Kansas City Ballet Dancer Cameron Thomas in Duncan Cooper’s “A State of Play …” for New Moves 2026. Photography by Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios
As many of us resolve to do after the indulgences of the holiday season, KC Ballet begins each new year with a lean, clean approach.
One of Devon Carney‘s first innovations upon arriving as Artistic Director of the Kansas City Ballet in 2013, “New Moves” is an annual showcase of new dances by up-and-coming choreographers. With an immediacy rare in the performing arts (or indeed, in any art), these works are devised in the first weeks of the year at the company’s home at the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity, to be performed directly afterward, in the very same rehearsal hall in which they were created.
Stripped of elaborate sets and costumes, performed in an intimate setting of only 180 seats, “New Moves” presents the pure essence of dance — living, breathing, taking shape before our eyes. It is an unmatched privilege to witness the KC Ballet dancers in such proximity, to see up close their awe-inspiring athleticism, precision and artistry. Indeed, it is hard to think of many venues or programs that compare. Given such conditions, choreographers can create with more nuance and poetry, dancers can revel in personal flourishes and expressiveness. No wonder “New Moves” has become one of the most popular events of the KC Ballet season.
As for this year’s six works themselves, they constitute a perfect half-dozen variety selection.
The multiple movements and tonal shifts of Maria A. Konrad’s “Spark” give the young dancers of the KC Ballet Second Company ample opportunities to collaborate and shine, with drama and levity shaped around whimsical lamp and lampshade props.
Joseph Boswell’s “Frantasia” was a favorite with the opening night audience, who embraced its lightness and imagination, comic scenes of relationship drama, and bursts of lively energy. “Frantasia” is set to music by Joseph’s father, the composer Samuel Boswell, so it seems fitting that the dancers address and interact with the piano, in an artistic conversation between generations and genres. (It is worth pointing out that three of the six pieces were choreographed by multi-talented current company members Joseph Boswell, Cameron Thomas and Amira Hogan.)
“Soul States” by Cameron Thomas features dramatic silhouettes and astonishing athleticism. The centerpiece is an extended series of pas de deux between strongman Gavin Abercrombie and aerialist Naomi Tanioka, which alternates between amiably twinned passages and breathtaking, gravity-defying carries, leaps and catches, performed with seeming ease and nonchalance. Thomas is a KC Ballet principal dancer, and this piece would seem to depend on deep knowledge and trust between fellow company members.
Duncan Cooper’s “A State of Play…” is a beautiful, jewel-toned study in kinetic energy, propulsion and articulation. In a very strong cast, Cameron Thomas and Amira Hogan (the duo in purple) are standouts. It is hard to look away from Thomas’s powerful control and dramatic intensity or Hogan’s eloquent port de bras and seemingly endless extension. “A State of Play…” is set to Mozart, its steps some of the most classically “ballet” among the six. At the same time it feels very modern and original.
Clearly a double-threat, Amira Hogan is also the choreographer of “A Wish of Love Was What It Was,” effectively set against music by her brother (credited as ACHxACH). The pulsing sonic scape sometimes sounds like EDM and other times like the singing of distant galaxies. Hogan’s choreography is inventive and refined. She establishes a gestural language of strong lines and reaching limbs, within which she plays with tempo, sweeping and fluttering gestures, synchronicity, freedom and flow.
The evening culminates with “Meditations,” choreographed by Kansas City native and KC Ballet School alum Durante Verzola. As sweeping and stately as its Dvořák setting, “Meditations” is eventful, cohesive and rewarding, a substantial work of dazzling combinations, performed with evident enjoyment and vivacity. The exquisite dancing of Kaleena Burks, Taryn Pachciarz and Gillian Yoder is a particular pleasure, sparkling and detailed and thrilling to witness at such close quarters. But as the kids might say, it is Alladson Barreto who eats up the primo role and leaves no crumbs. Freed from the courtly gesticulations and stately partnering work of traditional roles, he blazes across stage with gorgeous command and charisma.
The evening is much enhanced by four of the six pieces being accompanied by live musicians: KCBallet resident pianists Jordan Voth and Jacob Thomas on “Soul States” and “Frantasia,” respectively, and the Kansas City string quartet Opus 76 on both “A State of Play…” (Mozart’s String Quintet No. 3 in C) and “Meditations” (Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 5 with Jordan Voth on piano).
Kansas City Ballet
New Moves
Reviewed January 29, 2026
Remaining Performances:
Friday, Jan 30, 2026 – 7:30PM
Saturday, Jan 31, 2026 – 2:00PM
Saturday, Jan 31, 2026 – 7:30PM
Sunday, Feb 1, 2026 – 1:00PM
Sunday, Feb 1, 2026 – 5:30PM
