“In “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2,” an especially luminous Sara Mearns… swirled in and out of Balanchine’s dizzying patterns with fortitude, ease and ravishing detail. She’s been one of the most urgent and alive dancers of the season…” – The New York Times

“Russell Janzen and Sara Mearns danced with impeccable, understated grandeur in the “Diamonds” pas de deux… After they walked toward each other, meeting at the center of the stage with slow and steady steps, their bodies continued in a pattern of sweeping together and apart. They shaped movement — difficult balances and changes of direction with tricky partnering — with patience and ease, even as decorum slipped into sudden and surprising bursts of feeling. When Janzen finally dropped to a knee beside her and kissed her hand, she looked down at him in surprise — as if the action really was a surprise. Nothing felt premeditated, not even their tearful mid-show bow. “Jewels” may be referred to as a story-less ballet, but that has never seemed entirely true. Mearns and Janzen’s performance felt like proof that it’s not. There are unspoken stories in each ballet — streams of them — in which the dancers are not characters but heightened versions of themselves, using a language embroidered with steps, musicality and Balanchine’s way of highlighting precisely etched, unaffected dancing.” – The New York Times

“Gigs and guest appearances are usually opportunities to show off your strengths or a signature role. But why not take a risk? Debuting a role outside of one’s home company can be a huge career benefit: It allows you to work with a director who may see you differently, or prepare you for a challenge at home, or expose you to repertoire your own company is unlikely to stage.” – Pointe Magazine

“The Vail Dance Festival concludes its 35th season on Monday, Aug. 7 with the closing night performance of NOW: Premieres. The evening will include nine new works of choreography made for the Festival and each making their world debut on the same night including works by Kyle Abraham, Melissa Toogood, Adji Cissoko, Caili Quan, Justin Peck, Jamar Roberts, Matthew Neenan, Larry Keigwin and Lil Buck. The performance will be live-streamed on the Festival’s YouTube channel as well… Melissa Toogood will debut her first work for the Festival with a new music composition by David K. Israel making its world premiere played by Brooklyn Rider and pianist Joel Wenhardt featuring Toogood dancing alongside New York City Ballet’s India Bradley, Sara Mearns, and Miriam Miller.” – Vail Daily

“NEW YORK CITY CENTER announced complete programming for the 20th Fall for Dance Festival, September 27 – October 8, 2023. Celebrating 20 years as an essential part of New York’s fall dance season, the Festival opens City Center’s 80th season at the center of the arts with a showcase of local and international dance companies and artists in an array of styles, presented in five unique programs.

In Program 2 (Sep 29 & 30), New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Sara Mearns returns for the New York premiere of Bobbi Jene Smith’s MASS, set to music by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Caroline Shaw.” – BroadwayWorld

“This summer, the Vail Dance Festival celebrates its 35th year of performances and residencies. Running July 28 through August 7, the 2023 festival features an exciting lineup of performing artists and includes no fewer than 15 principal dancers from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, and more. Featuring New York City Ballet principals, including Sara Mearns.” – Pointe Magazine

“The New York City Ballet brought a program of three classic mid-twentieth-century ballets Friday night to a packed amphitheater crowd of 5000 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, with hundreds more watching from the lawn. George Balanchine’s versions of Swan Lake and Firebird and Jerome Robbins’s Fancy Free drew huge ovations, showing that works that set NYCB atop the ballet world artistically can also attract large, enthusiastic audiences… At thirty-five minutes, it teems with as much great dancing as the full four-act ballet, and Sara Mearns as Odette, pursued and partnered by Tyler Angle as the Prince, was simply thrilling.” – WAMC

“The National Ballet of Canada opened its run of Romeo & Juliet on the weekend in Toronto with two pairs of stellar dancers… the company convinced powerhouse ballerina Sara Mearns, a long-time principal at New York City Ballet, to dance the role for the first time. The high-point of this two-week run will undoubtedly be Mearns, a 37-year-old veteran who stuns audiences with her portrayal of the most famous teenage girl in the Western canon.” – The Globe and Mail

“Wheeldon presents Mearns with sensitivity. But rather than her wildness, he shows us her calm. For all of its motion, the whole work is restrained, reserved, well-behaved while the music emotes, soft-focused even after the scrim lifts.” – The New York Times