BALLET TECH KIDS DANCE

Presented at The Joyce Theater, Ballet Tech Kids Dance’s latest program brought together works spanning nearly three decades, from 1997 to 2026. Featuring current students from the New York City Public Schools for Dance alongside alumni, the evening highlighted the breadth of Ballet Tech’s educational mission through works by Eliot Feld, Kyle Scheurich, and Dionne Figgins. The program included Feld’s “Joggers” and “A Stair Dance,” Scheurich’s “Finals,” and the world premiere of Figgins’s “Echos of the Studio.”

The evening opened with “Joggers,” performed by Maleya Beaubrun, Leo Patel, and Shaye Stewart. Dressed in brightly colored athletic wear, the dancers traversed the stage with an infectious energy, punctuating their steady jogging patterns with sharp, angular gestures. While the premise is straightforward, the performers approached it with impressive professionalism and a playful sense of humor that made the work charming rather than repetitive.

“Finals,” performed by alumnus Jaiden Galán-Roman, followed. Beginning with a sprint across a darkened stage, the solo quickly shifted into a series of undulating and gyrating movements set to pulsing, club-inspired music. Though Galán-Roman committed fully to the material, the work itself felt somewhat forced in its pursuit of edginess. Its aesthetic and tone sat awkwardly within the broader context of the program, making it feel disconnected from the evening as a whole.

The standout work of the night was Eliot Feld’s “A Stair Dance,” performed by Suraya Clarke, Danielle Davis, Leah Hathaway, Virginie Wallance, and David Zohar. Costumed in contemporary athletic wear with subtle nods to 1980s fashion, the dancers navigated a wide wooden staircase with remarkable precision.

Running, leaping, and weaving through constantly shifting formations, they transformed the simple set piece into a dynamic choreographic landscape. Their athleticism, synchronization, and ease with Feld’s demanding movement vocabulary were consistently impressive.

The program concluded with the world premiere of Dionne Figgins’s “Echos of the Studio,” a five-part work tracing the journey from rehearsal room to stage performance. The concept is inventive, offering audiences a glimpse into the labor and process behind performance-making. While some of the theatrical moments veered into overly broad acting choices and portions of the middle sections lacked clarity, the work opened strongly and landed on a compelling final image.

In its closing moments, particularly behind a translucent mesh curtain, the performers captured the feeling of witnessing a company’s pre-show rituals, blurring the line between preparation and performance.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Frankie Lehr