Ekam Singh (pictured above)
Architectural designer and writer
What inspired you to get tickets tonight?
I’ve been coming to the Art Series since 2022. The after-party is one of the most fun to go to, and tickets are a lower price than usual for ballets. A friend introduced me to it, and that’s what I’m doing now—bringing a friend who’s never seen the ballet before. I’ve also gone to the ballet as a date. That’s an ideal night: Grab dinner at six at one of the restaurants on Broadway, then cross the street and get settled in.
How would you describe the dating scene right now in New York?
All the dating apps have been around for over a decade, and the idea of online dating is just insane to me now. There’s no real sense of communication. I haven’t been on the apps for over a year.
Has that been good for meeting people in person?
I actually said “hi” to someone on the subway reading the same book as me — Edmund White’s Our Young Man — who happened to be a lovely person.
Rosemary Kassar
Interior designer, Brooklyn Heights
Chun Wai Chan
Principal dancer, Upper West Side
What’s something people might not know about the life of a ballet dancer?
They might not know how many calories we burn. Dancing a full-length Sleeping Beauty is like running a marathon onstage.
Fatima Espinal
Yoga instructor, Astoria
Stéphanie Fichard
Record-label manager, Paris, France
Jacqueline Muñoz
Project manager, Crown Heights
What brought you to the ballet tonight?
The most beautiful thing about New York is that you can see art at any price point. People sometimes pay $300 for their seats here, and I paid 54 bucks.
Charlotte Clinger
Tech manager, Chelsea
Tremayne Stewart
Chief technology officer, Flatbush
Geannel Vargas
Account manager, Fordham
You’re from here. Can you tell me how many years it takes to become a New Yorker?
I think seven years at a minimum.
Jenna Bober
Retail specialist, Palisades Park, New Jersey
Sebastian Schuliaquer
Statistician, Harlem
William Abbey
Consultant, Greenwich Village
Juliette Corboy
Director of partnerships, Bushwick
What did you think of the dancers’ performances?
Oh my God, I cannot. Their butts and their muscles are amazing. Mesmerizing.
Mikayla Aime
Cloud architect, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
You mentioned you were at the ballet to try something different. What do you usually do?
I like to travel a lot. I go to Brazil or typically Morocco or Panama. I’m originally from New York but just never really explored the city too much.
Tania Staykova
Arts and culture curator, Financial District
Nina Rizzo
Account director, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Michael Strassheim
Publicist, Chelsea
Alexandra Zelcer
Retail tech consultant, Jersey City, New Jersey
Justin Peck
Resident choreographer of NYCB, Upper West Side
Congratulations on your new ballet!
Thank you. The thing about premiering a ballet is there’s no trial or preview period. I like to say the paint is always wet, and it usually takes a couple performances for it to really start to jell. But I gotta say the dancers just knocked it out of the park.
Photographs by Frankie Alduino
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If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the February 23, 2026, issue of
New York Magazine.
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If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the February 23, 2026, issue of
New York Magazine.