New York City Ballet

Chopin, Chiffon, and Diamonds

New York City Ballet

Chopin, Chiffon, and Diamonds


"Dances at a Gathering", "Diamonds"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 26 and 27, 2026


In the past, “Dances at a Gathering” has been programmed as the closing ballet, letting the audience drift out, luxuriating in the memory of Chopin and chiffon.  However as time went on, it seemed that some in the audience used the final profound nocturne, where the dancers stand and let their thoughts flow through the music, as a

By Mary Cargill
A New Beauty Awakens

New York City Ballet

A New Beauty Awakens


"The Sleeping Beauty”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 19, 2026


In a two-week run of Peter Martins’s staging of “The Sleeping Beauty,” New York City Ballet saved the best debut cast for last. The beauty of this “Beauty” was in the nuance, and Emma Von Enck as Aurora and Dominika Afanasenkov as the Lilac Fairy gave transcendent, intentional performances, while David Gabriel was a gallant and hopeful Prince. Meaghan Dutton-O'

By Marianne Adams
Doubleheader

New York City Ballet

Doubleheader


"The Sleeping Beauty"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 21, 2026, matinee and evening


Two “Sleeping Beauties” in one day may seem like too much a good thing, but as Mae West said “Too much of a good thing is wonderful”.  Two very different couples, Mira Nadon with Peter Walker (matinee) and Emma von Enck with David Gabriel (evening), were each dancing their second “The Sleeping Beauty” after debuting earlier in the week.

By Mary Cargill
Winners and Losers

New York City Ballet

Winners and Losers


"Dig the Say," "This Bitter Earth," "The Naked King," “Everywhere We Go"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 7, 2026 (matinee)


In a program of works by Justin Peck, Christopher Wheeldon, and Alexei Ratmansky, New York City Ballet displayed the choreographic bedrock of the company’s current, post-Balanchine era. Fiercely technical, with a focus on musicality and sometimes drama, the direction is a formidable one when executed well. With Ratmansky’s new ballet

By Marianne Adams
To Grow A Garden

New York City Ballet

To Grow A Garden


"The Sleeping Beauty"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 13, 2026


Peter Martins’ 1991 production of “The Sleeping Beauty” returned to City Ballet for two well-sold weeks; it has remained basically unchanged for 25 years, with the same strengths and weaknesses.  Fortunately this performance, with Indiana Woodward and Chun Wai Chan as the royal couple and Ashley Laracey as the Lilac Fairy, and a number of debuts in supporting roles, was definitely

By Mary Cargill
Kings and Dancers

New York City Ballet

Kings and Dancers


"Dig the Say", "This Bitter Earth", " "The Naked King", "Everywhere We Go"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
February 5th and February 8th, 2026


Alexei Ratmansky’s new ballet “The Naked King”, a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s always timely “The Emperor Has No Clothes”, is another of his explorations of ballet’s history.  Shortly before he died Diaghilev had come up with the idea of using the Andersen story for a ballet,

By Mary Cargill
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’

By Marianne Adams
The Gods Are Smiling

New York City Ballet

The Gods Are Smiling


"Serenade", "The Prodigal Son", "Paquita"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 31, 2026 matinee


The programming gods, who can sometimes be arbitrary, provided an outstanding triple bill, a perfect example of scheduling a complete meal.  It opened with “Serenade”, a most luscious appetizer, followed by the dramatic meat of “The Prodigal Son”, and ended with a fine dessert, the Spanish frivolity of Ratmansky’s take on the Grand Pas of Petipa’s “Paquita”

By Mary Cargill
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

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