New York City Ballet

Fresh Takes

New York City Ballet

Fresh Takes


"Walpurgisnacht Ballet," "Flower Festival in Genzano Pas de Deux," "The Wind-Up," "Opus 19/The Dreamer"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 30, 2026


On a night abundant with debuts, including an all-new second cast for Justin Peck’s “The Wind-Up” which premiered a day earlier, the real revelations came from the repertory. While Peck's latest work stumbled through familiar choreographic territory, the dancers once again proved that a company’s greatest asset is

By Marianne Adams
Roll Over, Beethoven

New York City Ballet

Roll Over, Beethoven


"Walpurgisnacht Ballet", "Flower Festival in Genzano Pas de Deux", "The Wind-Up", "Opus 19/The Dreamer"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 29, 2026


The premiere of Justin Peck’s new ballet “The Wind-Up”, was the centerpiece of this program. He used the first movement of Beethoven’s “Eroica Symphony” and a cast of six of the most interesting and vibrant of NYCB’s currently packed roster.  Balanchine’s “Walpurgisnacht Ballet” which is set

By Mary Cargill
Mood Music

New York City Ballet

Mood Music


"Kammermusik No. 2", "Le Tombeau de Couperin", "Antique Epigraphs", "Raymonda Variations"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 23, 2026


The four ballets (three by Balanchine and one—“Antique Epigraphs”—by Robbins) on this program were all plotless explorations of the different atmospheres created by the composers, ranging from the jagged tones of Hindemith’s “Kammermusik No. 2”, the classical calm of Maurice Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin”, the mysterious Grecian echoes of Claude

By Mary Cargill
First and Last

New York City Ballet

First and Last


"Serenade", "Prodigal Son", "Paquita"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 22, 2026


This evening’s ballets were a a series of firsts and lasts; Balanchine’s “Serenade” (1935) is the first ballet he made in the US, his “Prodigal Son” is the last of his works performed by the Diaghilev company, and Alexei Ratmansky’s “Paquita” (2025), while certainly not the first or the last work he has made for NYCB, is the first

By Mary Cargill
Lest the Future Be in the Past

New York City Ballet

Lest the Future Be in the Past


“Voices,” “Composer’s Holiday,” “Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux,” “Foreseeable Future”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
October 10, 2025


There is no such thing as too much new dance, but that does not always lessen one’s longing for the old. For its last program of the fall season, New York City Ballet presented three works from the last decade, including a premiere from its Fall Gala this season by Jamar Roberts, and William

By Marianne Adams
Looking Forward

New York City Ballet

Looking Forward


"Voices", "Composer's Holiday", "Herman Scherman Pas de Deux", "Forseeable Future"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
October 9, 2025


The current City Ballet practice of programming ballets by themes meant that the evening, called “Contemporary Choreography I”, had no tutus, limited point shoes, fantastic dancing, and a gradually diminishing audience.  Contemporary, in this case, ranged from 1993 (William Forsythe’s “Herman Schmerman pas de deux”) to yesterday (Jamar Roberts’ “Foreseeable Future”

By Mary Cargill
A Very Mixed Bill

New York City Ballet

A Very Mixed Bill


“Allegro Brillante,” “Easy,” “Carousel (A Dance),” “La Sylphide”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
September 29, 2018


To say that Saturday evening’s New York City Ballet program was varied would be an under- statement. It ranged from “La Sylphide,” a nineteenth century romantic tragedy, to Justin Peck’s “Easy,” a rambunctious contemporary dance party. As it turned out, the new tended to overshadow the old.

“Easy,” which was premiered last spring as part

By Gay Morris
Friday Night Lights

New York City Ballet

Friday Night Lights


“Concerto Barocco,” “Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto,” “Symphony in C”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
September 21, 2018


The first Friday night of the Fall season at New York City Ballet felt like a breath of fresh air. Not that everything was perfect – far from it, the principal dancing in particular alternated tours de force in some ballets with slack efforts or curious interpretations in others. But taken as a whole

By Michael Popkin
Debuts in "Jewels"

New York City Ballet

Debuts in "Jewels"


“Jewels”
New York City Ballet
David Koch Theater
New York, New York
September 23, 2018


New York City Ballet presented performances of George Balanchine’s “Jewels” over the past week, with a young cast taking major roles in the “Emeralds” section on Sunday. Each of the three ballets that makes up “Jewels” shows a different aspect of Balanchine’s major stylistic interests. “Diamonds” looks to his Russian heritage, “Rubies” to his American experience, and “Emeralds” to a neo-romantic mode that

By Gay Morris