Philadelphia's BalletX, known for commissioning entirely new work rather than staging existing repertory, opened its 2026 season on January 8–9 with choreographer Amy Hall Garner's take on Petrushka at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater — a co-production with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and ensemble132, who performed a new chamber arrangement of Stravinsky's 1911 score live. Garner, working with theater director Nancy Meckler, relocated the story to Depression-era America, centering the impoverished performers of a traveling show rather than the original's Russian fairground puppets.
BalletX's announced fall 2026 season opens with a further world premiere from New Zealand-born choreographer Loughlan Prior — an audience favorite since his 2024 work Macaroni — set among the hidden speakeasies of Prohibition-era Philadelphia, with design by Emma Kingsbury and an original score by Frank Moon.
Why It's Worth Watching
BalletX's model — an entirely commission-driven repertory, with no inherited canon to maintain — makes its season announcements one of the more reliable places to see where contemporary ballet choreography is headed next. Check BalletX's official site for confirmed dates, casting, and venue details for the fall premiere.