Gabrièl Stone Shayer & Stephanie Gotch Talk New Ballet Piece

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May 30, 2025 @ 12:00 pm By Taylor Winter Wilson

Ballet Choreographers  Gabrièl Stone Shayer and Stephanie Gotch sit down with us to discuss their latest collaboration “End of the World”. A bold new ballet piece that reimagines the boundaries of classical dance. Directed by former dancer and creative director Stephanie, and co-choreographed with former American Ballet Theatre soloist Gabe, the piece brings together a story of loss, transformation, and quiet resilience.

Set to an original score by multi-instrumentalist Zach Tabori (@zachtabori), the film features Shayer alongside New York City Ballet principal Indiana Woodward, and American Ballet Theatre’s Zimmi Coker. Rather than taking place on a traditional stage, End of the World is filmed in a raw, immersive setting—drawing viewers into a vulnerable, cinematic experience where movement, music, and emotion intersect.

At the heart of the piece is Shayer’s return to dance on his own terms, following his public departure from ABT after addressing racial inequities in the ballet world. Through choreography and music, End of the World becomes both a personal and collective meditation on identity, friendship, and healing. Tabori’s atmospheric score—also the closing track of his album “Attack of the Clout Chasers” which debuted this week—guides the dancers through shifting emotional landscapes, from haunting minimalism to orchestral catharsis. With Gotch’s direction and a close-knit cast whose real-life connections infuse the film with authenticity, End of the World offers a fresh, emotionally rich take on ballet—proving that the art form can be just as powerful outside the traditional theater setting.

FEATURE INTERVIEW:

You’ve spoken about how the music by Zach Tabori resonated with your personal journey and struggles. Can you share more about how this piece of music influenced your emotional process in creating “End of the World”?

Gabe: I don’t like to induce pain and depression but some of my best work comes from periods of sadness. This song in particular, really felt like a narrative of my most recent escape from a dark time.

After twelve years at ABT and addressing significant industry challenges, what does returning to the stage with this piece mean to you personally?

Gabe: I’ve sort have been in hiding from the world and for a while, I haven’t wanted to share myself (my art) for various reasons but as I’ve finally emerged from my pessimism, it was enriching to begin to reclaim my identity through the best way that I know how!

The choreography reflects themes of grief and loss of identity. How did you channel these complex emotions into your dance and interpretation of the character?

Gabe: I’ve experienced many ego deaths and most recently, loss of stability and people. It wasn’t difficult to find a source to draw from.

How did working with Stephanie, Indiana and Zimmi Coker shape the storytelling within this piece? Were there particular moments that stood out during rehearsals?

Gabe: This was the first time Stephanie and I have worked together in this capacity and from the experience, I see our partnership continuing. As for Zimmi and Indiana, they are both long time friends of mine and working with them is always effortless.

 Did the themes of friendship, hope, and emotional vulnerability influence your choreography? How did you translate these ideas into movement?

Gabe: I was inspired by both, my departure from depression and the love from friends that helped support my self reinvention. I like to start my choreography from natural human movements and gestures, then build from there!

 Zach Tabori’s music is described as melancholic and introspective. How does the music influence your movement choices and overall performance?

Gabe: Music always serves my choreography as a sort of narration. It has a funny adverse effect on the act of looking inward at the wounds you don’t show while dancing about it, puts your vulnerability on display.

Having addressed racial inequalities publicly, how does this piece serve as a reflection or statement about your experiences in the dance industry? What were some of the most challenging aspects of performing this piece, both physically and emotionally?

Gabe: This piece serves as a telling of the after effects of being shunned by an industry and company that I loyally stood by. I couldn’t take it lying down anymore and so I fought, but after the fight, I felt exhausted and needed time to process. Performing this piece feels like a telling of the past while that I’m calling “The Silent Period”!

Are there new themes or ideas you’re interested in exploring through dance following this impactful project?

Gabe: There are a daunting amount of ideas I have following this project to create a new space for myself and any other misfits, though in true Gabriel form, I’m going to keep those a mystery until it’s time for you all to experience it.

What do you hope viewers take away from “End of the World”? Is there a particular message or feeling you wish to convey?

Gabe: I want it to move people in any way that they interpret the piece but one message is that I’m sending my love and support to all of the tired and quiet ones, you have to go through it but just know that there is light on the other side!

As a dancer symbolizing friendship and hope, how did you approach embodying these themes within the choreography? 

Stephanie – Dance was my first love and it’s been such a rewarding experience to get back into choreography. Constructing a piece that highlights Gabe, Indiana and Zimmi’s personal relationships resulted in a natural flow or every movement between the dances. Throughout the piece, with each gesture we utilized in the partnering sequences, there was a concerted effort to underscore a level of intimacy between the characters that also reflected the melancholically sentimental tones of the music.

How involved were you in shaping your character’s journey alongside Gabe and Zimmi? Did you bring your own perspective to the narrative?

Stephanie – Gabe and I started working on the piece a few weeks ago before we brought in Zimmi and Indiana. We knew we wanted to focus on Gabe as the protagonist, so initially we started choreographing the piece as a solo. As it began to evolve, we considered writing it as a duo until ultimately settling on a trip piece, to avoid any connotations of romance. Seeing as. both the song and the dance is reflective of feelings of isolation and loneliness, I can honestly say that I referenced my feelings of leaving ballet as motivation for many of the movements when Gabe is dancing alone.

 The piece was shot outside a traditional stage environment. How did this setting influence your performance and connection to the audience?

Stephanie – There is nothing that quite compares to seeing a full ballet production in a concert hall that has been around for hundreds of years. That being said, because the dance is centered around the feelings of loneliness, it almost made more sense to create it for the digital realm, specifically for an audience to watch in a much more solitary setting.

In a piece titled “End of the World,” hope plays a vital role. How did you interpret and express this contrast through your dance?

Stephanie – The expression of hope is personified through the movements of Indiana and Zimmi throughout the dance. Both dancers symbolically use their empathy and the feelings of intimacy that can only exist in the truest forms of friendship to bring the protagonist (Gabe) out of a spiraling depression in his darkest moments, Throughout the choreography process, we drew on a number of personal experiences from Gabe and myself to make sure that each movement was directly influenced by a unique experience.

The choreography mirrors the emotional struggles of the lead dancer. How do you prepare emotionally to portray such nuanced feelings?

Stephanie – It was definitely a difficult process for both Gabe and myself, but both of us were willing to trust each other and access these somewhat painful, personal experiences to create a more meaningful dance. In many ways, it might have been a bit therapeutic. I had to abandon my dance career right as I was becoming an adult. Gabe made the difficult choice of leaving American Ballet Theatre in 2023. When you leave the world that means more to you than anything else, where all your friends are, where you have been working 24/7 to be the best dancer you can be, you can’t help but feel devastated and completely isolated. We definitely drew on this period in both of our lives as inspiration for some of the more intense moments of this piece.

What was it like collaborating with Gabe, Indiana and Zimmi, especially in conveying the story through movement?

Stephanie – It was truly a wonderful collaborative experience. All three dancers completely understood the storyline and were very receptive to all of our ideas for choreography. Gabe and Indiana had been friends since they were kids so it was great to see them dance together.

With Zach Tabori’s unreleased music as the soundtrack, how did the music influence your movement choices and emotional delivery? 

Stephanie – The music set the tone for the entire project. We initially had a workshop with Zach where he explained the meaning behind the nuances of the melodies and the lyrics. After a few collaborative discussions Gabe and I set out to echo the somber tones of the music throughout our dance. The feeling of loneliness and struggling to find optimism at the end of a dark period is definitely something that so many of us can relate to, whether it be through dance or music. So the transition from song to dance felt completely natural.

Did participating in this project resonate with any personal experiences or beliefs about resilience and hope?

Stephanie – I never thought I would get back into working in the ballet space so this experience helped me overcome a lot of metal hurdles. Part of the reason why I had to leave dance was due to physical injuries. While I am not physically able to dance in the same way I used to, choreography and directing has allowed me to continue to participate in a space that I feel very passionate about. The whole experience with this project has given me hope. I hope this piece sheds more light on this amazing art form as the dancers involved are truly phenomenal dancers.

How do you hope the audience connects with the themes of this piece, especially given its raw and personal context?

Stephanie – I hope the viewer feels something…whatever that feeling is! Art on its most basic level is all about expression and emotional response, so for me if the viewer feels any type of emotion, good or bad, then I’ve done my job.

 Are there upcoming projects or themes you’re excited to explore that continue the dialogue of hope, resilience, or social commentary?

TEAM CREDITS:

Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa

Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)

Writer: Lisa Jackson

Director & Choreographer: Stephanie Gotch (@stephgotch)

Dancer & Choreographer: Gabrièl Stone Shayer (@gabestoneshayer)

Dancers: Indiana Woodward (@indiana_woodward) , Zimmi Coker (@zimmi9)

Music Writer, Orchestration Arrangement & Producer: Zach Tabori (@zachtabori)

Orchestration Arrangement: Suzie Katayama

Violinists: Charlie Bisharat, Joel Derouin,

Viola: Zach Dellinger

Cellist: Cameron Stone

Bass: Tim Eckert

Director of Photography & Editor:  Lucas Flores Piran (@lucasflorespiran)

Photographer: Brian Boulos (@brianboulos)

2nd Camera: Dwight Cassin

Gaffer: Forrest Shearer

Location: Gina Gibney Dance INC

About The Author: Taylor Winter Wilson

Senior Editor at Galore. Made in Detroit - Living in Atlanta.