Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – City Ballet’s SARA MEARNS bravely processes her feelings in her thoughtful Artists at the Center program

• By drediman
• April 6, 2025
• No Comments

Since being founded in 2022, New York City Center’s Artists at the Center series has given dance artists — including notable talents such as Tiler Peck, Ayodele Casel, and Pam Tanowitz — the unique opportunity to expand and further develop their craft by giving them the platform to shape their own programs from the ground up. These specifically curated presentations not only showcased their considerable artistry, but also allowed them to express their current state of mind. This latter aspect is especially true of Sara Mearns’ recent turn at the table, which found the emotive New York City Ballet star principal — who in recent years has been open about her mental health struggles — bravely and thoughtfully processing her feelings about dance and the very act of performance.

The evening was comprised of a pair of world premieres especially commissioned by City Center for this occasion, commencing with beloved Canadian dancer/choreographer Guillaume Côté and actor/writer Jonathon Young’s Don’t Go Home, a world premiere dance-theater piece in which Mearns excavates the layers of psychological nuances involved in preparing for a leading role. Côté and Young imbue the surreal piece with a noir-like atmosphere that contributes to its overall air of mystery and intrigue. Joining Mearns was fellow City Ballet principal Gilbert Bolden III, dancer Anna Greenberg, and Tony-winning actor Frank Wood, who collectively blurred the line between reality and performance, as well as dance and theater. Known for her honesty and presence as a dancer — which were on full display — the piece also demonstrated Mearns’ noticeable development into a compelling theater actress (she’s made huge strides since her musical theater turn in the 2019 Encores! revival of Rodgers and Hart’s I Married an Angel).

Then came Dance Is a Mother by former Alvin Ailey Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts. This exquisite world premiere is set to an equally exquisite score by the great Caroline Shaw, which was performed live onstage by the Bergamot Quartet and vocalist Raquel Acevedo Klein (Shaw’s elusive lyrics draws from the works of Robert Burns, Gertrude Stein, Bily Joel, and William Shakespeare). Throughout, Roberts’ choreography was instinctually musical, delicate, yet full of intent. Relegating herself to an ensemble role, Mearns danced alongside Roberts, Jeroboam Bozeman, Ghrai DeVore-Stokes, and Anna Greenberg. Together, they conjured a conscious, clear-eyed homage to dance. As its title cleverly suggests, the piece is rife with gorgeous contradictions — much like Mearns herself. In short, it’s one of the finest works of dance I’ve seen so far this year (the other being Twyla Tharp’s Slacktide, which I saw on the very same stage).

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ARTISTS AT THE CENTER: SARA MEARNS
Dance
New York City Center
2 hours (with one intermission)
Closed