Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Dance roundup: FALL FOR DANCE 2026 kicks off swinging big, NEW YORK CITY BALLET commences its fall season with “Jewels”

• By drediman
• October 1, 2026
• No Comments

Cooler fall temperatures means that the city’s dance scene is back in full swing. More specifically, it indicates the commencement of the Fall for Dance Festival’s two weeks at New York City Center, as well as the start of New York City Ballet’s five-week fall season.

FALL FOR DANCE: PROGRAMS ONE & TWO
New York City Center

For its 2026 Fall for Dance lineup — the festival’s 23rd iteration — New York City Center has come out of the gates swinging big. Here are my thoughts on the first two US-centric programs (out of a total of five discrete bills) of the very popular dance series.

Program One (RECOMMENDED) got underway with the New York premiere of Jermaine Spivey’s In the act of undoing, which turned out to be the highlight of the evening. Confidently performed by the wonderfully versatile A.I.M by Kyle Abraham dancers, the piece was altogether captivating — artfully conveying a subdued yet evident state of emergency — as it fluidly folded step and voguing into the contemporary dance vernacular. Sandwiched in between the program’s somber contemporary bookends was a sort of palette cleanser, Gerald Arpino’s L’Air D’Esprit. The work is an ecstatic, nearly parodically cheerful pas de deux, and it was performed with sparkle and wit by ABT principals Skylar Brandt and Aran Bell. Lastly, there was Martha Graham Dance Company’ dancing’s Cortege, Baye & Asa’s moody and stylized homage to Graham’s Cortege of Eagles. Comprised of a fluidly morphing parade of violent, phantasmagorical stage pictures (think Goya), the work also features gothic, noirish lighting (kudos to designer Yi-Chung Chen) and a relentlessly menacing score.

Program Two (RECOMMENDED) was even more ambitious, featuring three New York premieres, including a world premiere commissioned specifically for Fall for Dance. First up was Philadanco! (i.e., The Philadelphia Dance Company), who infectiously threw themselves at HEIRBORNE (my mama ain’t never touched the sky, but she gave me wings), an energetic piece by choreographer Juel D. Lane. Rhythmic and uplifting, the ensemble piece was the perfect opener for the festival’s second sampler platter. Then came the aforementioned commission — and one of the most anticipated offerings of the entire festival — Robbie Fairchild’s Players’ Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Overtly mashing theater and dance (it features a not an insignificant amount of spoken text), the work depicts the lovelorn, heavily fictionalized backstory of Shakespeare’s inspiration for penning Romeo and Juliet. As a sort of choreographic variation on the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love, the work is admittedly still very much a work in progress, as evidenced by Fairchild’s alternatingly beguiling expressiveness and confoundingly clunky choreography. The bill got back on track with Boston Ballet — led magnetically by the great Jeffrey Cirio — who performed Akram Khan’s visually atmospheric if somewhat repetitious Vertical Road (Reimagined) 2023 with fever dream intensity.

NEW YORK CITY BALLET: JEWELS
David H. Koch Theater

Last week, New York City Ballet commenced its fall season by programming a weeklong run of George Balanchine’s beloved Jewels (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Made up of distinct ballets that draw inspiration from three precious gemstones — “Emeralds”, “Rubies”, and “Diamonds” — the plotless evening length work highlights a trio of classical ballet styles, particularly as embodied, respectively, by the ethereal classicism of Paris Opera Ballet, the rapid-fire neoclassicism of City Ballet, and the Russian grandeur of the Bolshoi Ballet. Although each is regularly performed individually (particularly “Rubies” and “Diamonds”), seen together a certain alchemy occurs, collectively adding up to more than simply the sum of the individual ballets.

On opening night on last Tuesday, “Emeralds” was led compellingly by Indiana Woodward and Taylor Stanley in the ballet’s two primary roles. Woodward in particular seemed attuned to the refined, unaffected intent of the piece, dancing with unadorned elegance and thoughtfulness throughout. As always, Stanley also excelled, dancing with the refinement and maturity and proving a reliable partner to Woodward. The other two primary female dancers in the piece, principal Emily Gerrity and soloist Erica Pereira, were grounded and collected. Partnering Gerrity was Adrian Danchig-Waring, whose cool demeanor and performance fit the ballet like a glove.

Then there’s the showstopping “Rubies”. The performance on opening night was sensational, starting with Emily Kikta’s commanding and physically imposing performance as the Tall Girl. I found her fierce, relentless attack simply thrilling to behold. In the other principal roles, City Ballet’s star couple Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia led the way, bringing power, chemistry, as well as a combustible combination of control and abandon that electrified.

Last but not least was the program-capping “Diamonds”. Tuesday night saw principal Chun Wai Chan take on the princely male lead role, giving an exceptional performance that balanced elegance with controlled dynamism — stylishly measured yet exhibiting flashes of energetic flair. As his counterpart, the regal principal Mira Nadon was simply exquisite, dancing with both freedom and intimacy. Together, they were breathtaking. Overall, the Jewels was running on all cylinders. Let’s hope the company keeps this level of energy and precision intact as they progress through the long season.