20 SEASON · AARÓN SANZ. Topman shirt, Giorgio Armani pants 7 INTRODUCTION. George Balanchine, who...

19—20 SEASON

They are poets of gesture

—George Balanchine

MIRI A M MIL L ER Oscar de la Renta dress A L EC K NIGH T Eckhaus Latta shirt, Giorgio Armani pants

ON THE SEASON

Introduction

‘Poet to Ballerina’ by Robert Lowell

‘An Attempt’ by Rumaan Alam

PERFORMANCES

Fall Programming

Fall Calendar

Winter Programming

Winter Calendar

Spring Programming

Spring Calendar

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Subscriptions & Membership

The Company

Special Thanks

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G L O B A L S P O N S O R

—7A A RÓN S A NZ Topman shirt, Giorgio Armani pants

INTRODUCTION

George Balanchine, who carefully plotted out

the physical poetry that our dancers embody,

was just as certainly a poet of language. Endless

anecdotes abound of his particular way with words

when describing something as elemental as a

series of steps – conjuring vivid metaphors to con-

vey the quality of movement he wanted his dancers

to achieve.

We approach this season inspired by his ultimate

compliment to the endless, perfecting work of a

dancer – they are poets of gesture.

These words appear in a pivotal moment from

former Principal Dancer Edward Villella’s 1992

autobiography Prodigal Son: Dancing for Balanchine in a World of Pain and Magic. The scene is set:

Balanchine tells Villella, “I’d like for you to learn

Apollo.” In “pure terror,” he learns the role, which

he notes requires “a much more subtle physicality”

than his signature role as the explosive Prodigal.

And when he finally dances the role for Balanchine

in a fifth-floor rehearsal studio at City Center, the

following transpires:

When I was done, Balanchine looked at

me matter-of-factly and said, “No, that’s

not Apollo.”

“What do you mean?” I said. “Those are the

steps and the counts.”

“Those are the steps and the counts, but it’s

not Apollo because you don’t understand that

dancers are poets of gesture.”

Balanchine goes on to dance the variation in

his double-breasted suit, string tie, and loafers,

illuminating the intention behind each of Apollo’s

signature movements.

Once embodied by a dancer, choreographic gesture

is as finely-wrought as the written words of a poet,

and connections to verse echo in our history. Frank

O’Hara, the central figure of the New York School

of poets, was a dedicated balletomane along with

many members of that literary circle, and penned

odes to Tanaquil Le Clercq and Maria Tallchief.

Marianne Moore praised the artistry of Arthur

Mitchell in a few dense lines on his ability to trans-

form intellectual thought into dazzling motion. In

1961, while struggling to write an opera libretto for

Herman Melville’s novella Benito Cereno, celebrat-

ed poet and author Robert Lowell penned Poet to Ballerina, which you can find on page 21, praising

the mysterious language that only Balanchine

and his poets of gesture could communicate. And

perhaps most intimately, our Co-Founder Lincoln

Kirstein, himself a prolific writer and champion of

all arts, published several volumes of lyric poetry.

Within these pages, we also turn to a modern

voice – author Rumaan Alam – who finds tendrils

of poetry not just on our stage, but also reflected

in the innocent artistry of a child’s joy in movement.

This season, we invite you to find that poetry in our

dancers, and explore all the possible stories each

gesture has to offer.

S A R A ME A RN S Dior bodysuit, Dior bra, Only Hearts skirt

H A RRI S ON B A L L Topman shirt, Giorgio Armani pants INDI A BR A DL E Y Maria Lucia Hohan dress A A RÓN S A NZ Topman shirt, Giorgio Armani pants MIRI A M MIL L ER Oscar de la Renta dress

FALL 2019 SEPTEMBER—OCTOBER Jewels

All Balanchine

Masters at Work: Balanchine & Cunningham

Balanchine + Wheeldon

Robbins + Peck

Classic NYCB

—12

—13

FALL 2019

JEWELSSEPT 17, 19, 20, 21 mat & eve —

EMERALDS (Fauré/Balanchine)

RUBIES (Stravinsky/Balanchine)

DIAMONDS (Tschaikovsky/Balanchine)

Ever since it made its debut more than 50 years

ago, to both critical acclaim and extraordinary

popular success, George Balanchine’s Jewels

has maintained its place as a gleaming highlight

of the international repertory. A full-length

work divided into three parts, each named after

a gemstone, the ballet incorporates a tribute to

French romanticism in Emeralds, an explosion

of jazzy neoclassical glamour in Rubies, and a

celebration of the splendor of Imperial Russian

classicism in Diamonds.

BALANCHINE + WHEELDONSEPT 18, 22, 24—

RAYMONDA VARIATIONS (Glazounov/Balanchine)

VARIATIONS POUR UNE PORTE ET UN SOUPIR (Henry/Balanchine)

DGV: DANSE À GRANDE VITESSE (Nyman/Wheeldon)

Two diverse ballets from Balanchine and one

from the Company’s first resident choreog-

rapher, Christopher Wheeldon, display the

breadth of dance styles in NYCB’s repertory.

Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations is a bravura

display of classical technique, with intricate

solos strung along the music like a necklace of

pearls. Variations pour une Porte et un Soupir, by contrast, finds Balanchine in experimental

mode, with its unusual sound score and air of

macabre mystery. DGV: Danse à Grand Vitesse is

a large-scale ballet that mirrors the propulsive

Michael Nyman score with dynamic rhythms.

J E W E L S | 1 B A L L E T IN 3 A C T S

Pictured: Emeralds

B A L A N C H I N E + W H E E L D O N | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Variations pour une Porte et un Soupir

SEPTEMBER—OCTOBER

ALL BALANCHINESEPT 25, 28 mat, 29, OCT 1, 4 —

VALSE FANTAISIE (Glinka)

KAMMERMUSIK NO. 2 (Hindemith)

UNION JACK (British sources adapt. by Kay)

The range of Balanchine’s choreography and

musicality are illuminated in this program.

Valse Fantaisie is a captivating dance set to a

lilting waltz from the Russian composer Mikhail

Glinka. The jagged choreography for the spiky

Kammermusik No. 2 moves in tandem with the

modernist score of the title by Paul Hindemith.

And Balanchine commissioned Hershy Kay to

adapt various popular British tunes for the grand

parade of Union Jack, a big-hearted and boister-

ous tribute to the United Kingdom.

CLASSIC NYCBSEPT 26 (Fall Gala at 7 PM)*, 27, 28 eve, OCT 2, 6, 13

—

OPUS 19/THE DREAMER (Prokofiev/Robbins)

NEW LOVETTE—World Premiere

NEW LIANG—World Premiere

SYMPHONY IN C (Bizet/Balanchine)

In a program that honors the past while looking

to the future, a pair of repertory favorites book-

end two new ballets. Jerome Robbins’ scintillat-

ing, mysterious Opus 19/The Dreamer opens the

program, which concludes with Balanchine’s re-

splendent Symphony in C. The new ballets come

from Lauren Lovette, a principal dancer creating

her third work for the Company, and Edwaard

Liang, a former NYCB soloist and currently the

artistic director of Ohio’s BalletMet.

A L L B A L A N C H I N E | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Union Jack

C L A S S I C N Y C B | 4 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Symphony in C

*Opus 19/The Dreamer will not be performed at the fall gala.

—14

ROBBINS + PECKOCT 3, 5 mat, 8, 9, 11 —

DANCES AT A GATHERING (Chopin/Robbins)

EVERYWHERE WE GO (Stevens/Peck)

Two monumental ballets from different eras,

both celebrated for their influence on the

development of the art form, are paired in this

program. A staple of the repertory from Jerome

Robbins is paired with a new favorite from the

Company’s current resident choreographer,

Justin Peck. Dances at a Gathering, a sweeping

series of dances blending classical steps with

folk-inflected choreography, has rarely been

absent from ballet stages since it first pre-

miered in 1969. Peck’s jubilant Everywhere We Go, first seen in 2014 and featuring a cast of 25

and a score from indie-rock composer Sufjan

Stevens, has already become a landmark dance

of the new century.

MASTERS AT WORK: BALANCHINE & CUNNINGHAMOCT 5 eve, 10, 12 mat & eve —

SERENADE (Tschaikovsky/Balanchine)

SUMMERSPACE (Feldman/Cunningham)

TSCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 (Tschaikovsky/Balanchine)

The Company honors the centennial of the birth

of the great American modern dance choreog-

rapher Merce Cunningham with a revival of his

fluid, shimmering Summerspace, an expansive

work for just six dancers, which made its New

York City Ballet debut in 1966 and has not been

seen since 2000. Accompanying this rare revival

are two Balanchine masterworks, both set to

Tschaikovsky: the luminous Serenade, the first

ballet he created in America, and the sumptu-

ous Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2.

M A S T E R S AT W O R K : B A L A N C H I N E & C U N N I N G H A M | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Serenade

R O B B I N S + P E C K | 2 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Dances at a Gathering

Summerspace is presented as part of the Merce Cunningham Centennial.

FALL 2019

SUBSCRIBE FOR PREFERRED PRICING

—

nycballet.com or 212-496-0600

—15

SEPTEMBER—OCTOBER

—16

—17

17 18 19

24 25 26 7 PM

1

8 9 10

2* 3CLASSIC NYCB

Opus 19/The Dreamer

New Lovette

New Liang

Symphony in C

ROBBINS + PECK

Dances at a Gathering

Everywhere We Go

ROBBINS + PECK


Everywhere We Go

ROBBINS + PECK


Everywhere We Go

MASTERS AT WORK: BALANCHINE & CUNNINGHAM

Serenade

Summerspace

Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2

BALANCHINE +WHEELDON

Raymonda Variations

Variations pour une Porte et un Soupir

DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse


Raymonda Variations



ALL BALANCHINE

Valse Fantaisie

Kammermusik No. 2

Union Jack

FALL GALA

New Lovette —World Premiere

New Liang —World Premiere

Symphony in C

ALL BALANCHINE

Valse Fantaisie

Kammermusik No. 2

Union Jack

JEWELS JEWELS

FALL

W E D 7:30 PMT U E 7:30 PM T H U 7:30 PM

*Includes a See the Music orchestral demonstration providing insights on the music of Symphony in C.

20 22

27 29

11 13

4 6MASTERS AT WORK: BALANCHINE & CUNNINGHAM

Serenade

Summerspace


CLASSIC NYCB

Opus 19/The Dreamer

New Lovette

New Liang

Symphony in C

ROBBINS + PECK


Everywhere We Go

ROBBINS + PECK


Everywhere We Go


Serenade

Summerspace



Serenade

Summerspace


ALL BALANCHINE

Valse Fantaisie

Kammermusik No. 2

Union Jack

ALL BALANCHINE

Valse Fantaisie

Kammermusik No. 2

Union Jack

ALL BALANCHINE

Valse Fantaisie

Kammermusik No. 2

Union Jack

CLASSIC NYCB

Opus 19/The Dreamer

New Lovette

New Liang

Symphony in C

CLASSIC NYCB

Opus 19/The Dreamer

New Lovette

New Liang

Symphony in C

CLASSIC NYCB

Opus 19/The Dreamer

New Lovette

New Liang

Symphony in C


Raymonda Variations



JEWELS JEWELS JEWELS

19—20 SEASON

F R I 8 PM S A T 2 PM S A T 8 PM S U N 3 PM

21 MAT

28 MAT

5 MAT

12 MAT

21 EVE

28 EVE

5 EVE

12 EVE

JA RED A NGL E COS tank top, Boysdancetoo tights T ERE S A REICHL EN CÔTÉ COUR leotard, Stylist’s own top

—21K ENN A RD HEN S ON Dior sheer tank top, Telfar tank top, Bloch tights

POET TO BALLERINA

My verses cannot comment on your immortal moment, or tell you what you mean; only Balanchine has the razor edge, and knows that art of language.

—Robert Lowell

American poet Robert Lowell composed this poem in 1961 during a visit to NYCB while on a Ford

Foundation fellowship to write an opera libretto. It is reprinted here from Tributes: Celebrating Fifty Years of New York City Ballet (William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1998).

CL A IRE K RE T Z S CHM A R Araks bra, Only Hearts top, Capezio shorts

CL A IRE K RE T Z S CHM A R Alexander Wang bra top, Only Hearts top, Capezio shorts ROM A N ME JI A Giorgio Armani shirt, Capezio tights JA RED A NGL E COS tank top, Boysdancetoo tights

K ENN A RD HEN S ON Dior sheer tank top, Telfar tank top, Bloch tights INDI A BR A DL E Y Lisa Marie Fernandez top, Only Hearts bodysuit, Capezio tights

WINTER 2020 JANUARY—MARCH Stravinsky & Balanchine

All Balanchine

Balanchine + Peck

New Combinations

Classic NYCB I

Classic NYCB I I

Swan Lake

—26

—27

STRAVINSKY & BALANCHINEJAN 21, 23, 26, FEB 1 mat, 2 —

DANSES CONCERTANTES

MONUMENTUM PRO GESUALDO

MOVEMENTS FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA

STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO

The collaboration of Igor Stravinsky and

George Balanchine ranks as one of the most

fruitful pairings in 20th-century art. Danses Concertantes, the rare Balanchine-Stravinsky

ballet not danced in leotards, is a playful work

with tart suggestions of humor and bright

costumes. Initially presented separately,

Monumentum pro Gesualdo and Movements for Piano and Orchestra have been twinned for more

than 50 years. Completing the program is the

classic Stravinsky Violin Concerto, among the

most celebrated of the many dances Balanchine

created to the composer’s work.

ALL BALANCHINEJAN 22, 24, 25 mat & eve, 28, 29 —

ALLEGRO BRILLANTE (Tschaikovsky)

LA SOURCE (Delibes)

FIREBIRD (Stravinsky/Balanchine, Robbins)

Contrasting Balanchine works illustrate the va-

riety of his imagination. Allegro Brillante dazzles

with its intricate choreography, which Bal-

anchine once said “contains everything I know

about the classical ballet – in thirteen minutes.”

The frolicsome La Source is performed to

music from the French composer Delibes. And

Balanchine turned once again to Stravinsky for

Firebird, a dance drama based on a Russian folk

tale, with evocative designs by Marc Chagall.

S T R AV I N S K Y & B A L A N C H I N E | 4 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Stravinsky Violin Concerto

A L L B A L A N C H I N E | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Firebird

WINTER 2020

NEW COMBINATIONSJAN 30, 31, FEB 4, 7, 8 mat, 12 —

BRIGHT (Dancigers/Peck)

POLYPHONIA (Ligeti/Wheeldon)

NEW RATMANSKY—World Premiere

Even as the Company draws deeply on its

repertory, it has continually commissioned new

works to create a living canon of contemporary

ballets. “There are no new steps, only new com-

binations,” Balanchine once said. This annual

program invokes that precept: Christopher

Wheeldon’s Polyphonia has, since its 2001 pre-

miere, become a classic of contemporary bal-

let. It is presented here alongside Justin Peck’s

Spring 2019 premiere Bright, set to a score by

the American composer Mark Dancigers, and

a premiere from Alexei Ratmansky, bringing

together on one program three of today’s most

acclaimed dance-makers.

BALANCHINE + PECKFEB 1 eve*, 5, 8 eve, 11, 13 —

BELLES-LETTRES (Franck/Peck)

IN CREASES (Glass/Peck)

BRAHMS-SCHOENBERG QUARTET (Brahms, orch. by Schoenberg/Balanchine)

Dances from Resident Choreographer Justin

Peck are united with an ebullient Balanchine

classic. In Creases, Peck’s first ballet for the

Company, draws on the propulsive music of

Philip Glass for an ensemble work rich in geo-

metric patterning. Peck’s Belles-Lettres has the

distinction of being the only dance in the rep-

ertory performed to the music of the Belgian-

born composer César Franck. Balanchine’s

Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, a ballet in four

movements, evokes the majesty of the Austro-

Hungarian Empire at its height through its cast

of more than 50 dancers and its elegant designs

including costumes by the great Karinska.

N E W C O M B I N AT I O N S | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Polyphonia

B A L A N C H I N E + P E C K | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Belles-Lettres

JANUARY—MARCH

*For FEB 1 only, George Balanchine’s Firebird will be performed in place of Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet.

—28

—29

WINTER 2020

CLASSIC NYCB IFEB 6, 9, 25, 29 mat —

HAIEFF DIVERTIMENTO (Haieff/Balanchine)

CONCERTINO (Stravinsky/Robbins)

EPISODES (Webern/Balanchine)

RODEO: FOUR DANCE EPISODES (Copland/Peck)

To honor Paul Taylor, the American choreog-

rapher who passed away in the fall of 2018, the

Company will present Balanchine’s neoclas-

sical favorite Episodes incorporating the solo

originally danced by Taylor, not included in

performances since 1989. Also returning

after an absence of more than two decades is

Balanchine’s Haieff Divertimento, a charming

dance for five couples originally created

in 1947. Completing this eclectic program are

Concertino, a pas de trois from Jerome Robbins

danced to jazzy Stravinsky chamber pieces, and

Justin Peck’s Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes, set to

Aaron Copland’s celebrated score.

SWAN LAKEFEB 14, 15 mat & eve, 16* mat & eve, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 mat & eve, 23

—

(Tschaikovsky/Martins after Petipa, Ivanov, Balanchine)

Perhaps the most famous of all classical

ballets, Swan Lake combines a mythical tale of

love and loss with the music of Tschaikovsky at

his most rapturously beautiful. Peter Martins’

staging draws on the beloved original choreog-

raphy of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, as well

as the one-act distillation of the ballet created

by Balanchine. The striking décor and cos-

tumes, infusing the ballet’s sweeping romantic

atmosphere with glints of modernism, are by

the contemporary Danish artist Per Kirkeby.

C L A S S I C N Y C B I | 4 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes

S WA N L A K E | 1 B A L L E T IN 2 A C T S

*FEB 16 matinee begins at 2 PM; specially added Sunday evening performance begins at 7 PM

CLASSIC NYCB I IFEB 26, 27, 28, 29 eve, MAR 1 —

IN G MAJOR (Ravel/Robbins)

NEW PECK (Muhly)—World Premiere

DGV: DANSE À GRANDE VITESSE (Nyman/Wheeldon)

For his newest work, Resident Choreographer

Justin Peck will create a dance to a commis-

sioned score by acclaimed American composer

Nico Muhly. Preceding Peck’s world premiere

is Jerome Robbins’ buoyantly charming In G Major, featuring scenery and costumes by the

Art Deco artist Erté. Completing the program

is Christopher Wheeldon’s DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse, a fleet and intricate dance for a cast of

more than 25 performed to a minimalist score

by Michael Nyman, composed in honor of a new

addition to the high-speed French train service

known as the TGV.

C L A S S I C N Y C B I I | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse nycballet.com or 212-496-0600

JANUARY—MARCH

SUBSCRIBE FOR EXCHANGE

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—30

—31

WINTER

21 22 23

28 29 30

4

11

18

25* 26 27

12

19

13

20

5 6BALANCHINE + PECK

Belles-Lettres

In Creases

Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet

CLASSIC NYCB I

Haieff Divertimento

Concertino

Episodes

Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes

CLASSIC NYCB I

Haieff Divertimento

Concertino

Episodes


CLASSIC NYCB I I

In G Major

New Peck —World Premiere


CLASSIC NYCB I I

In G Major

New Peck


BALANCHINE + PECK

Belles-Lettres

In Creases


BALANCHINE + PECK

Belles-Lettres

In Creases


NEW COMBINATIONS

Bright

Polyphonia

New Ratmansky

SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE

ALL BALANCHINE

Allegro Brillante

La Source

Firebird

ALL BALANCHINE

Allegro Brillante

La Source

Firebird

ALL BALANCHINE

Allegro Brillante

La Source

Firebird

NEW COMBINATIONS

Bright

Polyphonia

New Ratmansky

NEW COMBINATIONS

Bright

Polyphonia

New Ratmansky —World Premiere

STRAVINSKY & BALANCHINE

Danses Concertantes

Monumentum pro Gesualdo

Movements for Piano and Orchestra

Stravinsky Violin Concerto


Danses Concertantes





*Includes a See the Music orchestral demonstration providing insights on the music of Danses Concertantes on January 26 and Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes on February 25.

28 MAR 1

BALANCHINE + PECK

Belles-Lettres

In Creases


CLASSIC NYCB I

Haieff Divertimento

Concertino

Episodes


CLASSIC NYCB I I

In G Major

New Peck


CLASSIC NYCB I I

In G Major

New Peck


CLASSIC NYCB I I

In G Major

New Peck


SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE

SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE SWAN LAKE

BALANCHINE + PECK

Belles-Lettres

In Creases

Firebird

ALL BALANCHINE

Allegro Brillante

La Source

Firebird

ALL BALANCHINE

Allegro Brillante

La Source

Firebird

ALL BALANCHINE

Allegro Brillante

La Source

Firebird


Danses Concertantes





Danses Concertantes





Danses Concertantes




24 26*

31 2

14

21 23

7 9CLASSIC NYCB I

Haieff Divertimento

Concertino

Episodes


NEW COMBINATIONS

Bright

Polyphonia

New Ratmansky

NEW COMBINATIONS

Bright

Polyphonia

New Ratmansky

NEW COMBINATIONS

Bright

Polyphonia

New Ratmansky

16 2 PM & 7 PM

29 MAT

22 MAT

15 MAT

8 MAT

FEB 1 MAT

25 MAT 25 EVE

1 EVE

8 EVE

15 EVE

22 EVE

29 EVE


19—20 SEASON

H A RRI S ON B A L L Boss shirt, 3.1 Phillip Lim pants

—35GONZ A LO GA RCI A Uniqlo shirt, Salvatore Ferragamo pants

Years ago, my family was vacationing in a little

town on the shore. There was an overcast day, so

we went strolling downtown, and passed a busker

strumming his guitar. My older son, then three,

began to dance as maybe only a three year-old

can, with such conviction, such enthusiasm,

such emotion.

It was so joyous it was almost unnerving, the baby

I knew as mine revealing an interior human life I

could never guess at. Who taught him how to dance

like this, or who taught him how to be so happy? It

was only a moment, fleeting and mysterious, but

it ranks at the top of the list of things I’ve seen in

my life: my chubby toddler, eyes screwed up with

real passion, bobbing around like he was trying

to tell us something, not us, his parents, but us:

the world.

—

Words barely do what we ask of them. The word

love doesn’t come close to the tickle of a sleeping

baby’s breath on your neck. The word marriage

isn’t anything like the weight of another’s hand in

yours as an airplane lifts off the ground. But words

are what we have.

The idea of a dancer as a poet shows just how in-

efficient and insufficient words are. It’s a straight-

forward metaphor but doesn’t get at what a dancer

does because words never will. Sure, let’s agree:

dancers are poets, and their language is gesture,

the body, gravity, motion. It almost makes you pity

the actual poet, stuck with words.

My favorite part about this metaphor is that it

follows that dance is a poem. To some, poem is

a scary word. Poetry is misunderstood precisely

because some think it demands understanding.

Maybe we’re all poorly served by an educational

system that prizes answers over questions.

Poetry, and dance, and art—good luck defining

that word—have nothing to do with clarity, or

objective truth, or answers.

—

Neither a dance nor a poem come with instruc-

tions. But even a three year-old knows that dance

is at its essence the release of something trapped

in the body. So pretend you’re three. Enjoy how

this vast theater makes you feel so small: look up

at the ceiling like the stars overhead, or peer over

the railing at the stage far below. Listen past the

music to the percussion of feet upon the surface

of the stage. Notice the way the bodies move and

let yourself feel a little out of breath as a dancer

reaches up, up, up, higher than a human being

should be able to. If you are watching like a three

year-old, you’ll probably want to move your body,

too, affected or infected by all that emotion.

Who cares what it all means, what it’s all for,

what it’s supposed to tell us or make us feel.

A poem is not a riddle or a pop quiz; it’s something

else, for which there maybe isn’t even a word.

It’s an attempt at something. So let’s try.

—Rumaan Alam

AN ATTEMPT

Rumaan Alam is the author of the novels Rich and Pretty and That Kind of Mother.

T IL ER P ECK Maria Lucia Hohan dress

SPRING 2020 APRIL—MAY

INDI A BR A DL E Y Prabal Gurung dress, Only Hearts bra CL A IRE K RE T Z S CHM A R Rochas dress H A RRI S ON B A L L Boss shirt, 3.1 Phillip Lim pants

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Capezio tights MIR A N A DON Prabal Gurung dress

21st Century Choreographers I

21st Century Choreographers I I

21st Century Choreographers I I I

21st Century Choreographers IV

Masters at Work: Balanchine & Robbins

All Balanchine I

All Balanchine I I

All Balanchine I I I

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

—40

—41

SPRING 2020

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I APR 21, 23, 28, 29, 30, MAY 1*—

YEAR OF THE RABBIT (Stevens/Peck)

NEW LOVETTE

ESTANCIA (Ginastera/Wheeldon)

Three dances from contemporary choreo-

graphers illustrate the Company’s continually

renewed repertory of original works. The third

ballet from Lauren Lovette returns for the

spring, joined by Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit, an exuberant breakthrough work inspired by

the Sufjan Stevens score, and Christopher

Wheeldon’s Estancia, depicting a romance

on the Argentine pampas and featuring a set

designed by the Spanish architect Santiago

Calatrava.

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I IAPR 22, 25 eve, 26, MAY 2 mat & eve—

NEW RATMANSKY

EVERYWHERE WE GO (Stevens/Peck)

The sixth ballet created for the Company by the

Russian-born choreographer Alexei Ratman-

sky, first seen in the winter, returns in the

spring. It is paired on this occasion with Justin

Peck’s Everywhere We Go, a high-energy dance

featuring an ensemble of 25 that marked the

second collaboration between the choreogra-

pher and the Oscar-nominated composer Sufjan

Stevens.

2 1S T C E N T U R Y C H O R E O G R A P H E R S I | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Year of the Rabbit

2 1S T C E N T U R Y C H O R E O G R A P H E R S I I | 2 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Everywhere We Go

*For MAY 1 only, Gianna Reisen’s Composer’s Holiday and Christopher Wheeldon’s This Bitter Earth will be performed in place of Lauren Lovette’s Fall 2019 premiere.

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS II I APR 24, 25 mat, MAY 3, 5—

COMPOSER’S HOLIDAY (Foss/Reisen)

LITURGY (Pärt/Wheeldon)

BELLES-LETTRES (Franck/Peck)

NEW TANOWITZ—World Premiere

Highlighting work from a quartet of contem-

porary choreographers, this program features

a new ballet from Pam Tanowitz, whose first

dance for the Company premiered in the spring

of 2019, along with Gianna Reisen’s Composer’s Holiday, first seen in 2017 (when Reisen was

just 18, making her the youngest choreogra-

pher to create a work for the Company). Also

on the bill are Christopher Wheeldon’s quietly

mesmerizing pas de deux Liturgy and Justin

Peck’s Belles-Lettres, set to a celebrated work

of chamber music from César Franck.

ALL BALANCHINE IMAY 6, 8, 10, 23 eve—

DIVERTIMENTO FROM ‘LE BAISER DE LA FÉE’ (Stravinsky)

RUBIES (Stravinsky)

LA VALSE (Ravel)

The sprightly Rubies, a witty and electrifying

ballet set to a jazz-inflected capriccio from

Stravinsky, steps out from its Jewels counter-

parts to join two Balanchine ballets infused

with their own haunting atmospheres. Diverti-mento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée,’ set to a score

originally inspired by a dark fairy tale from

Hans Christian Andersen, evokes a brooding

sense of romance and tragedy, while in La Valse,

performed to Ravel, a sense of impending doom

gathers as a young woman dances to the edge of

the abyss.

2 1S T C E N T U R Y C H O R E O G R A P H E R S I I I | 4 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Composer’s Holiday

A L L B A L A N C H I N E I | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: La Valse

APRIL—MAY

—42

—43

MASTERS AT WORK: BALANCHINE & ROBBINSMAY 7 (Spring Gala at 7 PM)*, 9 eve, 13, 16 eve, 22—

PIANO PIECES (Tschaikovsky/Robbins)

SYLVIA: PAS DE DEUX (Delibes/Balanchine)

THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS (Hindemith/Balanchine)

Comparative rarities from the Company’s

founding choreographers lead off a pro-

gram of vividly diverse ballets. Piano Pieces

finds Jerome Robbins turning to a favorite

Balanchine composer, Tschaikovsky, for one of

the dance-maker’s last ballets. Balanchine’s

Sylvia: Pas de Deux, returning to the repertory

after a quarter century, features bravura steps

originally created for great American balle-

rina Maria Tallchief, set to an excerpt from the

titular Delibes ballet. Completing the pro-

gram is The Four Temperaments, Balanchine’s

astringently compelling exploration of complex

human emotion.

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS IVMAY 9 mat, 12, 16 mat —

NEW LIANG

THIS BITTER EARTH (Richter, Otis/Wheeldon)

NEW PECK (Muhly)

NEW ROBERTS

A world premiere from a choreographer making

his New York City Ballet debut – Alvin Ailey

American Dance Theater’s Jamar Roberts –

joins three other recent works on this program

highlighting fresh voices. The latest ballet from

Justin Peck, set to a score from acclaimed com-

poser Nico Muhly and first seen in winter, joins

Christopher Wheeldon’s lyrical pas de deux This Bitter Earth, danced to a Max Richter remix of

Dinah Washington’s recording of the title song,

and the return of a new ballet from Edwaard

Liang.

*Jamar Roberts’ world premiere will be performed in place of Piano Pieces at the spring gala.

2 1S T C E N T U R Y C H O R E O G R A P H E R S I V | 4 B A L L E T S

Pictured: This Bitter Earth

M A S T E R S AT W O R K : B A L A N C H I N E & R O B B I N S | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: The Four Temperaments

SPRING 2020

ALL BALANCHINE I IMAY 14, 15, 17, 19—

DONIZETTI VARIATIONS (Donizetti)

TSCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 (Tschaikovsky)

The effervescent Donizetti Variations is a smile-in-

ducing dance brimming with delicate choreog-

raphy and a seasoning of high-spirited humor,

evoking both Italianate charm and the style

of the great Danish choreographer August

Bournonville. The ballet’s playful mood makes

for a piquant contrast with Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, created in 1941 as a tribute

to the grandeur of Imperial Russia, subse-

quently reenvisioned by Balanchine in a more

contemporary style, while retaining both the

ballet’s beautiful essence and its scintillating

choreography.

ALL BALANCHINE I I IMAY 20, 21, 23 mat, 24—

CONCERTO BAROCCO (Bach)

KAMMERMUSIK NO. 2 (Hindemith)

VIENNA WALTZES (J. Strauss II, Lehár, R. Strauss)

Music from three centuries illustrates the

breadth of Balanchine’s tastes. The classic

Concerto Barocco brings together the pristine

beauty of Bach’s music with Balanchine’s own

lush but spare neoclassical choreography.

The 20th-century modernist Paul Hindemith

provided the music for Kammermusik No. 2, a

frisky dance featuring a rare all-male corps

supporting two principal couples. And while

waltzes were composed as early as the 16th

Century, the dance in three-quarter time

reached its apogee in 19th-century Vienna,

inspiring Balanchine’s intoxicating celebration

of its heyday.

A L L B A L A N C H I N E I I | 2 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Donizetti Variations

A L L B A L A N C H I N E I I I | 3 B A L L E T S

Pictured: Kammermusik No. 2

APRIL—MAY

—44

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAMMAY 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 mat & eve, 31—

(Mendelssohn/Balanchine)

Balanchine’s full-length adaptation of one

of Shakespeare’s most cherished comedies

has never been long absent from the repertory

since its debut in 1962. Inspired by the music

of Mendelssohn, Balanchine captures the play’s

infinite colors – the bumbling comedy of the

Rude Mechanicals, the feisty feuding between

Titania and Oberon, the romantic confusion

of the young lovers chasing each other through

the Athenian forest, and of course the mis-

chief-making Puck – in a ballet of myriad pleasures.

A M I D S U M M E R N I G H T ’ S D R E A M | 1 B A L L E T IN 2 A C T S

SPRING 2020

ROM A N ME JI A Vince tank top, 3.1 Phillip Lim pants

—46

—47

SPRING

21 22 23

28 29 30

5

12

19

26

13

20

27

14

21

28

6 7 7 PM

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I I

New Ratmansky

Everywhere We Go

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I

Year of the Rabbit

New Lovette

Estancia


Year of the Rabbit

New Lovette

Estancia


Year of the Rabbit

New Lovette

Estancia


Year of the Rabbit

New Lovette

Estancia


Year of the Rabbit

New Lovette

Estancia

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS III

Composer’s Holiday

Liturgy

Belles-Lettres New Tanowitz

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS IV

New Liang

This Bitter Earth

New Peck

New Roberts

MASTERS AT WORK: BALANCHINE & ROBBINS

Piano Pieces

Sylvia: Pas de Deux

The Four Temperaments

ALL BALANCHINE I

Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée’

Rubies

La Valse

SPRING GALA

New Roberts —World Premiere

Sylvia: Pas de Deux


ALL BALANCHINE I I

Donizetti Variations


ALL BALANCHINE I I



A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM



ALL BALANCHINE I I I

Concerto Barocco

Kammermusik No. 2

Vienna Waltzes


Concerto Barocco

Kammermusik No. 2

Vienna Waltzes


*Includes a See the Music orchestral demonstration providing insights on the music of La Valse on May 8 and Vienna Waltzes on May 23 at 2 PM.


New Ratmansky

Everywhere We Go


New Ratmansky

Everywhere We Go


New Ratmansky

Everywhere We Go



Liturgy

Belles-Lettres

New Tanowitz— World Premiere



This Bitter Earth

Estancia

Year of the Rabbit

21ST CENTURY CHOREOGRAPHERS I I I


Liturgy

Belles-Lettres New Tanowitz


New Liang

This Bitter Earth

New Peck

New Roberts


New Liang

This Bitter Earth

New Peck

New Roberts


Piano Pieces

Sylvia: Pas de Deux



Piano Pieces

Sylvia: Pas de Deux



Piano Pieces

Sylvia: Pas de Deux


ALL BALANCHINE I I








Concerto Barocco

Kammermusik No. 2

Vienna Waltzes


Concerto Barocco

Kammermusik No. 2

Vienna Waltzes

ALL BALANCHINE I I



ALL BALANCHINE I


Rubies

La Valse

ALL BALANCHINE I


Rubies

La Valse

ALL BALANCHINE I


Rubies

La Valse



Liturgy

Belles-Lettres

New Tanowitz


New Ratmansky

Everywhere We Go

24 26

MAY 1 3

15

22

29

17

24

31

8* 10

25 MAT

2 MAT

9 MAT

16 MAT

23* MAT

30 MAT

25 EVE

2 EVE

9 EVE

16 EVE

23 EVE

30 EVE


19—20 SEASON

—48

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THE COMPANY

MIR A N A DON Prabal Gurung dress —50

P R I N C I P A L S Jared Angle

Tyler Angle

Ashley Bouder

Adrian Danchig-Waring

Megan Fairchild

Gonzalo Garcia

Joseph Gordon

Anthony Huxley

Sterling Hyltin

Russell Janzen

Maria Kowroski

Ask la Cour

Lauren Lovette

Sara Mearns

Tiler Peck

Amar Ramasar

Teresa Reichlen

Abi Stafford

Taylor Stanley

Daniel Ulbricht

Andrew Veyette

S O L O I S T S Sara Adams

Daniel Applebaum

Harrison Ball

Harrison Coll

Emilie Gerrity

Ashly Isaacs

Lauren King

Claire Kretzschmar

Ashley Laracey

Megan LeCrone

Georgina Pazcoguin

Justin Peck

Erica Pereira

Unity Phelan

Brittany Pollack

Aarón Sanz

Troy Schumacher

Sean Suozzi

Sebastian Villarini-Velez

Peter Walker

Indiana Woodward

C O R P S D E B A L L E T Devin Alberda

Marika Anderson

Eliza Blutt

Olivia Boisson

Gilbert Bolden III

Jacqueline Bologna

India Bradley

Preston Chamblee

Christina Clark

Nieve Corrigan

Gabriella Domini

Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara

Jonathan Fahoury

Silas Farley

Christopher Grant

Laine Habony

Kennard Henson

Ashley Hod

Spartak Hoxha

Rachel Hutsell

Sasonah Huttenbach

Ralph Ippolito

Baily Jones

Ghaleb Kayali

Emily Kikta

Alec Knight

Isabella LaFreniere

Alston Macgill

Mary Thomas MacKinnon

Olivia MacKinnon

Jenelle Manzi

Alexa Maxwell

Roman Mejia

Clara Miller

Miriam Miller

Mira Nadon

Lars Nelson

Maxwell Read

Davide Riccardo

Andrew Scordato

Kristen Segin

Mary Elizabeth Sell

Gretchen Smith

Mimi Staker

Sarah Villwock

Claire Von Enck

Emma Von Enck

Lydia Wellington

Andres Zuniga

As of April 2019

F O U N D E R S

George Balanchine

Lincoln Kirstein

F O U N D I N G C H O R E O G R A P H E R S

George Balanchine

Jerome Robbins

A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R

Jonathan Stafford

A S S O C I A T E A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R

Wendy Whelan

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R

Katherine E. Brown

R E S I D E N T C H O R E O G R A P H E R & A R T I S T I C A D V I S O R

Justin Peck

M U S I C D I R E C T O R

Andrew Litton

Jewels and Stravinsky & Balanchine program photos © Rosalie O’Connor. All other performance photos © PAUL KOLNIK. The artwork and photographs in this brochure depict choreography copyrighted by the individual choreographers. Choreography

by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. George Balanchine is a trademark of The George Balanchine Trust. “New York City Ballet” and the block letter logo are registered trademarks of New York City Ballet, Inc.

—52

Anonymous

Maria-Cristina Anzola

Harriet Ford Dickenson

Foundation/Miss Gillian

Attfield

Zoë Baird and Bill

Budinger

Cynthia and Ronald Beck

Franci Blassberg and

Joe Rice

Emily and Len Blavatnik

Ursula M. Burns

Scott R. Brakebill

Jeff and Susan Campbell

Stuart H. Coleman and

Meryl Rosofsky

Mr. and Mrs. David E.R.

Dangoor

Barbara and Brad Evans

Professor and

Mrs. Meyer Feldberg

Ms. Maureen Footer

Barry S. Friedberg and

Charlotte Moss

Howard Gilman

Foundation

The Florence Gould

Foundation

Marlene Hess and

James D. Zirin

Geoffrey C. Hughes

Foundation

J.P. Morgan

In Memory of Ralph W.

Kern

Elysabeth Kleinhans

Lincoln Center

Corporate Fund

Martha and Bob Lipp

The Honorable and

Mrs. Earle I. Mack

Joyce F. Menschel

LuEsther T. Mertz

Charitable Trust

Whitney and Clarke

Murphy/Russell

Reynolds Associates

Karen and Tommy

Murphy

The New York

Community Trust – Mary

P. Oenslager Foundation

Fund

The Paiko Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M.

Peek

Stephen Kroll Reidy

Dr. Barbara Ritchin

The Jerome Robbins

Foundation

The Fan Fox and Leslie R.

Samuels Foundation

Charles and Amy Scharf

The Ted and Mary Jo

Shen Charitable Gift

Fund

The SHS Foundation

The Shubert Foundation,

Inc.

Joseph and Sylvia Slifka

Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Howard

Solomon

Michael and Sue

Steinberg

David P. Stone

Angel Shine Foundation/

Allyson Tang and

Thomas Widmann

Danielle and Paul

Taubman

Mr. and Mrs. Donald

Textor

Virginia B. Toulmin

Foundation

John L. and Barbara

Vogelstein

The John L. and Sue Ann

Weinberg Foundation

As of April 2019

M A J O R F U N D I N G P R O V I D E D B Y

New York City Ballet is grateful to the following individuals, foundations, corporations, and

sources of public support, for their outstanding annual contributions that ensure the Company’s

artistic excellence and support the performances of our world class artists.

OFFICIAL CHAMPAGNE

S P O N S O R S

SPECIAL THANKS

—53

Major support for new work is provided by members

of the New Combinations Fund.

2019–20 commissioning support for emerging chor-

eographers is provided by the Rudolf Nureyev Fund

for Emerging Choreographers, established through

a leadership grant from the Rudolf Nureyev Dance

Foundation, with additional grants from the Harriet

Ford Dickenson Foundation and the Joseph and

Sylvia Slifka Foundation.

New York City Ballet gratefully acknowledges The

Jerome Robbins Foundation for leadership support

of its Ballet Masters who ensure the excellence and

vitality of the Company’s repertory performances.

The Corps de Ballet is endowed in part by the Carl

Jacobs Foundation.

The Stepping Forward Fund to support the salaries

of NYCB dancers during their first year in the

Company has been made possible through the gen-

erosity of the Joseph and Sylvia Slifka Foundation

and Martha and Bob Lipp.

The creation and maintenance of New York City

Ballet’s costumes are endowed in part by the

LuEsther T. Mertz Costume Fund.

New York City Ballet’s musical leadership is

endowed in part by the Agnes Gund and Daniel

Shapiro Fund for Musical Excellence.

The creation and performance of works by Peter

Martins is funded in part by an endowment gift from

the Solomon family, given in loving memory of

Carolyn B. Solomon.

New York City Ballet’s performances of works by

George Balanchine are supported in part by the

Balanchine Production Fund, an endowment

created through The Campaign for New York City

Ballet.

New York City Ballet’s student matinees are gener-

ously underwritten in memory of Ralph W. Kern.

New York City Ballet wishes to acknowledge Holland

and Knight LLP for generously providing legal

services.

The Company also wishes to thank the thousands of

generous donors making gifts up to $100,000.

P U B L I C S U P P O R T

Programming is made possible by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,

in partnership with the City Council, and in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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