New York City Ballet: Midsummer comes early, uneven yet thrilling

Isabella LaFreniere as Helena in George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Sara Mearns as Titania with the Company in George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle in George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Sara Mearns, Preston Chamblee and Taylor Stanley in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Roman Mejia as Oberon in George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream

By Carla Escoda, 29 May 2025

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“explosive jumps and chaîné turns whose velocity practically ensured vertical take off”

Reviewed at Lincoln Center: David H Koch Theater, New York City on 27 May 2025

A Midsummer Night's Dream (George Balanchine)

New York City Ballet

David Hays, Set Designer

Barbara Karinska, Costume Designer

Mark Stanley, Lighting Designer

New York City Ballet Orchestra

Isabella LaFreniere, Dancer

Roman Mejia, Dancer

Taylor Stanley, Dancer

Jules Mabie, Dancer

Harrison Coll, Dancer

Ashley Laracey, Dancer

Preston Chamblee, Dancer

Tiler Peck, Dancer

Tyler Angle, Dancer

Naomi Corti, Dancer

Owen Flacke, Dancer

Mira Nadon’s sparkling debut in Firebird with New York City Ballet

Ivy Lin, 25th April

A triple bill comprising Balanchine's Symphony in C, Agon and Firebird could not have been more inspiringly danced by New York City Ballet.

*****

Ballet for cowboys and soldiers at Kansas City Ballet

Hilary Stroh, 20th March

Kansas City Ballet celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary with three American ballets. Balanchine's Stars and Stripes, de Mille's Rodeo and a new work by Caili Quan, A Home Away.

****1

American Ballet Theatre's double bill is short and sweet in New York

Ivy Lin, 15th March

American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

A spectacular triple bill lifts ABT’s spring season in New York

Leigh Donlan, 13th March

A finely curated triple bill from American Ballet Theatre included works from Balanchine, Jiří Kylián and Alexei Ratmansky.

****1

Understatement and spectacle at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 26th February

Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering and George Balanchine's Diamonds make a study in contrasts. With lots of debuts in the former and seasoned leads in the latter.

*****

Fast Forward: Hamburg Ballet’s mixed bill proves a mixed success

Vikki Jane Vile, 22nd February

All that glistens... the world premiere of Xie Xin’s The Moon in the Ocean is the highlight of a mixed bill programme spanning 90 years of choreography.

***11

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Carla Escoda

Born in the Philippines, Carla trained as a ballet and modern dancer with the Alice Reyes Dance Company in Manila. She has lived and worked in Asia and the U.S. and has written about the arts for Bachtrack, KQED (the northern California public media broadcaster), Dance International, dance journal/hk, the Huffington Post, Dance Europe and ballettothepeople.