Where to Find New York City Ballet Dancers this Summer

It's summer, which means most professional dancers are on break, aka laid off from their yearly contracts. I'm not kidding. Dancers are typically laid off from their jobs during the summer without pay, due to lack of work. Most New Yorker socialites are either off in the Hamptons or on a vacation somewhere fancy and therefore not attending the ballet. 

When dancers are laid off, they either go on vacation and collect unemployment, or look for paying gigs. Don't worry though, most dancers do well and some of these gigs are pretty fabulous. And if you (my lovely audience) are in the right place at the right time, you might be able to catch some incredible dancers on an intimate stage. Here is a guide as to where to find New York City Ballet dancers this summer:

• Ballet Collective: Ballet Collective was started by choreographer and soloist with the New York City Ballet, Troy Schumacher. This is their fourth year at their Telluride, CO residency. They are performing there July 23rd-28th. Dancers include soloist Sean Souzzi and also corps de ballet members Chris Grant and Mimi Staker, just to name a few. They are also headed to the Museo Guggenheim Bilbao on August 21st and 22nd for the museum's Works and Process program.

Ballet Collective Dancers in performance. 

• Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival : This is a fantastic gig coordinated by the one and only Tyler Angle, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. The events and performances began on July 23th and end on July 28th. You will find huge names here and fantastic repertoire. Superstars from NYCB like Sara Mearns, Jared Angle and Maria Kowroski will be there, as well as soloists Lauren King and Sara Adams, and corps de ballet members Meagan Mann, Lydia Wellington, Ralph Ippolito, Andrew Scordato, Daniel Applebaum, Devin Alberda, and Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara. Dancers from other dance companies will also be in attendance. If you are in Nantucket this is a MUST SEE performance. 

Dancers Sara Mearns and Tyler Angle/

• Vail Dance Festival: This dance festival takes place in Vail, CO and is curated by Damian Woetzel and his wife, Heather Watts. Both of whom are former principal dancers with the New York City Ballet. This festival begins July 28th and extends through August 11th. Tiler Peck is always in attendance here, as well as Lauren Lovette, Jared Angle, Miriam Miller, Daniel Applebaum, Preston Chamblee, Roman Mejia, and Unity Phelan. These are the only New York City Ballet dancers that they listed on their website, but I am sure others will be in attendance as well. Not to mention, that the biggest ballet superstars tend to gather here every summer. 

Lauren Lovette featured in a Vail Dance Festival advertisement.

• New York City Ballet in Copenhagen: Part of the company goes on tour to our European home in Copenhagen, Denmark. We will be performing all of our best rep from the classics to the new stuff, and all that goes in between. We are only performing at the Tivoli Garden Theater between August 15th-19th. If you are in the area during that time, buy the tickets now because they are almost sold out!

Tivoli Gardens at dusk. 

• Guild Hall: The Guild Hall Theater is located in East Hampton, NY and hosts a one night only performance exclusively featuring New York City Ballet Dancers. This year they are celebrating Jerome Robbins and his legacy. I don't know who is on the roster as of yet, but the show is curated by Jared Angle, and he has fantastic taste in dancers and repertoire. The show is taking place on Friday, August 24th at 8pm. 

Dancers Tiler Peck, Sara Mearns, and Brittany Pollack in Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering.

• Stars of American Ballet at Jacob's Pillow: Stars of American Ballet is Daniel Ulbricht's touring gig company. They have shows all over the US during NYCB layoffs and are headed to Jacob's Pillow August 22nd-26th. These performances will also honor Jerome Robbin's legacy, and will feature some of New York City Ballet's best and brightest. Interplay is one of the ballets that will be performed there and it features the rising stars of the corps de ballet and soloists. And guess what? I'll be there too! 

Photo of Interplay featuring yours truly, in yellow. 

These are just a few of the most prominent gigs featuring more than one New York City Ballet dancer at each event. There are other gigs happening, but they tend to just feature one NYCB principal among other ballet stars. For example, I know Ashley Bouder is in Lake Tahoe right now at their dance festival, but I believe she is the only one bearing the NYCB title. If you want to get the most NYCB bang for your buck, head to the suggestions listed above. 

I realize that some of these places are extravagant, but it is summer. Live a little! If you happen to be in the area, treat yourself to one of these performances. I promise you will not be disappointed. 

Summer Ballet Fix

So knowing that ballet is quite scarce during the summer in New York City due to most New Yorkers traveling to the Hamptons and what not, I thought I would use this post to help you with your summer ballet fix.

I want to give you books to read, movies to watch, and even some performances to see, all related to our favorite subject. Let us first start with performances, although they may be scarce, there are some pretty great things happening this summer in New York:

• ABT is still at the Met for another two weeks! 
• One of the best things about their spring season is that it extends into early July, filling the void after the seasonal depression left by New York City Ballet's summer layoff. This week they are performing Don Quixote, and then Whipped Cream by Alexei Ratmansky the following week, to finish their season. 
• The Ballet Festival at the Joyce is being held between today (June 26th) through July 7th
• There are some pretty big names headlining this festival like two former Miami City Ballet principals (Carlos Guerra and Jennifer Kronenberg) bringing new works, Joshua Beamish's ensemble MOVETHECOMPANY, and the Ashely Bouder Project founded by Ashley Bouder herself featuring themes of diversity and feminism. I personally love the intimate space that is the Joyce, and might attend a few of these performances myself. 
• Dorrance Dance, founded by Michelle Dorrance
• This group of hoofers, will be performing on June 28th for a FREE outdoor show at the Prospect Park Bandshell. I know she is a tapper and not a ballet dancer, but she has risen to fame and notoriety through the Vail Dance Festival, and has famously worked with huge ballet names like Tiler Peck. It's too good to pass up.

If none of those dates work for you, here are some films that you can pull up on Netflix or iTunes (or maybe even on an airplane):

• Ballet 422
• Since Justin Peck just won a Tony award for his choreography in the revival of Carousel on Broadway (which is also a good show to see), I thought it fitting to recommend this documentary featuring a behind the scenes glimpse into his creation of New York City Ballet's 422nd ballet. 
• Wendy Whelan: Restless Creature
• This film follows Wendy Whelan in her final days as a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. It also chronicles her struggle with hip surgery and rehabilitation. On a more personal note, I cried multiple times throughout the film. It is both inspiring and a little sad. I also hear it's featured as one of Delta's in flight movies, so you can watch it on your way to vacation or summer programs. 
• Misty Copeland's A Ballerina's Tale
• This is another must see documentary that follows Misty's struggle with injury and also her plight as a female black ballet dancer. I personally haven't seen it, but it is on my summer to do list.
• Center Stage
• Because this movie is the greatest and never needs an introduction and should be watched at least once a year. 

Finally here are some recent ballet books I have been reading or will read this summer:

• Dancing on My Grave
• As I mentioned in a previous post, I finally read Gelsey Kirkland's autobiography. You can find everything in this book, from gossip about former famous principal dancers to her struggle with eating disorders and drugs. It is a cautionary tale, and also a fabulous beach read. 
• Any book by Lincoln Kirstein
• Stop now if you want an easy read, because you are not going to find it with this author. As one of the forefathers of ballet in America, Lincoln has an extreme wealth of knowledge due to his obsession with this fine art, and his privileged upbringing. It took me forever to get through one of his books, because I had to look up almost every art reference, but I feel better for it. 
• Brenda Dixon Gottschild's The Black Dancing Body
• This book is on my current reading list. She is one of the leading experts in the African American presence in European concert dance culture. It is a necessary read for anybody in the ballet world, because we need to enter into this dialogue with her and with others in our field about diversity and inclusion in the ballet world. 

Well I think that is enough for now, looks like we are going to have our hands full this summer. I know I personally will be doing a few of these things on this list, but I hope you all do too.