Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In the superbly danced, occasionally rewarding SONS OF ECHO, Daniil Simkin taps into the imaginations of female choreographers

• By drediman
• January 15, 2026
• No Comments

Last night marked the opening of Sons of Echo, former American Ballet Theatre star Daniil Simkin’s curated, seamlessly melded evening of dance for five male dancers — in addition to Simkin, Jeffrey Cirio (Boston Ballet), Osiel Gouneo (Bayerisches Staatsballett), Alban Lendorf (Royal Danish Ballet), and Siphesihle November (National Ballet of Canada) — featuring the works of a roster of all-female choreographers. As a sort of prologue, the program at The Joyce Theater commenced with Class, a lighthearted and improvised affair amusingly conducted, with schizophrenic glee, by animated Swedish ballet master Tomas Karlborg. The dancers (including superstar ballerina Maria Kochetkova, in a surprise cameo) responded joyfully, clearly having fun participating in the preparatory exercise. Indeed, it was refreshing to see them not strive for perfection, for once.

After the comic warm-up, the company delved into the main substance of the program. Perhaps the best of the lot came first, Lucinda Childs’ 2026 Notes, which is one of the contemporary choreographer’s most accessible and musical works I’ve seen yet. Set to the piano music of Matteo Myderwyk (wonderfully played live by Vladimir Rumyantsev), the meditative piece was understated and calmly elegant, a gentle reminder that male dancers don’t always necessarily have to push themselves to their physical limits. Then came two world premieres, starting with New York City Ballet favorite Tiler Peck’s Real Truth. Using Gregory Porter’s easy listening song of the same name as its soundtrack, the slight, commercially-bent work clearly reflected Peck’s fluid and efficient movement quality as a dancer. Although the idea seems to have been to let the work’s three dancers (Gouneo, Lendorf, Simkiin) engage the music and steps in a laidback, almost throw-away kind of manner, it ultimately registered as merely lazy. A tad more successful was the other premiere, Anne Plamondon’s theatrical Will You Catch My Fall, an anxiety-ridden duet featuring highly emotive performances by Cirio and November. Closing out the bill was Drew Jacoby’s 2019 Jack, a showy examination of masculinity through the lens of queerness and technology.

Although I applaud Simkin for tapping into these female dance-makers’ imaginations and championing various modes of dance styles, a part of me feels that he could have more rigorously fleshed out his concept than merely assembling an eclectic lineup of works by women. Indeed, the occasionally rewarding Sons of Echo comes across more interesting in concept than it does onstage, at least in this iteration. The real star of the evening was the superb dancing by Simkins’ five hand-picked dancers from around the globe. Each showcased their distinctive strengths — Simkiin’s breathtaking leaps, Cirio’s articulate way of moving, Gouneo’s centered spins, Lendorf’s strength and clarity, November’s natural style — with flair and conviction. Throughout, they exhibited genuine camaraderie, mutual respect, and a grounded sense of purpose, which made the program sing despite its arguable shortcomings.

RECOMMENDED

SONS OF ECHO
Dance
The Joyce Theater
1 hour, 40 minutes (including an intermission)
Through January 25