Madcap

A circus after dark. Swordplay and corsets. Explosive movement. The one-act ballets in April’s mixed-bill crackle with energy, drama, and potent humanity.

In Dani Rowe’s award-winning MADCAP, an aging clown finds himself at a crossroads. A mischievous, theatrical, and vulnerable portrait of an artist taking off his mask. Jiří Kylián’s sensual, arresting ballet Petit Mort that moves with razor-sharp precision through themes of gender, power, sex, and surrender. Set to luminous music from Mozart and framed by costumes that evoke an elevated, Baroque world, Kylián’s masterwork probes the fine, thrilling line between a duel and a duet. Yin Yue draws from both Chinese folk and contemporary dance in the electrifying Just Above the Surface. Back by popular demand, this rhythmic and powerful work explores what pulls us apart—and draws us together.