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Ekam Singh (pictured above)
Architectural designer and writer<\/p>\n
What inspired you to get tickets tonight?
I\u2019ve 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\u2019s what I\u2019m doing now\u2014bringing a friend who\u2019s never seen the ballet before. I\u2019ve also gone to the ballet as a date. That\u2019s an ideal night: Grab dinner at six at one of the restaurants on Broadway, then cross the street and get settled in.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s no real sense of communication. I haven\u2019t been on the apps for over a year.<\/p>\n
Has that been good for meeting people in person?
I actually said \u201chi\u201d to someone on the subway reading the same book as me \u2014 Edmund White\u2019s Our Young Man \u2014 who happened to be a lovely person.<\/p>\n
Rosemary Kassar<\/p>\n
Interior designer, Brooklyn Heights<\/p>\n
Chun Wai Chan<\/p>\n
Principal dancer, Upper West Side<\/p>\n
What\u2019s something people might not know about the life of a ballet dancer?<\/p>\n
They might not know how many calories we burn. Dancing a full-length Sleeping Beauty is like running a marathon onstage.<\/p>\n
Fatima Espinal<\/p>\n
Yoga instructor, Astoria<\/p>\n
St\u00e9phanie Fichard<\/p>\n
Record-label manager, Paris, France<\/p>\n
Jacqueline Mu\u00f1oz<\/p>\n
Project manager, Crown Heights<\/p>\n
What brought you to the ballet tonight?<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Clinger<\/p>\n
Tech manager, Chelsea<\/p>\n
Tremayne Stewart<\/p>\n
Chief technology officer, Flatbush<\/p>\n
Geannel Vargas<\/p>\n
Account manager, Fordham<\/p>\n
You\u2019re from here. Can you tell me how many years it takes to become a New Yorker?<\/p>\n
I think seven years at a minimum.<\/p>\n
Jenna Bober<\/p>\n
Retail specialist, Palisades Park, New Jersey<\/p>\n
Sebastian Schuliaquer<\/p>\n
Statistician, Harlem<\/p>\n
William Abbey<\/p>\n
Consultant, Greenwich Village<\/p>\n
Juliette Corboy<\/p>\n
Director of partnerships, Bushwick<\/p>\n
What did you think of the dancers\u2019 performances?<\/p>\n
Oh my God, I cannot. Their butts and their muscles are amazing. Mesmerizing.<\/p>\n
Mikayla Aime<\/p>\n
Cloud architect, Lawrenceville, New Jersey<\/p>\n
You mentioned you were at the ballet to try something different. What do you usually do?<\/p>\n
I like to travel a lot. I go to Brazil or typically Morocco or Panama. I\u2019m originally from New York but just never really explored the city too much.<\/p>\n
Tania Staykova<\/p>\n
Arts and culture curator, Financial District<\/p>\n
Nina Rizzo<\/p>\n
Account director, New Hope, Pennsylvania<\/p>\n
Michael Strassheim<\/p>\n
Publicist, Chelsea<\/p>\n
Alexandra Zelcer<\/p>\n
Retail tech consultant, Jersey City, New Jersey<\/p>\n
Justin Peck<\/p>\n
Resident choreographer of NYCB, Upper West Side<\/p>\n
Congratulations on your new ballet!<\/p>\n
Thank you. The thing about premiering a ballet is there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\n Photographs by Frankie Alduino\n <\/p>\n
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\n If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the February 23, 2026, issue of
\n New York\u00a0Magazine.<\/p>\n
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