Angelin Preljocaj has carved out a daring niche in the dance world, fusing classical ballet with contemporary flair to invent a unique, bold alphabet of movements. Now, the US premiere of Ballet Preljocaj’s Gravity is at The Joyce Theater, and it is an amazing experience, a meditation on the invisible force that binds us all. It doesn’t have a story in the narrative sense, no princes or swans, but twelve remarkable dancers helping us answer a fundamental question: what does it mean for the body to exist in space, pulled by gravity, yet constantly striving to resist it?

While abstract and minimalist, Gravity is not cold. There is something hypnotic about watching these dancers negotiate the terms of their own physicality. There is nothing flashy, no theatrical tricks, just bodies intent in resistance and surrender, lightness and weight, motion and stillness. In Gravity, every movement counts because there is nothing else, no narrative to lean on, no costumes to distract, no props to hide behind. It felt like a metaphor for the emotional weight we all carry, and for the elegance of staying upright in a world that always wants to pull us down.

The music is eclectic, Ravel, Bach, Xenakis, Shostakovich, Daft Punk, Philip Glass, 79D, and this variety forces shifts in tempo, tonality, mood, which Preljocaj’s choreographic structure responds to. The dancers wear minimal costumes by Igor Chapurin, drawing attention to line, shape, and momentum. Lights, designed by Éric Soyer, intensify each gesture, but I cannot judge the overall design because the technical team couldn’t make the performance. They were stopped, with equipment, at the airport, probably because the government shutdown has turned flying into chaos.

Near the beginning, Clara Freschel stands center stage. She slowly lifts her leg, holding it horizontally, hovering, before shifting weight and extending her arms slowly. Holding a leg extended off-center requires a very strong balance, stable core, and perfect hip alignment. The difficult hold lasted so long you could hear the audience collectively hold their breath. She managed micro-adjustments to maintain her line and avoid wobble while keeping a perfect attitude, going against everything we know as gravity.

One by one, Liam Bourbon Simeonov, Lucas Hessel, Leonardo Santini, Angie Armand, Mar Gomez Ballester, Paul-David Gonto, Verity Jacobsen, Beatrice La Fata, Yu-Hua Lin, Florine Pegat-Toquet, and Valen Rivat-Fournier come on stage and huddle into a circle that resembles a flower. Movement is very slow and the dancers hover, shifting weight, joining arms, changing orientation, preserving the built tension while letting it release appropriately. In moments of stillness, even very slight movements count, and there is so much fluidity accompanied by extreme precision throughout the whole piece that it is mesmerizing.

Near the end, Ravel’s Boléro comes in and, instead of becoming a wild crescendo of movements, the dancers go back to form a circle whose shape beautifully expands and contracts. Each dancer contributes to the shape’s change, and the timing of movement is so exact across the ensemble that it produces a smooth morphing effect. When it ends, there’s a sudden silence, and dancers form new groups that seem to pursue lightness, being laid down to the ground gradually until only one dancer remains. Again, she controls stillness, and the transition from holding position to repose feels intentional, weighted, and meaningful.

The dancers defy and flirt with physics for 80 minutes, and Preljocaj’s meticulous choreography looks like geometry in motion, classical yet extremely modern. Most important, beyond the remarkable visual spectacle, Gravity showcases the duality of existence: in its delicate fragility, we find strength, turning the chains of gravity into instruments of grace. Truly an unforgettable show, do not miss it if you can.

photos by Jean-Claude Carbonne

Gravity
Ballet Preljocaj
Joyce Theater
reviewed October 21, 2025
ends on October 26, 2025
for tickets, visit The Joyce