#Mira Nadon

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Mira Nadon and students from the School of American Ballet in Balanchine's Mozartiana, October 2024.

Photo: Erin Baiano for NYCB via the NY Times

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Mira Nadon | Davide Riccardo | New York City Ballet | Ravenna Festival 1924 | Photos by Graham Spicer

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Mira Nadon as Dewdrop in The Nutcracker with New York City Ballet, photo taken by Erin Baiano in 2021

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Mira Nadon in George Balanchine's Errante (formerly Tzigane), New York City Ballet, 2024

Photos by Erin Baiano

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NYCB All Balanchine IV October 13 2023

So I know I just got done being all dark about Balanchine/the ballet in general, but this was great!

Concerto Barocco was wonderful, and in particular Mira Nadon was breathtakingly graceful, her small gestures and extensions...just gorgeous. Loved the music as well -- Bach concert for 2 violins -- and I thought the dancers expressed it beautifully.

Prodigal Son -- one of the oddest things I've seen at the ballet, but our queen Sarah Mearns rarely disappoints (though I must say I found myself a little concerned she would fall off/over during some of the truly odd lifts in this ballet). The corps, a hulking gang of bald-headed brutes in white make up gave a real Mad Max: Fury Road vibe, down to their head gestures. Weird, acrobatic, and fun, well matched to the Prokofiev score. A little too odd to express pathos, if that was the intent at any point.

Symphony in C -- music by Bizet. This was the audience's favorite, though for me maybe the least memorable. This was a big, beautiful ballet with a big cast, pirouette combinations and crowd favorite Tiler Peck receiving an ovation every time she entered the stage. You can definitely tell why she's a star -- her power and assurance never leave you in doubt about her utter control, and it's hard to look away from her when she's on stage.

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The Timeless Dance of 'Mozartiana': A Tribute to Balanchine's Vision

The Timeless Dance of “Mozartiana” There exists a moment for exuberant dancing, and another for heartfelt applause. While these two expressions of appreciation can sometimes occur simultaneously, it is not always the most appropriate scenario. George Balanchine, the visionary choreographer behind the New York City Ballet, perceived the theater as a sacred space. He once remarked, “You don’t…

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Mira Nadon

Credit…Sabrina Santiago for The New York Times

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Mira Nadon and Adrian Danchig-Waring in Balanchine’s Movements for Piano and Orchestra.

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Mira Nadon Interview

Mira Nadon is this month's Dance magazine cover girl. Inside, the following article appears:

Above: Mira Nadon by Sabrina Santiago for the New York Times

Cover Story

The Diamond: New York City Ballet Principal Mira Nadon’s Brilliance Has Many Facets

By Amy Brandt

As Mira Nadon stepped onstage for George Balanchine’s “Diamonds” pas de deux at the Kennedy Center in June, I was struck by both her youth and her maturity. At just 23, the New York City Ballet principal was making her debut in a role typically reserved for the company’s senior ballerinas. Yet she was bringing something new and distinctive to her interpretation. Her movement was lush and dreamy; her connection with her partner, Peter Walker, warmly genuine. She was mysterious without being remote, as if searching for something beyond reach that only she could sense.

“Her debut was so uniquely her own, and yet it honored the ballet,” says NYCB associate artistic director Wendy Whelan. “You can see she has worked through this role in her body and mind so clearly.”

Nadon did come prepared: She spent years watching NYCB stars like Maria Kowroski and Sara Mearns perform “Diamonds,” her longtime dream role. “I watched a lot of old videos, too, just taking in the information and letting it go,” says Nadon. She reached out to Suzanne Farrell, the role’s originator, who talked her through the pas de deux and emphasized its simplicity and humility. And when Rebecca Krohn, a mentor and an NYCB repertory director, advised her to embrace her age, she took it to heart.  “I knew I needed to find my own way, and I realized that I have to bring youth and warmth to the role for it to feel right,” Nadon says.

Above: Nadon in Errante (formerly Tzigane). Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB via Instagram

That intelligent focus and level-headedness have enabled Nadon to take on major roles since joining NYCB’s corps in 2018—and to handle the intense pressure that comes with them. Her extraordinary range has been on full display following her promotion to principal in 2023. She brings sophisticated, old-world glamour to Balanchine’s Apollo and Concerto Barocco, romantic lyricism to his Liebeslieder Walzer and Serenade, deadpan cool to the postmodern works of Pam Tanowitz. She can be astonishingly explosive, hurling herself through deep lunges in Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. (“She’s got guts,” Whelan says.) 

Nadon’s offstage focus allows her to live in the moment­ onstage. Last season, when Farrell staged a revival of Balanchine’s­ 1975 Errante, she chose Nadon to dance the lead. The ballet, previously titled Tzigane, was created on Farrell, and begins with a mesmerizing five-minute solo. 

“Suzanne kept saying every show is going to be different, you’ll just feel it when you’re out there,” says Nadon. On opening night, Nadon delivered a fearless performance: sultry, wild, off-balance yet utterly in control. It was a career-defining debut that secured her reputation as one of NYCB’s most exciting, distinctive artists.

An Early Standout

Nadon is now the rare NYCB dancer to have performed leads in all three sections of Jewels. Her first breakout role, at age 18, was the “Tall Girl” soloist in “Rubies.” In 2023, she performed Violette Verdy’s part in “Emeralds,” an opportunity that surprised her, but perhaps shouldn’t have. “When I was a student I saw myself as more of a lyrical dancer,” says Nadon. “So ‘Emeralds’ kind of harkened back to that.” In fact, she first learned her “Emeralds” solo in a variations class at her home studio. Born in Boston, Nadon grew up in Montclair, California, alongside her twin brother, Benjamin (“truly the most uncoordinated person,” she jokes). Her mother, originally from India, was a lawyer; her father is a college professor. Around age 6, Nadon started training at the nearby Inland Pacific Ballet Academy. Led by Victoria Koenig and Jill Voznik, the studio has a regional company attached, giving Nadon ample opportunities to perform and grow comfortable onstage.

Above: Nadon in Emeralds, with Davide Riccardo. Photo: Erin Baiano for NYCB via Instagram

After getting her first taste of Balanchine’s choreography at IPBA, she attended the School of American Ballet’s summer course at age 13, and at 14 she joined SAB’s year-round program. Her even-temperedness and independence allowed her to adjust easily—and thrive: At 16, she danced the lead in Scotch Symphony at SAB’s annual workshop, and her onstage charisma caught NYCB leadership’s attention. She joined NYCB as an apprentice five months later, in November 2017.

Whelan, who was appointed associate director in 2019, remembers hearing buzz about the coltish teenager’s potential. “She was very young and had all these things to work on,” Whelan says. “But I started to see beyond her unfinishedness. I could see her work ethic kicking in. And she could jump and turn, and be a poet.”

Nadon made her “Rubies” debut in 2019, less than a year after joining the corps. In January 2020, she performed Balanchine’s Monumentum pro Gesualdo and Movements for Piano and Orchestra. Krohn noticed how easily Nadon took on the ballet’s essence. 

“Movements is very angular and off-center,” Krohn says. “You can teach someone the steps, but they also need a certain kind of instinct that isn’t really teachable. Right off the bat I saw that she had that. I realized I was working with someone who’s going to be really special.”

A Whirlwind Rise

In the fall of 2021, when NYCB emerged from its COVID-19 shutdown, Nadon was more than ready to resume her pre-pandemic momentum. A few months later, artistic director Jonathan Stafford promoted her to soloist, showcasing her rising talent in the “Black Swan Pas de Deux.”

Her career paused briefly after the company’s 2022 spring season, when she underwent surgery to remove an extra bone in her ankle. “I’d never really dealt with an injury like that before, and then having to refind your body,” says Nadon. Though she was back onstage by the fall, it was a full year and a half before her ankle felt normal again. “I think that’s one reason why everything in my dancing feels like it’s coming together now—my foot finally feels better,” she says.

Above: Nadon and Peter Walker in Liebeslieder Walzer. Photo: Erin Baiano for NYCB via Dance magazine

At the end of the 2023 winter season, Nadon was promoted again, making her the first Asian American female principal in NYCB’s 75-year history. She’s proud to carry that title, though she’s quick to say she’s never faced negative repercussions for being Asian American. “Most people assume I’m white,” she says. “But having people reach out to me and say it’s meant a lot to them is an honor, and I’m happy that I can be a part of some representation in the company. Hopefully there’s more to come.”

From Studio to Stage

Nadon spends a lot of time thinking about a ballet before a performance. But onstage she tunes in to her intuition, her senses, and the orchestra. “There’s just something different that happens when I’m in front of an audience,” she says. “I’m able to feel their energy and connect into the music in a different way.”

Walker, a frequent partner, admits he was initially thrown by her onstage spontaneity. “I’m very analytical and really value preparation,” Walker says. “And Mira is such a natural performer.”

But the connection they shared in “Diamonds,” Walker says, was a culmination of the effort and communication they’ve put into their partnership. “I feel it’s my job to make sure that we focus on certain things in preparation that can allow her to do whatever she wants within the approach that we’ve built.” Dancing with an artist of Nadon’s caliber, he says, feels momentous: “She’s inspired me to be better.”

Above: Nadon in Rubies. Photo: Erin Baiano for NYCB

A Generational Shift

Nadon’s intense schedule leaves little time for much else. She’s taking a break from her coursework at Fordham University, where she is studying math and economics. An avid reader, she’s started a book club, and enjoys cooking and baking, hosting small dinner parties, and bringing fresh batches of cookies into work to share with her colleagues.

She leans on a close, core group of friends who keep her grounded, and says a generational shift in the company has made it feel less hierarchical. “A lot of times when someone is propelled forward so quickly, you can easily get isolated from your peers,” says Krohn. “But she’s maintained healthy relationships around her. She’s not putting herself on this untouchable pedestal.”

Nadon danced in her first international gala this year, and she hopes to one day tackle ballets like Mozartiana and Swan Lake. But she also simply wants to keep developing as an artist. 

“I’m aware that I’ve gotten promoted very young, so a lot of these roles I’ll be doing for a long time,” Nadon says. “I don’t want to start phoning it in, or for it to get dull or boring—I want to continue to keep all these ballets alive.” 

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christopher grant and mira nadon photographed performing an excerpt of who cares? from balanchine’s who cares? at the 2021 vail dance festival by christopher duggan

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Mira Nadon in a Midsummer Night’s Dream with the NYCB

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The New York City Ballet's Mira Nadon and Christopher Grant, wearing Virgil Abloh of Off-White

Photo by Pari Dukovic

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Mira Nadon in Rubies (NYCB, 2019)

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New York City Ballet | New Works Festival: pixelation in a wave (Within Wires) 

Sidra Bell's first work created for NYCB, pixelation in a wave (Within Wires), opens our digital New Works Festival. Directed by Ezra Hurwitz, the film features dancers Ghaleb Kayali, Emily Kikta, Mira Nadon, and Peter Walker, dancing to a score composed by the choreographer's father, Dennis Bell.

The film is immediately followed by a panel discussion on the creation of this work with Sidra Bell and Mira Nadon, moderated by NYCB's Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan.

Choreography by Sidra Bell