Leigh Witchel
Latest Articles
Meet the 2 young ballerinas taking over the 'Nutcracker' stage
New York City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” has been a cherished part of the holidays since 1954. But even a tradition can feel brand-new when a group of promising young dancers...
You won't believe these sexy twists on 'The Nutcracker'
“The Nutcracker” is as much a part of the holidays as Black Friday and the Yule log. And while Lincoln Center has what many consider the quintessential production, there are...
'Appalachian Spring' to warm up NY's ballet season
After an interminable winter, we’ve finally reached spring — “Appalachian Spring.” Martha Graham’s all-American dance of pioneers and preachers pushing into a new land, now marking its 70th birthday, is the highlight...
Ballerina Jenifer Ringer reflects on life before retirement
After two decades of lyrical dancing punctuated by offstage drama — injuries, eating disorders, critical snark and a horrifying assault on her family — Jenifer Ringer is retiring. On Feb....
'The Nutcracker' still a joy
Once upon a time, before there was Black Friday, the holiday season began with “The Nutcracker.” Like an old friend, it still visits every year. And though there are versions...
At Alvin Ailey, a pas de deux became a heart-to-heart
The dance world’s never been short on husband-and-wife partnerships — think New York City Ballet’s Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, or Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims, who have...
NYC Ballet's Tiler Peck pirouettes into a new Web series
Tiler Peck wants you to know there’s more to being a ballerina than standing on your toes. Which is why you’ll find her — discussing dance, romance and more —...
Young lovers right the ship in ABT's stormy 'Tempest’
It takes a great choreographer to wrest a ballet out of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” But American Ballet Theatre boasts a new MacArthur “genius” in the form of artist-in-residence Alexei Ratmansky....
San Francisco's magical 'Cinderella' comes to Lincoln Center
The belles of the ball in San Francisco Ballet’s “Cinderella” are the brilliant designs dreamed up by Julian Crouch (who gave us Broadway’s “Big Fish” and “Addams Family”) and master...
Principals outshine New York City ballet's missteps
The real fun in New York City Ballet’s “Just for Fun” Friday night was a Battle of the Ballerinas. The opening two works on the triple bill were shaky, but the...
Tango and ballet sparkle at Fall for Dance
Kicking off the 10th anniversary of Fall for Dance, two singular stars shone the brightest. Gabriel Misse and Sara Mearns come from different worlds — tango and ballet — but...
NYC Ballet gala offers a starry extravaganza
New York City Ballet’s fall gala Thursday night had a passion for fashion, both on the stage and the red carpet. Three international designers clothed new ballets, while glittery guests...
New York City Ballet's fall gala brings out the fashionistas
New York City Ballet's fall gala Thursday night had a passion for fashion, both on the stage and the red carpet. Three international designers clothed new ballets while glittery guests...
Fall Theater Preview
Edward Watson isn't your average ballet prince. The riveting principal dancer of England’s Royal Ballet has portrayed psychopaths so often that if he doesn’t strangle someone onstage, you feel cheated....
From misstep to duet
If you fall for a ballerina, watch your timing. Beginning with a missed first kiss, New York City Ballet dancers Troy Schumacher and Ashley Laracey’s romance started off with no...
Leave the tango to the pros of Broadway’s ‘Forever Tango’
Having Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy star in “Forever Tango” is like having Lady Gaga headline a polka party: One doesn’t have much to do with the other, but it’s...
Pilobus teams with tricksters Penn & Teller but the results are less than magical
Pilobolus just hooked up with illusionists Penn and Teller — but the result is less than magical. The 42-year-old troupe opened its season Tuesday at the Joyce with a new...
‘Sleeping’ stars fine bedfellows
Set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, “The Sleeping Beauty” — first danced in 1890, and ballet’s jewel in the crown — has outlasted fairy-tale Princess Aurora’s hundred-year nap. And while American...
Dreamy spectacle
Stravinsky meets Cirque du Soleil in “A Dancer’s Dream,” an intriguing but confusing grab bag of a show, in which the New York Philharmonic, puppeteers, opera singers, dancers and even...
Polina Semionova and Roberto Bolle thrill in ABT's 'Sylvia'
Were we watching American Ballet Theatre or “America’s Next Top Model?” Russia’s Polina Semionova and Italy’s Roberto Bolle — featured, respectively, in ads for Uniqlo and Gap — are awfully...