Though he’s never compromised his native Spanish, Bad Bunny framed the halftime language barrier that so triggered MAGA (“in America, we speak English!”) not as an exclusion, but an invitation (body language is universal, babes). “They don’t even have to learn Spanish,” he said of viewers in his preshow press conference. “Better they learn to dance.” In his rich baritone, Bad Bunny rapped and sang entirely in his native tongue—the only English-singing came from Gaga—but what he chose to say in which language mattered, especially as President Trump predictably blasted Martínez’s performance on Truth Social, claiming, “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” Bad Bunny chose English for his stirring closing salvo, “God bless America,” a stunning rebuke to anyone (Kid Rock) suggesting he doesn’t love the U.S., before launching into a roll call of Latino countries, plus the U.S. and Canada. They’re lands linked through language, culture and diaspora, the places from which immigrants under attack in America might hail. Bad Bunny named them all, their flags whipping behind him, with a sense of collective pride.
When I interviewed him in Puerto Rico for a Vanity Fair cover story in 2023, Martínez was working on his English, and understood me perfectly when I spoke it. For years, he seldom spoke English in public, but Bad Bunny is notably speaking a bit more English now—maybe he’s sharpened his skills and maybe because, in responding to the current ICE crisis, it’s important to address the Trump administration in words they can understand.
At last week’s Grammys, he chose solemn English to assert the humanity of the Latino community: “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens and we are Americans,” he Bunny said in a powerful acceptance speech for best música urbana album. He slipped into Spanish later, however, with a direct appeal to hype his homeland: “Believe me when I tell you that we are much bigger than just 100 by 35,” he said, referencing the area of Puerto Rico, “and there is nothing that we cannot achieve.”
Bad Bunny is an artist born of a perilous political moment that he’s never shied away from responding to, both as an artist and a young, proud Puerto Rican. His rise has coincided, almost exactly, with that of Donald Trump and his hostility and aggression toward the Latino community, set against the backdrop of Hurricanes Maria and Irma and, now, the brutality of ICE. Bad Bunny’s political statements are evolving with his stardom, but he couldn’t bring his full self to the Super Bowl and not include “El Apagón,” a searing protest anthem from his smash 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Tí, which took aim at repeated power outages after the privatization of the Puerto Rican power grid was sold to LUMA Energy, a Canadian-and-Texan conglomerate, in 2021. “Fuck LUMA,” Bad Bunny declared in no uncertain terms at a San Juan concert in 2023. His sentiment manifested with a new streak of positivity on Sunday night, as he scaled a set of power lines, asserted Puerto Rico’s greatness, then cut through the darkness and restored the lights.
The Kennedy Center is ending the year with a new round of artists saying they are canceling scheduled performances after President Donald Trump’s name was added to the facility, prompting the institution’s president to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.
The Cookers, a jazz supergroup that has performed together for nearly two decades, announced its withdrawal from “A Jazz New Year’s Eve” on its website, saying the “decision has come together very quickly” and acknowledging frustration from those who may have planned to attend.
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If you can remember back to season two of Gossip Girl, you may recall an episode about aspiring designer Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) attempting to earn funding for her eponymous fashion line by staging a guerrilla show at a charity gala. In the middle of the stuffy reception, Jenny commandeers the A/V system, blasting punk rock while a squad of models, clad in her early-aughts emo designs, climb on tables.
Even the most dedicated Gossip Girl superfans may be surprised to learn that two of the models in that scene are The Testament of Ann Lee director Mona Fastvold and her longtime collaborator, Ann Lee choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall. In a stroke of Hollywood luck, the pair met that day, becoming fast friends and launching a creative collaboration that would extend for nearly two decades. The 20-somethings worked together on music videos until their first major project: 2018’s Vox Lux, which was directed by Fastvold’s partner Brady Corbet, based on a story by Corbet and Fastvold, and choreographed by Rowlson-Hall.
But even during the Vox Lux days, Fastvold was dreaming of Mother Ann Lee, the founder of 18th-century religious sect the Shakers. “I remember probably close to a decade ago, her saying, ‘I want to make a film about Ann Lee,’” Rowlson-Hall tells Vanity Fair. It wasn’t until 2023 that Fastvold gave her collaborator an actual script and asked her to join the team. “I said, ‘Absolutely.’ I mean, I was gonna make it anyway. You know what I mean? We’re collaborators for life.”
The most expansive project in their partnership to date, The Testament of Ann Lee interprets the life of Ann Lee, played in the film by Amanda Seyfried,as a musical, transforming old Shaker hymns and their full-bodied worship (or “shaking”) into sequences of choreographed, euphoric dance. With some old images and a couple written accounts as historical guidance, Fastvold’s directive to Rowlson-Hall was simple: Go crazy.
As it happens, Rowlson-Hall grew up in a family that subscribed to another intense religion: Christian Science. That sect, she notes, was also founded by a woman. “I wanted to be Jesus when I was a little girl,” she says. Being chosen for Ann Lee felt like divine intervention: “It was just tapping into my entire youth and existence, and that prayer and that desire to have a connection to God.”
BUENOS AIRES (AP) — At a dance hall in the heart of Buenos Aires, 14 men in elegant dark suits sat at separate tables while across the room, 14 women in dresses and high heels waited to be asked for a dance.
As the first notes of a popular tango began to hum, the male dancers signaled to the women and crossed the dance floor in search of partners. Moments later, the couples’ legs traced the gracious movements of tango at an event that ensures every woman gets to dance.
The women book their sessions in advance with an organizer via WhatsApp, securing a dance and avoiding the interminable wait they’ve endured at other “milongas,” or dancing gatherings, where women outnumber men.
Antje Rickel, of France, left, dances with professional tango dancer Jared Ramos at the Che Che Tango Premium, where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners known as “Taxi Dancers,” in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Antje Rickel, of France, left, dances with professional tango dancer Jared Ramos at the Che Che Tango Premium, where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners known as “Taxi Dancers,” in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Women dance with professional tango dancers at the Che Che Tango Premium, where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners known as “Taxi Dancers,” in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Women dance with professional tango dancers at the Che Che Tango Premium, where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners known as “Taxi Dancers,” in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Professional tango dancers known as “Taxi Dancers” take a break at the Che Che Tango Premium, where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Professional tango dancers known as “Taxi Dancers” take a break at the Che Che Tango Premium, where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Among the dancers on a recent Wednesday was Antje Rickel, a 69-year-old French woman in a semi-transparent red blouse and with her hair coquettishly styled up. Her dancing partner was a young man about 5 inches shorter than her. But the difference in age and height was irrelevant to the couple, who felt in perfect communion as they glided across the dance floor to the rhythm of a tango.
“He has great control,” said Rickel of her young dancing companion, Jared Ramos, a professional tango dancer with the Che Che Tango Premium “milonga,” where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners known as “Taxi Dancers.”
Held on Wednesdays and Fridays, the program offers dance aficionados like Rickel the opportunity to practice tango steps, going from one dancer’s arm to another’s. A two-hour session goes for 55,000 pesos (about $37) for foreigners and about $30 for Argentine nationals and residents.
The dance events are organized by dancers Alejandro Justiniano and Sara Parnigoni, who present it on social media as “a tango space where you can be sure you’ll dance like you’ve always dreamed.”
Justiniano said that the male dancers are carefully chosen, with most being professional dancers or tango teachers who perform at different events. “We’ve looked for dancers with a lot of experience,” he said.
Beth Wolff, of German-Argentine, front right, dances with a professional tango dancer at the Che Che Tango Premium, where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners known as “Taxi Dancers,” in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Beth Wolff, of German-Argentine, front right, dances with a professional tango dancer at the Che Che Tango Premium, where people can book guaranteed two‑hour dances with professional partners known as “Taxi Dancers,” in Buenos Aires, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
He came up with the idea after observing the “long faces” of many women who would spend evenings at dance events watching from the sidelines. Justiniano created what he calls a “mini milonga,” something a little more intimate so that “for two hours they can reach their full potential in their dancing.”
Ramos, a professional tango dancer, said women face several challenges at other “milongas.”
“There are 10 women for every man,” he said, which means many women are left out. Adding to the problem, he noted, is the fact that “not all of them dance well.”
NEW YORK — The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicked off Thursday in New York City, with new balloons depicting Buzz Lightyear and Pac-Man taking to the skies and floats featuring Labubu and Lego gracing the streets.
The parade started on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and will end at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street.
It’s a chilly day in the city, with temperatures in the 40s, but wind gusts between 25 mph (40 kph) and 30 mph (48 kph) will make it feel colder, according to David Stark, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New York.
Officials have watched the forecast closely, since city law prohibits Macy’s from flying full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph (37 kph) or wind gusts are over 35 mph (56 kph). Weather has grounded the balloons only once, in 1971, but they also sometimes have soared lower than usual because of wind.
Megan Christy, who traveled to the city from Greensboro, North Carolina, for the parade, donned a warm onesie and staked out a spot early Thursday to watch the parade route, adding that she was excited to see the new Pac-Man balloon.
“It’s not raining. We’re very excited about that. And it’s not too bad. Not too cold,” she said. “It’s just a great day for a parade.”
A star-studded lineup of performances will be sprinkled throughout the show, along with a slew of marching bands, dancers and cheerleaders.
All told, the parade will feature dozens of balloons, floats, clown groups and marching bands — all leading the way for Santa Claus. Among the new balloons being featured is a large onion carriage featuring eight characters from the world of “ Shrek.” “KPop Demon Hunters” will also be represented in the sky with the characters Derpy Tiger and Sussie.
The event is airing on NBC, hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker from “Today” and their former colleague Hoda Kotb. On Telemundo, the hosts will be Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz and Clovis Nienow.
The parade is also being simulcast on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
This year marks the 52nd annual Nutcracker from Westside Ballet of Santa Monica. As California’s longest-running production, the iconic show and the dance company behind it are bigger and better than ever.
Westside Ballet of Santa Monica, a beloved pre-professional company, has built a tradition of preparing their dancers for the world’s biggest stages. Today, its ballerinas are training to become tomorrow’s biggest ballet stars.
For months, the company has been preparing for its outstanding annual Nutcracker performance, which opens Thanksgiving weekend on Nov. 29 and runs through Dec. 7 at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage Santa Monica . The dancers, some as young as eight years old, practice their moves diligently until they sway in perfect synchronization, ready for opening night.
Among the dancers is Spencer Collins, 12, who won the Hope Award at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Finals in April 2025. The award is the highest distinction of the competition, recognizing exceptional artistry, technique and promise. Collins won first place in the YAGP finals last year and is now a two-time recipient of the Hope Award. This means the young dancer now holds the top ranking worldwide in his age category across boys and girls’ divisions.
“Winning the Hope Award was something I had always dreamed about,” Collins says, taking a break from rehearsing his role as the center Russian dancer. “Now that I’m in the next age group, I have that pressure to carry on. Being able to perform alongside Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia (in the Nutcracker) gives me confidence to reach the next level.”
Spencer Collins performing the role of center Russian dancer in last year’s Nutcracker.Credit: Sarah Madison Photography
In this year’s performance, Collins will dance alongside New York City Ballet principals Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia as Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, respectively, during the Thanksgiving weekend performances. While the star power is certainly exciting, it is even more remarkable that Peck herself is a Westside alumna.
“It means the world to get to come back to the studio I trained with as a young dancer and get to share the stage with the next generation of Westside Ballet students,” Peck says. “I love seeing how Yvonne’s legacy and aesthetic is continuing to be passed down to these dancers and I know she would be so happy knowing that I have returned to dance alongside her students, hopefully giving them the confidence to think, ‘Maybe I can also one day become principal ballerina’.”
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Peck, who is now principal ballerina at the NYC Ballet, once trained at the same Santa Monica studios under founder Yvonne Mounsey, a former New York City Ballet principal under George Balanchine. Balanchine is widely considered the ‘father of American ballet’ and was one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, having co-founded the NYC Ballet and served as artistic director for over 35 years. Peck’s career spans from Santa Monica and the NYC Ballet to starring in Amazon Prime’s ballet series Étoile, a trajectory that many Westside ballerinas dream of achieving.
Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia star in last year’s Nutcracker production.Credit: Sarah Madison Photography
Westside’s history and reputation suggest that these aren’t pipe dreams – Westside continues to help passionate dancers evolve into tomorrow’s biggest ballerinas, springboarding their success. Peck’s presence in the production marks a full-circle moment for the pre-professional company. Westside has become a training ground, sending dancers to the most prestigious programs and stages in the world.
Recently, Westside has placed students at the Royal Ballet School (Dylan Weinstein, Evan Hull), San Francisco Ballet School (Sawyer Jordon, now a trainee), the Joffrey Ballet’s Conservatory (Gianna Zingone) and ABT’s prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (Dylan Weinstein).
“Westside has been my second home since I was five years old,” says Gabriella Calderon, 18. Calderon will perform as Dew Drop Fairy, her dream role, in her final Nutcracker production before starting at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) in January.
“I’ve performed in the Nutcracker since 2016. I’ve been a Polichinelle, I was Clara in 2019, and now I’m dancing Dew Drop. In January, I’ll start training at CPYB. I wouldn’t be going there without the foundation I got here,” says Calderon. CPYB is ranked as one of the best pre-professional programs in the country.
Gabriella Calderon pictured in the studio. Credit: Courtesy of Westside Ballet
The training at Westside Ballet is high-intensity, reflecting an elite athletic program. During the Nutcracker season, advanced dancers like Calderon train for an average of 25 hours per week. Westside dancers make the same time commitment as Olympic athletes do.
“It’s definitely not easy,” Calderon admits. “I’m graduating high school in 2026, and I’ve been doing online school so I can train more hours. But ballet has taught me time management and discipline.”
For Spencer Collins, that discipline is taught and perfected in Westside dancers by the company’s associate executive director, Adrian Blake Mitchell. Mitchell is a Westside alumna and former principal dancer with the Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Mitchell has been Spencer’s primary coach for three years now.
“Adrian doesn’t just teach steps — he teaches me how to perform, how to tell a story with my body,” Collins says. “He pushes me really hard, but he also believes in me, and makes me believe I can dance at the highest level.”
Ballet legend Tiler Peck, who will share the stage with young Collins, remarked on his talent and drive. “The first moment I saw Spencer, I could tell he was special,” Peck says. “Of course his talent at such a young age was incredible, but he also has natural quality to his dancing and great charisma. His future is bright and I look forward to seeing him continue to shine and rise.”
What sets Westside Ballet apart from other pre-professional dance programs, besides the training, is the philosophy behind it. Westside was founded in 1973 by Yvonne Mounsey (NYCB) and Rosemary Valaire (Royal Ballet). Since the beginning, they have maintained a non-audition policy, meaning anyone can walk into the studio and begin training.
“Ballet can seem really exclusive and expensive, but it shouldn’t be,” Westside spokesperson Jewels Solheim-Roe says. “At Westside, we perform for elementary school kids who’ve never seen ballet before.”
Westside Ballet strives to keep the art of ballet accessible, offering state-of-the-art ensembles, talent and music comparable to a major opera house. This year’s production includes NYCB talent and a live 40-piece symphony orchestra from Santa Monica College, with tickets priced at a reasonable $66.50 each. Westside also offers about 1,000 free tickets to Title I elementary students from Santa Monica-Malibu and Los Angeles Unified School Districts.
Another way Westside Ballet works to support young, inspired dancers is through its Dance to Dream scholarship program. Founded in 2022 by Mitchell, the week-long summer intensive program focuses on underserved communities. It has already been proven effective, with 8-year-old Karson St. Claire, who will debut in the Nutcracker this year after demonstrating exceptional talent during the program.
Production-wise, this year’s Nutcracker features 145 dancers ages 8 to 20, making it the largest in the company’s history. Also new this year is ‘The Nutcracker Tea’, an intimate experience where guests can enjoy high tea, a backstage tour and a meet-and-greet with Tiler Peck. However, for dancers like Calderon and Collins, the magic happens backstage.
“My favorite part is spending time with all my friends and the other dancers,” Collins says. “Seeing the little kids watching the older dancers from the wings is really sweet. And even though it’s my third time I get to perform with Tiler and Roman, it never gets old.”
For Calderon, her final Nutcracker will see her performing alongside a longtime hero, the culmination of her dance career at Westside thus far. “Tiler has always been a huge inspiration to me. Getting to watch her dance Sugar Plum from backstage is incredibly special every time.”
Credit: Sarah Madison Photography
Peck stands to prove that a dancer can begin in Santa Monica and rise to the top of the ballet world. “She trained in the same studios that Gabby and Spencer do now, with some of the same teachers,” shares Solheim-Roe. “When they watch her perform as Sugar Plum, these young dancers see what’s possible. It’s like she’s passing the torch to the next generation.”
Similarly, Peck understands the importance of community beyond the technique of dance.
“I love that the Nutcracker includes the entire school,” Peck reflects. “So many different ages and levels come together to create what really feels like a community of family, which I think is perfect during the holidays. It really shows that the saying ‘We are better together’ is true. The Nutcracker is the one moment we all come together and make some holiday magic for the Santa Monica community.”
The alumni of Westside Ballet have spanned notable careers even outside of dance. Actresses Elizabeth Moss, Jenna Elfman and Kate Hudson all credit Westside, where they received early ballet training, for developing the stage presence and discipline that launched their acting careers. Continuing Westside’s tradition for excellence across the arts, alumnas Joy Womack (former Bolshoi Ballet) and Lyrica Woodruff (Broadway’s Anastasia), as well as Peck, appear in Amazon Prime’s ballet series Étoile.
At its core, this year’s Nutcracker production is a historic moment for the company: a 12-year-old prodigy will take the stage as an 18-year-old takes her final bow before starting an exciting next chapter. Both will dance alongside a world-renowned ballerina who has returned to her home stage to inspire them.
“This is what Westside is about,” Solheim-Roe reflects. “World-class training, but also for our community. Westside develops the next generation of professional dancers, while making sure everyone has access to this beautiful art form.”
As dancers prepare for opening night, Collins dreams of a future where he graces the same stages as his heroes. “When I’m out there with Tiler and Roman, it makes me think that maybe I could one day be like them.”
While Thanksgiving weekend is sold out online, tickets may be available at the door. The show runs from November 29 to 30 with Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia, and December 5 to 7 with Los Angeles Ballet company dancer Rony Baseman and Ashley Chung, a dancer from the joint LAB-Westside trainee program.
It’s National ‘Have a Bad Day’ Day, so be sure to wish your loved ones the worst as you head out the door to check out our best bets. This week, we have the return of a popular film festival, a deep dive into the life of a pioneering political figure, and quite possibly “the finest American play ever written,” according to Edward Albee. Keep reading for these and more.
Writer-director Antonis Tsonis has described his 2024 film Brando With a Glass Eye, about a method actor who attempts armed robbery to make his dream of studying in New York come true, as “layered like a babushka doll with meta-narratives,” acknowledging it’s “bold, risky, maybe even strange.” The film will open the Houston Greek Film Festival at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, at the MATCH, marking the start of a weekend featuring ten films and almost a dozen shorts. The lineup includes 14 Gulf Coast premieres, three U.S. premieres, and one world premiere. Tickets to the individual screenings are available for $15, with a $30 reception-only ticket available, along with a 5-ticket pass for $60, and a VIP all-access pass for $90. The full schedule can be found here, and tickets can be purchased here.
The story of Barbara Jordan, Texas’ first Black state senator and the first Southern Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, began right here, in Houston’s Fifth Ward. On Friday, November 21, at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, you can learn more about the pioneer in Angela Lynn Tucker’s documentary The Inquisitor, named for the moniker Jordan earned for her questioning as a member of the House Judiciary Committee during President Richard Nixon’s 1974 Watergate hearings. Stay after the film for a discussion with special guests, including Tucker. Two additional screenings are scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, November 22, and 2 p.m. Sunday, November 23. Tickets to any of the screenings can be purchased here for $7 to $9.
Contemporary dance, martial arts and tai chi, and Peking opera (the symbolic, stylized, and traditional Chinese performing art) come together in Lai Hung-Chung’s Birdy, a work set to electronic and Chinese classical music that will be performed by Hung Dance at the Wortham Theater Center on Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. Lai founded the Taiwanese contemporary dance company, which is named for the Chinese word meaning “soar” – a theme that will also be at play in Birdy – in 2017, and Performing Arts Houston is bringing the ensemble to town as part of the Tudor Family Dance Series to make its Houston debut with the piece. Birdy will be performed a second time on Saturday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to either performance are available here for $44.85 to $79.35.
Visit Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, circa 1901 to 1913, to spend time with the Gibbs and Webb families in Thornton Wilder’s classic 1938 play Our Town, which 4th Wall Theatre Company will open at Spring Street Studios at Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. Skyler Sinclair, who plays Emily Webb in the production, told the Houston Press the play is “almost like a magic trick,” saying that Wilder “lays everything out so beautifully,” resulting in a story that is “universal” and “transcends time.” Sinclair added that, “This play has a message that every human being needs to hear…It asks the audience if you could put a price on your most basic memory of life, what would that be.” Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through December 20. Tickets are available here for $40 to $70.
Taiwanese twin brothers and percussionists Jen-Ting and Jen-Yu Chien, known as Twincussion, will end their U.S. concert tour at Asia Society Texas Center on Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. with Twincussion: ‘Twin Beats’ — Melodies and Rhythms From Taiwan. During the program, presented in partnership with Taiwan Academy, the instrumentalists will play a program that includes new arrangements of Taiwanese folk melodies, such as “Dark Sky (Tian Hei Hei)” and “Longing for the Spring Breeze (Wang Chun Feng)”; a Taipei-flavored take on Wayne Siegel’s 42nd Street Rondo; George Frideric Handel’s Passacaglia, arranged by Johan Halvorsen; Tomasz GoliÅ„ski’s Layered Elements, a piece commissioned by the brothers and premiered in 2018; and more. Tickets can be purchased here for $10 to $30.
Director Hal Prince famously described A Little Night Music, Stephen Sondheim’s adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film Smiles of a Summer Night, as “whipped cream with knives.” The Sweden-set musical, a romantic farce revolving around a pair of couples, premiered in 1973 and went on to win multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical – as well as spawn the hit song “Send In the Clowns,” performed since by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Grace Jones – and on Friday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m., you can see it when Opera in the Heights opens a production of the show at Lambert Hall. A Little Night Music will also be performed at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 22, and 2 p.m. Sunday, November 23. Tickets are available here for $35 to $85.
In Beautiful Princess Disorder, playwright Kathy Ng’s script specifies the play’s main character, Triangle Person, “to be wearing a very geometric, triangle-shaped head and a no-nonsense navy blue swimsuit” as they wait in “the parking lot of heaven” with other inhabitants – specifically, Mother Teresa and Tilikum, the orca with three fatalities to his name featured in the 2013 documentary Blackfish. You can meet these curious characters on Friday, November 21, at 8 p.m., when The Catastrophic Theatre world premieres Ng’s 75-minute, one-act at the MATCH. Additional performances of the play are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Monday, December 1; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through December 13. Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a suggested price of $40 and can be purchased here.
Clara Marsh as Kitty and Lindsay Ehrhardt as Georgiana in Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley. Credit: Pin Lim, Forest Photography
The annual holiday tradition of Clare and the Chocolate Nutcracker, presented by Orlando Community Arts, takes the Dr. Phil’s stage for a 13th year.
More than 100 dancers and actors make this fresh twist on the traditional Nutcracker ballet a reality. Clare’s reveries take the audience through a magical journey around the world, visiting Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Haiti, India, Puerto Rico and more on her way to the Kingdom of Toys.
Under the creative leadership of Beverly Page, the production stars Sairi Witherspoon as Clare, Xavier Logan as the Chocolate Nutcracker Prince, Charisma Tran as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Sa’Naa Natalia Brahimi as the Snow Queen. Expect guest appearances from violinist Jaquay Pearce and the Mime Boyz.
7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, Walt Disney Theater, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $58-$104.
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NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Misty Copeland hangs up her pointe shoes Wednesday, putting a final exclamation point on a trailblazing career in which she became an ambassador for diversity in the very white world of ballet — and a crossover star far beyond.
Copeland will be feted in grand style as American Ballet Theatre devotes a gala evening to her retirement after 25 years with the company. Copeland joined ABT as a teenager and became, a decade ago, the first Black female principal dancer in its 75-year history.
In a way, the gala will be both a return and a departure for Copeland. She’ll be dancing with the company for the first time in five years. During that time, Copeland has been raising a young son with her husband.
She’s also been continuing her career as an author — the second volume of her “Bunheads” series appeared in September — and working to increase diversity in the dance world with her namesake foundation, including “Be Bold,” an afterschool program designed for young children of color.
But Copeland decided to dust off the pointe shoes so she could have one last spin on the ABT stage — including a duet as Juliet, one of the most passionate roles in ballet. Though she has not closed the door on dancing altogether, it’s clear an era is ending.
“It’s been 25 years at ABT, and I think it’s time,” Copeland, 43, told The Associated Press in an interview in June, when she announced her retirement. “It’s time for me to move to the next stage.”
She added: “You know, I’ve become the person that I am today, and have all the opportunities I have today, because of ballet, (and) because of American Ballet Theatre. I feel like this is me saying ‘thank you’ to the company. So it’s a farewell. (But) it won’t be the end of me dancing. … Never say never.”
The evening at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater will be streamed live to nearby Alice Tully Hall across the plaza, with attendance free to the public — another sign of Copeland’s unique brand of fame in the dance world.
Copeland was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in San Pedro, California, where she lived in near poverty and through periods of homelessness as her single mother struggled to support her and five siblings.
For a future professional dancer, she came to ballet relatively late — at 13 — but soon excelled and went on to study at the San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre on scholarship opportunities. After a stint in the junior company, Copeland joined ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2001, becoming a soloist six years later.
In June 2015, Copeland was promoted to principal dancer. Unlike other promotions, which are announced quietly, Copeland’s was announced at a news conference — a testament to her celebrity. Only days before, she’d made a triumphant New York debut in “Swan Lake” in the starring role of Odette/Odile, drawing a diverse and enthusiastic crowd to the Metropolitan Opera House.
In the AP interview, Copeland acknowledged that it’s striking that when she leaves ABT, there will no longer be a Black female principal dancer at the company (on the male side, acclaimed dancer Calvin Royal III was promoted to principal in 2020).
“It’s definitely concerning,” Copeland said. “I think I’ve just gotten to a place in my career where there’s only so much I can do on a stage. There’s only so much that visual representation … can do. I feel like it’s the perfect timing for me to be stepping into a new role, and hopefully still shaping and shifting the ballet world and culture.”
She also noted this is an especially trying moment for anyone working in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“It’s a difficult time,” she said. “And I think all we can really do is keep our heads down and keep doing the work. There’s no way to stop the people that feel passionate about this work. We will continue doing it.”
Orlando Ballet kicks off their 2025/2026 season with a double dose of classic Tchaikovsky chestnuts. Of course The Nutcracker will dance in the winter holiday season, but starting things off this fall is the romantic Russian composer’s elegant and lovelorn Swan Lake, featuring choreography by Christopher Stowell and live scoring from the Orlando Philharmonic. Past productions of this iconic heartbreaker have never failed to impress, so expectations are high.
Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 16-19, Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $43-$200.
Peck’s curatorial approach transforms the stage into a meeting place for genres, generations and creative sensibilities in constant dialogue. Photo: Riker Brothers
In 2022, New York City Ballet’s beloved ballerina Tiler Peck curated a show for New York City Center’s inaugural Artists at the Center program: Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends. The show received critical and audience acclaim in New York City, went on to perform at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London (where the piece Time Spell received an Olivier Award nomination for Best New Dance Production) and then toured Peck’s home state of California. It is now returning to City Center for an encore presentation from October 16 to 19—great news for those of us who missed the popular show the first time around.
The program includes fresh (as in, they first premiered in 2022) works of ballet, contemporary and tap dance from some of the greatest choreographers working today. It opens with the quartet The Barre Project, Blake Works II by modern ballet pioneer William Forsythe, set to music by James Blake, followed by Peck’s sextet Thousandth Orange, set to live music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw. After that is the duet Swift Arrow by San Francisco’s king of contemporary ballet, Alonzo King, with music by jazz composer Jason Moran. And closing the program is the City Center commission Time Spell, a collaboration between Peck, tap dance queen Michelle Dorrance, and Emmy-nominated contemporary choreographer Jillian Meyers, with music by Aaron Marcellus and Penelope Wendtlandt. Peck dances in all the works except her own, and the show’s all-star cast also includes fellow NYCB company members India Bradley, Chun Wai Chan, Christopher Grant, Mira Nadon, Quinn Starner, and Ryan Tomash, along with Boston Ballet principal dancer Jeffrey Cirio, dancer and So You Think You Can Dance season 14 winner Lex Ishimoto and tap dancer Byron Tittle.
Observer recently spoke with Peck—always warm, humble and on the move—about her excitement for the show’s encore presentation, her bottomless desire to grow as an artist and her love and admiration for her friends.
How did Turn It Out with Tiler & Friends first come together?
I have curated other shows, but this is the only program I’ve ever created from scratch. None of these pieces existed before I asked the choreographers to make them. So Turn It Out with Tiler feels the most special to me, because it’s kind of like my little child.
I started working on it during the pandemic. I’d always wanted to work with Bill Forsythe, and he had wanted to work with me, but we could never get our schedules together. So I called him and said, “Hi, Bill, I know everything’s, like, shut down, but would you want to work together? I know it’s not ideal.” And he was like, “When can we start?” And I was like, “How about tomorrow?” And so that’s how that piece came about. We just started working together over Zoom. We didn’t know what it would become. After a while, he said, “I think we need to bring some gentlemen in.” And so we did. After we finished The Barre Project, we released it on film so people could see it. But the first time it was ever performed live was at City Center for this show, and the only time we’ve ever done it with the original cast, the way he created it, is during this particular Turn It Out with Tiler show that we tour.
What about the Alonzo King piece?
It was the same thing. I called Alonzo and said, “I really want to work with you. How would you feel about creating something for me?” And he said, “Oh my gosh, I would love to.” And so we made a little bubble in San Francisco. There were just four of us in the room. And he created a pas de deux for Roman and me during that time, which has also only been seen whenever this show is done. My choreography, Thousandth Orange, began at the Vail Dance Festival, but this version we perform is very different. Time Spell was created specifically for this show and has only ever been performed in this show.
How has it been returning to Thousandth Orange, a work you created a few years ago?
It’s nice because I can adjust it for the dancers who are doing it now. It doesn’t have to be a museum piece. That’s one great thing about being a living choreographer—you can still make those changes!
When you first performed the show and toured it, what responses did you get from the audience?
I think Time Spell really transports people. When I’m in the wings listening to Penny and Aaron sing, I feel that, but I wasn’t sure how the audience would react. It’s really hard, I think, to try to mix styles without it looking like “Oh, there’s a tap dancer and there’s a ballet dancer and contemporary dancer and they’re all trying to dance together!” But to me, the seamlessness of how this is blended, you don’t even realize that you’re watching so many different forms of dance in one piece. And so many of the dancers are multitalented. Like Lex is tapping alongside Michelle Dorrance, but then doing a pas de deux with me, because he can do ballet too. A lot of people have told me Time Spell does not leave them. They don’t always understand how to explain it, but they’re so moved by it. And that’s been the case every time we’ve performed it.
How did you go about making that piece?
I wanted to work with Michelle, and Michelle had the idea to bring Jillian Meyers in, too. So the three of us really worked together. They’re so talented. I just helped blend the ballet into it. But everybody was super collaborative. Michelle is just… I don’t know, she’s just like the most talented person I know, and this is, I think, one of her favorite things she’s ever made.
What excites you about returning to this program again?
The nice thing about getting to do something more than once is that you get to dive deeper into each piece and role. And I feel like that’s what’s so beautiful about the show now—it’s really finding its roots, and everybody feels comfortable in it.
These are the most incredible artists to be surrounded by. I think all of us love being in the room together, because we each feel like we grow by getting to work with one another. We all push each other. And we become a really tight family of people. I think that feeling comes across in the show because the works were created during a time when nobody was able to be together. This was the first thing we could do. We were in masks when we first started! And so it really has this feeling of longing, of not being with somebody, and then coming back, and the intersections that happen there. I feel like the more that we all understand the work, the richer it’s become. And because we don’t get to do it often, every time we dance together, it feels fresh.
What’s it like dancing styles so different from what you normally do at NYCB?
Growing up, I wasn’t a classical dancer at all. I took ballet so that my technique would be strong, but I was really a jazz contemporary dancer. So I think that’s why I feel so comfortable in these types of work. At this point in my career, I want to be pushed by choreographers, and not just physically. Alonzo really digs deep into the human side of dancing. He is kind of like a philosopher, and I was interested in growing that way as a dancer. When you’re in the studio with him, you learn so much about yourself and about dance and the world. He has this way of sharing that’s unlike any other choreographer, I think.
And Bill is the most musical person ever, so working with him was like a dream. The way he would explain things like compressing and stretching time, it felt like I was getting a lesson on how to choreograph and dance at the same time every time we worked.
And you’re so musical, too—that’s a great pairing!
You know what’s funny? The one person who makes me feel not musical is Michelle. She can hear notes and beats that my ear doesn’t even go to, and I think I’m musical, so that’s why I’m always so interested in working with her. She’s constantly pushing me to hear and see and explore even further. What I love about this show is that it’s everything. It combines so many types of dance forms into one. I only wear pointe shoes for one of the pieces! It’s more than just a ballet performance. It’s an evening of dance.
They come for the exercise and learn to dance from a state champion in country western dancing. They are in their 70s and 80s and are dancing to Shaboozey and Beyoncé.
Mike Bendavid, who has been teaching line dancing since the 1970s and knows 300 dances, spends an hour each week with seniors teaching them everything from the Cowboy Charleston to The Bar Song and the Waltz Across Texas and even the Electric Slide at ONEgeneration Senior Enrichment Center in Reseda.
Wearing cowboy boots he calls out each step to those wearing tennis shoes and loafers and moves around the room making sure his students learn the steps before turning on the music.
Mike Bendavid teaches line dancing at ONEgeneration Senior Enrichment Center in Reseda on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 where he’s been teaching line dancing for more than 30 years. Bendavid has been teaching line dancing since the 1970s and can be found teaching classes at not only senior centers but at bars and nightclubs too. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Marilou See, 74, of Van Nuys, takes Mike Bendavid’s line dancing class at ONEgeneration Senior Enrichment Center in Reseda on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Carollee Courtney, Diana Spears and Marilou See take Mike Bendavid’s line dancing class at ONEgeneration Senior Enrichment Center in Reseda on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Mike Bendavid teaches line dancing at ONEgeneration Senior Enrichment Center in Reseda on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 where he’s been teaching line dancing for more than 30 years. Bendavid has been teaching line dancing since the 1970s and can be found teaching classes at not only senior centers but at bars and nightclubs too. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Bendavid, who teaches 15 classes a week, has been teaching at the senior center for over 30 years and says the seniors predominantly come for exercise. “I enjoy having people learn what they want to learn.”
“We are trying to get all our friends to come because it’s good exercise,” says Judy Grossman, 81, of West Hills, a retired third grade teacher. Grossman also takes Bendavid’s class with friends at the Cowboy Palace Saloon in Chatsworth and recently followed him to the Autry Museum where he taught a class. Grossman says line dancing is great for those who are single.
Donna Hansen says she takes the class for the exercise, relaxation and the mental challenge of trying to remember the steps to each dance.
If you want to learn to dance from a “real cowboy” Bendavid teaches his class at ONEgeneration in Reseda on Fridays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
In 1965, Robert “Rabbit” Jaramillo and his friends were on the cusp of becoming rock ‘n’ roll royalty.
Their Eastside quartet, Cannibal and the Headhunters, had a spring smash with “Land of 1,000 Dances.” The hypnotic tune with a memorable “nah na na na nah” chorus earned them appearances on TV music variety programs like “American Bandstand.” They played at concerts with chart toppers like the Temptations, the Righteous Brothers, Marvin Gaye and the Rolling Stones. The vocal group’s tightly choreographed performances impressed the Beatles, who asked them to be an opening act for their second U.S. tour that summer.
The Headhunters returned to L.A. in August with the Fab Four to play two shows at the Hollywood Bowl just weeks after the Watts riots. Jaramillo danced with such energy that his pants ripped while he and the others scooted across the stage on their behinds, drawing delighted shrieks from the hometown crowd.
“We were the act, the act!” Jaramillo told the Times in 2015. “Didn’t make no difference what color you are. We’re here, we’d perform, and we’d do our best to show ‘em a good time.”
When the Beatles run ended a few nights later, the Headhunters went back on the road through the fall with another popular British Invasion act, the Animals.
But Jaramillo and his friends never recorded another hit, and he left the group two years later.
“He wanted to keep going, but he needed to make money for his family,” said his daughter, Julie Trujillo. “He always had regret about that.”
Jaramillo died Aug. 8 of congestive heart failure in Pueblo, Colo. He was 78.
After leaving the band, he slunk into such musical obscurity that when Tom Waldman began to research what became his 1998 book “Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock ‘n’ Roll from Southern California,” the word was that the former Headhunter was already dead. Instead, Waldman found him in Pueblo, where Jaramillo had moved in the late 1970s to continue his post-Headhunters career as a railroad signal maintainer.
His still-strong tenor was reserved for belting gospel songs at the Pentecostal church he attended.
The book sparked renewed interest in the Eastside’s 1960s Chicano rock scene, and Jaramillo reunited with bandmates to perform for a few more years before adoring crowds. As the last surviving Headhunter, he appeared in documentaries and radio interviews for the rest of his life to recount that magical summer of 1965 when four Mexican Americans from L.A. proved to the world they could shine next to some of the biggest rock groups of all time.
Born in the Northern California city of Colusa to Mexican immigrants, Jaramillo and his family moved to Boyle Heights when he was young. He grew up in an era when young Mexican Americans on the Eastside were absorbing genres from across Los Angeles — doo-wop from South L.A., surf rock from the coast, the tight harmonies and lovelorn lyrics of Mexican trios — to create a distinct genre later on called Chicano rock or brown-eyed soul. While attending Lincoln High, Jaramillo, his brother Joe and their friend Richard Lopez started a group called Bobby and the Classics, practicing their moves inside what used to be a chicken coop in the Jaramillos’ backyard.
With the addition of Frankie Garcia as lead singer, Bobby and the Classics renamed themselves the Headhunters after a shrunken head that Jaramillo hung on the rearview mirror of his ’49 Chevy. Their stage personas were based on their neighborhood nicknames: Cannibal for Garcia, Scar for Lopez, YoYo for Joe. Robert was Rabbit because of his large front teeth.
The teens quickly became local favorites, performing at church halls and auditoriums. A local producer recorded “Land of 1,000 Dances” with members of car clubs singing along and clapping in the studio to re-create the verve of an Eastside party. It topped out at No. 30 on the Billboard charts, which Jaramillo found out while picking peaches in Northern California with his brother and Lopez to help their family’s finances.
“We get a call — ‘You guy’s gotta come back! The record’s a hit!,” Jaramillo recounted decades later in a documentary. “‘We gotta go to this ‘Hullabaloo’ show!’ We made enough money to get our sorry butts back home.”
Eastside Chicano rock group Cannibal and The Headhunters perform on the NBC TV music show ‘Hullabaloo’ in March 1965 in New York City, New York. Robert “Rabbit” Jaramillo is second from right.
Their rollicking appearance on the nationally syndicated program was what members claimed caught the attention of Paul McCartney, who supposedly told Beatles manager Brian Epstein he wanted the “Nah Nah boys” to open for them.
“I remember asking him how big of a deal that was, and Dad said, ‘I never knew anything about the Beatles,’” Trujillo said. “To him, all he cared about was that he was singing.”
Trujillo said her father shared anecdotes over the years about the Headhunters’ short stint in the spotlight: the time he and Ringo Starr sneaked away from chaperones to get high, or when Cher sat on Jaramillo’s lap while the two took a crowded taxi somewhere.
“I do remember my dad saying that their manager screwed them a bit, that they weren’t getting any money and the guys just had to start careers,” Trujillo said. “But we didn’t see him as a famous person. We just saw him as Dad.”
The performing itch returned to Jaramillo when he retired from the Santa Fe railroad in the 1990s and moved back to Southern California. Gregory Esparza joined the Jaramillo brothers and Lopez in 1999 to take the place of Garcia, who had died three years earlier. Esparza said those Headhunters never performed much publicly because of a copyright dispute over the name, but he remembered rehearsing with the original members “hundreds” of times.
“It was about reliving what they had at such a young age — reaching the top of the mountain at faster-than-light speed,” said Esparza, who’d go on to front another legendary Eastside Chicano rock group, Thee Midniters. “Getting that recognition really meant a lot to them.”
He recalled a festival in San Bernardino where the promoter told the group that they wouldn’t get paid if they identified themselves as the Headhunters. “So Rabbit goes on stage, gets a big smile and said, ‘You all know who we are!’ and everyone cheered.”
Health issues brought Jaramillo back to Colorado in the mid-2000s, but singing never left his life. He was inducted into the Chicano Music Hall of Fame during a 2017 ceremony at Su Teatro in Denver, drawing roars from the audience when he went onstage with his cane only to toss it aside and dance to the Headhunters’ signature song. Fellow congregants at Jaramillo’s longtime church, Good Shepherd Fellowship in Pueblo, regularly asked him to perform Christian songs — a favorite was “My Tribute” by gospel pioneer Andraé Crouch. He also loved to do karaoke with his grandson Daniel Hernandez, preferring oldies like “Daddy’s Home” and “Sixteen Candles.”
“No one knew who he was, and he never said who he was,” said Hernandez, a Phoenix resident who grew up in East L.A. but spent time with Jaramillo in his later years. “But after he sang, we would always have people buying us beers and telling him, ‘Hey, you’re a great singer!’”
Jaramillo is survived by two brothers; eight children; 15 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren. Services were held at Good Shepherd Fellowship and ended with his casket being wheeled out to “Land of 1,000 Dances.”
anyyywayyy whatever unfolds as a tightly woven work of movement and language, where gestures and spoken word resist easy interpretation. Photo: Andrew Hallinan
The Brooklyn-based artist and choreographer Barnett Cohen sits cross-legged in the folding chair: tall and tattooed, dressed in their signature all-white street clothes. Despite their almost intimidatingly cool looks, they have an unassuming, gentle presence. When they lean back and say, “Okay, let’s go from the top of movement four,” it’s an invitation, not a command. Six hip yet humble dancers nod and rearrange themselves in the large studio space, take a collective breath and start moving in silence.
At first, the gestures were minimal and recognizable: arms raised in a V, feet tucked behind ankles in coupé. Their sneakers squeaked on the floor as they stepped in and out of clean formations reminiscent of cheerleading routines, bird migrations or both–Cohen’s work is never just one thing. Then someone started speaking, “High octane octaves / intrusive thoughts out of hand / we cohabitate with the nasty / we live with the worst,” and the piece jolted awake.
Cohen and his dancers were rehearsing the 4th-9th sections of their latest evening-length performance, anyyywayyy whatever, a tightly woven work of text and movement that will premiere in Brooklyn at Amant on September 26. A few minutes into the run-through, the dancers dropped to the ground and spread their legs. “We!” they shouted at the space in front of them. “Are! Queer!” They slapped the ground with each syllable, then spun around and repeated the same phrase. “We! Are! Queer!” Then they paused and, in a sing-song voice, teasingly added, “It’s true.”
“So this,” I thought as I watched, “is what it’s about.” I was right but also wrong. Cohen is not interested in ‘abouts’ or narrative legibility. They are many unpindownable things, and so are their performances.
“It was a very slow build into this type of work,” Cohen told me, meaning the combination of movement and spoken text which they call ‘movement art.’ (They are wary to call themself a choreographer, as they weren’t trained in dance; I will bestow that well-deserved title on them). “When I was a child, I wanted to be a poet and an actor, and those two things sort of converged in the creation of the work that I’m making now.” They followed that dream, studied theater and wrote poetry—they often appear at poetry readings around town and published a collection of poems with dancer/artist/writer Simone Forti, began a prolific painting practice and founded the Mutual Aid Immigration Network, a trilingual free assistance hotline for people detained in immigration detention centers across the United States. While living in Los Angeles, they experimented with what they call performances of the mind: reading aloud long lists they’d written in their studio to audiences asked to close their eyes. Then, slowly, they started to introduce movement into their work, which has since appeared at Canal Projects as part of Performa 2023, Judson Memorial Church as part of Movement Research and The Center for Performance Research, among other venues.
The first iteration of anyyywayyy whatever was a two-person show (performed by Maddie Hopfield and Ray Tsung-Jui Tsou) commissioned by Caterina Zevola for the inaugural Performissima at the Centre Wallonie Bruxelles in Paris in October 2024. This new commission premiering at Amant extends the piece to an hour and includes four more performers (Laurel Atwell, Sally Butin, Deja Rion and Fiona Smith).
When asked about the work’s title, Cohen said it refers to the frustration and despair they feel about the current state of the world; both a personal failing and cultural inability to “fully absorb the multiple crises that we are all experiencing.” A common response to crises, they’ve noticed, is to look away, to keep scrolling, to keep walking by. “For a lot of people it’s like ‘anyway, whatever.’”
Cohen’s rehearsal process is deeply collaborative, with dancers shaping movement phrases as part of an ongoing conversation. Photos: Andrew Hallinan
Cohen started working on the piece’s text-based score at the beginning of 2024. “I tend to think of myself as a channeler or a kind of conduit. Not only am I writing what’s on my mind, but I’m also accumulating language that then ends up in the writing itself.” Cohen reads voraciously and widely, and glimpses of those influences—ranging from science fiction writers to queer theorists to philosophers and poets—make their way into the footnotes of the score, which will be printed as a chapbook created by artist and poet Leslie Rosario-Olivo and distributed to the audience. Metallica lyrics and lines from Star Wars make their way in, too, as do excerpts of conversations and text exchanges with friends. “There’s brilliance there at times,” Cohen said, “in our conversations with people.”
The result is multilayered. “There’s writing about the genocide, but it’s not about that. There’s writing about my sex life, but it’s not about that. There’s writing about sex and queerness in general. It’s not about that. It’s this kind of mosaic of ideas that overlap and intersect.”
Cohen then brought the completed score into the rehearsals, though it was further edited as they all built the piece together. The performers’ slips of tongue, Cohen explained, often charged the writing with more energy and meaning.
The next step was creating the movement, which, for Cohen, is always a very collaborative process. They will offer a suggestion (like “What if we did some energetic ballet-like movements?” or “Do something a little like Graham.”), and the dancers will move around and say, “Like this?” This conversation continues until Cohen has shaped the movement into a phrase. “It’s like throwing things against the wall and seeing what sticks,” they said. “I have to go through a lot of bad ideas to get to what makes sense stylistically.” The movement vocabulary, as wide-ranging as the text, draws from hip-hop, ballet, stage combat, modern dance and post-modern dance.
Along the way, Cohen merges the spoken text with the choreography in a way that isn’t redundant or interpretive. “We’re trying to devise movements that not only push back against the writing, but also amplify it in a different way…There are what I would call material juxtapositions of movement and sound.”
One way the performers achieve this juxtaposition is through specific tones of voice. They often employ certain registers that they’ve given labels to, like “internet voice,” “yoga mom voice” and “bro voice.” Universally recognizable tones that evince narrative but, in this case, are disconnected from any specific story. Sometimes the tone matches the text; sometimes not. Sometimes the tone matches the movement; sometimes not. There are common vernaculars–both sonically and physically–that appear and disappear within the work, portholes through which the audience can comfortably enter before realizing they actually have no idea where they are.
Slips, misreadings and improvisations are folded back into the score, amplifying the work’s energy rather than polishing it away. Photos: Andrew Hallinan
For example, the line “my roommate will be back soon so” feels, for many of us, familiar. We’ve all asked someone to leave without asking them to leave, or been awkwardly asked to leave ourselves. Originally, Butin said this with an “fboy” tone while embodying an “fboy,” which was overkill. Cohen decided to have Butin keep the tone but embody a fierce runway model while looking an audience member directly in the eye when saying it. At another point, Butin and Hopfield do a “ballet-adjacent phrase” while Tsung-Jui Tsou and Atwell try to bring everyone together. Butin punches Atwell in the stomach while crossing the stage, to emphasize the line “without suicide / with out WHAT.” The elegance of ballet is layered with the intense text and random physical violence in a way that doesn’t further any specific narrative, but offers, nevertheless, a strong statement.
The heart of the piece can be found in the text and movement, but design takes the performance to the next level. The cast will wear elevated streetwear created by New York-based designer Melitta Baumeister. And the lighting design, inspired by raves and queer nightlife spaces, is by Bessie-nominated Sarai Frazier.
It turns out anyyywayyy whatever isn’t one thing but all the things: poignant, political, funny, sexy, of-the-moment, intellectual, serious. It’s a wakeup call to our apathetic culture and also a reminder that we are not alone. That we are all in this together, for better or worse.
Barnett Cohen’s anyyywayyy whatever is at 306 Maujer Street, Brooklyn, on Friday, September 26 at 7:00 pm, and Saturday, September 27 at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
It’s the last Best Bets of September, and the arts are in full swing around Houston. To close out the month, we’ve got an epic of a stage production, a celebration of Latin American and Hispanic composers, and a collection of the best short films you can find. Keep reading for these and everything else that makes our picks for the best of the week.
When Alex Thompson’s short film Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting screened at Sundance, the first frame, with its “so-real-you-can-touch-it CG image” of two griffins, “elicited gasps of amazement.” You can join film lovers from around the world to view and vote on the shorts featured in the 28th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival – including Thompson’s – at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, on Thursday, September 25, at 7 p.m. Audience ballots will determine the winners of Best Film and Best Actor from the ten curated films, which come from seven different countries. The films will screen again at 7 p.m. Friday, September 26, and 2 p.m. Saturday, September 27, and Sunday, September 28. Tickets can be purchased here for $8 to $10, and get your tickets in advance; some screenings are likely to sell out.
A string arrangement of Benjamin Britten’s 1932 Double Concerto for Violin and Viola, the sketch of which was only discovered more than 20 years after his death in 1976, will be the centerpiece of Kinetic’s season-opening concert, Notes Unspoken, at the MATCH on Friday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m. The conductor-less ensemble will tackle Britten alongside Michael Torke‘s December, Libby Larsen’s String Symphony, and the world premiere of Rice University graduate Alex Berko’s Unstrung for string orchestration. Berko, who originally composed Unstrung for the Louisville Orchestra in 2024, has said the piece, “a deconstructed bluegrass tune,” was his attempt “as a new Kentucky resident and admirer of” the genre “to pay homage to the art form.” Tickets to the performance can be purchased here for $15 to $35.
ROCO returns to Miller Outdoor Theatre to open their season on Friday.
Photo by Rolando Ramon
Four world premieres and a not-oft-heard symphony make up ROCO’s season-opening program, Feels Like Home, which you can hear on Friday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m. when the chamber orchestra visits Miller Outdoor Theatre. The premieres, which will be performed alongside Emilie Mayer’s 1847 Symphony No. 4 in B minor, draw from various sources of inspiration, including husky rescues and a ROCO member’s work in hospice care. The performance is free, and you can reserve a ticket here starting at 10 a.m. today, September 25. Or, as always, you can sit on the Hill – no ticket required. The concert will be performed a second time at The Church of St. John the Divine on Saturday, September 27, at 5 p.m.Tickets are pay-what-you-wish here with a suggested price of $35 and a minimum of $0.
“A percussive pulse drives the lover’s declarations in ‘And now you’re mine,’” one of five sonnets written by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and set to music by American composer Peter Lieberson in Neruda Songs, which you can hear at Jones Hall on Friday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m. during the Fiesta Sinfónica. Conductor Gonzalo Farias will lead the Houston Symphony and special guest mezzo-soprano Josefina Maldonado in the orchestra’s annual celebration of Latin American and Hispanic composers. This year, audiences can expect musical selections like “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere” from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, the Habanera from Georges Bizet’s Carmen, Albert Gonzales’s arrangements of Rafael Hernández Marín’s “El Cumbanchero” and Daniel Alomía Robles’s “El cóndor pasa,” and more. This concert is free, but ticket reservations are required here.
When choreographer Toni Valle, the artistic director of 6 Degrees Dance, first heard that Shahzia Sikander’s sculpture “Witness” would be installed at the University of Houston, it didn’t strike her as anything out of the ordinary.
“We get notifications about everything,” says Valle, a professor in UH’s Kathrine G. McGovern College for the Arts, School of Theatre & Dance. “I didn’t think it was a big deal, one piece of public art that was going to be put on the campus.”
Soon, however, the statue – a towering 18-foot female figure, golden and floating above the ground, with root-like arms and legs, a hoop skirt, lace collar, and braids shaped into ram horns – caught the attention of right-to-life protestors, who saw the horns as demonic and the jabot at her neck, a nod to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as a symbol of abortion rights.
As a human rights activist herself, Valle says she had to see the sculpture, one-half of the Pakistani-American visual artist’s exhibition “Havah…to breathe, air, life,” with her own eyes.
“I saw it, and it’s beautiful. It is such a testament to women taking up space, because it’s so big,” says Valle. “At that point, I emailed the dean and said, ‘If it ever comes up that you want some art done about this piece…I would love to do something.’”
The university did commission Valle to create a work inspired by “Witness.” Then, on July 8, 2024, with Valle and longtime collaborator/composer George Heathco deep in the creative process and Hurricane Beryl looming on the horizon, a man with a hammer beheaded the statue.
“It was too close to our performance for us to incorporate that new material,” says Valle. “We made, at that point, a decision that we were going to do this again as a full evening length with that new information.”
6 Degrees company members Shelby Craze and Mia Pham with steel sculptures by Craze.
Photo by Adri Richey Photography
This week, Valle, Heathco, and singer-composer Misha Penton will premiere that full-length evening work, Testimony, an aerial dance and visual art installation, from visual artist Shelby Craze, that draws inspiration from Sikander’s work, the subsequent controversy, and eventual vandalism.
“Though the sculpture was our point of reference, Testimony is also about the much larger picture of how women in general have been silenced,” says Valle. “Personally, what affected me was that this woman made something so amazing. It said, ‘I am here, and you cannot stop me from existing.’ And then someone violently beheaded it. It’s such a metaphor for how violence is often used to silence artists, to silence women, to silence people.”
Penton, who joined the project after Valle and Heathco had begun work on Testimony, notes that “when voices are suppressed, the only antidote is vocal autonomy.” As such, she recalls telling her collaborators after seeing the first incarnation of Testimony from the audience, “I really feel like the sculpture needs to come to life and wail.”
For the upcoming performance, Penton will play the character of the sculpture with embodied vocality.
“I’m interpreting this as an archetypal feminine energy,” explains Penton, who is composing and singing the live voice work in the show. “Everyone in the performance is a facet of the sculpture, and my character serves as a way to focus the energy and also refract it into a prism of a zillion possibilities in a diverse spectrum.”
Though Penton will embody the statue, Valle says she also wanted Penton’s character to have a human element.
“My goal always is to bring humanity into a situation,” says Valle. “I want people to see this as the personification of oppressed people, and to be able to see it as human.”
Penton’s vocalizations will wind in and out and intertwine with Heathco’s original score, which features saxophones, guitars, percussion, and the interplay of lots of voices because, as Heathco notes, “this whole thing started with voices of people having some sort of descent and not wanting to see the statue on campus.”
6 Degrees company members Emily Aven and Michelle Reyes.
Photo by Adri Richey Photography
Heathco says he decided to bike to the school to visit the statue and take notes, with the ambient sounds he heard inspiring his score in unexpected ways.
“Sitting in front of the statue this one particular evening, hearing the marching band, hearing the light rail, hearing the mechanical noises, hearing the wind through the trees, the rustling of leaves and students walking by… All these things started to really produce a sound in my head,” says Heathco. “Once I got home that night from the bike ride, the instrumentation was set.”
Like Heathco, Valle says she also visited the sculpture to take notes and pictures to begin developing the choreography, believing that she could not do justice to Sikander’s detailed work without spending as much time creating movement based on it.
“All the movement is based on the movement in the sculpture itself,” says Valle. “Rather than trying to put content in the pieces, like this is what Sikander meant, I took what she gave me in movement and size and statuesque breathing – everything about this sculpture almost feels alive to me – and tried to reiterate that in different moments, with a collage that speaks to tiny fragments of the sculpture that then makes this entire whole.”
Elements of Sikander’s sculpture will appear in the way the dancers will swirl and braid around each other like the roots, and in a bungee piece, where Penton will be lifted off the floor, supported by the other dancers, as the sculpture is supported by its hoop skirt.
Despite its embedded, heavy themes, all three collaborators agree that anyone can see and enjoy Testimony.
“My tester is always someone asking, ‘Can I bring my 12-year-old daughter?’ And yes, I think it’s fairly accessible and exciting to watch,” says Valle. “Even if they know nothing about this statue, even if they don’t get anything about this statue, there’s so much embedded in the work that I’m very proud to say I think anybody can come see this show, not get it at all and still like it.”
That said, Penton does hope that audiences will find Testimony “hopeful and liberating.”
“We’re not being didactic,” says Penton. “We’re not telling people what to think about anything. I feel like the statue and the character that I’m embodying is hopeful, grounded, powerful, and future-looking in a positive way.”
Testimony will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 25, through Saturday, September 27, and 5 p.m. Sunday, September 28, at the MATCH, 3400 Main. For more information, visit 6degreesdance.org. $20-$35, with a pay-what-you-can option on September 26.
Few things are as exciting as when Houston Ballet stages a Rock, Roll & Tutus mixed repertory program, and it’s not just because rock music makes an appearance where some think it doesn’t belong. It’s because without fail, the rock ‘n’ roll spirit – with its promise of intimacy and spectacle, subtlety and bravado – will run through every work selected for the program, making for one exciting night at the ballet.
And last night was no exception.
The program opened with a bang in the form of Brett Ishida’s what i was thinking while i was waltzing, a Houston Ballet commission that originally premiered during last year’s Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance.
The curtain rises to reveal five couples twirling around the stage like figurines in a music box. Between the women’s blood-red dresses and Ezio Bosso’s über dramatic String Quartet No. 5, music from a live score the Italian composer wrote for a 1927 Alfred Hitchcock thriller, we are immediately struck both visually and sonically. Then, one by one, the women, with arms outstretched and backs arched, appear to be, in turn, waking up, struggling against, and transforming, eventually disappearing into the drapey vermilion of their self-standing skirts only to crawl out, emerging from the cocoon of artifice somewhere darker.
what i was thinking while i was waltzing is seductive and gripping, unflinching and raw, like an exposed nerve. Ishida’s escape into the subconscious is sensuous and visceral, drawing on precision, slow and dream-like, and varied technique, from pointe work to kip-ups and bridge poses. The partnering is especially breathtaking, with Saul Newport and Brittany Stone delivering standout performances. By the time the women climb back into their dresses and the couples resume their waltz, the curtain closing on a whirl of spinning lifts sweeping across the stage, it was clear: This is a piece you’re guaranteed to want to see again, and again, and again.
Houston Ballet First Soloists Tyler Donatelli and Naazir Muhammad in Jacquelyn Long’s Illuminate.
Photo by Alana Campbell (2025). Courtesy of Houston Ballet
After a brief pause, another work that first premiered at a Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance takes the stage. This time, it’s Houston Ballet Soloist Jacquelyn Long’s debut work, Illuminate.
Set to Oliver Davis’s Frontiers, Concerto for Violin and Strings, Illuminate is like sorbet, a palate cleanser, a refreshing and delightful contrast to the previous work. Choreographed for an ensemble of six, the short dance, set in three movements, is light and airy, and strong in its romanticism. Long displays strong musicality, the steps clean and accessible, with the dancers positively spritely to match the violin part played masterfully by Denise Tarrant.
If you’re the type to read the program given to you on the way in, you’ll read that themes of ideas and inspiration are embedded in the work, though the dance itself is quite ambiguous, the only real hint to those themes the lightbulb hanging stage left. Illuminate, however, is not at all ambiguous in its joy. It is bright and infectiously happy. Long also knows how to end on a high note, the ending pose with the dancers all reaching toward the light memorable all on its own.
One 25-minute intermission later, Christopher Bruce’s Rooster undeniably brought the rock star swag to the evening’s program.
Created in 1991 for Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve, and receiving its American premiere right here at Houston Ballet in 1995, Rooster is an irresistibly fun dance for ten, five men and five women, set to eight different songs by The Rolling Stones. Each song is its own little vignette, connected via the repeated gestures and motifs Bruce draws directly from the lyrics.
Houston Ballet Principal Connor Walsh, Demi Soloist Jack Wolff and Corps de Ballet Dancer Alejandro Molina León in Christopher Bruce’s Rooster.
Photo by Alana Campbell (2025). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
Bruce starts the piece with the bluesy “Little Red Rooster,” and, as the song goes, the “little red rooster is on the prowl.” In this case, it’s Connor Walsh, who appears on stage, strutting, repeatedly fixing his hair and straightening his tie, and generally peacocking around, establishing a recurring theme for the men.
There seems to be a sexual tug-of-war at play, with the men certainly acting as though the power is on their side, as during “Lady Jane,” as male attention flits from one woman to another. The women, however, occasionally triumph, like during “Not Fade Away,” a punchy number that features a preening Jack Wolff, who certainly tries to embody the demands of Jagger’s words, though he still gets kicked down, stepped on, and eventually carried away.
Rooster is filled with memorable performances, including Karina González’s child-like outcast in “As Tears Go By”; the bop of a solo by Alejandro Molina León during “Paint It Black”; and Jessica Collado’s gentle portrayal in “Ruby Tuesday.”
Following a shorter, 15-minute intermission, the centerpiece of the evening, Vi et animo from Stanton Welch, commenced to impress the audience.
Houston Ballet Principals Yuriko Kajiya and Aaron Robison with Artists of Houston Ballet in Stanton Welch’s Vi et Animo.
Photo by Alana Campbell (2025). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
After choreographing the first movement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 for the Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance in 2023, Welch expanded the work to encompass all three of Tchaikovsky’s movements, which now debut as part of the mixed rep program. And expanded it is, featuring nearly 50 dancers across its three movements.
Vi et animo evokes George Balanchine, with its classical vocabulary and a sea of tutus emphasizing the piece’s grandeur. The first movement is characterized by delicate footwork and gorgeous port a bras from the ensemble mixed with spotlight-demanding solos tailor-made for Welch’s dancers. Though all deserved their oohs and ahhs, the power and acrobatics of the men – Eric Best, Naazir Muhammad, and Simone Acri – juxtaposed too perfectly with the broader dance to not deserve a special mention. Welch marries the beautiful lyricism of Tchaikovsky’s second movement with a breakable pas de deux danced by Karina González and Harper Watters, before turning to Sayako Toku and Angelo Greco to lead the corps in a more playful, and quicker, third movement.
Mixed repertory programs are perfect starter packs for people who aren’t familiar with dance and special treats for those who are. One again, Houston Ballet is offering four contrasting pieces that show the breadth of what the company has to offer, and it’s nothing if not impressive.
It’s National Locate an Old Friend Day, and if you find an old friend and would like to make plans for the weekend with them, we’ve got some ideas for you. This week, both a popular movie and a bestselling book come to the stage, a choir all the way from Mexico City stops in for a joint concert, and much more await you, so keep reading for these and all of our picks for best bets.
A classic Russian folklore character that symbolizes “rebirth, beauty, and magic” will take center stage on Friday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. when the Houston Symphony opens its season with Valčuha Conducts Stravinsky’s Firebird at Jones Hall. Music Director Juraj Valčuha will lead the orchestra in the concert, which also includes Florent Schmitt’s Psalm 47 and the world premiere of Julia Wolfe’s Houston Symphony-commissioned Liberty Bell, plus special guests Angel Blue; Houston Chamber Choir, under Artistic Director Betsy Cook Weber; and Houston Symphony Chorus, under Director Anthony J. Maglione. The concert will be performed again on Saturday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 21, at 2 p.m. Tickets to in-hall performances can be purchased here for $29 to $159. Saturday night’s concert will also be livestreamed, with access to the video performance available here for $20.
If you’re used to his serious, sacred cantatas, hear another side of Johann Sebastian Bach on Friday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m., when Ars Lyrica Houston opens its season with Bach’s Divine Comedy at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The program will feature three works by Bach, including The Dispute between Phoebus and Pan, which refers to a comical singing contest drawn from a Greek myth, by way of the Roman poet Ovid. Matthew Dirst, the artistic director of Ars Lyrica, has described the secular cantataas “theatrical, tongue in cheek, and it’s filled with clever references to contemporary music taste.” Tickets can be purchased here for $15 to $80. If you can’t attend the performance in person, you can buy a $20 ticket to view the digital livestream here.
Brown’s I AM expands on her signature blend of storytelling, movement and community. Photo: Becca Marcela Oviatt
After a successful world premiere at Jacob’s Pillow last summer, Camille A. Brown & Dancers brought their latest work, I AM, to L.A.’s Music Center for three nights this past weekend. It’s part of their mini-tour with stops at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey (Sept. 26), followed by dates in Boston (Nov. 14-15) and then Seattle (March 7, 2026).
The new show uses her previous show, ink, as a jumping-off point. “In that one, I was talking about the idea of Black people being superheroes, because we keep rising,” Brown tells Observer. “The idea of perseverance and the celebration of onward movement, regardless of obstacles; I wanted to discuss what it is like to move through the future with joy. I wanted this to be an experience where we’re starting at joy from the top, then where do we go? I have fifty minutes’ worth of where we go. What does it mean to start with joy, and what does that look like with their individual bodies, and as a community, brought together?”
The piece draws its title and inspiration from episode 7 of the HBO series Lovecraft Country, in which the character Hippolyta Freeman (played by Aunjanue Ellis) moves through time and space, visiting different eras and drawing personal insight, joy and strength through her experience.
“I thought that was so powerful and spoke to me, personally, as a Black woman, and what I have to navigate in the world,” says Brown. “I wanted us to feel we have pushed out of these four walls, the black, the space, the universe. The solo, which I created for myself, depicts the story, and my interpretation of Hippolyta’s journey and my journey as an artist. Each section is another form of spirit and joy and love and community. And it’s shown through different ways, through brotherhood, through sisterhood, through funk and R&B, the ballroom, the church, hip-hop, African dance, everywhere we can possibly go.”
Brown won’t be dancing the solo in this iteration of the show. That honor falls to Courtney Ross, an independent contractor with the company since 2019. “While the piece is created on her and debuted by her, the story is human enough to be transferred into what I can bring to the table,” says Ross about taking over the role from Brown. “Within the solo, there is a sense of reclamation, which is something Hippolyta is going through in her journey. So, there are moments where I’m reaching for a higher place. It’s leaning more and more into my joy, and there’s the thing that becomes the strength. Camille went to Ailey, where you’re heavily trained in ballet, modern technique and jazz. We have to bring all of those technical elements into the space.”
Originally from Jamaica, Queens, Brown studied at The Ailey School on a scholarship, while also studying at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts. Her early career was spent at Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence, A Dance Company, and she was a guest artist at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater before founding Camille A. Brown & Dancers in 2006.
Her work on playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy led to her first Tony nomination for Best Choreography. Her directorial debut, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, garnered two more, for Best Choreography and Best Direction. Her fourth Tony nomination came for Alicia Keys’ jukebox musical Hell’s Kitchen, followed by another last year for Gypsy, starring Audra McDonald. At the Met, she worked on Porgy and Bess as well as Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones.
“In the shows that I’ve worked with, everyone has to do everything,” says Brown. “If it’s not a dance focus role, maybe they don’t have as much to carry as a trained dancer in the show. In Hell’s Kitchen, the dancers had to be dancers in the space. With Gypsy, dancers had to sing, dance and act. So, it depends on the requirements of the show.”
Ross confirms that working with Brown requires multi-disciplined training. “We are very well rehearsed. Once you get into the choreography, Camille is very detailed. With the solo, I have a bit more freedom because the solo is about freedom. So, I have agency. I love this work, I AM, my family loves the work and the community loves this work. I’m excited to continue sharing and hearing the response.”
In recent months, Black voices have been targeted by government-backed anti-DEI measures in arts and educational institutions. “If I were to isolate and look at the news, it can be a lot,” Ross says. “It’s an intentional choice to be a Black woman from the African diaspora and say, ‘I’m going to step on stage and tell these very loud and proud stories.’”
By continuing to do what she does, Brown is committed to speaking truth to power. “It’s scary; I don’t want to negate the fear aspect of it, at all. Hopefully, it inspires us all to have conviction,” she says of the crisis. “If we start censoring ourselves and start doing these things to get a grant or a performance, then is it really our art that we’re making, or does it turn into something else? In order for me to continue in this world, I need to focus on my work.”
The piece reflects Brown’s personal journey as an artist, drawing inspiration from Lovecraft Country’s Hippolyta Freeman and the power of reclamation. Photo: Cherylynn Tsushima Photography
It’s rare that a performance and a venue align so seamlessly. I rarely even consider how the two intersect, since they usually emerge from separate worlds—the universe of a show contained within a given space. But the North American premiere of Monkey Off My Back or The Cat’s Meow, despite being created and first staged in Zürich, Switzerland, in 2021, seems as if it were made for the Park Avenue Armory’s 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall in 2025.
The dance-theater-fashion show, directed and choreographed by U.S.-born and Zurich-based Trajal Harrell, unfolds on a bright 150-foot runway designed by Harrell and Erik Flatmo in the style of a Mondrian grid painting. The audience sits on either side of the runway like A-list celebrities, but with oversized programs in stadium-style seating that is more akin to theater. The Armory, long known for its big unconventional productions, has also hosted fashion shows. Fittingly, the building sits nearly midway between the birthplaces of two movement styles central to Harrell’s choreography—Harlem’s ballroom voguing and Judson Dance Theater’s postmodern dance, both from the 1960s. And even though the piece was made during the COVID pandemic and can be read as a meditation on the human need for communal gathering, its themes speak uncannily to the present: What is freedom? Who gets to express themselves freely? What does it mean to look a stranger in the eye?
Monkey Off My Back or The Cat’s Meow begins with Harrell rising from a seat in the audience and introducing himself as Chloé Malle (Anna Wintour’s successor at Vogue). Harrell/Malle welcomes the crowd and recounts her phone conversation with Harrell, who asked her to open the show, sharing the quote “If you live, sometimes you have to dance.” In this way, we are immediately dropped into the show’s tone—performative, sly and deliberately breaking the fourth wall.
Two people then peel back the large plastic sheet covering the set, so carefully that the audience at opening night even applauded their effort. On the Mondrian-like floor are low white nightclub-style couches and a central table beneath which an assortment of toys and household objects—props, perhaps—sit poorly concealed.
Trajal Harrell. Photo: Stephanie Berger
Suddenly, music explodes into the vast space. Someone steps onto the red, white, blue and yellow stage, and the show begins again. Performers enter one by one, striding counterclockwise along the perimeter to Samm Bennett & Chunk’s “Part of the Family,” which dissolves into Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” The so-called fashion show is immediately off-kilter: “models” wear bathrobes over gowns, rollers in their hair, empty sleeves trailing behind them. Soon it veers stranger—performers stumble and dishevel themselves. Across the evening, 60 costumes designed by Harrell appear, mixing labels from Comme des Garçons to Walmart. Some performers wear shoes, some go barefoot, but every catwalk dazzles.
The cast is large—17 dancers plus Harrell, all part of his Zürich Dance Ensemble—and they reappear in bold looks until one finally steps off the grid, a rupture that feels both wrong and exhilarating. Another hikes a skirt above the knees and kicks wildly. A sneakered group forms at one end, shifting arms fluidly as though warming up, or channeling birds, or conducting an unseen orchestra. A performer picks up a mic from the couch and declares, “Section 2, The Tale,” hinting at narrative (spoiler: it never fully arrives, perhaps intentionally).
Much transpires in Monkey Off My Back or The Cat’s Meow. The five sections stretch nearly two hours without intermission. The perimeter-walking continues with such persistence that it becomes a heartbeat, only noticeable when it halts. At one point, a woman is carried to a couch and begins reading the Declaration of Independence aloud—radical in its delivery. At another, a man atop a couch performs a Butoh-inspired solo, his body twisting in slow contortions. Later, Harrell dances alone to Imani Uzuri’s “Love Story,” moving like someone tipsy and unguarded at home with a glass of wine. Costumes change relentlessly, poses strike with force and the soundtrack ranges wildly—from Earth, Wind & Fire to Laura Nyro to Steve Reich. Two performers roam in sparkly panda suits.
Thibault Lac and company. Photo: Stephanie Berger
There is too much to take in; you are always missing something. Afterward, walking downtown, I kept replaying how the acts of watching and being watched felt strangely new. Perhaps it was because the house lights stayed up until the final abstracted folk dance, letting performers gaze directly at the audience. Perhaps it was Harrell’s direction that exposed the human beneath the performance. Would I ever watch a passerby on the street with the same intensity as a dancer on stage? Not usually. At times, I even looked away when a performer neared. But why?
I also thought about freedom. The freedom of expression here—in fashion, in movement—was striking. The performers inhabited the atmospheres of the New York ballroom scene, club culture, lonely apartments, even the subway at 4:00 a.m., each in their own register.
In the program, Debra Levine writes that Harrell wanted to create a work without a preconceived theme. That choice explains the stream-of-consciousness feel and the lack of narrative arc, and I’m grateful for it. It allowed me to recognize my own desire for story, for the hidden props to be used, for a message to land. But that’s not how life works. Life is messy, and art can remind us not to look away.
