The Royal Ballet Crafts Annual BALLET FESTIVAL At The Joyce

The Joyce Theater Foundation (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce the extraordinary line-up for its 2019 Ballet Festival, curated by Kevin O'Hare, director of The Royal Ballet, and other artists associated with the esteemed company from August 6-18 at The Joyce Theater. The celebration of classical dance will feature four distinct programs over two weeks starring such world-renowned ballet artists as Lauren Cuthbertson, Robert Fairchild, Joseph Gordon, David Hallberg, Sarah Lamb, Edward Watson, Maria Kowroski and more.

Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$90, 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 will be a British invasion this summer, featuring artists from The Royal Ballet in four distinct programs overseen by director Kevin O'Hare. About the event, O'Hare says "It is an honour to be overseeing the 2019 Ballet Festival at The Joyce, home to such a vibrant international dance scene. For this special occasion, I have invited colleagues from The Royal Ballet to curate programmes across the two weeks which I'm sure will inspire and delight. Together with Edward Watson, Lauren Cuthbertson and Jean-Marc Puissant, we have created a festival of dance inspired by the theme of collaboration.

"Each programme showcases the artistry of dancers from The Royal Ballet and the wider dance world in works by the towering figures of 20th-century ballet Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Wayne McGregor, Liam Scarlett, and Christopher Wheeldon, so closely associated with the company, through to world premieres by Robert Binet, Charlotte Edmonds and Arthur Pita."

"The Joyce's reputation as a pioneering dance house is world renowned. I'm delighted to be working with them again and continuing a relationship that first took flight in 2013 when we presented Arthur Pita's Metamorphosis featuring Edward Watson. The Royal Ballet was fortunate to be presented by The Joyce at The Koch Theatre in 2015."

Program A (August 6-9), curated by O'Hare, is a tribute to choreographers of The Royal Ballet past and present, danced entirely by dancers of The Royal Ballet, featuring works by Frederick Ashton, Wayne McGregor, and Christopher Wheeldon, and new works by Calvin Richardson, and Charlotte Edmonds. Principal Dancer Lauren Cuthbertson pulls double duty in Program B (August 10-11), curating and dancing in a program alongside guests from the National Ballet of Canada, including a new work by Gemma Bond, and a premiere solo for Cuthbertson. Frequent Royal Ballet designer Jean-Marc Puissant crafts Program C (August 13-15), highlighted by guests David Hallberg (American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet) and Joseph Gordon (NYC Ballet) in Maurice Bejart's Song of a Wayfarer, staged by Maina Gielgud (former Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet). Closing out the two-week celebration of ballet is Program D (August 16-18), assembled by Royal Ballet principal Edward Watson, who is joined by fellow principal Sarah Lamb, current NYC Ballet principal Maria Kowroski, and former NYC Ballet principal and star of the upcoming CATS motion picture, Robert Fairchild, for a bill of nearly all new works and a duet by Javier De Frutos featuring Watson and Fairchild.

The full list of programming for The Joyce's Ballet Festival is as follows:

Program A - August 6-9
Curated by Kevin O'Hare

Featuring:
Artists of The Royal Ballet Lauren Cuthbertson, Nicol Edmonds, Sarah Lamb, Romany Pajdak, Calvin Richardson, Marcelino Sambé, Joseph Sissens, Beatriz Stix-Brunell and Edward Watson

Works by Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon, Liam Scarlett, Calvin Richardson, Charlotte Edmonds

Program B - August 10-11
Curated by Lauren Cuthbertson

Featuring:
Artists of The Royal Ballet Lauren Cuthbertson, Nicol Edmonds, and Marcelino Sambé
Artists of the National Ballet of Canada Skylar Campbell, Hannah Fischer,
Spencer Hack, and Xiao Nan Yu
Artists of the American Ballet Theatre Aran Bell and Devon Teuscher

Two Sides by Juliano Nunes

New Work by Stina Quagebeur

New Work by Gemma Bond

Darl by Jonathan Watkins

Dialogue Dances by Robert Binet

Program C - August 13-15
Curated by Jean-Marc Puissant

Featuring:
Artists of The Royal Ballet Sarah Lamb, Romany Pajdak, Calvin Richardson, Marcelino Sambé, Joseph Sissens, and Beatriz Stix-Brunell
Artists of American Ballet Theatre Zimmi Coker, Thomas Forster, Anabel Katsnelson, Betsy McBride, Courtney Shealy, Cassandra Trenary, and Stephanie Williams

Special Guests:
Joseph Gordon (New York City Ballet)
David Hallberg (American Ballet Theatre)
Erez Milatin (New York Theatre Ballet)

Then and Again by Gemma Bond

Song of a Wayfarer by Maurice Bejart

Elite Syncopations divertissement by Kenneth MacMillan

Program D - August 16-18
Curated by Edward Watson

Featuring:
Artists of The Royal Ballet Edward Watson and Sarah Lamb;

Special Guests:
Robert Fairchild (formerly of New York City Ballet)
Maria Kowroski (New York City Ballet)

3 with D by Javier De Frutos

New Work by Mauro Bigonzetti

New Work by Laila Diallo

TBD Solo

Cristaux by Arthur Pita

The programs and casting are subject to change.