A Blooming ‘R.O.S.E.‘

Just as school was starting this fall, eight Juilliard dance students and alums took part in R.O.S.E., a genre-defying dance/rave at the Park Avenue Armory conceived by Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal and rave producer Gai Behar with their company L-E-V. The students who took part were fourth-years Blu Furutate, Nick Lemaina, Luc Simpson, and Natalie Wong; the alums were 2024 grads Antonia Gillette, Michaella Ho, Julian Sanchez, and Kailei Sin. Twelve dancers from the classes of 2024 and 2025 were invited to take part in this opportunity; Blu and Natalie wrote about the experience.

Blu Furutate
R.O.S.E., which stands for Rituals of Sharon Eyal, is a beautifully sensitive yet lively collection of Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s repertoire. It is emotive and often hints at eroticism through ambiguous mediums, honoring the human spiritual spectrum, like much of Eyal and Behar’s work.

R.O.S.E. bridges concert dance with underground culture, transforming the Park Avenue Armory into a club-like space on the Upper East Side. It draws a diverse audience of all ages, backgrounds, and identities, providing a unique opportunity for people who may never have had the chance to enjoy art together. For instance, my colleague’s 93-year-old grandma came twice, and toddlers also joined in, feeling the beats of Ben UFO, the best DJ I’ve ever heard.

The performance was designed to be immersive, with dancers appearing and disappearing throughout the rave, allowing audience members to lose themselves in the experience. Each night brought a different audience to navigate around, keeping the production vibrantly alive.

Many post-show reactions described R.O.S.E. as a historic art event and a refreshing take on dance. Eyal and Behar fused contrasting dance cultures and incorporated the fashion world with costumes by Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri and makeup and hair by Noa Eyal Behar, their daughter. Their son also performed as a solo singer in the first music track. R.O.S.E. will take place at Sadler’s Wells in London next summer, and I highly recommend seeing it if you have the chance!

I’m grateful to have been part of R.O.S.E., as it offered a valuable first professional experience that I’ll cherish for a long time. I feel lucky to have been at Juilliard at the right time for this opportunity.

Natalie Wong
Being part of R.O.S.E. was unlike any other experience in my life. For many of us, this was our first professional dance job. Though initially intimidating, Sharon Eyal quickly immersed us in her world by describing imagery through cues like "glass in the stomach" and "mountains on our back" to evoke unique movement qualities. Her work is deeply physical, both externally and internally.

It was an honor to perform with L-E-V, a company we’d admired for years. I've never performed anything so exhausting yet refreshing, specific yet freeing. By merging rave culture with concert dance, R.O.S.E. breaks down art-world hierarchies, connecting people to art through music, rave, or contemporary dance.

One of my favorite parts was sneaking into the rave to watch the L-E-V dancers. Being immersed in the rave and the performance made me feel involved in every aspect—onstage, offstage, and in between. This inclusive environment brought together people from all walks of life. What made R.O.S.E. extraordinary, in my view, was its focus on people, fostering a communal experience of art in an immersive way.