"Stars of American Ballet"
Detroit Opera House
Oct. 19, 2025
Detroit Opera opened its dance series last weekend with “Stars of American Ballet,” a repertory program featuring classic works from the American dance repertoire. The small group of performers included dancers from New York City Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada. The program is part of Detroit Opera’s seasonal theme exploring American identity ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary next year, with the dance series focusing on neoclassical ballet, modern and theatrical jazz dance.
The show opened with Jerome Robbins’ “In the Night,” performed to nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin. The ethereal work featured pas de deux from three couples with women donned in flowing tulle dresses performing in front of a romantic starry sky background. The steps were light and romantic, few big jumps or turns but plenty of lovely, graceful lifts. Live pianist Elaine Chelton added to the magic. Olivia Mackinnon and partner Harrison Coll stood out with particularly strong chemistry.
Emilie Gerrity struggled with her pas de deux with Tyler Angle. She fell out of a supported turn toward the beginning of their dance, which coincided with an unfortunate cell phone ring that went off in the audience. Due to either lost confidence or perhaps even injury, Gerrity never fully regained her footing throughout the rest of the program, doing fewer turns and dancing frequently on demi-pointe.
It’s unclear whether the cell phone distraction caused the initial fall, but it’s a reminder that cell phones going off during performances are more than an annoyance to fellow patrons and performers. They can have significant consequences that could result in real harm. Every theater I go to reminds audiences numerous times to turn their phones off, and yet this continues to be a problem. Don’t be that person.
“In the Night” culminated with a lovely waltz with all six performers dancing together on stage. The dancing was beautiful, but the poor choice of costume colors took away from the aesthetic. The women wore flowing dresses that matched in style – perfect for the ethereal feel of the piece – but not in color, with a mix of lavender, burnt orange and black and red that looked fine separately but dreadful together. I can appreciate the color choices were meant to primarily align with the specific music of each dance, but surely it’s possible to find a more complementary palette.
The standout performance of the program was Gerald Arpino’s “Light Rain,” a pas de deux with Beckanne Sisk and Chase O’Connell, With dancers donned in skintight nude bodysuits, the piece was sensual and featured close partner work that created elaborate shapes and showed off the their incredible flexibility. Sisk, in particular, was captivating to watch with legs for days with gorgeous lines and high arches.
Twyla Tharp’s “Brel” concluded the first act, featuring an enjoyable solo by “Stars of American Ballet” artistic director Daniel Ulbricht to music by Jacques Brel. While Tharp is a renowned American choreographer, a piece performed to music sung entirely in French was an odd choice for a program celebrating American dance, especially when plenty of other Tharp options would have better fit the theme.
The second part of the program was George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” with six dancers performing to a medley of music by George Gershwin. The tone was light and playful, with dancers exuding the joy of the spirited, jazz energy of the music. It culminated with a jubilant finale dance to “I’ve Got Rhythm,” where all six dancers filled the stage and was a perfect ending to the show.
“Stars of American Ballet” was a great opportunity to see a variety of works from iconic choreographers of the American repertoire at once, as well as dancers from elite ballet companies that don’t often – if ever – come to Detroit. Even if a few choices felt slightly offbeat, it was an overall enjoyable program.
