New York Theatre Ballet to Present UNCAGED+ and HOMAGE at Danspace Project
Works by Mark Baldwin, Annie-B Parson and Melissa Toogood round out the program at St. Mark's Church.
New York Theatre Ballet's (NYTB) - Fall performances at Danspace Project on September 25th at 7:00 PM and September 26th at 7:30 PM will mark the company's first season under the artistic direction of Antonia Franceschi. Performances at Danspace Project will feature Uncaged+ by Antonia Franceschi. All public seats for NYTB's Fall performances at Danspace Project are $40.
Uncaged+, inspired by the art of Lee Krasner and her marriage to Jackson Pollack, was presented by New York Theatre Ballet in 2020 in an earlier version under the title Uncaged. An expanded version, Uncaged+ is choreographed by Franceschi in collaboration with Dara Adler, Christian Laverde Koeng, and Anna Blundy.
A work for ten dancers, Uncaged+ is set to original music composed by the late Claire van Kampen (Tony-nominated writer and composer for Farinelli and The King), with costumes by Carmella Lynn Lauer and Zarah Green.
'Uncaged+ explores Lee Krasner's series, Umber Paintings (1959-1962), which she created following the death of her husband Jackson Pollock,' said Franceschi. 'Krasner's series of 24 paintings convey a female voice dealing with insomnia, grief, responsibility, life, strength, reproduction, and rhythm.'
Homage, choreographed by Mark Baldwin (former Artistic Director of Ballet Rambert), will be given its American premiere by NYTB on Friday, September 25. Homage, which features costume design by Baldwin, was created in 1994 during a short residency at the Royal College of Art London.
'In Homage, a cunning piece played in silence…I'd venture, made as tribute to Richard Alston, Baldwin creates phrasing as musical and neat as if there were an audible score.' Clement Crisp, The Financial Times, 1995.
Short Ride Out, choreographed by Annie-B Parson, will be given its NYTB company premiere, on Friday, September 25. Set to music by Julia Wolfe, Short Ride Out is a contemporary dance solo originally commissioned by the Royal Ballet in London in 2014 and performed by Wendy Whelan. Lighting design for Short Ride Out is by Bruno Post.
New York Theatre Ballet's performances at Danspace Project will also include Melissa Toogood's A Study With Mónica. Set to music by Büşra Kayıkçı's Doğum/Birth, Toogood's A Study With Mónica is a work for a solo dancer. It was first presented by New York Theatre Ballet's LIFT LAB LIVE season in 2020.
Lighting for New York Theatre Ballet's performances at Danspace is by Derek Keifer.
All public seats for New York Theatre Ballet's performances at Danspace Project are priced at $40 and are available at Danspace Project. A limited number of seats for NYTB's VIP events on Friday, September 25 are available at nytb.org/tickets. Danspace Project is located at St. Mark's Church, 131 E. 10th Street in New York City.
For more information on New York Theatre Ballet, please visit www.nytb.org.
Antonia Franceschi
Time Out Award winner Antonia Franceschi is an alumna of New York City Ballet (1981-1992) and has enjoyed a performing career spanning more than four decades. She created roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Lar Lubovitch, Wayne McGregor, Martha Clarke, and Karole Armitage, among others. In addition to her early dance education with Margaret Craske and School of American Ballet, Franceschi studied drama at the High School for the Performing Arts in New York City. At age 16, she auditioned for and appeared in the seminal musical drama film, Fame. She also appeared in the film Grease and danced with Makarova and Company (1980). She has choreographed extensively for companies in the U K, and for NYTB, Black Ballet, Barnard College, and Rambert School. Franceschi created and produced 'New York Ballet Stars,' performing at The Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall and touring both The Harrogate and Sintra Festivals from 1996-2000. She wrote and performed Up From The Waste (2005) for The Soho Theatre, directed by Nancy Meckler, and received a grant for her next dance play POP 8 at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre where she collaborated with Mark Baldwin, Zoe Martlew, and Ballet Black. Franceschi was invited by Boris Charmatz to dance in 'Musée de la danse' (2015), a 48-hour unfolding program of dance at the Tate Modern. She was the Rehearsal Director for The Royal Opera House's Whelan/Watson Other Stories (2015), and Associate Choreographer for Arlene Philips for Candoco. In 2023, she choreographed Dr. Semmelweis to critical acclaim at London's Harold Pinter Theatre (directed by Tom Morris and co-written by Mark Rylance and Stephen Brown). Additional choreographic credits include Othello (directed by Claire van Kampen for The Globe Theatre, 2019), and Idaspe (Riccardo Broschi opera) for Pittsburgh's Byham Theater, Quantum Theater, and Chatham Baroque, (2019). In 2023, she danced in Karole Armitage's GRRRL Nutcracker and as Maria Taglioni in Jess and Morgs award-winning film 'An Evening with Taglioni.' Franceschi was interviewed for the book Balanchine, Then and Now, and has been a guest on the BBC's Woman's Hour. Franceschi has taught at Juilliard, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, NYTB, and Rambert Dance.
ABOUT NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET
New York Theatre Ballet performs small classic masterpieces and new contemporary works for adults and innovative hour-long ballets for young children, all at affordable prices. The mission is carried out in the work of the Professional Company, its New York Theatre Ballet School, and its LIFT Community Service Program. Together these divisions reach adults and family audiences across the country, building a love for dance and diverse audiences for the future. Since 1978, NYTB has produced, for adult and family audiences, dozens of classic masterpieces and contemporary ballets. Its roster includes dances by Frederick Ashton, Merce Cunningham, Agnes De Mille, José Limón, and Antony Tudor. NYTB has appeared with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall to sold out audiences and has performed at dance venues such as Danspace Project, Jacob's Pillow, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, and New York's City Center. Founded by Diana Byer, NYTB has earned national acclaim for its restoration and revival of small masterworks by great choreographers and for its innovative hour-long ballets based on children's literature. In August 2026, Antonia Franceschi was appointed Artistic Director of NYTB.
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