{"id":213768,"date":"2026-04-29T08:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T08:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/213768\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T08:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T08:02:12","slug":"damian-woetzels-guide-to-new-york-arts-intel-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/213768\/","title":{"rendered":"Damian Woetzel\u2019s Guide to New York: Arts Intel Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Damian Woetzel was 15 when he left Boston,<\/a> his hometown, to pursue dance full-time. He\u2019d been at it since the age of four, and by the time he was training with the Los Angeles Ballet, critics were already paying attention. After seeing him in a 1983 performance of The Young Apollo, the New Yorker\u2019s Arlene Croce noted that he was \u201cadmirably placed and trained, and already a dancer of power and distinction.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 17, Woetzel moved east to study under the ballet teachers Stanley Williams and Andrei Kramarevsky. That same year, in 1985, he joined the New York City Ballet\u2014the company where he would spend the next two decades. He made soloist in 1989, then principal dancer just two months after that.<\/p>\n

Today, Woetzel runs the Juilliard School as its seventh president, a role he stepped into after leading the Aspen Institute Arts Program. He lives in New York<\/a> with his wife, Heather Watts, another former New York City Ballet principal, whom he met in 1985 during a dance class. Here, Woetzel shares his favorite spots in the city.<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 Luxembourg<\/p>\n

The post-performance restaurant routine is an essential part of cultural life. Many of my favorites have closed, especially in the Lincoln Center area, where I\u2019ll always miss the Ginger Man, the Saloon, and so many others \u2026 but I still find myself landing like a homing pigeon at Caf\u00e9 Luxembourg, where I\u2019ve been going since the mid \u201980s. (cafeluxembourg.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Chicory salad at Manuela, in New York. Manuela<\/p>\n

Sometimes I\u2019ll head downtown with my wife, Heather, to Manuela. It\u2019s one of our new favorites. (manuela-nyc.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

An exterior view of Joe Allen. Orso and Joe Allen<\/p>\n

Between Manuela and Caf\u00e9 Luxembourg, there is Orso and Joe Allen. After a Broadway show, both restaurants are perfect spots to decompress and debrief. (orsorestaurant;<\/a> joeallenrestaurant.com)<\/a><\/p>\n

Le Poisson Rouge<\/p>\n

Le Poisson Rouge, in the Village, is a spot that transforms a performance into an experience. I\u2019ve seen incredible musicians doing sets there that I will never forget, including a 2019 collaborative show with Philip Glass and two Wix\u00e1rika musicians. Truly exceptional. (lpr.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The vibraphonist Sasha Berliner performing at National Sawdust during the 2020 Winter Jazz Festival. National Sawdust<\/p>\n

A fantastic place to hear great music\u2014especially new music\u2014in an intimate and really consuming atmosphere. (nationalsawdust.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A bird\u2019s-eye view of Little Island. Little Island<\/p>\n

Little Island has become a real go-to for me since it opened a few summers ago. I love seeing many of the artists and collaborators that I admire, both in the amphitheater or in the little glade. As night falls over the Hudson behind the performers, the setting and vibe are just so magical. (littleisland.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Juilliard Station<\/p>\n

The many theaters at Juilliard are all dear to my heart for different reasons, from the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, where Maria Callas conducted her famous master classes, to Paul Hall, where we have recitals, chamber music, and much more. Our newest venue is Juilliard Station; there, we host free Rush Hour performances and a myriad of other programming. Walking down the busy street, you can\u2019t miss the Station. The glass-walled space connects the passing public to art like no other venue at Lincoln Center. It brings people into the heart of the creative energy at Juilliard, and is a window into what we do there: the making of art and the making of artists. (juilliard.edu<\/a>)<\/p>\n

BAM Harvey Theater<\/p>\n

I love all the theaters at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, but the Harvey is my favorite. I remember when the theater was renovated in the 80s\u2014each production since then has created its own unique and special world. The theater was later named after the great Harvey Lichtenstein, who created the identity of the programming that made BAM a powerhouse. Its deep engagement with its neighbors is also such a brilliant demonstration of how arts and culture can reshape community. (bam.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

David Geffen Hall<\/p>\n

With love for all our Lincoln Center theaters, a special cheer for the new David Geffen Hall, and the lobby where you can watch simulcast performances for free. What an amazing thing that is. (nyphil.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

New York City Center<\/p>\n

Thanks to Mayor La Guardia\u2019s 1943 transformation of a Masonic meeting house on 55th Street, City Center was established as New York\u2019s post-war home for popularly priced arts. So much that came later\u2014including Lincoln Center\u2014was built on the strength of the art that was put on that stage and on the shoulders of the throngs of New Yorkers who came to cheer. And on it goes today! (Full disclosure: I have been a proud board member at City Center for many years.) (nycitycenter.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The Public Theater and the Delacorte<\/p>\n

Every theater at the Public is magical; you feel the ghosts of great artists in each space. Underneath it all is the dream of founder Joe Papp, who said, \u201cWe have free libraries\u2013why not free theaters?\u201d What a brilliant and inspiring vision that he brought to life, epitomized by free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte, which is truly the soul of the city in the summer. Every night, by the final act, the audience is just as it must have been at the Globe, responding to Shakespeare\u2019s great words with passion and glee. It brings us all to life. (publictheater.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Photos: \u00a9 Todd Rosenberg Photography; Courtesy of Manuela; Patti McConville\/Alamy; Lev Radin\/Alamy; Chalo Gallardo\/Unsplash\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Damian Woetzel was 15 when he left Boston, his hometown, to pursue dance full-time. He\u2019d been at it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[25690,84333,2905,84334,84335,84336,14739,84337,84338,84339,84340,84341,53364,26222,14086,84342,84343,84344,9,24,3901,55,54,56,84345,84346,84347,79564,25286,84348,84349,84350,84351,62,84352],"class_list":["post-213768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-air-city-guide","tag-bam-harvey-theater","tag-brooklyn-academy-of-music","tag-caf-luxembourg","tag-damian-woetzel","tag-david-geffen-hall","tag-fiorello-la-guardia","tag-harvey-lichtenstein","tag-heather-watts","tag-joe-allen","tag-joe-papp","tag-juilliard-station","tag-le-poisson-rouge","tag-lincoln-center","tag-little-island","tag-manuela","tag-maria-callas","tag-national-sawdust","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-center","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-orso","tag-peter-jay-sharp-theater","tag-philip-glass","tag-shakespeare","tag-the-delacorte-theater","tag-the-ginger-man","tag-the-juilliard-school","tag-the-public-theater","tag-the-saloon","tag-upper-west-side","tag-wixarika"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}