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Ballet Festival

Curated by Misty Copeland
Tue Aug 4 - Sun Aug 16

This summer, The Joyce’s Ballet Festival returns for two weeks of dance curated by Misty Copeland, celebrating ballet’s bright past, present, and future. Recognized for moving the art form of ballet forward, Copeland’s festival brings together a selection of top talent from globally recognized ballet companies, including world-class dancers, visionary choreographers, and fresh creative voices that continue to shape the future of dance. 

Celebrate the opening night of Ballet Festival: Curated by Misty Copeland with an unforgettable evening of dance, connection, and summer glamour. Following the performance, guests will gather at the stunning PHD Rooftop Lounge for an exclusive cocktail reception with the artists—an opportunity to toast the brilliance and innovation shaping ballet today. To purchase tickets for the Summer Soirée, click here. 

Program Schedule and Casting

Special Performances
Summer Soirée: Tue, Aug 4
Curtain Chat: Wed, Aug 5

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Hubbard Street Dancer Shota Miyoshi in "Percussion IV" by Bob Fosse. Photo by Michelle Reid.
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Hubbard Street Dancer Shota Miyoshi in "Percussion IV" by Bob Fosse. Photo by Michelle Reid.
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Hubbard Street Dancer Shota Miyoshi in "Percussion IV" by Bob Fosse. Photo by Michelle Reid.
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Joe González and April Watson in "Ave Maria". Photo by Taylor Craft
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Joe González and April Watson in "Ave Maria". Photo by Taylor Craft
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Misty Copeland photo courtesy of MasterClass
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Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artists Alexandra Hutchinson and Derek Brockington in "Firebird". Photo by Nir Arieli.
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Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artists Derek Brockington and Alexandra Hutchinson in "Firebird". Photo by Rachel Papo.
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Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artists Derek Brockington and Alexandra Hutchinson in "Firebird". Photo by Rachel Papo.
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Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artists Derek Brockington and Alexandra Hutchinson in "Firebird". Photo by Rachel Papo.
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Meet the Artists

Babatunji

Alonzo King LINES Ballet Guest Artist

Derek Brockington

Company Artist, Dance Theatre of Harlem

Madison Brown

Corps de Ballet, American Ballet Theatre

Aeron Buchanan

Artist, Complexions

Finnian Carmeci

Corps de Ballet, American Ballet Theatre

Renan Cerdeiro

Independent Artist

Guillaume Diop

Étoile, Paris Opera Ballet

Deven Crawford

Company Artist, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet

Joe González

Artist/Co-Associate Artistic Director, Complexions

Carly Greene

Company Artist, Dance Theatre of Harlem

Kellen Hornbuckle

Demi-Soloist, Houston Ballet

Alexandra Hutchinson

Company Artist, Dance Theatre of Harlem

Ilo

Choreographer

Shota Miyoshi

Dancer, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

Naazir Muhammad

First Soloist, Houston Ballet

Elias Re

Independent Artist

Taylor Stanley

Principal, New York City Ballet

Ingrid Thoms

Corps de Ballet, American Ballet Theatre

Aleisha Walker

Corps de Ballet, American Ballet Theatre

Kylie Takeno Williams

Corps de Ballet, American Ballet Theatre

Harper Watters

Principal, Houston Ballet, Principal Dancer, Houston Ballet

Delaney Washington

Company Artist, Dance Theatre of Harlem

April Watson

Artist in Residence, Complexions

Program

Schedule
Week 1

Interactions
Choreography by Ingrid Silva
Independent Artists Elias Re and Renan Cerdeiro

Show Pony
Choreography by Kyle Abraham
New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley

Percussion IV
Choreography by Bob Fosse
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Dancer, Shota Miyoshi

Young Lovers (excerpt)
Choreography by Houston Thomas
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Artists Joe González (Co-Associate Artistic Director) and Aeron Buchanan

Sonata for Two Cellos
Choreography by José Limón
New York City Ballet Soloist Victor Abreu
Live music by cellists Titilayo Ayangade and Sahara von Hattenberger

Romeo & Juliet*
Choreography by Rudolf Nureyev
Pairs Opera Ballet Étoiles Guillaume Diop and Sae Eun Park

Ave Maria
Choreography by Dwight Rhoden
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Artists April Watson and Joe González (Co-Associate Artistic Director)

New work by Aleisha Walker 
Madison Brown (American Ballet Theatre, Corps de Ballet), Carly Grene (Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artist), Delaney Washington (Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artist), Aleisha Walker (Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artist)

*Note: Romeo & Juliet will not be performed on Tuesday, August 4

Week 2

Clear
Choreography by Stanton Welch
Houston Ballet Dancers Harper Watters (Principal), Naazir Muhammad (First Soloist), and Kellen Hornbuckle (Demi-Soloist)

Middle Length Poem
Choreography by Andrea Miller
New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley

Deep River (excerpt: Lift Every Voice)
Choreography by Alonzo King
Alonzo King LINES Ballet Guest Artist Babatunji

Firebird (excerpt: solo and pas de deux)
Choreography by John Taras
Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artists Alexandra Hutchinson and Derek Brockington

Ave Maria
Choreography by Dwight Rhoden
Dancers Madison Brown (American Ballet Theatre, Corps de Ballet), Joe González (Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Artist/Co-Associate Artistic Director)

THAIS*
Choreography by Rudolf Nureyev
Pairs Opera Ballet Étoiles Guillaume Diop and Sae Eun Park

Mantle
Choreography by James Whiteside
American Ballet Theatre Dancers Sierra Armstrong (Soloist), Madison Brown (Corps de Ballet), Sun Mi Park (Soloist), Finnian Carmeci (Corps de Ballet), Christine Shevchenko (Principal), and Ingrid Thoms (Corps de Ballet)

New Work by Ilo
Olivia Bell (New York City Ballet, Corps de Ballet), Deven Crawford (Jamal Gaines Creative Outlet, Company Artist), Vinicius Freire (New Jersey Ballet), Raven Joseph (Independent Artist), and Kylie Williams (New York City Ballet, Corps de Ballet)

*Note: THAIS will not be performed on Sunday, August 16

Programming subject to change. More programming to be announced at a later date.

Funding Credits

 

The Joyce’s Ballet Festival curated by Misty Copeland is a Joyce Theater Production and Co-Commissioned by The Music Center.

Lead support for The Joyce’s Ballet Festival creation and presentation provided by the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation Ballet Festival Commissions Fund. This project was made possible in part with the support of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Underwriting support for The Joyce's presentation of its Ballet Festival curated by Misty Copeland provided by Elizabeth A. Haynes. Underwriting support for Festival presentations during the Spring/Summer '26 is generously provided by Virginia & Timothy Millhiser.

Creation support has been generously provided by the Ballet Festival Visionaries: Donna B. Case, Jane E. Goldberg, Lillian E. Kraemer, Leanne Lachman, Virginia & Timothy Millhiser, Janet Middleton Montag, Ellen Rosen, Karen Roth, Fran Schulman, Barbara Madsen Smith, and Johanna Weber.

 

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