En Face Magazine

Ballet Russe Reimagined 3
2025-05-10 19:30 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Pearl Street Arts Center, 234 Pearl St, Fort Wayne, IN, 46802, United States
Enter one of ballet’s most fascinating periods, when impresarios and daring choreographers changed the course of dance history. Ballet Russe Reimagined is a three-part series paying homage to the innovations that propelled ballet into the 20th and 21st centuries. Part 3 includes George Balanchine’s Serenade and Gerald Arpino’s Light Rain.
Serenade
Regarded as the most prominent choreographer in ballet during the 20th Century, George Balanchine began his choreographic start with the Ballets Russes company before immigrating to the United States of America in 1933. Along with Lincoln Kirstein, Balanchine founded the School of American Ballet, and later, New York City Ballet. Serenade was the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in America in 1934 and is considered a masterwork of the 20th Century.

Light Rain
Gerald Arpino, a co-founder of Joffrey Ballet, created Light Rain in 1981. Light Rain, “represents the youth and energy of the dancers it was created on,” according to the Arpino Foundation. The energetic and dynamic ballet showcases the evolution of neoclassical ballet nearly 50 years after Serenade premiered and remains the most requested work in the Arpino Foundation.

Pepperland
2025-05-10 20:00 - 22:30, 2025-05-11 15:00 - 17:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
Pepperland is back! Mark Morris Dance Group presents its joyous romp through the Beatles’ beloved, groundbreaking concept album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Bursting with energy and buoyant creativity, neon costumes, and spectacular ensemble numbers, the playful and often poignant production—a Cal Performances co-commission—features a score of inspired Beatles arrangements plus originals by longtime Morris collaborator Ethan Iverson for an ensemble of voice, theremin, soprano sax, trombone, and keyboards. “Morris continually plays around with the Beatles’ own contrasts between sentiment and abstraction and sheer fantasy, although he throws in an extra helping of irony now and then” (Los Angeles Times).

Fusion
2025-05-11 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-05-16 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-17 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO, 64108, United States
A COLLECTION OF SHORT DANCE WORKS
Tulips and lobster is a mesmerizing ballet choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, which made its debut with the Kansas City Ballet in 2018. Inspired by the rich and evocative paintings of the Old Dutch masters from the 17th century, the ballet brings these timeless scenes of the bourgeoisie to life through captivating dance.
In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated is a groundbreaking contemporary ballet choreographed by William Forsythe in 1987. Set to an intense electronic score, this iconic work defies traditional ballet norms, featuring angular, highly technical movements that create a sense of suspended tension. The minimalist design and innovative lighting place the focus on the dancers and their dynamic interaction with the space.
Celts is a mesmerizing ballet that celebrates the rich heritage of Ireland. Motivated by a deep connection to her roots, York’s choreography brilliantly weaves together a profound and thrilling narrative that spans a thousand years of Irish history. Celts is a powerful and innovative artistic expression, avoiding clichés and sentimentality, offering a captivating rush of emotions and storytelling that uplifts the soul.
hold on tight, a world premiere by Caroline Dahm, a Los Angeles native who has made her mark on Kansas City as a beloved dancer and choreographer.

La Sylphide featuring Études
2025-05-11 14:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Academy of Music, 240 S Broad St., Philadelphia, PA, 19102, United States
When a young farmer awakens to the call of a magical forest spirit, his growing infatuation puts his marriage, his happiness, and even his own life at risk. A crowning piece of the Romantic tradition, La Sylphide parts the misty Scottish Highlands with new choreography from Artistic Director Angel Corella. Accompanied by Études, choreographed by Harald Lander, this journey into the forest celebrates the magnificence of dance.

Romeo & Juliet
2025-05-11 15:00 - 17:30 (America/Chicago) | The Long Center, 701 W Riverside Dr, Austin, TX, 78704, United States
We close the season on Mother’s Day Weekend with the most enduring story of young love, Romeo & Juliet. Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s unforgettable score, performed live by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, this time-honored tale of “star-crossed lovers” leaves us believing in the sweet promise of first love. Tommy Bourgeois designed stunningly beautiful, period-appropriate costumes and a set brilliantly illuminated by an Italianate tapestry of stained-glass colors, both of which paired exquisitely with Stephen Mills’ classic choreography. Shakespeare’s magnificent story comes to life in an elegant, dramatic, and simply gorgeous ballet.

All Balanchine II (Spring)
2025-05-11 15:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, United States
A supremely well-crafted ballet performed in tutus and set to the sparkling music of Mozart, Divertimento No. 15 illustrates Balanchine’s unsurpassed gift for exploring the variety and richness of classical choreography. Vienna Waltzes, a ballet in five parts set to music from Johann Strauss II, Franz Léhar, and Richard Strauss, is Balanchine’s variously hued tribute to the Austrian capital at its cultural apex in the 19th Century. An opulent and transporting work of dance theater, it culminates in a breathtaking finale featuring couples in formal attire sweeping across the stage.

Spring Season 2025
2025-05-11 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-05-15 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-16 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-17 17:30 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, 700 Howard St, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
Experience the world premiere of Alonzo King’s first-ever collaboration with legendary jazz trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire, performing live with LINES Ballet. The program also includes the return King’s enormously popular Scheherazade, with a score by the late four-time Grammy Award–winning tabla master Zakir Hussain. Join us as we pay tribute to Zakir, our longtime collaborator and friend, hailed by The New York Times as “a master of North Indian classical music and a linchpin of far-reaching world-music fusions.”

Contemporary Choreography (Spring)
2025-05-13 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-17 19:30 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, United States
The ever-growing breadth of the repertory is illustrated in this program highlighting the work of three current dancemakers. Alexei Ratmansky’s Solitude debuted in the winter of 2024 to broad acclaim. Somber in its beauty, this elegiac ensemble work, with a moving lead role depicting a grieving father, is a rare dance set to the music of Gustav Mahler. Ratmansky, Russian-born but raised in Kyiv, dedicated this singular ballet “to the children of Ukraine, victims of the war.” The program also includes ballets from Caili Quan and Justin Peck, which debuted in the fall and winter, respectively.

All Ravel
2025-05-14 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-15 19:30 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, United States
In 1975 the Company presented a festival dedicated to the music of the French composer Maurice Ravel. To honor the 50th anniversary of the event, the Company offers this program featuring four works that had their premieres during the festival: Jerome Robbins’ playful In G Major, with sets and costumes by the Art Deco master Erté; Pavane, a solo work from Balanchine for a female dancer; Errante, returning from its lauded Spring 2024 revival; and Sonatine, a pas de deux marked by a lighthearted spirit of dancers at play. The program closes with Balanchine’s entrancingly mysterious La Valse, an enduring classic first performed in 1951.

Spring Experience
2025-05-15 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-16 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-17 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-18 13:30 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston, MA, _02111, United States
The 2025 Spring Experience program combines three sublime ballets that showcase the breadth and beauty of ballet today. Alongside Mikko Nissinen’s brilliantly reimagined Raymonda, the program includes two beloved works of Jiři Kylián, who is the among the most revered choreographers of our time.

Eclectic NYCB (Spring)
2025-05-16 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-05-17 14:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, United States
A program distinguished by its variety opens with Balanchine’s Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée,’ choreographed to a Stravinsky symphonic suite. Kyle Abraham’s When We Fell was originally filmed and streamed during the pandemic, and here makes its live debut. Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Chiaroscuro, a ballet for six dancers from 1994, evokes the artistic term of its title through the interaction of light and shadow as well as diverging tempos, while Alexei Ratmansky’s Odesa features three couples, their interplay infused with hints of drama, and a corps de ballet, and is set to incidental music from the Russian film Sketches to Sunset that alternates between the ruminative and the rambunctious.

Giselle
2025-05-16 20:00 - 22:30, 2025-05-17 14:00 - 16:30, 2025-05-17 20:00 - 22:30 (America/Chicago) | Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce St, Fort Worth, TX, 76102, United States
Seduced and forsaken, the beautiful but bereft Giselle succumbs to madness and a broken heart. Yet even in death her love for her faithless suitor saves him from the ravages of avenging ghostly maidens. Join us as TBT’s Artistic Director presents his brilliant interpretation of this iconic masterpiece.

The Sleeping Beauty
2025-05-17 14:00 - 16:30, 2025-05-17 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I Street, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
The grandest of them all! A pageant in the gorgeous tradition of story ballets. See all the greatest fairytale characters attend Princess Aurora’s wedding: Cinderella, Puss in Boots and the White Cat, Tom Thumb and Little Red Riding Hood! Truly a feast for the eyes, from the glittering Fairies to the famous entrance of Maleficent and on through the enchanted forest, The Sleeping Beauty will dazzle everyone in May 2025!

Saint Louis Ballet at the Grandel
2025-05-17 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | The Grandel, 3610 Grandel Square, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, United States
Experience the magic of innovation and artistry with Saint Louis Ballet up close and personal at The Grandel on May 17–18! This intimate performance brings audiences closer than ever to the power of dance, featuring brand-new ballets. Highlighting the evening is a premiere by renowned NYC choreographer Danielle Diniz, whose work has captivated audiences from Jacob’s Pillow to Off-Broadway. The program also showcases original works by Saint Louis Ballet’s own Gen Horiuchi, CiCi Houston, and Christine Settembrino, ensuring a night of fresh, dynamic, and unforgettable performances.

Sensory-Friendly Performance
2025-05-18 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, United States
This specially curated performance is designed to provide a relaxed, inclusive environment where individuals with sensory processing challenges, including autism, can experience New York City Ballet. Slight modifications will include a relaxed entry/exit policy, adjustments to lighting and sound levels, designated break areas throughout the Theater, additional event staffing to assist with audience needs, and pre-visit resources, including a visual schedule. This one-time-only performance features three ballets by NYCB’s Founder George Balanchine. Set to music by Giuseppe Verdi, Ballo della Regina pushes the physical limits of the lead ballerina as she bounds effervescently across the stage. Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux is an eight-minute display of technical prowess and bravura. Closing the program, Scotch Symphony transports audiences to the Scottish Highlands as the corps de ballet and a lead couple perform brisk footwork set to Mendelssohn’s romantic score.
