Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Calvin Royal III’s UNITE BALLET FESTIVAL at The Joyce is a thoughtfully curated evening of old and new

• By drediman
• August 14, 2024
• No Comments

Calvin Royal III is undoubtedly one of the most popular principals within the ranks of American Ballet Theatre, beloved by audiences and fellow dancers alike for both of his performances and his offstage contributions to the world of dance. For this summer’s edition of The Joyce Theater’s week-long Ballet Festival, the Ballet Theatre star was tapped to curate two “sampler” evenings of ballet — which are being collectively billed under the umbrella banner of “Unite” — the first of which was unveiled last night at the busy Chelsea dance venue, to great fanfare might I add (the two programs are scheduled to play in repertoire through this weekend).

Split into two distinct halves, the thoughtfully cast and well-balanced program crammed in a whopping ten short pieces (most of them excerpts from larger works) — both old and new — spread across nearly two hours, together constituting a true celebration of the breadth and diverse possibilities of classical ballet. The first half featured live music — by way of Jack Mysinski on piano and Kobi Malkin on violin — which added a wonderful sense of occasion (and intimacy) to the performance. Highlights included an noteworthy trio of works created by Ballet Theatre dancers — the world premiere of Impatiens, an evocative solo choreographed and danced by corps member Alisha Walker; principal James Whiteside’s Rozzi Suite, a sexy and playful pas de deux set to the sublime live singing of Rozzi and winningly performed by Whiteside and fellow principal Isabella Boylston; and Royal’s lovely solo Moonlight, which he danced with gentleness and understated feeling.

After an intermission, the proverbial tasting menu continued, this time sans live music (which was missed). Performances that stood out from the rest of this gala-like were the Bedroom Pas de Deux from Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, performed with sterling technique and impeccable line by Sae Eun Park and Paul Marque of Paris Opera Ballet; the Epilogue Pas de Deux of Alonzo King’s Single Eye, danced with flair (those over-extensions!) by impossibly long-limbed Lines company members Adii Cissoko and Shuaib Elhassan; and lastly George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, performed with style and patience by Royal and exquisite newly-appointed principal Chloe Misseldine (Royal opened the evening in Apollo, another Balanchine classic).

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UNITE BALLET FESTIVAL
Dance
The Joyce Theater
1 hour, 50 minutes (with one intermission)
Through August 18