The Great Gatsby at Kansas City Ballet

Kansas City Ballet in Septime Webre’s The Great Gatsby

Naomi Tanioka and Paul Zusi in Septime Webre’s The Great Gatsby

Kansas City Ballet in Septime Webre’s The Great Gatsby

Guest artist Eboni Fondren with Elliott Rogers and Cameron Thomas in The Great Gatsby

Naomi Tanioka and Kansas City Ballet in Septime Webre’s The Great Gatsby

Kansas City Ballet in Septime Webre’s The Great Gatsby

By Hilary Stroh, 10 May 2026

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“high-octane performances from the corps in the party scenes, all swinging limbs and busy footwork”

Reviewed at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts: Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kansas City on 8 May 2026

The Great Gatsby (Septime Webre)

Kansas City Ballet

Tim Yip, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Trad Burns, Lighting Designer

Paul Zusi, Dancer

Naomi Tanioka, Dancer

Andrew Vecseri, Dancer

Kaleena Burks, Dancer

Joshua Kiesel, Dancer

Taryn Pachciarz, Dancer

Kansas City Ballet’s ALICE: a riot of creative dysfunction

Hilary Stroh, 11th October

Webre’s screwball ALICE (in Wonderland) for the Kansas City Ballet is colorful and packed with excellent performances.

*****

Dorothy comes home: The Wizard of Oz returns to Kansas City Ballet

Hilary Stroh, 13th May

Septime Webre's irrepressible reinvention of Dorothy, Kansas and Oz is back at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

****1

HK Phil en pointe in a satisfying mixed programme

Christopher Halls, 1st May

Chiyan Wong excels in Ravel, part of a diverse programme of music and dance from the Hong Kong Phil and Ballet conducted by Christoph Koncz.

****1

Dorothy's back in Kansas

Hilary Stroh, 12th October

A triumphant world première of Septime Webre's Wizard of Oz in Kansas City.

*****

Carmina Burana: Webre exits with a bang

Hilary Stroh, 14th April

Webre's ends his tenure at the Washingotn Ballet not with a whimper but a bang.

***11

Webre's last Director's Cut

Hilary Stroh, 25th February

Energy, Fun and Experimentation: Watchwords of the season at the Washington National Ballet

****1

More reviews...

Hilary Stroh

Hilary is an independent scholar and academic historian, based in DC. She has a background in violin, piano and ballet. Educated at Dublin and Cambridge, she has recently published her first two books.

The Great Gatsby at Kansas City Ballet: dance like everybody’s watching