JR Is NYCB's Latest Choreographer

November 28, 2001
This fall, visual artist JR’s The Eye of New York City Ballet, a largescale installation for the company’s annual Art Series, took social media by storm. (Just search the Instagram hashtag #NYCBArtSeries if you don’t believe me.) But will he have as much success making art for the stage?

NYCB has announced that the Parisian will choreograph a theatrical piece to premiere at the opening performance of the company’s spring season, Tuesday, April 29. The currently untitled work will be set to an original score by neofolk musician Woodkid, who has directed music videos for stars like Rihanna and Katy Perry. If that’s not enough celebrity power, everyone’s favorite jookin star Lil Buck will perform alongside NYCB. And of course, it wouldn’t be a JR event without an impressive visual display: The piece will include video projections and costumes designed by him.

It’s hard to predict if all these wild elements will come together under a novice choreographer’s direction. But the announcement came with a subtle note about Peter Martins overseeing the process. Either way, the behind-the-scenes looks we’re getting from JR’s Instagram intrigue: There are plenty of artisticallyframed rehearsal shots, and apparently NYCB had some studio time with Madonna and Robert DeNiro—we’re not quite sure what that’s about.