre of Harlem put on a selection of works new and old. “Higher Ground” and “Nyman String Quartet No. 2” are choreographed by artistic director Robert Garland. “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactidue,” a William Forysthe work which debuted in 1996, is a recent addition to the company’s repertoire, as of last year. And the crown jewel of the night’s performance, John Taras’s “Firebird” is a longtime treasure—a Caribbean-set reimagining of the classic work which was created in 1982. The company hasn’t performed it since 2004.

And so, the night feels like a celebration. Garland’s “Higher Ground” opens the program, with six dancers dressed in Creamsicle orange. Through the six-song piece, various motifs reappear: the dancers move in a circle in the center of the stage. They break their balletic posture to groove to the music. They walk, pedestrian-like, before moving back into a petit allegro or turn sequence.

At times, the work is overly earnest; the moments of dancing, as one would on a dance floor rather than a stage, are fun, but they start to feel discordant from the more technical passages of the piece. It’s less that the movement is unwelcome, and more that it feels unevenly incorporated, jutting out rather than seamlessly flowing in. The messaging, too, can feel on the nose—particularly in a moment when the dancers pretend to talk and take selfies on actual cellphones.

Still, it’s a lively work with some exciting moments, particularly at the end. Kira Robinson is an exciting, expressive soloist, and the pairings of dancers evoke plenty of excitement from the audience with big catches and turns.

Dance Theatre of Harlem in “Higher Ground” by Robert Garland

Forsythe’s “Vertiginous Thrill” may be the most technically challenging work of the night, with its rapidfire footwork and quick jumps—Italian pas de chats that seem to spring up out of nowhere. In futuristic, lime green saucer tutus, the women of the piece repeatedly développé in effacé and, in partnering sequences, seem to swim through changing positions of their arms and legs.

At times, the pacing of the piece is so rapid that one step is not fully completed before dancers move into the next, giving the work an unnecessarily hurried quality; more a sprint than a marathon. Regardless, what matters most of all is the musicality, and while some passages may be performed in a flurry, the dancers still give an exciting performance, with big flourishes of their arms and the most important accents hit.

“Nyman String Quartet No. 2,” Garland’s second piece in the program, has some of the same signatures as the first—moments of pedestrianism, chassés en manège, and plenty of loose step-touches—but it feels more cohesive with some Robbins-esque formations and more sequences of jumps and pirouettes which the dancers attack with aplomb.

It starts to feel a bit repetitive when a pattern emerges—one dancer performing a solo while the others step-touch behind them—but it’s hard not to stay engaged in the upbeat work, with its propulsive rhythm.

Derek Brockington and Alexandra Hutchinson in “Firebird” by John Taras. Photograph by Rachel Papo

It’s a big build up to “Firebird,” which is the undoubtable standout of the night. Micah Bullard, as the young man—dressed in little else but a sash and shorts—is a fine and princely dancer, carrying himself throughout with grace and openness. And Ariana Dickerson, as the titular Firebird, practically vibrates with the intensity of her character. Hers is a flighty bird, whose arms shudder upon her capture. Her embodiment is reflected in so much more than the choreographed, arched-back leaps and quick bourrées. It’s the way she carries herself, even through to the curtain call.

Delaney Washington, as the Princess of Unreal Beauty, is serene–dancing on pointe while her fellow “Beautiful Maidens” remain on flat, weaving through one another and floating in breezy temps de flèche. It is worth noting the standout original costumes and scenic design by Geoffrey Holder, which render “Firebird” into a mystical and entrancing world.

By the time that Bullard faces off with the “Creatures of Evil” and the “Prince of Evil,” it’s clear what outstanding potential Dance Theatre of Harlem as it enters–we can hope—a new golden age. The company borrowed students from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts to fill out the corps de ballet, and the effect is stunning. The battle scene, busy and bustling, is a thrill to watch, as the creatures tumble and jump in clusters, and Dickerson’s entrance into the action is enthralling.

It’s hard not to feel emotional during the apotheosis—particularly with thanks to Jeri Lynne Johnson’s excellent conducting of the Gateways Festival Orchestra—as peace is restored to the fantastical kingdom, and Dickerson, now wearing the iconic pair of wings that were on display in the lobby, rises upward.

What a loss for the dance world that this “Firebird” was tucked away from the stage for so long–and what a gift for it to have returned. Perhaps, if we’re lucky, this is just the start of the company’s revivals; I, for one, am hoping for the return of “Creole Giselle.”

Rebecca Deczynski

Rebecca Deczynski is a New York City-based writer and editor publishes the newsletter Mezzanine Society. Her work has appeared in publications including Inc., Domino, NYLON, and InStyle. She graduated from Barnard College cum laude with a degree in English and a minor in dance.

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