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@the_pudding_boy

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Josué Justiz
somewhere between ted lasso & rust cohle.
meme connoisseur.
sometimes i dance.
THE COMMITTEE WARNED YOU.
som i serem
Grand Rapids
🇨🇺🇺🇸

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

snapshots from my ballet “Vessel of Ashes” from Jumpstart 2026 🕸️ featuring my beautiful alien muses 🖤
( shot by @raynard.imagemaker for @grapidsballet )

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Enjoy the last bit of summer and join us at Meijer Gardens (@meijergardens) Amphitheatre for our Tuesday Evening Music Club performance!

Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Gates Open: 5:00 p.m.
Performance: 7:00 p.m. till 9:00 p.m.
Location: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Price: Free for FMG members | $22 day pass for adult non-members (see FMG's website for all ticket prices)

The first half of the program will show off our international roster of dancers in short works by Artistic Director James Sofranko, Penny Saunders and Dani Rowe. The second half presents In The Countenance of Kings, by resident choreographer of New York City Ballet Justin Peck (@justin_peck), with music by Michigan native Sufjan Stevens (@stevens.sufjan).

Diablo Rojo - Choreography by James Sofranko
For Pixie - Choreography by Dani Rowe
Plume - Choreography by Penny Saunders
Yearning - Choreography by James Sofranko
Intermission - 15 minutes
In the Countenance of Kings - Choreography by Justin Peck

Photography by Ray Nard Imagemaker (@raynard.imagemaker)

#meijergardens #grballet #grandrapids #balletlove #balletlife

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✔️ first week of season 9 with @grapidsballet and the start of season 17 as a pro (🙀🤓)

Buuut how about some pics from the end of last season that I never posted 😅

Jumpstart 🫡 Birth of the Moon by @nigellissimo, Berontak by @_juliangan_ , Tacenda by @jimmyfc4

Recovery 💪🏼 Beem red light + infrared sauna + castor oil = kept me going

Spirit week 🤗 Grb swag, vacation, jersey and gender swap daysss

Spring performance 🌸 Plume by @pennyfix, For Pixie by @_danirowe_ , Countenance of Kings by @justin_peck and Mr. @the_pudding_boy’s retirement 🫶🏻

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Grateful does not even begin to describe how I feel for @grapidsballet.

Getting to premier Sherlock, Swan Lake, The Emperor and the Swan, Yearning, works made by my friends and even my own creation, and even just getting to fly high along side the amazing company members is more than I ever dreamed of for my first year working with a professional company.

I feel like a whole different person than when the season started last August. I owe a great thanks to all of the company men, but especially @the_pudding_boy, @jimmyfc4, and @sambenjaman for your guidance and mentorship throughout the year. Your care for me did not go unnoticed. I look up to you for your kindness, work ethic, and spirit and carry a piece of each of you that inspires me daily to be a better person and dancer.

To my dear friends, @axeltrickard, @wadalicous, and @i_am_will_i_am1, thank you for filling my days with joy and laughter. I don’t know how I would have gotten through this year without you.

Thank you @jimsofranko for your guidance and for giving me a place to dance this past year and @ddryjablack for how you take care of everyone.

I am excited to announce that I will be joining @balletspartanburg as a soloist for the 26/27 season. This is a part of the dream I have had since I was 13. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and cannot wait to see what this coming season has in store.

“I will face my fate standing tall.” -Yearning by @raylamontagne

1: Swan Lake by @jimsofranko
2. “Sherlock” by @pennyfix
3. Swap Day
4-5. Friends
6-7. Pas de Trois
8. Nutcracker doll
9-10. “Negusé” by Me
11. “Impromptu” by @natiballerinaa
12. “Love like a Sunset” by @delaneyhartt
13-14. “The Emperor and The Swan” by @yukaobaofficial
15-16. “In the Countenance of Kings” by @justin_peck, staged by @michaelseanbreeden

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Thank you to those who shared in the magic of Justin Peck and Sufjan Steven’s In the Countenance of Kings. Your presence made these performances truly unforgettable, and we are so grateful for your continued support of Grand Rapids Ballet.

The best is still to come. Subscriptions for our 2026–27 season are now open. Call our box office or stop by in person to secure your seats.

#grballet #grandrapidsmi #justinpeck #balletlife #michigan

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Spring stage recap! 🌸

Two new Jumpstart works by @natiballerinaa and @jimmyfc4 🔷
Debuts in works by bucket list choreographers: @_danirowe_ and @justin_peck ✨
Getting to be silly in @pennyfix “Plume” 🪶
Spirit week @grapidsballet and all the JOY it brought 🥳
Another @sambenjaman partnership (you are a treasure to me ⭐️)
And the very best audience support from family and friends (yall rock!!) 🩷

Finished off my 6th season @grapidsballet with rep that grew me, bittersweet goodbyes, and pride for what we’ve accomplished this season 💪🏻 Ready for some much-needed rest and an upcoming summer filled with love ❤️

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Today, May 3rd, company dancer Josué Justiz will take his final bow with Grand Rapids Ballet after eight seasons.

What makes Josué extraordinary is not only the range of what he danced, but the quality of attention he brought to each role. Technique was always the beginning, never the end. He leaves behind performances that audiences will not forget.

Thank you Josué, it’s been an honor.

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Anything but a batter bottle day at Grand Rapids Ballet✨

#ballet #balletdancers #balletclass #dancetrend #ballettrend

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Last weekend marked the world premiere of Artistic Director James Sofranko's (@jimsofranko) "Yearning". Presented in three sections and set to beloved Ray LaMontagne songs, the work draws out the quiet pain at the heart of romantic partnership through a deeply felt interplay of movement and music.

Three performances remain. Come experience "Yearning" alongside three shorter works and the collaboration of Justin Peck (@justin_peck) and Sufjan Stevens' (@sufjan) "In the Countenance of Kings".

Tickets are available online at grballet.com. To avoid online fees, please contact the Grand Rapids Ballet Box Office by phone at 616.454.4771 ext 110, or in person.

Photography: Ray Nard Imagemaker (@raynard.imagemaker)

#grballet #grandrapids #ballet #balletworld #worldpremiere

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“In the Countenance of Kings” 👑♥️♠️ opening weekend done! checking my first Justin Peck ballet off my bucket list is a magical feeling - grateful to have learned 3 parts in this ballet and to have performed 2 of them 💪🏾 congrats to all my coworkers on your effort and artistry, let’s do it again next weekend 💋 first photo by @raynard.imagemaker

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IN THE COUNTENANCE OF KINGS

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our opening performance! It was truly breathtaking.

This special performance debuts choreography by Tony Award winning choreographer Justin Peck (of Illinoise and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story fame) for the first time on a Midwest stage, and set to the music of beloved Michigan-born and raised indie musician Sufjan Stevens. Each performance also features four short ballets, celebrating the artistry and strength of our great Company.

Don’t miss out. Tickets start at $41, with showtimes at the Company’s own Peter Martin Wege Theater in downtown Grand Rapids.

To avoid Ticketmaster fees, please contact the GR Ballet’s Box Office at 616-454-4771 ext 110 or in person.

Photography: Ray Nard Imagemaker (@raynard.imagemaker)

#grballet #grandrapids #justinpeck #sufjanstevens #ballet

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04.24.2026

In the Countenance of Kings: The fabulous finale to the 2025–2026 Grand Rapids Ballet season. Also the final two weekends to see the beautifully talented Josué Justiz onstage, before he takes his bows and retires after several glorious seasons.

#GRBallet #SupportTheArts #InTheCountenanceOfKings

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