A closer reading of My’Kal Stromile’s The Leisurely Installation of a New Window - Boston Ballet
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A closer reading of My’Kal Stromile’s The Leisurely Installation of a New Window

By My’Kal Stromile

A closer reading of My’Kal Stromile’s The Leisurely Installation of a New Window

A closer reading of My’Kal Stromile’s The Leisurely Installation of a New Window

Choreographer My’Kal Stromile with Emma Topalova and Henry Griffin

Photo by Brooke Trisolini

In a striking new world premiere, The Leisurely Installation of a New Window, choreographer My’Kal Stromile examines how inherited systems are questioned and transformed through movement. Across three movements, Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis, 18 dancers navigate tradition, disruption, and possibility.

Choreographer My’Kal Stromile with Lia Cirio and Lasha Khozashvili

Photo by Brooke Trisolini

Choreographer My’Kal Stromile

Photo by Brooke Trisolini

The Leisurely Installation of a New Window unfolds as a visual representation of how complex systems are lived inside of, questioned and redefined. The ballet traces a gradual shift in attention, from certainty to curiosity, from inherited structures to newly imagined possibilities.

Structured in three movements, Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis, the work progresses with a discernible arc while remaining abstract in form. Each movement establishes its own conditions, shaping how dancers relate to one another in space and time. Together, they form a larger continuum that audiences may follow intuitively, without being asked to decode a fixed narrative.

Eighteen dancers inhabit the work through distinct but interdependent roles. The Seeker stands close to and is guided by tradition, moving with discipline and clarity. The People operate within shared systems, attentive to both order and its quiet tensions. The Reformers introduce disruption, not as spectacle, but as pressure applied from within. These roles do not function as characters in a literal sense, but as lenses through which movement, relationship, and change are perceived. The choreography allows meaning to surface through accumulation. Patterns repeat, loosen, and transform. Groupings expand and contract with shifts in proximity, focus, and timing, reinforcing the sense that transformation is ongoing rather than announced.

Patterns repeat, loosen, and transform.

My’Kal Stromile

Choreographer My’Kal Stromile with Emma Topalova and Henry Griffin

Photo by Brooke Trisolini

The three movements

Thesis establishes a world of negotiation and order. The People function inside an organized system, operating under presumed rules, what has been written and declared. The Seeker is disciplined and precise, upholding tradition, norms, and inherited structures. The system is complex, but unbroken. Large groupings emphasize collective dynamics and coherence.

Antithesis introduces The Reformers, who begin to recalibrate those conditions. Through their movement and demeanor, they shift the rigidity of Thesis into a climate of explosive expansiveness. At the top of this movement, The Seeker appears reading from the TEXT book before handing it to the Reformers, who engage with it in a deliberately untraditional way. Movement becomes more physical and unstable. Smaller groupings emerge, revealing intimate negotiations with uncertainty, contrasting the large-scale order of Thesis.

Synthesis turns toward curiosity and alignment. A young principal couple represents generation forward thinking, engaging in an open dialogue about the future. The People return and in the final moments, a necessary reckoning.

Experience this boundary pushing world premiere as part of THE DREAM, Mar 19–29 at the Citizens Opera House.

Music Spotlight | Reeves Gabrels Brings Electric Energy to The Dream

Reeves Gabrels, known for his work with David Bowie and as a current member of the band The Cure, is collaborating with Boston Ballet Music Director Mischa Santora on a new score for My’Kal Stromile’s world premiere, The Leisurely Installation of a New Window, part of THE DREAM program.

Known for his imaginative playing and wide expressive range, Gabrels brings a distinctive sound that moves between melody, texture, and sonic exploration. Hear from both Gabrels and Santora on how this musical collaboration came together.

“My feeling about playing music is that it should be a catharsis for everybody,” said Gabrels. “People should leave feeling better than when they came in.”

The Creative Process Behind The Leisurely Installation of a New Window

In this behind-the-scenes conversation, Boston Ballet Music Director Mischa Santora, choreographer My’Kal Stromile, and guitarist Reeves Gabrels reflect on the collaborative process behind Stromile’s world premiere, The Leisurely Installation of a New Window. Santora shares how the idea of adding electric guitar to the orchestral score helped shape the sound of the piece, while Stromile describes embracing the opportunity to challenge himself creatively through the choreography. For Gabrels, the experience was both exciting and daunting. Together, their collaboration reveals how music and movement evolved side by side throughout the creation process.

See this collaboration come to life in Boston Ballet’s THE DREAM, March 19–29, 2026.

Sneak Peek | In The Studio with Reeves Gabrels

In the studio, choreography and music take shape side by side. As dancers rehearse My’Kal Stromile’s world premiere, Reeves Gabrels plays live alongside them. This glimpse into the rehearsal process reveals the energy, experimentation, and collaboration at the heart of The Leisurely Installation of a New Window—where music isn’t just accompaniment, but an active partner in creation. See the sound and movement collide in THE DREAM, onstage March 19–29, 2026.

Choreographer Spotlight | My’Kal Stromile

Step inside the studio with Choreographer My’Kal Stromile as he crafts his world premiere for Boston Ballet’s THE DREAM. Rooted in classical ballet and infused with influences from other styles of dance, such as modern and contemporary, Stromile’s choreography builds like architecture—layering movement, form, and emotion into something both deeply personal and universally resonant. With a focus on reflection, authenticity, and joy, he invites dancers and audiences alike to see themselves in the work and experience ballet as a space of connection and discovery.

The Dream March 19–29, 2026
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