By The Joyce Theater
Photos: Facebook\The Joyce Theater
(New York, New York—June 13, 2024) — The Joyce Theater Foundation (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) brings its Spring/Summer 2024 season to a thrilling conclusion with the return of its Ballet Festival. Under the skillful artistry of co-producer and American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Calvin Royal III, the one-week, two-program celebration of the long bright line of ballet, UNITE, will play The Joyce Theater from August 13-18. Tickets, ranging in price from $12-$92 (including fees), can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.
The Joyce Theater’s Ballet Festival makes a triumphant return this summer with UNITE, an extraordinary pair of programs united under a singular, evocative title. Under the inspired creative direction of American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Calvin Royal III, and co-produced by Royal and The Joyce Theater, UNITE emerges as the latest embodiment of The Joyce’s homage to classical dance and celebration of contemporary dance. This ambitious endeavor brings together distinguished artists from nine esteemed companies across five continents and spanning four generations, crafting an exquisite fusion of classical masterpieces and contemporary innovations. Royal honors the venerable heritage of ballet with selections from George Balanchine’s Apollo and the electrifying Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, as well as poignant excerpts from Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo & Juliet and Manon. Additionally, audiences will be treated to a visionary reimagining of Jules Perrot’s Pas de Quatre, among other cherished pieces from the classical repertoire.
UNITE also connects the arc of ballet with the best of its present and future artists and master choreographers with a selection of contemporary New York and world-premiere works. Choreographers include Lauren Lovette, Resident Choreographer of the Paul Taylor Dance Company; fellow ABT artists James Whiteside, Duncan Lyle, Aleisha Walker, and Zhong-zing Fang; Adji Cissoko of Alonzo King LINES Ballet; Adriana Pierce, founder of Queer the Ballet and Associate Director/Choreographer of Justin Peck’s Illinoise; My’kal Stromile of Boston Ballet; and a self-choreographed solo by Royal. Works from celebrated choreographers Jae Man Joo, Alonzo King, and Christopher Rudd round out the program, extending contemporary ballet to exhilarating new heights.
The programs will feature breathtaking performances by Calvin Royal III along with Isabella Boylston, Tristan Brosnan, Adji Cissoko, Tyson Ali Clark, Kyra Coco, Kenny Corrigan, Luigi Crispino, Herman Cornejo, Shuaib Elhassan, Chyrstyn Fentroy, Jessica Feretti, Duncan MacIlwain, Paul Marque, João Menegussi, Chloe Misseldine, Sae Eun Park, Ingrid Thoms, Aleisha Walker, James Whiteside, Dancers of Ballet Eloelle/Grandiva, and finally, to further Calvin’s mission to promote the newest generation of dance artists, Youth America Grand Prix 2024 Award winner, Crystal Huang will also perform. Adding to the allure of the evenings, the programs feature live musical accompaniment by Youba Cissokho on the kora, Kobi Malkin on violin, Jacek Mysinski on piano, and vocals by Rozzi.
ABOUT CALVIN ROYAL III
Calvin Royal III is an acclaimed internationally recognized Principal classical ballet dancer. He began his formal ballet training at fourteen and a half under the direction of Suzanne Pomerantzeff and Patricia L. Paige at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School and the Academy of Ballet Arts Inc. in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2006, Royal entered and was singled out as a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix Ballet Competition – America’s premiere showcase to identify promising young dancers in New York City and around the world, and based on his performance in the competition, Royal was awarded the Ethan Stiefel scholarship to attend the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre (ABT).
Despite his unprecedented late start, he was promoted to ABT Main Company in 2010, achieved Soloist in 2017, and Principal Dancer in 2020. Calvin has performed star turns in beloved classics as the title role in George Balanchine’s Apollo, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Count Albrecht in Giselle, and The Prince in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Ballet Imperial, Raymonda Divertissements, Symphonic Variations, Prince Fortune in The Sleeping Beauty, as well as leading, featured and created roles in contemporary and new works including AfterEffect, AFTERITE, After You, A Gathering of Ghosts, Bach Partita, Black Tuesday, Brahms-Haydn Variations, Clear, Company B, Deuce Coupe, Dream within a Dream (deferred), Duets, In the Upper Room, Lifted, New American Romance, Piano Concerto No. 1, Praedicere, Seven Sonatas, Serenade after Plato’s Symposium, Single Eye, Songs of Bukovina, The Seasons, Touché, Thirteen Diversions, WoolfWorks, and ZigZag.
Royal has worked with notable choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Justin Peck, Christopher Wheeldon, Benjamin Millepied, Alonzo King, Mark Morris, Wayne McGreggor, Kyle Abraham, Michelle Dorrance, Jamar Roberts, and many more.
He was a finalist at the Clive Barnes Awards, the winner of the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship, a cover star of Dance Magazine in July 2020, and took on a leadership role as the 2020/21 Artist-in-Residence at Vail Dance Festival in Vail, Colorado. He is represented by IMG Models and has been featured in global campaigns for GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Target, Ralph Lauren, Canali, and has partnered with Deckers Brands, HOKA, Johnnie Walker, and The Luxury Collection hotels. Follow Calvin on Instagram / TikTok / Facebook & Threads @calvinroyaliii or to learn more visit calvinroyaliii.com
