Trailblazing Black ballerina Misty Copeland is curating the amazing two-week Joyce Ballet Festival 2026, from August 4–16 in its Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium, bringing together a lineup of extraordinary dancers and choreographers from leading ballet companies from around the world. The newly announced lineup features rarely seen repertory, classical, and contemporary favorites, along with two world premieres, all shaped by Copeland’s singular vision for the art form.
In a recent conversation, Joyce Theatre’s Producer Ross Le Clair and Director of Programming Danni Gee explained how this cornucopia of dance evolved, originating before the pandemic and being revived after the cloud was lifted, taking on the brilliant curatorial model first with a program assembled by ABT Principal Calvin Royal III in 2024, then New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck in 2025. “Misty had announced that she was retiring, so we thought it might be a Hail Mary, but let’s try it. She’d be a great curator, of course,” said Le Clair. “So we called her and gave her a pitch and she said ‘Yes.’”
“Who better in this moment to shepherd this festival other than Misty? She is really forging and continuing that path of illuminating and amplifying dancers of color,” Gee added. “It’s so consistent, between her foundation and the work that she does. She speaks it. She lives it. She walks it. I think this program is a beautiful reflection of what ballet and dance should look like. For sure, it’s a healthy representation of Black and Brown artists, but it’s also very eclectic and diverse. That’s what America is.”
Copeland’s guest curatorship brings together a dynamic international roster of talent from the American Ballet Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and other leading companies.
“For me, it was important that the festival reflect how broad and exciting ballet can be,” Copeland said in sharing her vision with the AmNews. “The Joyce has such a long history of giving artists space to take risks and of introducing audiences to work they might not encounter elsewhere, so it felt like the ideal home for this kind of program. I wanted to bring together classical repertory, contemporary work, and new commissions, and to include artists from different companies, backgrounds, and generations. Ballet is not one thing, and it does not belong to just one type of dancer or one type of audience. I wanted the festival to celebrate the many artists who are shaping the form today.”
Among the newly announced highlights is New York City Ballet Soloist Victor Abreu, whose journey was featured in the film “LIFT,” for which Copeland served as a principal advisor. Abreu will perform José Limón’s rarely seen “Sonata for Two Cellos,” a role previously danced only by Limón himself and Desmond Richardson, American Ballet Theatre’s first Black principal dancer. He will be accompanied by cellists Titilayo Ayangade and Sahara von Hattenberger.
In the festival’s two Joyce-commissioned world premieres, American Ballet Theatre corps de ballet member Aleisha Walker will choreograph and perform in a new, currently untitled quartet alongside fellow ABT corps de ballet member Madison Brown, and Carly Greene and Delaney Washington of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Atlanta-based choreographer and artist Ilo will premiere “Melt: From the Inside Out” with New York City Ballet corps de ballet members Olivia Bell and Kylie Takeno Williams, NJ Ballet’s Vinicius Freire, and Deven Crawford and Raven Joseph.
James Whiteside’s Mantle is on the program from August 11–14. The current cast includes Sierra Armstrong and Jarod Curley, with Ingrid Thoms performing August 11–12, Madison Brown performing August 13–16, SunMi Park performing August 11–14, and Chloe Misseldine performing August 15–16.
International classical repertory is represented by Paris Opera Ballet Étoiles Guillaume Diop and Sae Eun Park, performing Rudolf Nureyev’s pas de deux from “Romeo & Juliet” during the festival’s first week and Roland Petit’s “Thaïs” during the second. Dance Theatre of Harlem Company Artists Alexandra Hutchinson and Derek Brockington appear in the solo and pas de deux from John Taras’s “Firebird,” while Houston Ballet Principal Dancer Harper Watters, First Soloist Naazir Muhammad, and Demi-Soloist Kellen Hornbuckle perform Stanton Welch’s “Clear.”
New York City Ballet Principal Taylor Stanley appears in both weeks in two distinctly contemporary solos: Kyle Abraham’s acclaimed “Show Pony” and Andrea Miller’s “Middle Length Poem.” Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Shota Miyoshi performs Bob Fosse’s “Percussion IV,” and Alonzo King LINES Ballet Guest Artist Babatunji appears in “Lift Every Voice,” an excerpt from Alonzo King’s “Deep River.”
The programming is completed by Dwight Rhoden’s “Ave Maria,” performed during the first week by Complexions Contemporary Ballet Artists April Watson and Joe González, and during the second by González and Brown; Houston Thomas’s “Young Lovers,” danced by González and Aeron Buchanan; and Ingrid Silva’s “Interactions,” performed by Elias Re and Renan Cerdeiro. Together, the works create a sweeping portrait of ballet among styles, generations, institutions, and traditions, united through Copeland’s expansive and deeply personal curatorial perspective.
One of the dancers on the Joyce Ballet Festival program who could be said to represent the future of ballet is Madison Brown, a young African American member of the American Ballet Theatre corps de ballet who recently gave a stunning performance in a principal role of Emilia in Lar Lubovitch’s “Othello” featured with Calvin Royal III, James Whiteside, and Sae Eun Park.
A dancer whose talent, versatility, and dedication have identified her as one of the most promising young dancers of her generation, Brown has acquired an impressive list of prestigious honors over the course of her young career. She joined the ABT JKO School and quickly advanced to the ABT Studio Company in 2022. She became an apprentice in 2023 and was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2024. In 2025, she received the Chris Hellman Dance Award from the Princess Grace Foundation for her exceptional artistry and future promise. She performed alongside Copeland during the retirement gala that was a landmark celebration of the historic career and enduring impact of one of ballet’s most influential and transformative artists.
About participating in the upcoming Joyce Festival, Brown said, “It was an absolute honor to be considered to be on the roster … Something in my soul has connected to who Misty Copeland is and what she has done that has inspired me as a young woman … and to be recognized by someone who is essentially walking the path that was paved for so many of us is such an honor.”
Since Copeland stood on the flower-strewn stage of the David H. Koch Theater in October 2025 for her farewell performance, she has made a surprise appearance as the Firebird in a musical segment representing Ryan Coogler’s award-winning “Sinners” at the 98th Academy Awards. She also continues to prove herself a cultural force with influence that extends far beyond the stage, as author, philanthropist, and more, helping redefine who ballet is for and what it can be, expanding its reach to new audiences while challenging long-standing conventions. The Joyce Ballet Festival is proof positive.
