Unite, the one-week ballet festival at The Joyce Theater, the dance specific venue in New York City, is the brainchild of American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, Calvin Royal III. The festival includes an array of dances, 19 in total on two programs, primarily solos and duets. Running through Sunday, August 18, Unite features nine companies representing four multi-ethnic generations of dancers hailing from five continents. To live music, Royal will dance alongside fellow ABT super-stars, Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside and Herman Cornejo. Elegant and poetic, the award-winning 37-year-old was invited in 2022 to curate this year’s festival by the noted Joyce Theater programmer, Danni Gee and two associates. Royal is one of very few Black ballet dancers. His compatriot, Misty Copeland, is also a Principal Dancer at ABT. I interviewed Royal on July 24.
Says Royal about his selections of choreographers and dances, “ballet... has this beautiful arc. I wanted to showcase and celebrate the long line of ballet and how it has evolved. The youngest dancer is a finalist from the Youth America Grand Prix. I did Youth America Grand Prix so it feels like a full circle moment. New works were created for the festival, such as ABT dancer Aleisha Walker’s Impatiens, as well as several 20th century dances including Apollo by George Balanchine from 1928. I was intentional about unifying all of it. This name, Unite, (highlights) community and unity around what we can do with dance. The dance creators explore our humanity whether that be a heterosexual pas de deux or a pas de deux that reflects the life of characters from the LGBTQIA+ community. We are showcasing our humanity through the different works that are on the program.”
Asked if Royal sees the festival paralleling what is happening in our country, Royal responds, “Oh, for sure. I find it very inspiring now to see, especially in America this term uniting; unite the people around this idea of freedom and being your whole self. Even though we come from different walks of life there are those parallels that run with what we’re doing with Unite. However, Unite was never a political idea; it’s about who we are as people with all our experiences.”
Moonbeam, to Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune, a six-minute dance choreographed by Royal and accompanied by pianist Jacek Mysinski, Royal’s Polish husband, explores two themes: the pulse of the music that elicits a call and response, and stillness. As an ABT dancer, notes Royal, “I’m observing some of the greatest dance artists. The way that they capture an audience with stillness is something that I wanted to explore. There are clear balletic steps like arabesques and tendus, but for me it’s how to take those balletic steps and give them intension and meaning. I wanted the dance to be like a diary entry and a reflection of my own life having these dreams and desires. The idea of being swept by the pulse of the music was something I incorporated in the piece. I wanted the piece to reflect that longing, nostalgic, dreamy-like quality.”
Affording opportunity is what Royal offers young choreographers. “Aleisha Walker,” remarks Royal, “reminds me of myself when I first joined the company. She’s incredibly humble and works really hard. To create not just a solo for someone else but on herself is an exploration of -what do I like to do, what do I want to showcase? To not to be afraid to show what’s she’s good at.” Royal is interested in choreographers discovering “agency and confidence.”
Asked about the ways in which programming this festival affects Royal’s dancing, creative process, and place in the ballet world, he responds, “It's been wonderful – especially through the research phase – to observe and to see who and what inspires me most. This idea of uniting those things and people and experiences. It’s definitely impacted how I see myself in this leadership role of not only putting my own dreams and goals and pieces on stage but to be able to create opportunity for others. And for them to feel excited and energized and that they’re seen and valued and that someone is looking out for them - to have someone in your corner.”
Royal’s interview was edited for this article.
Catherine Tharin danced with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company. She teaches dance studies and technique, is an independent dance and performance curator, choreographs, writes about dance for Side of Culture, and is a reviewer and editor for The Dance Enthusiast. She also writes for The Boston Globe. Catherine lives in Pine Plains, New York and New York City.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.