Dance in New York: Critics' picks

The venerable American Ballet Theatre returns to its home base at Lincoln Center for a two-week run of mixed bills. The season begins with Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics (October 21, 22, 25, 27), comprising Helen Pickett’s Petal, Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort and Natalia Makarova’s Paquita. A second program, Neoclassical Works (October 23–25), feature Frederick Ashton’s Birthday Offering, Kyle Abraham’s Mercurial Son and George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial. Finally, An Elegy and A Dream (October 28, 30, 31) includes the world premiere of Trio Élégiaque, by the ABT corps de ballet's own Brady Farrar, as well as Jae ManJoo’s Flight and Ashton’s The Dream. The Fall Gala on October 29 offers a sample platter of nine pieces, including dances by Ashton, Agnes De Mille, Alex Ratmansky and Michel Fokine alongside selections from full-length classical works.   The current roster of ABT principals comprises Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Isabella Boylston, Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Herman Cornejo, Jarod Curly, Thomas Forster, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, SunMi OPark, Jake Roxander, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, James Whiteside and Roman Zhurbin. This run marks the final bow for longtime members Cornejo, who will dance all four performances of the solo Flight, and Whiteside, who will appear in Ballet Imperial on the evenings of October 23 and 24. 

Theater review by Adam Feldman  The titular heroine of Petite Rouge dances with wolves aplenty in Company XIV’s latest neoburlesque spectacle, but don’t worry for her safety: She’s as voracious a predator as any of them. Director-choreographer Austin McCormick and his Brooklyn company have a penchant for twisting classic children’s stories into naughty ones for adults, fashioning baroque extravaganzas out of such tales as the Nutcracker, Cinderella, Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. This latest pageant gives a decadent spin to the adventures of Little Red Riding Hood through a decadent mélange of slinky dance, explosive live singing and suggestive circus acts. This little lady knows her way around a basket. Petite Rouge | Photograph: Courtesy Deneka Peniston Like all Company XIV shows, Petite Rouge unfolds as a series of vignettes performed by a troupe of versatile performers in outrageous costumes by Zane Pihlström, who has also designed the louche, ruched set in a panhistorically rococo spirit. The aesthetic is femme-forward and playfully queer-flavored; the men may have lupine masks on their heads, but they are also often dolled out in corsets and heels (and, in one case, tasseled pasties on each buttock). Among the attractions provided by the men are a triple aerial act, a toe dance and a comical turn by PhillVonAwesome, in mask, as Petite Rouge’s grandma.  Related: See more photos from Petite Rouge. Petite Rouge | Photograph: Courtesy Deneka Peniston But...