Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Dance roundup: Scottish Ballet dances a stylized MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, and ALVIN AILEY explores its legacy in its spring bill at BAM

• By drediman
• June 10, 2026
• No Comments

Blink and you might have missed them — Over the past week or so, New York saw the quickly successive arrivals and departures of two notable dance programs that lit up the stage. As always, read on for my thoughts on these high profile dance happenings.

SCOTTISH BALLET: MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS
David H. Koch Theater
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First up at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center (typically the home of New York City Ballet) was Scottish Ballet’s Mary, Queen of Scots (RECOMMENDED). As you may have already gather from the title, the piece tells the famous story of Mary Stuart and her tumultuous life, particularly her relationship with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. In fact, the ballet is framed as a fever dream from the addled mind of an aged Elizabeth I, who gets lost in the knotted events that led to Mary’s downfall. In her first full-length narrative ballet, Scottish Ballet Choreographer in Residence Sophie Laplane — alongside director James Bonas — has created a stylishly theatrical two act production that’s filled with fresh storytelling invention and bold stage tableaus. Although at times the choreography awkwardly straddles classical ballet and contemporary dance, the eventful and complex narrative unfolds with impressive clarity and emotional potency. Lapane juxtaposes the two competing queens strikingly — Mary is portrayed as utterly human, a vulnerable woman who grows in mettle and passion over the course of the evening, while the younger version of Elizabeth is played in drag as a towering and impenetrable stage presence. Soutra Gilmour is responsible for the sleek yet claustrophobic designs, which is dominated by ascending and descending walls that also logistically function as a method for changing scenes. Throughout, the couture-inspired costumes — largely in black and white — consistently mash Renaissance and punk-like aesthetics, resulting in a tone that’s both dangerous and sexually charged. The original score by Mikael Karlsson and Michael P. Atkinson, played live by members of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, also contributes to the ballet’s sustained tension and cinematic flow. At the final performance I attended, notable performances were delivered by Roseanna Leney as a steadfast and technically proficient Mary, Charlotta Öfverholm as a moody and mentally unhinged older Elizabeth, and Thomas Edwards as a dynamic and dramatically astute Walsingham (the spymaster who masterminds Mary’s demise).

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
Brooklyn Academy of Music
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Last week, I also attended the opening night of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s four-day spring residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (RECOMMENDED). For this year’s program, the focus was squarely on the seminal company’s legacy — shedding light on where it’s been and the possibilities to come. Suffice to say, it was a smart and crowd-pleasing bill that emphatically capped off Alicia Graf Mack’s first year as Ailey’s Artistic Director (the company’s fourth). The program opened with a new production of Hymn, which was choreographed by Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison as a tribute to Alvin Ailey himself. Featuring a tapestry-like libretto by theatrical legend Anna Deavere Smith — largely culled from various interviews on the topic of the company’s beloved founder, both as an artist and a human being — and a powerfully rhythmic score by Robert Ruggieri, the abstractly stream-of-conscience piece for the entire company is episodic yet soulfully attuned to the complexitiesof the man at its center. Looking to the company’s future was the performance of Medhi Walerski’s Blink of an Eye, from 2011 a gorgeously propulsive piece set to a solo violin score by Bach. As I had missed the company premiere of the piece during Ailey’s 2025 winter season, I was eager to assess the dance. Alive with musicality and exquisite articulation, the work was beautifully brought to life by the Ailey dancers with excitement and personality. Indeed, I’m happy to report that it’s a definite keeper. The BAM program predictably concluded with a sturdy and unfussy performance of the evergreen classic Revelations. Comprised of a healthy mix of veterans and talented young newcomers, the current crop of company dancers looked more grounded and less histrionically inclined with Mack at the helm than I’ve seen them.