Steedle was impossible to miss, too, in Stanton Welch’s “The Long and Winding Road.” Made in 2001 for SUNY Purchase conservatory students and American Ballet Theatre’s studio company, this is a large ensemble ballet that feels like it was made with the goal of helping dancers develop, rather than fulfilling an ambitious artistic vision. (Perpetually amazing, isn’t it, how Balanchine’s “Serenade” did both.) The music is Peter Breiner’s arrangement of Beatles tunes on the “Beatles Go Baroque” album; the costumes by Welch himself are clever, sporty open-backed leos above tutus for the women, who also wear mod-ish 60’s headbands, and Seargent Pepper-tinged tunics for the men. 

Grid-like stage patterns showcased classical ports de bras, with dancers’ backs to the audience, but the neo-classical twists to the movement vocabulary were kept pretty tame, the most notable feature being Welch’s love for a wide second position. Galloping groups of men in unison petit allegro passages had their work cut out for them, and showed they were still working on refinements. Isabella Velasquez was radiant in “She’s Leaving Home” alongside Wyatt McConville-McCoy, who seemed to be working overtime all through the program thanks to his partnering skills.

The program ended with an explosion of liquid group movement and the non-stop ostinatos of a minimalist music mish-mash in company member Julia Feldman’s “Hearts,” from 2022. Feldman is in the early days of her choreography career, but gathering notice: In 2026, she’s participated in the Joffrey Ballet’s Winning Works program, won a choreography competition at Milwaukee Ballet, and made a commission for Smuin Contemporary Ballet. “Hearts,” for a mass of 12 bodies, shows she’s gifted at swirling stage patterns and rippling canons. 

The costumes designed by Kaori Higashiyama, unisex black pants with flesh-toned tops, felt like a bland effort to be contemporary. Cazarez was quietly commanding again—he walks the stage as though born to it. Velasquez and James Griffen partnered with great trust and connection through some very over-amplified arpeggios. But Feldman’s promise is clear, and the dancers vibrated with energy. What a joy it will be to see Helimets’s work with these dancers unfold in the spring.