Nantucket Dance Festival: Austin Goodwin Gets a Shot to Choreograph, But No Women Premieres

The 2019 performance program at Nantucket Dance Festival will feature a decent roster of choreographers, with Melissa Barak, Crystal Pite, and Pam Tanowitz pieces included in the roster of five other choreographers (all male).

Artistic Director Tyler Angle comes from New York City Ballet, so Balanchine no doubt makes his program. A new choreographer, Austin Goodwin, will present a world premiere with the festival’s support. While the 3:5 ratio is not terribly inequitable like many festivals and company programs tend to be, Angle could do better to invite a young woman to choreograph a premiere for the program to appear alongside the other wonderful work the festival features.

In 2018, the Joyce Theater notably highlighted women during its Ballet Festival, which led to praise throughout the dance world and strong reviews in the New York Times. Nantucket could benefit from the diversity and respect a festival earns when taking the lead in advocating for female choreographers.

See the full program details on the Nantucket Dance Festival website.