New York City Ballet

“Romeo + Juliet”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
February 13, 2018

Peter Martins’ version of “Romeo and Juliet,” which premiered in 2007, was never an inspired production. Titling the work “Romeo + Juliet,” Martins went on to whittle down the narrative to two compressed acts, never worrying much about logic, let alone nuance. But that is all water under the bridge. As most of the dance world knows, Martins, heretofore ballet master in chief of

“Divertimento No. 15,” “The Four Temperaments,” “Chaconne”
New York City Ballet
The David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
January 30, 2018

The winter 2018 season of the New York City ballet opened with two all-Balanchine programs back to back. During that first week the air in the Koch Theater was suffused with a combination of relief and jubilation. The company was back, having lived through the retirement of Peter Martins, its longest serving artistic director, and Balanchine

"The Red Violin", "dance odyssey", "Russian Seasons"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
February 1, 2018.

New York City Ballet's New Combinations Fund, inspired by Balanchine's quote "There are no new steps, only new combi- nations", funds new choreography, and supported Peter Walker's new ballet "dance odyssey" which premiered between Peter Martins' "The Red Violin" and Alexei Ratmansky's "Russian Seasons". Both of those works were choreographed in 2006 as part

"Apollo", "Mozartiana", "Cortège Hongrois"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
January 27, 2018, matinee.

The all-Balanchine program began with "Apollo", the oldest Balanchine work danced by New York City ballet (though Balanchine did rework the 1928 ballet in 1979, stripping it of its Expressionistic prologue), followed by "Mozartiana", choreographed in 1981, his last major work.  It ended with the bon-bon "Cortège Hongrois" from 1973, with its generous helping of Petipa, a

“Divertimento No. 15,” “The Four Temperaments,” “Chaconne”
New York City Ballet
The David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
January 24, 2018

New York City Ballet entered its interregnum this week dancing two straight all Balanchine programs. Programmed by Peter Martins before his resignation, they now serve to emphasize continuity between the reigns in a way Martins probably didn’t imagine. It’s neither the new world (and won’t be until a replacement for him is named) nor

"The Nutcracker"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
December 5, 2017.

The enduring charm of Balanchine's "The Nutcracker" continues to light up the stage with its combination of the Maryinsky of his youth (the little Nutcracker's mime, the hoop dance, the floating arabesque trick, the snowflake's pom poms, and the magical tree that all came from the Russian version) and the more daring style of his own company (notably in the

"Cortège Hongrois", "La Valse", "Square Dance", "Duo Concertant"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
October 15, 2015

Robert Fairchild gave his farewell performance at New York City Ballet in Balanchine's low-key, pensive, and very personal "Duo Concertant", which was rescheduled to close the afternoon, in place of the apotheosis of closers, "Cortège Hongrois", which opened the performance. If the switch made for a somewhat unbalanced schedule, it let the audience thank Fairchild

"The Wind Still Brings", "Composer's Holiday", "Not Our Fate", "Pulcinella Variations"
New York City Ballet
Koch Theater
New York, New York
September 27, 2017

New York City Ballet's Fall gala, with its now traditional spotlight on fashion designers, clocked in at an efficient two hours. There was a brief opening film with glimpses of the new designs, no speeches, no intermissions, and four new ballets. The first three shared a distinct family resemblance (opaque titles, young dancers, bare

"Swan Lake"
New York City Ballet
Koch Theater
New York, New York
September 27, 2017

Peter Martins' "Swan Lake", for all its problematic moments, does leave the iconic black and white pas de deux reasonably intact, and, since they constitute "Swan Lake's" emotional core, a committed pair can wrest a moving performance from those dreary, blotchy paint drips. Even without Odette's mime to explain the situation (how is Martins' Siegfried to know that foreswearing Odette will doom her?

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
May 26, 2017

After the month-long Here/Now blowout (43 ballets by 22 choreographers) New York City Ballet settled down to a week of Balanchine's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  Understandably the corps seemed a bit winded and the energy came in fits and starts, though the children were exceptionally well-drilled.  There were few major debuts

"Jeu de Cartes", "After the Rain", "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux", "Odessa"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 4, 2017

The New York City Ballet's spring gala clocked in at a crisp and efficient one and a half hours and included two complete ballets, two pas de deux, no speeches, and no intermission.  The main attraction was Alexei Ratmansky's new work "Odessa", to "Sketches to Sunset" by Leonid Desyatnikov who also

"Allegro Brillante", "The Four Temperaments", "Symphony in C"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, New York
April 18, 2017

The New York City Ballet's spring season opened with three popular (judging from the packed house and prolonged ovations) Balanchine ballets. Not surprisingly the women were front and center with some tremendous performances and Alston MacGill's impressive debut in the third movement in "Symphony in C".  "Allegro Brillante", one of Balanchine's most concise