What’s Happening Onstage, Online and in Cinemas This November

November 3, 2021

Nutcracker season is almost upon us, but there’s still a chance to catch some exciting world premieres, streaming events and more before the holiday season begins. Here’s a roundup of what’s new this November.

Alonzo King Company Premiere at Pacific Northwest Ballet (Onstage and Streaming)

Pacific Northwest Ballet presents Beyond Ballet, a triple-bill of dance works, from November 5–7 at Seattle’s McCaw Hall. The program includes Ulysses Dove’s mournful Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, as well as Jessica Lang’s Ghost Variations, created during the pandemic and premiered during last year’s digital season. PNB will also give its company premiere of Alonzo King’s The Personal Element, a piece for eight dancers to the music of Jason Moran. The program will then stream digitally from November 18– 22.

Havana Film Festival New York Premieres Restored Alicia Alonso Giselle

The Havana Film Festival New York returns this year and includes two ballet films at the Village East Cinema. On November 7, it presents Giselle, a newly restored performance film by Enrique Pineda Barnet of Cuban prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso in her most iconic role. On November 10, the fest will feature the Roberto Salinas documentary Cuban Dancer, which follows ballet student Alexis Valdés as his family emigrates to Florida and he struggles to adjust to American culture and ballet training.

Bolshoi Ballet in Cinemas Present Spartacus

On November 7, Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema and Fathom Events present a live broadcast of Bolshoi Ballet’s Spartacus at local cinemas across the country. This production stars Svetlana Zakharova as Aegina and Igor Tsvirko as Spartacus, with Anna Nikulina as Phrygia and Artemy Belyakov as Crassus. Showtime and ticket information are available via the Fathom Events and BBiC websites.

Richmond Ballet World Premiere by Tom Mattingly (Streaming)

Richmond Ballet will make its October Studio Two program available for on-demand streaming November 8–14. Alongside Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, the bill includes Jahreszeiten, a world premiere by former company dancer Tom Mattingly. The piece, Mattingly’s second world premiere for the company, celebrates Virginia’s landscape and natural beauty. Ticket information is available via the Richmond Ballet Etix page.

Carlos Acosta and Alessandra Ferri at Birmingham Royal Ballet (Onstage and Streaming)

This month, Birmingham Royal Ballet presents Curated by Carlos, a triple bill featuring the premiere of Goyo Montero’s new pas de deux for artistic director Carlos Acosta and Alessandra Ferri. The company will perform November 4–6 at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre and will also stream the performance November 11–18 via the Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage.

The program opens with Miguel Altunaga’s City of a Thousand Trades, a one-act ballet celebrating the city of Birmingham as a cultural melting pot, to a score by Mathias Coppens. Brazilian/British choreographer Daniela Cardim’s Imminent reflects on society’s sense of balance and an approaching tipping-point, featuring music by Paul Englishby and contributions by designer April Dalton, dramaturg Lou Cope and more. Montero’s reworked 16-dancer Chacona, set to music by J.S. Bach, closes the program and features the new duet for Acosta and Ferri.

Erica De La O falls backward on pointe into a backbend, her arms pressed back like a swan, while her partner, Brandon Ragland, holds her around the waist with his right arm and tendus his left leg out to the side. They both dance in a large studio and wear layers of dance clothing. — Erica De La O and Brandon Ragland as Odette and Prince Siegfried in rehearsal for Robert Curran’s “Swan Lake.” Sam English, Courtesy Louisville Ballet

Louisville Ballet’s Futuristic Swan Lake (Onstage)

November 11–13, Louisville Ballet kicks off its 70th-anniversary season with a redesigned production of the classic Swan Lake. Set in a futuristic world, artistic director Robert Curran’s version of the ballet first premiered in 2016, swapping physical sets and the character of Von Rothbart for scenic laser art, by local artists Ryan Daly and Garrett Crabtree, and an evil force simply called “Rothbart.” This year, costume designer Tiffany Woodard has updated the ballet’s swan costumes from traditional black and white to contemporary designs reflecting each dancer’s skin tone, challenging the ballet’s historical homogeneity.

Three World Premieres from Seattle Dance Collective (Streaming)

Seattle Dance Collective streams Here & Now November 11–21, featuring three world premieres by company choreographers Robyn Mineko Williams, FLOCK (Alice Klock and Florian Lochner) and Juliano Nunes. With dancers from Pacific Northwest Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, FLOCK and Whim W’Him, each new dance film was created in SDC’s monthlong residency in Vashon Island, Washington, with on-site and in-studio videography by Bruno Roque.

Brandon Gray stands behind Larissa Gerske, reaching around to hold her hands as they both execute a grand battement in second. She wears an orange and blue striped leotard and brown pointe shoes, while he wears dark tights and ballet slippers. — Larissa Gerske and Brandon Gray of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Rachel Neville, Courtesy Complexions

Complexions Contemporary Ballet at the Joyce Theater (Onstage)

Complexions Contemporary Ballet presents its annual season at The Joyce Theater November 16–28. Program A features the world premiere of SNATCHED BACK from the EDGES, a socially conscious, vignette-style ballet. The piece, originally conceived as a series of films, is set to spoken word by Terrell Lewis and music byBeethoven, Jon Batiste, Shirley Caesar and more. The program also includes LOVE ROCKS, celebrating the music of Grammy–award-winning singer/songwriter Lenny Kravitz. Program B features Truly, Madly, Deeply, a selection of celebrated company repertoire, including Elegy and excerpts from Bach 25.

Twyla Tharp at New York City Center (Onstage)

November 17–21, New York City Center presents TWYLA NOW, a program of duets and two world premieres by iconic choreographer Twyla Tharp. The star-studded cast includes American Ballet Theatre’s Aran Bell and Catherine Hurlin; New York City Ballet’s Sara Mearns, Roman Mejia and Tiler Peck; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s James Gilmer and Jacquelin Harris; and Broadway star Robbie Fairchild.

In a large dance studio, three dancers lunge to their right with their arms swept across their body, their left arm lifted high. They dance in a diagonal formation, with Peck closest to the front and Harris at the back, and all smile joyfully. — Rehearsals for TWYLA NOW at New York City Center. Paula Lobo, Courtesy NY City Center

3 World Premieres at Carolina Ballet (Onstage and Streaming)

November 18–21, Carolina Ballet presents Unique Departures/Innovative Variations, a bill of company and world premieres. In addition to the company premiere of Mariana Oliveira’s Pagliacci, the program includes three new ballets by founding artistic director Robert Weiss, principal guest choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett and guest choreographer Jenny Palmer. The program will also be livestreamed on November 19 and will remain available on demand through November 21.