Lukas Nel, Contributing Photographer

In a display of grace and innovation, Yale Ballet Company’s “Timeless” captured the audience’s attention at the Crescent Underground at 6 p.m. this past Saturday. The event, a tapestry of neoclassical and classical ballet, offered a different perspective on a more traditional art form.

The Yale Ballet Company is Yale’s only dance group dedicated to ballet. Usually the group is focused on annual full-length story ballets, but due to a lack of men joining the group, it has been more difficult for it to perform classical ballet stories, according to the company’s co-president Lexi Dalrymple ’25. The group has since been trying to branch out to more diverse and neo-classical ballets, Dalrymple continued.

“Timeless” presented a diverse array of pieces, including adaptations inspired by film scores like “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Succession.” The program aimed to highlight the evolving nature of ballet as an art form and reimagine classical dance. In this way, “Timeless” stood out as a departure from Yale Ballet Company’s usual repertoire.

Dalrymple reflected on this shift and said, “It was a big change for us because we normally do purely classical work, and so for us to get to do this kind of music and really show a different side of ballet was nice and fun.”

The program started out on the classical end, showcasing winter favorites such as “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker.” The dancers attempted to convey the emotions and crescendos of the pieces without any form of scenery or backdrop — they were performing on an empty stage against a white background.

After the classical pieces, more experimental pieces ensued. Among the performances was a dance by Erita Chen ’26 to the Twilight Zone theme song, in which Chen executed technically complex moves on time as the announcer exclaimed “Welcome to the Twilight Zone.” The background swelled with disharmonious yet compelling music.

The program’s highlight and final piece was a dance inspired by the “Succession” theme, choreographed by Dalrymple. This piece exemplified the show’s theme of transcending time, blending classical ballet techniques with modern rhythms and movements.

“I think the more people come to ballet, the more opportunities there are for it to evolve and diversify,” Dalrymple said. “I’ve always loved music, so when I actually watched the show way back when, I realized, I love this music, I need to choreograph it. Choreographing and dancing to the Succession piece was really a way to kind of break out of those realms and try to show people at Yale that ballet could be a lot more than just classical.”

Christian Choi ’26, an audience member, said his favorite performance was the more “evil”-sounding parts of the Twilight-inspired piece. He commented on the hidden talents of students at Yale, appreciating the times he gets to see everyday peers reveal projects and performances they have been preparing for months.

Nicole Vayman ’25, co-president of the company, was also enthusiastic about the pieces, saying that her favorite dance was Act 1 Variation from “Giselle,” which was inspired by teenage love and angst.

“The love of her life is there and he’s watching her and so she’s trying to show off for him, but she also just has this unbridled joy about being able to dance,” Vayman said.

For performer Taylor McClure ’25, another performer, “Timeless” was exactly what the name of the showcase suggested: a time travel to the intimacy of childhood. She said that the “Howl’s Moving Castle” especially embodied this, featuring a dance that depicted mystical, childlike exploration in a forest.

The Yale Ballet Company is not planning any more shows for this semester, but they are planning one early in 2024, as well as a collaboration with Yale Berkeley Orchestra for the spring. 

The Crescent Underground Theater is located in Morse College at 304 York St.