Ryan Tomash Steps into a New Role
Back in October, New York City Ballet got a new cowboy. His arrival occurred in the final section of George Balanchine’s “Western Symphony.”
PlusThe inaugural Unite Ballet Festival, directed by Calvin Royal III, took place at the Joyce Theater from August 13-18, 2024. Over two different programs, the festival presented several world premieres as well as beloved repertory. Photographs by Steven Pisano
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Complex Female Characters
When Richard Move enters from stage left, his presence is already monumental. In a long-sleeved gown, a wig swept in a dramatic topknot, and his eyes lined in striking swoops, the artist presents himself in the likeness of Martha Graham—though standing at 6’4, he has more than a foot on the late modern dance pioneer.
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Ultimate Release
Perhaps not since Mikhail Fokine’s 1905 iconic “The Dying Swan” has there been as haunting a solo dance depiction of avian death as Aakash Odedra Company’s “Songs of the Bulbul” (2024).
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Weighty Issues
Dance, at its best, captures nuance particularly well, allowing us to feel deeply and purely. In its wordlessness, it places a primal reliance on movement and embodied knowledge as communication all its own. It can speak directly from the body to the heart, bypassing the brain’s drive to “make sense of.”
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