By Walter Rutledge
The Joyce Ballet Festival 2026 returns to the Joyce’s Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium for a two-week, fourteen performance season August 4th through August 16th. Former American Ballet Theater Principal dancer Misty Copeland will curate the festival and will offer an international showcase of world class performers, outstanding classic and contemporary choreography, and rarely seen masterworks. The festival will offer two programs (one each week) with artists from some to the most prestigious companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and other leading companies.
In 2015 Copeland who broke the “rosin ceiling” becoming the first Black principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre. Now less than a year after ending her historic 25-year tenure with the company she remains a cultural force helping to expand both audiences and attitudes. Joyce Theater Program Director Danni Gee sat down with O&A NYC Magazine Editor-in-Chief Walter Rutledge to discuss this upcoming groundbreaking festival.
Danni Gee Talks Ballet Festival Curated by Misty Copeland
JOYCE BALLET FESTIVAL PROGRAMS
WEEK ONE: AUGUST 4–9
Interactions
Choreography by Ingrid Silva
Performed by Elias Re and Renan Cerdeiro
Show Pony
Choreography by Kyle Abraham
Performed by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley
Percussion IV
Choreography by Bob Fosse
Performed by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Dancer Shota Miyoshi
Young Lovers (excerpt)
Choreography by Houston Thomas
Performed by Complexions Contemporary Ballet Artists Joe González and Aeron Buchanan
Sonata for Two Cellos
Choreography by José Limón
Performed by New York City Ballet Soloist Victor Abreu
Live music by cellists Titilayo Ayangade and Sahara von Hattenberger
Romeo & Juliet
Choreography by Rudolf Nureyev
Performed by Paris Opera Ballet Étoiles Guillaume Diop and Sae Eun Park
Not performed Tuesday, August 4
Ave Maria
Choreography by Dwight Rhoden
Performed by Complexions Contemporary Ballet Artist Joe González
and Artist-in-Residence April Watson
New Commission, Title to Be Announced
Choreography by Aleisha Walker
Performed by Madison Brown, Carly Greene, Delaney Washington, and Aleisha Walker
WEEK TWO: AUGUST 11–16
Choreography by Stanton Welch
Performed by Houston Ballet Principal Dancer Harper Watters, First Soloist Naazir Muhammad,
and Demi-Soloist Kellen Hornbuckle
Middle Length Poem
Choreography by Andrea Miller
Performed by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley
Deep River (excerpt: Lift Every Voice)
Choreography by Alonzo King
Performed by Alonzo King LINES Ballet Guest Artist Babatunji
Firebird (solo and pas de deux excerpts)
Choreography by John Taras
Performed by Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artists Alexandra Hutchinson and Derek Brockington
Ave Maria
Choreography by Dwight Rhoden
Performed by Madison Brown and Joe González
Thaïs
Choreography by Rudolf Nureyev
Performed by Paris Opera Ballet Étoiles Guillaume Diop and Sae Eun Park
Not performed Sunday, August 16
Mantle
Choreography by James Whiteside
Performed by American Ballet Theatre dancers Sierra Armstrong, Madison Brown, Finnian Carmeci, Ingrid Thoms, SunMi Park, and Christine Shevchenko
SunMi Park: August 11–14
Christine Shevchenko: August 15–16
Ingrid Thoms: August 11–12
Madison Brown: August 13–16
Melt (World Premiere Joyce Commission)
Choreography by Ilo
Performed by Ilo, Olivia Bell, Deven Crawford, Vinicius Freire, Raven Joseph,
and Kylie Takeno Williams
Tickets, ranging in price from $17–$92 (including fees), can be purchased at Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800.
