Danse Lumière To Present Pop-Up Ballet At City Center
Highlights from The James Joyce Ballet and additional works by Kathryn Roszak.
By: A.A. Cristi Feb. 17, 2026
Danse Lumière will present Pop Up Ballet at City Center, an evening of highlights from The James Joyce Ballet and other works by Artistic Director Kathryn Roszak, at Studio 5 at City Center, 131 West 55th Street. The performance will take place on March 30 at 8:30 p.m. The 45-minute program is priced at $30 for general admission and $20 for seniors and students.
Choreographed by Roszak, the program will feature Max Barker (American Ballet Theatre), Jonatan Lujan (Metropolitan Opera Ballet), Maisee Anderson (formerly National Ballet of Canada), and Claire Bucci (formerly Atlanta Ballet). Guitarist Miles Johnson will provide live music.
The James Joyce Ballet draws inspiration from James Joyce’s major works, including Ulysses, Finnegans Wake, and “The Dead,” as well as from the lives of Nora Barnacle and Lucia Joyce. This highlights version does not include spoken text. Excerpts from the ballet were previously presented on June 15, 2025, at the United Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco for Bloomsday. The work is scheduled to return to the San Francisco Bay Area in August 2026, with plans for an international tour to Ireland and Croatia.
The program is also expected to include an excerpt from The Unspoken, based on The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, along with additional dances to be announced.
ABOUT KATHRYN ROSZAK
Kathryn Roszak is Artistic Director of Danse Lumière. Her work focuses on adapting literary texts for the stage and blending choreography with theater and music. Her adaptations include works inspired by Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits and tributes to figures such as Jane Austen. She trained at San Francisco Ballet and the School of American Ballet and has performed with San Francisco Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and San Antonio Ballet. Roszak founded Danse Lumière in 1995 and established the Women Directors, Choreographers and Composers Program in San Francisco and New York.
ABOUT THE DANCERS
Maisee Anderson trained at San Francisco Ballet School and the National Ballet of Canada and has recently guested with Columbia Ballet.
Max Barker trained with Fabrice Herrault, performed with ABT Studio Company, and now dances with American Ballet Theatre.
Claire Bucci danced with Atlanta Ballet and is currently a student at Columbia University.
Jonatan Lujan performs with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and has partnered Misty Copeland. He will appear with Ballet Vancouver in Apollo and guest with Danse Lumière on its upcoming European tour.
ABOUT DANSE LUMIÈRE
Danse Lumière, led by Kathryn Roszak, adapts literary works for the stage through a combination of dance, music, and theater. The company has collaborated with writers including Gary Snyder, Tomas Tranströmer, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Isabel Allende, and has created works inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke and Emily Dickinson. The company has performed at La MaMa and 92Y in New York; the Smithsonian Institution and George Washington University; Copenhagen Cultural Festival; and venues in France, Arizona, and California.
Videos