Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta, GA.
September 13, 2025.
Atlanta Ballet launched its 2025-26 season with a masterful mixed-repertory performance of Balanchine & Peck. The program featured three works — George Balanchine’s classic Emeralds and time-honored Prodigal Son, alongside Justin Peck’s award-winning In Creases — to highlight the company’s versatility across choreographic eras. Over its premiere weekend, September 12–14, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, the program offered a compelling and beautifully executed conversation between ballet’s enduring traditions and its innovative future.
The performance opened with Balanchine’s Emeralds, a piece set to Gabriel Fauré’s score that immediately enveloped the theater in an atmosphere of French elegance and romanticism. The opening ensemble created a mesmerizing scene of classical forms, with dancers moving through exquisite lines and formations. Mikaela Santos and Sayron Pereira’s partnership was breathtaking. Santos appeared weightless each time Pereira lifted her. Her movements embodied the technical mastery and grace for which ballet is renowned. The pas de trois, danced with impressive musicality and technical precision by Larissa Dal’Santo, Gianna Horton-Sibble and Luiz Fernando Xavier, was also a highlight. The final ensemble number swelled to a jubilant celebration before receding into a more graceful conclusion.
Following the intermission, Peck’s In Creases provided a dramatic contrast. The live piano accompaniment powerfully drove Philip Glass’s score, which pulsed beneath the dancers’ rhythmic, athletic movements. From the opening notes to the final chord, each dancer executed Peck’s choreography with precision. While Emeralds showcased the elegance of ballet, In Creases displayed its athleticism. Each member of the ensemble was given moments to shine, attacking the non-stop choreography with intensity and drive. Marius Morawski, in particular, moved with explosive power. The piece was met with a thunderous standing ovation, a testament to its thrilling energy. If this is a glimpse into ballet’s future, the possibilities are electric.
The performance concluded with Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, a work that had its world premiere in 1929, the same year Atlanta Ballet was founded. Although it was another Balanchine piece, the choreography was vastly different than the elegance of Emeralds. As the Prodigal Son, Sayron Pereira delivered a physically demanding and emotionally resonant performance, capturing the character’s journey with both technical power and profound feeling. Beyond Pereira’s powerful solos, the choreography was notably grounded and acrobatic. The rowdy Drinking Companions offered moments of humor, while Catherine Conley as the Siren captivated the audience with her sultry seduction.
Balanchine & Peck spanned a wide range of choreographic styles, showcasing the versatility of Atlanta Ballet. As the perfect opener for its 96th season, the program demonstrated a company equally committed to ballet’s long-standing traditions and its vibrant, evolving future. The classical elegance of Emeralds, technical precision of In Creases, and emotive storytelling of Prodigal Son left no doubt about the company’s current strength and continued relevance.
For more information on Atlanta Ballet’s 2025/2026 Season, visit atlantaballet.com.
By Melody McTier Thomason of Dance Informa.
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