New York City Ballet

"Coppélia"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 30, matinee and May 31, 2026

The first “Coppélia” was subtitled (in French), “The Girl with the Enamel Eyes”, a reference to the macabre story by E. T. A. Hoffmann (the poor doll’s eyes are pulled out of her head by the evil doctor, eventually causing the hero to jump to his death) which inspired one of the most perfect of ballet comedies.  Those nineteenth

"Coppélia"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 24, 2026

Though the dreary, rainy Memorial Day weekend weather didn’t cooperate, the theatre was warm and sunny, as Megan Fairchild said goodbye to NYCB dancing a bright, confident, and luscious Swanilda.  As I was leaving, I overheard a man saying this was his first ballet and why on earth was she retiring—a question anyone in the audience might have asked, as Fairchild sailed

"Opus 19/The Dreamer", "Standard Deviation", "Symphonie Espagnole"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 12 and May 17, 2026

All three ballets in the program, entitled Eclectic NYCB, were set to music featuring guest soloists.  The music ranged from the 19th century (Édouard Lalo’s “Symphony Espangnole” for Tiler Peck’s new work, the 20th century (Prokofiev’s “Violin Concerto No. 1, op. 19” for Robbins’ “Opus 19/The Dreamer”) and the 21st

"Voices", "In Memory of...", "Diamonds"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 8, 2026

The evening’s performance had works by Ratmansky, Robbins, and Balanchine, and though none showed them at their finest, it did show that craft and imagination, plus very good dancing, can be rewarding.  Ratmansky’s “Voices” is rather austere opening work, an experiment in movement to pure sound without melody or clear rhythm; ironically the biggest applause went to the

"Continuum", "Each in Their Own Time", "Distant Cries", "Concerto DSCH"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 1, 2026

NYCB’s programming has had some ups and downs this season, and this program, called forthrightly “Contemporary Choreography III” (Contemporary Choreography I and II were danced in the Fall and Winter seasons respectively so it seems that one contemporary collection a season is allotted), opened with three rather dark and knotty works, which, perhaps coincidentally, were

"Divertimento No. 15", "Zakouski", "Composer's Holiday", "Heatscape"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
April 29, 2026

This evening’s program, one pas de deux (Peter Martins’ “Zakouski”) and three longer works (Balanchine’s sublime “Divertimento No. 15”, and two newer works by younger choreographers (Gianna Reisen’s “Composer’s Holiday” and Justin Peck’s “Heatscape”), seemed to be designed to show off the company’s current impressive collection of dancers. “Zakouski” celebrated the soon

"Symphony in C", "Agon", "Firebird"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
April 24, 2026

This all-Balanchine program had a packed and enthusiastic audience, saluting several debuts and two farewells—Megan Fairchild, who danced the first movement of “Symphony in C”, is retiring at the end of the season and Taylor Stanley, who performed the sarabande in “Agon”, has announced his 2027 retirement. The company seemed to sense the audience’s excitement, and the dancing

Winter Season
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
Balanchine, Robbins, Peck and Ratmansky in Repertory
January 21, 24, 29 and February 1, 5, 12, 18 and 27, 2026

Originally established at City Center in 1955, seven years after the company’s founding, Winter Season is a special time, the heart of New York City Ballet’s year. The long nights are good for the theater and as it is for nature itself, this is a

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

What a joy it must have been to be alive and a patron of New York City Ballet in the 1960s, the decade when the company premiered Jerome Robbins’s “Dances at a Gathering” and George Balanchine’s “Jewels.”  Now, in 2026, as the company danced both works – the Robbins complete, the Balanchine represented by its final act, "Diamonds" – to

"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

"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'

"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.