Stars of the International Ballet Stage

The IBStage Star Galas have a mission to unite the best and brightest for gala ballet evenings. As seen at New York City Center, New York. Photographs by Steven Pisano

Performance

IBStage Star Gala

Place

New York City Center, New York, NY, January 18, 2025

Words

Steven Pisano

Anna Loycke and Ylian Feytis in “Elogio della Danza" by Valerie Lacaze

Kentaro Mitsumori and Maya Schönbrun of the Royal Swedish Ballet in “Diana and Acteon” by Agrippina Vaganova

Grand Pas and Black Swan excerpts

Elisabeth Beyer and Takumi Miyake of American Ballet Theatre in “Grand Pas Classique” by Victor Gsovsky

Maya Schönbrun and Kentaro Mitsumori of the Royal Swedish Ballet in the Black Swan pas de deux from “Swan Lake” by by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov

Anna Loycke and Ylian Feytis in “Elogio della Danza" by Valerie Lacaze

Paolo Calo and David Garcia of Ballet de Catalunya in “Waltz” by Drew Jacoby

“This Bitter Earth” and “Le Corsaire”

Leticia Dias and Teo Debreuil in “This Bitter Earth” by Christopher Wheeldon

Elisabeth Beyer and Daniil Simkin of American Ballet Theatre / Studio Simkin in pas de deux from “Le Corsaire”

Yuriko Kajiya and Connor Walsh in “Madame Butterfly” by Stanton Welch

Steven Pisano

Steven Pisano is a performing arts photographer who works in New York and Philadelphia. His photographs have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Dance Magazine, Opera News, Feast of Music, Broadway World, and other online and print outlets featuring dance, opera, theater, and music.

comments

Featured

REVIEWS | Carrie Seidman

Sarasota Ballet at Jacob's Pillow

The Sarasota Ballet’s return to Jacob’s Pillow for five days of a triple bill that included two little-seen works by Sir Frederick Ashton and a world premiere by Jessica Lang, was charged with anticipation and curiosity. Not only has it been a decade since the Florida Gulf coast company made its debut at the iconic American dance festival—a scheduled return in 2020 was dashed by the Covid pandemic—but it marked the first appearance of the troupe since reporting in June revealed 18 dancers had departed the company amidst charges of a “toxic” work environment and internal strife.

FEATURES | Sophie Bress

Dance Floor Liberation

Los Angeles–based dance artist Jay Carlon knew that the proscenium stage couldn’t house his 2024 work, “Wake,” in its fullness. So he moved it elsewhere: to a rave.

INTERVIEWS | Candice Thompson

An Artistic Evolution, in Fragments

Choreography wasn’t on Lia Cirio’s radar when artistic director Mikko Nissinen asked her to participate in Boston Ballet’s ChoreograpHER initiative in 2018. The principal dancer had always thought, “Oh, that's not something for me. I just like being in the room and helping people and being choreographed on.” But her good friend and colleague at the time, Kathleen Breen Combes, gave her a nudge.

REVIEWS | Rebecca Deczynski

Golden Touch

Ingrid Silva’s expression is calm, the side of her mouth upturned a few degrees, as if she’s delighting in the reception of her own joke.