City Ballet The Podcast: Recent Episodes
New York City Ballet
Welcome to City Ballet The Podcast, an exploration of New York City Ballet where we'll journey through our history, delve into our new and existing repertory, and reveal insider tidbits.
Each season of City Ballet The Podcast features episodes that span three topics: New Combinations hosted by Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, Hear the Dance hosted by dance educator and former NYCB dancer Silas Farley, and See the Music hosted by Music Director Andrew Litton.
As our 25-26 Season comes to a close, Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan reminisce over some of the year's most memorable moments. From welcoming former dancers to the front of the room and guest musicians into the orchestra pit, to choreographers returning to create in our studios and a wave of well-deserved promotions, this season was filled with artistry, growth, and unforgettable milestones. (51:10)
Music: Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (1875) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Associate Artistic Director and host Wendy Whelan is back for a New Combinations conversation with Principal Dancer Tiler Peck as she prepares for the May 7 premiere of Symphonie Espagnole, her second choreographic commission for the company. Peck dives into the granularities of her process—from music selection to costumes to casting the 40-person ballet—and reflects on the unexpected ways in which choreographing has uncovered new facets of her own dancing and artistry. (35:24) Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
New Combinations Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon this week, whose ballet Continuum will have its NYCB premiere on May 1. It's part of a trilogy of leotard ballets, including Polyphonia and Morphoses, set to a score by György Ligeti—a composer whose music Wheeldon was "really intrigued by," but also "terrified" by. Wheeldon and Whelan discuss unlocking and understanding the mysteries of Ligeti's works, setting this piece on the company, and the positive impact fear can have on one's creative process. (35:39)
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
The topic du jour around The Rosin Box this week is the driving force behind ballet: music. For this conversation, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are joined by Corps de Ballet Member Maya Milić and Soloist Sebastián Villarini-Vélez, two company members whose connections to music extend far beyond the studio and stage. Maya is a classically trained pianist who graduated with honors from the Manhattan School of Music's Precollege Division, which she attended while also a student at the School of American Ballet; Sebastián was raised in a musical household—his father was a percussionist with an expansive collection of tapes, and Sebastián played the guitar throughout childhood. These formative early exposures to music have influenced their dancing in countless ways: "Developing a taste is the most important thing you can do as an artist," says Sebastián. "That will allow you to shape your approach towards what you're doing. Distinguishing what works for you musically will allow you to find sort of a unique voice to approach the steps." (40:12) Edited by Gus Reed
Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week around The Rosin Box, Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are talking all things adult ballet with Sloane Bratter, NYCB's Associate Director, Public Programs, and Soloist Ashley Hod. The company's Education department has been hosting adult movement workshops since 2014, taught by current and former dancers—an opportunity Claire calls "a real life-giving experience." Structured similarly to a standard company class, the workshops usually consist of a ballet barre and center, followed by learning a few phrases from NYCB's repertory and a holding a brief Q&A. For Ashley, leading these workshops has become a true highlight of each season: "It's not just what I'm giving to these dancers—it's what I'm getting in return. (36:57)
Edited by Gus Reed
Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
We're back around The Rosin Box, with Soloist Aarón Sanz pulling double hosting duty this episode. He's joined by Principal Dancer Chun Wai Chan for a conversation on the singular experience of joining an American ballet company as an international dancer. Chan, who is originally from China, and Sanz, who came to America by way of Spain, discuss navigating homesickness, the things that surprised them most about NYCB, and how, sometimes, "knowing a little less allows you to be more comfortable—which is often what you need." (44:23)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Host Silas Farley is back with another fascinating Hear the Dance conversation, joined this week by Kay Mazzo, Christine Redpath, and Jean-Pierre Frohlich to discuss Jerome Robbins' masterpiece Dances at a Gathering. In this wide-ranging and intimate conversation, they share memories of the ballet's momentous 1969 premiere as well as time spent with Robbins in the rehearsal studio. As they discuss the various sections of Dances, they reflect on moments when Robbins' humor emerges; the "freedom" and even suspense of certain passages; and the ways in which the ballet is a gift from the choreographer as much to the dancers, who share in its rich sense of community, as to the audience. (1:09:57)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Mazurka, op. 63, no. 3; Waltz, op. 69, no. 2; Mazurka, op. 33, no. 3; Mazurkas, op. 6, nos. 2 and 4, op. 7, nos. 4 and 5, op. 24, no. 2; Waltz, op. 24; Waltz, op. 34, no. 2; Mazurka, op. 56, no. 2; Etude, op. 25, no. 4; Waltz, op. 34, no. 1; Waltz, op. 70, no. 2; Etude, op. 25, no. 5; Etude, op. 10, no. 2; Scherzo, op. 20, no. 1; Nocturne, op. 15, no. 1 All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir Edited and with Commentary by Amanda Vaill Life of Chopin by Franz Liszt Chopin: Prince of the Romantics by Adam Zamoyski Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein's The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds, with an Introduction by Lincoln Kirstein
New Combinations Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky this week as the countdown to the choreographer's next world premiere—and the 500th work created on the company—continues. Commissioned by Serge Lifar in 1935, the score, by the little-known neoclassical composer Jean Françaix, adapts Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes" for the stage. Among the ballet's unique challenges was the casting of the title character, which Ratmansky shares requires a "fearless" dancer with "charisma and a sense of humor." (23:53)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
This week, New Combinations host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Resident Choreographer Justin Peck to discuss his upcoming world premiere. As Peck describes, the work takes inspiration from the score, the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3—the Eroica or "Heroic" Symphony—and celebrates the six "superheroes" of the cast. Choreographing to Beethoven presents unique challenges, but as Peck explains, this is part of why he chose the piece, along with the joy playing it brings to the NYCB Orchestra. (24:05)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
We're launching a new season of City Ballet The Podcast with an enlightening Hear the Dance conversation on Jerome Robbins' Antique Epigraphs. Host Silas Farley is joined by former NYCB dancers and original cast members Maria Calegari and Heléne Alexopoulos, and current Repertory Director Rebecca Krohn, who performed several roles in the work and now coaches today's performers. They describe learning this lyrical ballet, following the delicate Debussy score through its unique solos and romantic passages for the cast of "eight glamorous women." (49:32) Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Six Epigraphes Antiques (1915), orchestrated by Ernest Ansermet (1932) and Syrinx (1912) All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir by Jerome Robbins Edited by Amanda Vaill Claude Debussy: A Critical Biography by François Lesure, Translated by Marie Rolf Documenting: Lighting Design (Performing Arts Resources, Vol. 25) Jennifer Tipton, Contributing Author
The Rosin Box heats up this week with a lively conversation shared by hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz and their guests, Principal Dancers Gilbert Bolden III and Sara Mearns. They talk about acting and emotions onstage, including their favorite roles, techniques and practices, and hilarious memories. Whether conveying the characters in a narrative ballet or achieving the appropriate expressiveness in an abstract work, the dancers describe the need for extensive preparation—and life experience—to achieve an instinctual, organic performance. As Sara relates, the "half a second" when she crosses the barrier from backstage and into the lights is the moment when the character or emotion manifests. (54:08) Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Listen in on another intimate conversation around The Rosin Box with host Claire Kretzschmar, joined this week by Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley. The topic is all things props, which provide essential context and character development for many of the company's story ballets and "teach you how to remain calm in the moment," as Taylor shares. From training with a professional swordsman in preparation for Romeo and Juliet, to maneuvering the candle in La Sonnambula's haunted pas de deux, Taylor describes many of the playful, challenging, and transformative props used by dancers every season. (50:37) Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are back for another cozy conversation around The Rosin Box. This week, they're joined by Soloist Alexa Maxwell and Principal Dancer Gilbert Bolden III, who have plenty to share about inspiration and motivation, whether for their daily practice, during repetitive performance periods, amidst injuries and other challenges, and beyond. Alexa shares that it's all about the music—she's a "classical music girly"—and that she likes to bunhead out as she's learning a new role; for Gilbert, new audience members, quiet instances of beauty in his everyday life, and cherished passages in well-known ballets can help sustain his art. As all four dancers agree, "If you're open to it, you can be inspired all the time." (54:13)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Associate Artistic Director and host Wendy Whelan is back for another enlightening New Combinations conversation. This week, she's joined by choreographer Jamar Roberts, whose newest work for the company will premiere during the Fall Fashion Gala on October 8, timing he describes as "full-circle," considering his own forays into fashion design. His collaboration with designer Iris van Herpen has been uniquely fruitful, as well as his selection of music by Arca, with both informing this ballet that speaks to the times—"but dance," he adds, referring to the joy and beauty the work also inspires. (33:43)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
In the second part of this deep dive Hear the Dance discussion of Jerome Robbins' The Goldberg Variations, host Silas Farley is joined by former NYCB Dancers and current Repertory Directors Christine Redpath and Jean-Pierre Frohlich. Redpath, an original cast member of Goldberg, digs into Robbins' approach to the creation of this remarkably multi-faceted ballet, while Frohlich remembers the adjustments the choreographer made through the ensuing performances. Both talk about coaching Goldberg on today's company members and the ways in which the work has influenced the dancemakers of today. (42:29)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
MUSIC: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Aria with Variations in G, BWV 988 (1742), "The Goldberg Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach All music performed by New York City Ballet Solo Pianist Susan Walters
Quotations from the writings of Lincoln Kirstein are © 2019 by the New York Public Library (Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations) Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir Edited and with Commentary by Amanda Vaill Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven by John Eliot Gardiner Bach’s Musical Universe: The Composer and His Work by Christoph Wolff Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein’s The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds, with an Introduction by Lincoln Kirstein
In a special two-part Hear the Dance Episode, host Silas Farley leads us on a wide-ranging discussion of Jerome Robbins' 1971 ballet The Goldberg Variations. In this first part, Farley is joined by former NYCB Dancer Bruce Wells, an original cast member, and current Principal Dancer Emilie Gerrity, one of the ballet's present-day interpreters. Wells shares the challenges Robbins faced after an injury forced him to choreograph from a wheelchair, as well as highlights from the year-long creative process. Gerrity describes the "class" section of this monumental ballet as "simple but beautiful," and recalls learning the work from original dancer Christine Redpath, among other memorable coaches. (1:12:53)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
MUSIC: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Aria with Variations in G, BWV 988 (1742), "The Goldberg Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach All music performed by New York City Ballet Solo Pianist Susan Walters
Quotations from the writings of Lincoln Kirstein are © 2019 by the New York Public Library (Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations)
Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir Edited and with Commentary by Amanda Vaill Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven by John Eliot Gardiner Bach’s Musical Universe: The Composer and His Work by Christoph Wolff Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein’s The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds, with an Introduction by Lincoln Kirstein
Hear the Dance host Silas Farley returns for a deep-dive discussion with former Principal Dancer Merrill Ashley and Repertory Director Glenn Keenan on George Balanchine's Ballade, a ballet returning to the NYCB stage after a hiatus of more than 20 years. Keenan shares that when she was a student at the School of American Ballet, Ashley's "humongous care and attention" as a teacher helped shape her approach to her current role, and that watching Ashley in the studio today has been both helpful and inspiring. Ashley recalls the surprise of learning that Balanchine had chosen to make this first work post-heart surgery on her; as he told her then, Ballade is "like skating," though she describes it as one of the most challenging ballets she ever performed. (1:02:43)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Ballade for piano and orchestra, Op. 19 (1881) by Gabriel Fauré Music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra with NYCB Solo Pianist Elaine Chelton, conducted by Hugo Fiorato
Reading List: Dancing For Balanchine by Merrill Ashley Mr B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans Gabriel Fauré: A Musical Life by Jean-Michel Nectoux, Translated by Roger Nichols Dancing Across the Atlantic: USA – Denmark, 1900-2014 by Erik Aschengreen and Grete Hvam
A brand-new season of City Ballet The Podcast launches today with a fresh New Combinations conversation between Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan and Resident Choreographer Justin Peck. Commissioned by Miami City Ballet a decade ago, Peck is in the midst of rehearsing his Heatscape for its NYCB stage debut, with the help of original dancers and coaches Michael Sean Breeden, Patricia Delgado, and Jeannette Delgado. He shares what drew him to Bohuslav Martinů's Piano Concerto No. 1, a piece that both references earlier works and prefigures musical changes to come—an interesting parallel to Peck's Miami-inspired choreography and collaboration with artist Shepard Fairey on the ballet's scintillating backdrop. (37:09)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
As we shift gears to prepare for the upcoming season, Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan take a moment to reflect on our just-concluded 76th year, from two strikingly unique and unforgettable world premieres—from Resident Choreographer Justin Peck and Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky—to the return of cherished repertory works, the invaluable presence of coaches Suzanne Farrell and Merrill Ashley in the rehearsal studios, and much, much more. They celebrate the freedom and boldness the company displayed in notable debuts, well-earned promotions, and bittersweet retirements, and look forward to the new works and multi-faceted performances on the horizon. (39:52)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by by Igor Stravinsky Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (1875) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Join us around the Rosin Box for our annual listener-contributed "Ask the Dancers" episode. Our intrepid hosts Claire and Aarón and special guest Corps de Ballet Member Lars Nelson answer your questions about rehearsal wear, dancing with Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, remembering steps, and more—including, "Explain dogs at New York City Ballet." (39:06)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Hosts Claire and Aarón are back at the Rosin Box, joined this week by Principal Dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia to talk about the relationship between choreographer and dancer in the creation of new works—especially in the case of Tiler's Concerto for Two Pianos from 2024, which featured Roman. As they share, the process is like a conversation between artists on both sides of the studio and relies heavily on trust. Tiler highlights the necessary balance between celebrating individual dancers' strengths with making a timeless work, while Roman describes feeling deeply invested in the success of her ballet's premiere. (34:11)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
The Rosin Box is back with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz delivering insiders' insights into the lives and times of today's NYCB dancers. This week they're joined by Principal Dancer Megan Fairchild, who will be retiring next spring, and Corps de Ballet Member Dominika Afanasenkov, who joined the company just over two years ago. They share what it's like to take center stage, from the nerves and coaching that accompanied their earliest lead roles to taking on a "diva" persona—and the one word that marked a turning point for Megan. (37:47)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is back for another exciting New Combinations conversation. This week, she's joined by choreographer Kyle Abraham, whose When We Fell makes its onstage debut this spring after premiering as a dance film in 2021. Abraham shares how this fourth work for NYCB represents both the culmination of relationships he's built with company artists over the years, as well as a departure, in that the score is four minimal, "poetic" piano pieces that encourage a "focused eye." As he shares, part of what makes working with NYCB so special is the opportunity to take risks. (33:37)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Music Director Andrew Litton invites us to See the Music in this enlightening introduction to the score for George Balanchine's 1972 ballet, Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée.' With superlative accompaniment from Solo Pianist Elaine Chelton, Litton demonstrates the many ways in which Igor Stravinsky's "homage to Tschaikovsky" took inspiration from 16 different piano pieces by the legendary composer to weave an undeniably Stravinskian—and danceable, in Balanchine's word—orchestral suite. (11:42):
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky Le Baiser de la Fée (1928) by Igor Stravinsky Le Baiser de la Fée performed by Elaine Chelton
Silas Farley returns with another Hear the Dance conversation, focusing this week on the George Balanchine pas de deux Sonatine, choreographed in 1975 as the opening ballet for the company's Ravel Festival. Repertory Director Christine Redpath shares memories of performing in that festival and of watching Sonatine's original dancers Violette Verdy and the late Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, commemorated in this episode by former Principal Dancer Peter Boal, while Principal Dancer Megan Fairchild describes the ways in which this ballet taught her that a single piece can have "many textures." (56:31)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Sonatine for Piano (1905) by Maurice Ravel All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra, All Sonatine excerpts played by NYCB Solo Pianist Elaine Chelton
Reading List: Thirty Years: The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein Repertory in Review: Forty Years of The New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds, with an Introduction by Lincoln Kirstein Balanchine Then and Now Edited by Anne Hogan Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans Ravel by Roger Nichols Maurice Ravel: A Life by Benjamin Ivry The Cambridge Companion to Ravel by Deborah Mawer Ballerina: A Biography of Violette Verdy by Victoria Huckenpahler Violette Verdy by Dominique Delouche and Florence Poudrou
In this second part of our Hear the Dance journey into Jerome Robbins' A Suite of Dances, Cellist Hannah Holman joins host Silas Farley to provide a deep-dive introduction to the Bach Cello Suites that provide the ballet's exquisite score. As Holman explains, the music is a seminal work for every cellist, with complex challenges and varied delights throughout—all of which are complicated and enriched when performed onstage with the work's solo dancer. (42:48)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky 6 Suites for Solo Cello: Prelude & Gigue from Suite 1 in G major, BMV 1007 Sarabande from Suite V in C minor, BMV 1011 Prelude from VI in D major, BMV 1012 by Johann Sebastian Bach Symphony No.4 in E Minor, op.98 (I. Allegro non troppo, II.Andante moderato, III. Allegro giocoso, IV. Allegro energico e passionato) by Johann Sebastian Bach All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma and Herbert von Karajan
Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, By Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir Edited and with Commentary by Amanda Vaill Misha: The Mikhail Baryshnikov Story by Barbara Aria Illusions of Camelot: A Memoir by Peter Boal Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven by John Eliot Gardiner
This week, Hear the Dance host Silas Farley leads us on a wide-ranging exploration of Jerome Robbins' 1994 ballet A Suite of Dances. First, he's joined by Repertory Director Jean-Pierre Frohlich, who coaches the work; Principal Dancer Daniel Ulbricht, who initially learned the tour-de-force role in 2019; and former Principal Dancer Peter Boal, who worked with Robbins on the development of the ballet. They walk through the creation and performance of the four movements, highlighting the ways in which A Suite of Dances teaches the performer about themselves—particularly as they grow with and age alongside the piece. (1:05:11)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky 6 Suites for Solo Cello: Prelude & Gigue from Suite 1 in G major, BMV 1007 Sarabande from Suite V in C minor, BMV 1011 Prelude from VI in D major, BMV 1012 by Johann Sebastian Bach All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, By Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir Edited and with Commentary by Amanda Vaill Misha: The Mikhail Baryshnikov Story by Barbara Aria Illusions of Camelot: A Memoir by Peter Boal Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven by John Eliot Gardiner
This week around the Rosin Box, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are talking about students on stage, with the help of two dancers at either end of that journey: 12-year-old (soon to be 13!) Theo Rochios, a current student at the School of American Ballet, and Soloist Harrison Coll, who is a substitute teacher at SAB. They share some of the challenges, thrills, and lessons dancers take on while at the School, and trade stories about the ultimate students-on-stage ballet: George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®. (1:05:11)
Edited by Gus Reed
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
The chat around the Rosin Box this week is all about dance in pop culture, with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz joined by Corps de Ballet Members Naomi Corti and Grace Scheffel. From Center Stage and web series like city.ballet and Strictly Ballet—featuring, among others, NYCB's own Mimi Staker and Alec Knight—to memoirs by legends like Margot Fonteyn, the dancers share the media that inspired their earliest interest in the art form, as well as all the pop moments they've enjoyed (and critiqued) since joining the company, like the "ballet core" fashion trend and the thing the movies most often get wrong (hint: it's all about the bun). (48:11)
Edited by Gus Reed
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
We're back at the Rosin Box for another candid conversation with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz. This week, they're joined by Corps de Ballet Member and budding choreographer Laine Habony to talk about NYCB's First Steps program. This singular initiative gives current company dancers the opportunity to create new works on their peers, providing a professional cast and environment for first-time or early-career dancemakers. As Laine shares, this eye-opening experience provided both an education in what it takes to move to the front of the room and the validation that accompanies seeing the steps she'd envisioned come to life. (43:04)
Edited by Gus Reed
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is back with another intimate New Combinations conversation, joined this week by Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky. They discuss the origins—both within history and in Ratmansky's own career—of the Petipa ballet Paquita, excerpts of which provide the foundations for his newest ballet for the company. Ratmansky explains his use of Balanchine's Minkus Pas de Trois in revisiting this "feast of classical dancing," and the ways in which his work brings extensive research into conversation with the vocabulary of today's dancers. (30:45)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co.
Hear the Dance host Silas Farley is joined by Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan and former Soloists Repertory Director Jean-Pierre Frohlich and Repetiteur Diana White for a conversation about Jerome Robbins' The Cage. From its "empowering" choreography to the manners in which the relationship between the Mother and the Novice mimic that of senior and newer members of the company, they describe the unique qualities of this ballet beloved by dancers and audiences alike. (59:01
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto in D for String Orchestra, "Basler" (1946) by Igor Stravinsky Performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List: 1. Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill 2. Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir by Jerome Robbins, Edited by Amanda Vaill 3. Jerome Robbins: A Life in Dance by Wendy Lesser 4. Stravinsky: A Creative Spring: Russia and France, 1882-1934 by Stephen Walsh 5. Stravinsky: The Second Exile, France and America, 1934-1971 by Stephen Walsh 6. The Stravinsky Festival of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Goldner
In this episode of New Combinations, host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Resident Choreographer Justin Peck in the lead-up to the world premiere of his latest work for the company, Mystic Familiar. Peck shares the thematic underpinnings of this "younger brother" to his 2017 ballet The Times Are Racing, which brings together many of the same artists as that earlier work. They discuss the ways in which Mystic Familiar celebrates the dancers' communal energy in an anthem-like The Four Temperaments for the 21st Century. (35:23)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
City Ballet The Podcast returns with a new Hear the Dance episode exploring George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco. Host Silas Farley is joined by three former NYCB dancers whose engagement with this foundational ballet continues today: SAB Senior Faculty Chair Suki Schorer, Balanchine Repetiteur Victoria Simon, and SAB Faculty Member Meagan Mann. Together they trace the highlights and unique demands of Barocco's four distinct movements, describing how the apparent simplicity of the ballet demands plenty of hard work and helps build community amongst the dancers. (1:00:28)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, B.W.V. 1043 by Johann Sebastian Bach Performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra Kurt Nikkanen and Arturo Delmoni, Violin Soloists Aria with Variations in G, BWV 988 (1742), "The Goldberg Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach Performed by Susan Walters, Pianist
Reading List: 1. Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds, with an Introduction by Lincoln Kirstein 2. Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein’s The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein 3. Balanchine and Kirstein’s American Enterprise by James Steichen 4. Suki Schorer on Balanchine Technique by Suki Schorer and Russell Lee 5. Balanchine Pointework by Suki Schorer 6. Balanchine Then and Now Edited by Ann Hogan 7. Balanchine’s Ballerinas: Conversations with the Muses by Robert Tracy with Sharon DeLano 8. Balanchine the Teacher: Fundamentals That Shaped the First Generation of New York City Ballet Dancers by Barbara Walczak and Una Kai 9. Balanchine Variations by Nancy Goldner 10. Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven by John Eliot Gardiner
Claire and Aarón are joined at The Rosin Box this week by Sandra Jennings, a former NYCB dancer who is now a repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust, for a conversation about staging ballets on current performers. As Sandra shares, she travels the world to coach companies of various ballet backgrounds in Mr. B's works, acting as a bridge between the choreographer's vision and the artists of today; as she explains, these ballets are "living, breathing works of art" that are brought to life by the individual dancers. (59:26)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz take the podcast from The Rosin Box to the barre for a conversation about company class, joined by Corps de Ballet Member Christina Clark and former NYCB dancer and current class teacher Amanda Edge. They talk all things real estate, fashion, and Destiny's Child vs. Ludwig Minkus, highlighting the importance of this daily ritual for building a sense of community as well as personal growth. (53:40)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
The Rosin Box returns! Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are back with another candid conversation, joined this time by Principal Dancer Unity Phelan and Corps de Ballet Member Naomi Corti. They break down some of the most common myths about ballet and Company culture, from whether performers are like the characters in Black Swan to the pros and cons of dating other dancers, and what the perfect "ballerina pedicure" entails. (49:12)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is back for a New Combinations conversation with Caili Quan, one of three women choreographers whose ballets make up this year's Fall Fashion Gala program. They discuss Quan's path from studying dance while growing up on Guam to moving to New York City and performing with BalletX for eight seasons, and her transition to full-time choreography. Quan shares the ways her culture, family, and sense of home emerge within the work and contribute to the "warmth, grace, and generosity of spirit" Whelan felt when watching Quan in the studio.
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
This week, host Silas Farley is back for another fascinating Hear the Dance conversation exploring Everywhere We Go. Silas is joined by Resident Choreographer Justin Peck and former Company Member Gretchen Smith, who met when they were barely teenagers dancing at the San Francisco Ballet School and collaborated several times over the ensuing years. Justin describes his development as a dance maker leading up the 2014 premiere, as well as his unique creative partnership with composer Sufjan Stevens, while Gretchen shares how dancing the ballet is "sheer joy." (57:19)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Everywhere We Go (2014) by Sufjan Stevens All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List: The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet Edited by Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel and Jill Nunes-Jensen Illinoise Broadway Musical: An In-Depth Review and Guide to the Illinois Theatre Play of Sufjan Stevens and Justin Peck Unveiling the Cast, Profile of Creators, Production Journey, Behind the Scenes, and Impact of the Show by Naomi Jeffrey Marcel Dzama: The Book of Ballet by Marel Dzama, Justin Peck, and Hans Christian Andersen Words Without Music: A Memoir by Philip Glass
This week's episode of City Ballet The Podcast is a previously recorded See the Music presentation hosted by NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton. Accompanied by the Orchestra and Solo Pianist Susan Walters, Maestro Litton describes why Tschaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2—the score for the Balanchine ballet of the same name—is less frequently performed than his first, despite being beloved by soloists and rich with beautifully romantic flourishes. Balanchine considered Tschaikovsky a "soulmate," a feeling borne out by his ability to make the composer's slightly less-genius works great with his choreography. (15:57)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky Piano Concerto No. 2 in G, Op. 44 (1879-80) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
City Ballet The Podcast returns just in time for the upcoming 24-25 Season. Hear the Dance host Silas Farley is joined by legendary former Principal Dancer and current School of American Ballet faculty member Kay Mazzo and Principal Dancer Anthony Huxley to discuss George Balanchine's Duo Concertant, one of the new works to premiere during the 1972 Stravinsky Festival. Mazzo shares her memories of the speed with which Balanchine choreographed each of the four movements, and commiserates with Huxley on the many unique challenges the ballet presents, including interacting with the piano and violin that share the stage—a "commentary on the festival itself," in Farley's words, as it honored Stravinsky's music and his importance to the Company. (48:57)
Written by Silas Farley
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List: Stravinsky and Balanchine: A Journey of Invention by Charles M. Joseph Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans Stravinsky’s Ballets by Charles M. Joseph Stravinsky Inside Out by Charles M. Joseph An Autobiography by Igor Stravinsky Stravinsky: A Creative Spring: Russia and France, 1882-1934 by Stephen Walsh Stravinsky: The Second Exile: France and America, 1934-1971 by Stephen Walsh Stravinsky: Chronicle of a Friendship by Robert Craft Stravinsky: Discoveries and Memories by Robert Craft The Stravinsky Festival of The New York City Ballet by Nancy Goldner Balanchine’s Ballerinas: Conversations with the Muses by Robert Tracy Balanchine Variations by Nancy Goldner
As the Company concludes a Diamond Anniversary season absolutely bursting with repertory favorites, new restorations, world premieres, and successful tour stops around the world, Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan talk about what went into planning and presenting the year's many achievements. From triumphant debuts to the return of dancers featured in NYCB's original opening night 75 years ago, and a number of significant firsts on the Company's stage—including the first new work from Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, the first Black Dewdrops in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®, and the first non-binary pas de deux in Justin Peck's The Times Are Racing—they had much to celebrate, all while looking toward NYCB's, and the artform's, ever-expanding future. (40:43)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (1875) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
One of our favorite episodes of The Rosin Box has arrived: this season's Ask the Dancer! Hosts Claire and Aarón are joined by Corps de Ballet Member India Bradley to answer your questions and dish about everything dance life, from what's in her dance bag to the ballet that "woke her up" to the possibilities of ballet, which are her favorite costumes and how she likes to prepare for a performance, and beyond. (46:11)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week, hosts Claire and Aarón are joined at The Rosin Box by Soloist Megan LeCrone who gets real about what happens when things do not go as planned onstage. As they all agree, a certain degree of unpredictability is unavoidable in a live performance art like ballet; knowing how to pivot and when to let go after the fact is essential for any dancer. Megan shares her own experiences with a malfunctioning backdrop in one case and a missed count in another, and what it's like to face the challenges—and thrive—in a "rite of passage" show. (53:30)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week, The Rosin Box makes its star-studded season debut with an episode all about NYCB galas. Listen in on live coverage from the most recent red carpet with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz, and a post-fête conversation with Corps de Ballet Member and style maven Olivia Boisson. They'll discuss all the glitz and glamour and give helpful tips for thriving at these thrilling, twice-a-year events—including making the transition from pointe shoes to sky-high heels. (39:31)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week, Associate Music Director Andrews Sill invites us to See the Music of Igor Stravinsky's Scènes de Ballet, the eponymous score for Christopher Wheeldon's 1999 work. Sill relates that the piece was composed in 1944 for Broadway impresario Billy Rose, and drew inspiration from both world events and a variety of creative sources—including the ballet Giselle—as with so many of Stravinsky's singular compositions. (12:49)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky Scènes de Ballet (1944) by Igor Stravinsky, Performed by Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Who Cares?: The Man I Love (1924) by George Gershwin, Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Scènes de Ballet (1944) by Igor Stravinsky, Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra
New Combinations host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Principal Dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia, the performers of the latest world premiere work created on the Company: Resident Choreographer Justin Peck's Dig the Say. Roman shares the way in which the ballet was tailor made for the two dancers, in the mode of a "modern day Tarantella," in Tiler's words, that capitalizes on their history of partnering in some of the most challenging works in the repertory. Imbued with a sense of competition yet always playful and fun, they both relish Peck's invitation to contribute to the ballet's shape, invigorated by the live jazz score. (45:18)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
This week, NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton leads us on a promenade through the Modest Mussorgsky score to Alexei Ratmansky's 2014 ballet Pictures at an Exhibition. Beginning with a little background on the composer's short but complicated life, colored by contemporary critiques of his "disregard" for musical conventions, Litton is joined by Piano Soloist Stephen Gosling as he demonstrates the ways in which Mussorgsky captured the subjects of a beloved artists' paintings in remarkably challenging piano pieces. (23:31)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) by Modest Mussorgsky
This week, Hear the Dance host Silas Farley is joined by three dancers who know William Forsythe's 1992 ballet Herman Schmerman well: Original cast members Jeffrey Edwards and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, and current interpreter Tiler Peck. Edwards and Whelan recall the unique physical and artistic challenges Forsythe's choreography posed, particularly as he called for improvisation and constant change in the studio—sometimes up until the dancers hit the stage. For Peck, Forsythe is as essential a creator as a mentor, particularly as her own career as a choreographer takes off. (59:13)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Behind the China Dogs (1988) by Leslie Stuck The Four Sections (1987) by Steve Reich Just Ducky (1992) by Thom Willems 200 Press (2014) by James Blake
Reading List: William Forsythe and the Practice of Choreography: It Starts From Any Pointe Edited by Steven Spier William Forsythe Edited by Senta Driver The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet Edited by Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel and Jill Nunes Jensen
As we prepare for opening night of Spring performances, Associate Artistic Director and New Combinations host Wendy Whelan catches up with sought-after choreographer Amy Hall Garner between rehearsals for her first commission for NYCB, premiering in just over a week. Garner shares the long, dance-rich journey—including summer sessions at the School of American Ballet, studying modern, tap, and jazz, and performing on Broadway—that led to this moment in her dance-making career. "I love being in the studio," she says of the creative process. "I think that's a sacred space." (40:04)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
City Ballet The Podcast is back! In the lead up to the return of two of Pam Tanowitz's ballets to the stage this spring—Gustave le Gray No. 1, from 2019, and Law of Mosaics, which premiered in 2022—Former Principal Dancer Russell Janzen and current Soloist Miriam Miller join Hear the Dance host Silas Farley to discuss working with the singular choreographer. As both dancers describe, Tanowitz's unique approach to ballet and generosity in the studio make familiar steps new, freeing the performers to challenge themselves and discover new aspects of their own artistry. (1:14:37)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Reading List: Reality Hunger: A Manifesto by David Shields Béla Bartók by David Cooper The Prickly Rose: A Biography of Viola Farber by Jeff Slayton Merce Cunningham by Roger Copeland Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Law of Mosaics (2012) by Ted Hearne All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
This week at The Rosin Box, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are joined by NYCB dancers and "real-life" couple Emily Kikta and Peter Walker to talk about partnering—onstage and off. Peter and Aarón share their memories of learning from legendary former Principal Dancer Jock Soto, who taught partnering at the School of American Ballet when they were students, while Claire and Emily reflect on the ways in which pas de deux challenge their stamina while offering opportunities to take risks. The most important element for a successful partnership, they all agree, is simple, if not always easy: communication. (56:23)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are back at The Rosin Box, joined by Corps de Ballet Member and Get Golden founder Jenelle Manzi. Jenelle describes her journey to the stage and how struggles with injuries and food allergies inspired her to start crafting her own anti-inflammatory recipes. As she shares, a stray comment from a colleague on the tour bus to the Kennedy Center sparked the formation of her business, which she runs alongside performing full-time with the Company. (40:49)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
The Rosin Box returns for another round of candid conversations with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz. This week, they're joined by NYCB Director of Costumes Marc Happel to talk all things tutus and beyond. Happel shares his journey to the Company's storied costume shop, where decades ago Co-Founder George Balanchine collaborated with Barbara Karinska on the innovative powderpuff tutu, and artisans fit and craft costumes for today's dancers under Happel's direction. (43:32)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
In this week's See the Music episode, we revisit a 2013 live presentation with host and Associate Music Director Andrews Sill, exploring Igor Stravinsky's 1945 composition Symphony in Three Movements, the score for the George Balanchine ballet of the same name. With help from the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Maestro Sill highlights the musical "nuts and bolts" of this galvanizing piece, and outlines some of the cinematic and real-world inspirations for its taut construction and powerful impact. (14:39)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra
Silas Farley is back with another deep dive into the Company's repertory in this week's Hear the Dance episode, devoted to George Balanchine's Liebeslieder Walzer. Farley is joined by former Principal Dancers Bart Cook and Maria Calegari, who share their memories of watching the ballet's iconic interpreters in its initial incarnations; learning individual parts within the challenging but "sublime" work; and coaching Liebeslieder in its entirety. As they describe, the ballet was like a "gift from Europe," for which many dancers have needed to learn the waltz anew—in the countless three-quarter versions Balanchine devised. (57:03)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Liebeslieder, Op. 52 (1869) by Johannes Brahms Neue Liebeslieder, Op. 65 (1874) by Johannes Brahms Waltzes for piano duet and vocal quartet, all set to poems by Friedrich Daumer, except last, by Goethe All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List: Balanchine Then and Now Edited by Anne Hogan Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans Balanchine: A Biography by Bernard Taper George Balanchine: Ballet Master by Richard Buckle in Collaboration with John Taras Following Balanchine by Robert Garis More Balanchine Variations by Nancy Goldner Johannes Brahms: A Biography by Jan Swafford Brahms and His Poets: A Handbook by Natasha Loges Ballerina: A Biography of Violette Verdy by Victoria Huckenpahler Balanchine’s Ballerinas: Conversations with the Muses by Robert Tracy and Sharon DeLano Goethe: Life as a Work of Art by Rüdiger Safranski, Translated by David Dollenmayer Costumes by Karinska by Toni Bentley
In the latest New Combinations episode, Associate Artistic Director and host Wendy Whelan chats with Principal Dancer Tiler Peck about memories from their time dancing together and Tiler's upcoming choreographic debut with the Company. Tiler describes how her internal sense of musicality drives her choreographic practice as much as her work as a performer, and shares that this commission from New York City Ballet came at exactly the right time—the dancers' happiness and enthusiasm in the studio were "exactly what she needed." (37:56)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
City Ballet The Podcast launches this season with a new Hear the Dance conversation, guest hosted by Silas Farley, who is joined by three generations of dancers who are well acquainted with Jerome Robbins' In the Night. Former Principal Dancer Kay Mazzo originated the lead role in the ballet's first movement, about "young love"; Repertory Director Christine Redpath took over coaching the ballet from colleague Victor Castelli; and Principal Dancer Unity Phelan is performing the lead role in the tempestuous third movement. As they discuss, In the Night's power resides in its effective representation of human relationships and what the choreography reveals of its dancers' inner lives; in Unity's words, "You get to really be yourself—to dig down inside yourself and find something you didn't know you had." (46:54)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Nocturne Opus 27, No. 1 (1835); Nocturnes Opus 55, No. 1 and No. 2 (1843); Nocturne Opus 9, No. 2 (1830-1831) for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir by Jerome Robbins, Edited by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins: A Life in Dance by Wendy Lesser Fryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times by Alan Walker Ballerina: A Biography of Violette Verdy by Victoria Huckenpahler Far from Denmark by Peter Martins
This week, Soloist Sara Adams joins hosts Claire Kretzschmar and fellow Soloist Aarón Sanz at The Rosin Box to talk pointe shoes, from the first dancer to popularize dancing en pointe to all the sewing, banging, and prepping required to get this iconic footwear ready for a performance. Sara discusses her own history with pointe shoes and shares an array of tips and tricks, revealing just how often she changes to a fresh pair during a run of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®. (46:37)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Join us this week for another conversation around The Rosin Box with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz, who are joined by Senior Manager of School Programs Colleen Megley and Corps de Ballet Member Kristen Segin. They talk about the Company's many educational and public program offerings, from Family Saturdays and Student Matinee performances to Access Programs and adult-friendly Workshop Weekends—the last of which Segin lovingly describes as "dance camp" for grown-ups. As Colleen shares, educational programming and outreach to the city's citizens were priorities for Co-Founder George Balanchine, and have been offered by NYCB since as early as 1961—and the benefits are as rich for Company members as the many participants. (47:01)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Join us for another round of cozy conversations at The Rosin Box, beginning with Associate Music Director Andrews Sill. Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz chat with Sill about how he came to this role with NYCB, why he prefers conducting for the ballet over symphonic performances, and which Balanchine work made him fall in love with the art form. With preparations for the return of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker® under way, Sill shares how he keeps familiar music fresh—and that despite 14 years wielding the baton for the Company, he's still moved by many productions. (50:57)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week, the two-part conversation between Hear the Dance host Silas Farley and dance historian Jennifer Homans continues. They discuss Lincoln Kirstein’s essential role as a collaborator with Balanchine, the creation of Serenade, and some of the key personal and artistic moments in the ongoing history of the New York City Ballet. Homans traces the development of the Company’s ethos through the individual dancers’ devotion to Balanchine's vision and to the art form; Balanchine’s presence, she describes, was an irresistible force. (1:31:11)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Gus Reed
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48 (1880) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky Firebird Suite for Orchestra (1945), from Firebird (1910) by Igor Stravinsky Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet Orpheus (1947) by Igor Stravinsky Accompaniment to a Film-Scene, Op.34 (1930) by Arnold Schoenberg Agon (1953-56) by Igor Stravinsky Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, B.W.V. 1043 (1731) by Johann Sebastian Bach Two Part Invention In A minor, B.W.V. 784 (1723) by Johann Sebastian Bach Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 (1893) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Reading List: Balanchine: A Biography by Bernard Taper George Balanchine: Ballet Master by Richard Buckle in Collaboration with John Taras Balanchine and the Lost Muse: Revolution and the Making of a Choreographer by Elizabeth Kendall George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker by Robert Gottlieb Balletmaster: A Dancer’s Vision of George Balanchine by Moira Shearer By With To & From: A Lincoln Kirstein Reader by Lincoln Kirstein, Edited by Nicholas Jenkins Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein by Martin Duberman Split Seconds: A Remembrance by Tamara Geva Zorina by Vera Zorina Choura: The Memoirs of Alexandra Danilova by Alezandra Danilova Maria Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina by Maria Tallchief with Larry Kaplan Dancing Past the Light: The Biography of Tanaquil Le Clercq by Orel Protopopescu Stravinsky and Balanchine: A Journey of Invention by Charles M. Joseph Balanchine and Kirstein's American Enterprise by James Steichen
In this first part of a special Hear the Dance episode, host and former NYCB Dancer Silas Farley is joined by dance scholar Jennifer Homans to discuss her recently published biography, "Mr. B: George Balanchine's 20th Century.” Homans describes how her own background as a dancer—including as a student at the School of American Ballet in the 1970s—and a return to Balanchine’s works while facing personal loss inspired her lasting interest in the Company’s founding choreographer. Farley and Homans dig into Balanchine’s Georgian upbringing, the way the hardship and uncertainty of his years in Russia and France shaped his vocabulary, and the spirituality that infuses both his approach to the creative process and to the ballets he choreographed themselves. (1:03:58)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Gus Reed
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List: Balanchine: A Biography by Bernard Taper George Balanchine: Ballet Master by Richard Buckle in Collaboration with John Taras Balanchine and the Lost Muse: Revolution and the Making of a Choreographer by Elizabeth Kendall George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker by Robert Gottlieb Balletmaster: A Dancer’s Vision of George Balanchine by Moira Shearer By With To & From: A Lincoln Kirstein Reader by Lincoln Kirstein, Edited by Nicholas Jenkins Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans
In this week’s See the Music episode, Associate Music Director Andrews Sill provides a taste of history and context for Tschaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, the score of the first ballet George Balanchine choreographed in the United States. Sill discusses the way the composition’s symmetries represent an homage to Mozart, and how Tschaikovsky marries "classical forms, folk tunes, and extroverted romantic expression” in the piece, which, combined with Balanchine’s choreography, resulted in the iconic ballet beloved by audiences, dancers, and musicians today. (13:14)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky. Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48 (1880) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra
This week’s episode is a special Hear the Dance reunion: former NYCB Dancer Silas Farley hosts a wide-ranging conversation between legendary former Principal Dancer Merrill Ashley and current Principal Dancer Tiler Peck on George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2. As Peck shares, her first exposure to this daunting lead role was in a coaching session with Ashley, long before it became a mainstay in her repertory. Ashley describes the thrilling challenge of taking it on as a new-to-the-Company corps member, when the work was still referred to as Ballet Imperial, and the manner in which the ballet requires both stamina and style: “…the spirit is there. You’re the princess, the queen, and everyone else is your court.” (1:00:38)
Written by Silas Farley Edited by Gus Reed
READING LIST: Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky by Solomon Volkov Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans Dancing for Balanchine by Merrill Ashley Tchaikovsky: A Biography by Anthony Holden
MUSIC: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Piano Concerto No. 2 in G, Op. 44 (1879-80) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 75 (1892) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
New York City Ballet’s Music Director Andrew Litton returns to host this week’s See The Music episode, devoted to Igor Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, the score for the Rubies section of George Balanchine’s Jewels. Litton describes the captivating details of this composition from 1929, a prime example of the uniquely symbiotic relationship between Balanchine and Stravinsky, with a little help from Solo Pianist Stephen Gosling, who demonstrates some of the most challenging excerpts of the piece. (21:29)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky Rubies: Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) Igor Stravinsky
City Ballet The Podcast returns in the run-up to our 75th Anniversary Season, which begins by celebrating The Foundation of the Company. Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan checks in with Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, who has been in the studios for three weeks, leading company class and observing as the dancers prepare for a Fall devoted to the works of George Balanchine. As he shares, “I’m learning as much as I’m teaching… Balanchine ballets give you different information in the different phases of your life." (36:11)
Edited by Gus Reed
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
This week, City Ballet The Podcast wraps up the 22-23 Season with Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, who celebrate a year of discovery, change, and renewal. Highlights include a powerful corps de ballet, shaped in part through the growing culture of mentorship throughout the Company; Justin Peck’s momentous new work, Copland Dance Episodes; the return to international tours, including a wildly successful visit to Spain; and more. With performances beginning in just over three months, Stafford and Whelan share what they are most looking forward to in the coming 75th Anniversary year. (23:05)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48 (1880) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
It’s time for the annual Ask the Dancers episode of The Rosin Box! Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are joined by Corps de Ballet Member Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara to dig into questions submitted by listeners, from strategies for learning new choreography to secrets for staying motivated all season long. Listen in to find out what it’s like to work alongside dancers who’ve known each other since childhood and which step Meaghan describes as “delicious.” (54:07)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week, Soloist Olivia MacKinnon joins Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz at The Rosin Box to talk all things social media. Olivia shares how time away from the stage during the pandemic inspired her to pursue an amped up presence on Instagram, and the group discusses the importance of taking everything on social media with a grain of salt, while embracing the possibilities for new connections and opportunities. (37:19)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Aarón Sanz is back from NYCB’s first tour in Madrid to join fellow host Claire Kretzschmar and guest Sean Suozzi for a chat around The Rosin Box. Suozzi, a former Soloist with Company, shares how his focus shifted to filmmaking, from his role as an Executive Producer on the 2010 film NY Export: Opus Jazz to his recent projects as a director, including 2019’s Sleeping Beauty trailer. He describes the creative process behind latest directorial effort for NYCB, the 75th Anniversary film, which will premiere this August. (47:23)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week’s episode features a special live presentation of See the Music, hosted by Associate Music Director Andrews Sill and Resident Conductor Clotilde Otranto. With a little help from the New York City Ballet Orchestra, they explore the combination of old and new, romantic and acrobatic in Igor Stravinsky’s commissioned score for George Balanchine’s Agon. As Otranto notes, Agon displays Stravinsky’s creativity in “full bloom.” (10:39)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky Agon (1953-56) by Igor Stravinsky All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra
Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is back with another New Combinations episode, chatting with long-time friend, former ballet partner, and Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. He describes his journey from Royal Ballet dancer to New York City Ballet to Broadway and back again, with first new work for the Company in six years premiering on May 4. As Wheeldon shares, the “turbulent beauty” of artist Kylie Manning’s work was a major inspiration in the studio as he wrestled with the Schoenberg score; their collaboration, along with that of the dancers, helped bring From You Within Me to the stage. (43:24)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Our special two-part episode of Hear the Dance continues with former Principal Dancers Allegra Kent and Jared Angle exploring Kent’s career at New York City Ballet, zeroing in on two key roles: the Sleepwalker in La Sonnambula, and the lead in Agon. Kent shares that she was coached extensively by Balanchine for La Sonnambula—the first ballet Kent saw onstage, and immediately fell in love with—but perhaps learned most from an impromptu session with originating dancer Alexandra Danilova at a bus stop. Beginning as an understudy for Principal Dancer Diana Adams, Kent performed Agon, which she describes as “astonishing,” with Arthur Mitchell and other partners for many years. (41:47)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Agon (1953-56) by Igor Stravinsky Based on themes from operas by Vincenzo Bellini, including La Sonnambula, Il Puritani, Norma and I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830-1835) by Vittorio Rieti The Unanswered Question (1908) by Charles Ives Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
In part one of this week’s special Hear the Dance episode, legendary former Principal Dancer Allegra Kent joins host and fellow former Principal Jared Angle to discuss her beginnings as a dancer. From joining Bronislava Najinska's intermediate class full of GIs fresh from World War II at the age of 11, to entering the School of American Ballet at 14, to premiering in the corps of Symphony in C as an apprentice a year later, Kent describes the whirlwind of her early years with the Company—capped off with the first featured role created for her: that of the lead in Balanchine’s The Unanswered Question from Ivesiana. (40:37)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Agon (1953-56) by Igor Stravinsky Based on themes from operas by Vincenzo Bellini, including La Sonnambula, Il Puritani, Norma and I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830-1835) by Vittorio Rieti The Unanswered Question (1908) by Charles Ives Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is back with another intimate and insightful New Combinations conversation. Choreographer Alysa Pires joins Wendy between rehearsals for her first NYCB stage commission, discussing her childhood and training in Canada, the uniquely collaborative relationship she has developed with composer Jack Frerer, and the challenges—and rewards—of balancing motherhood and her artistic career. Alysa says of her time with the Company so far that she is like the coloring book; "the way that that’s colored in, maybe going outside the lines here and there, is really up to the dancers.” (45:48)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
For the latest See the Music episode, host and Associate Music Director Andrews Sill do-si-dos with George Balanchine’s Square Dance. Sills demonstrates with recordings of traditional square dance calls and excerpts from the Vivaldi and Corelli score the ways in which the fiddlers of the former connect with the solo violins of the latter, and how this 1957 ballet contributed to the choreographer’s efforts to build a trusting American audience for the classical art form. (15:14)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky. Square Dance (1969) by Al Brundage Concerto Grosso in B Minor, op. 3, no. 10; Concerto Grosso in E Major, op. 3, no. 12 [first movement] by Antonio Vivaldi. Badinerie and Giga from Sarabanda, Badinerie, and Giga by Arcangelo Corelli. Performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra. Sarabanda, Giga e Badinerie (Suite for String Orchestra) by Ettore Pinelli (after Corelli). Performed by Zagrebački Solisti. Concerto in B minor, RV 580 by Antonio Vivaldi. Performed by I Solisti Italiani.
Host Jared Angle returns for this season’s first Hear the Dance episode, focusing on 1978’s Kammermusik No. 2. Jared is joined by Soloist Daniel Applebaum and Corps de Ballet Member Lars Nelson to discuss the only Balanchine work with an all-male corps and the communal feeling they share when performing this challenging ballet. They describe the ways in which certain hieroglyphic moments give them the sense of being a vessel for a larger, “inhuman" architecture in what originating dancers referred to as Mr. B’s "Star Wars” ballet, premiering a year after the sci-fi classic. (33:32)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Kammermusik No. 2 (1924) by Paul Hindemith All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
This week, The Rosin Box host Claire Kretzschmar talks with Principal Dancers Megan Fairchild and Isabella LaFreniere about promotions within the Company and their experiences moving up the ranks. Megan shares the struggles she faced after being promoted to principal less than five years after joining as an apprentice, while Isabella describes the lessons she learned and gratitude she felt during her earlier years as a corps de ballet member. They both highlight the unique pressures and responsibilities of each rank, and reveal their favorite principal roles. (54:55)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Join us at The Rosin Box for a winter highlights chat with host Claire Kretzschmar and Corps de Ballet Members Mary Elizabeth Sell and Anna Snellgrove. Mary, who has been dancing with NYCB for 18 years, describes the unique challenges and joys of performing in The Sleeping Beauty while in her third trimester; Anna remarks on the full-circle experiences of her first year in the Company, including debuting in Donizetti Variations with a day’s notice; and the trio reflect on the most recent world premieres to hit the stage. (41:01)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
The Rosin Box is back with host Claire Kretzschmar discussing one of the newest roles at the Company with Intimacy Director Leigh Zimmerman. Prior to joining NYCB, Zimmerman trained in ballet, then went on to an award-winning career on Broadway and London’s West End. She brings her wide-ranging stage experience, a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Performance Psychology, and extensive training in Intimacy Direction to her work with dancers, choreographers, artistic staff, and policy makers to help establish an active dialogue around intimacy in its many forms. As she says, performers are able to truly “fly” when they know what to expect—“It’s freeing dancers, rather than tying them down." (47:18)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky joins Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan to discuss Voices, his most recent ballet for NYCB, which premiered at the Company’s annual New Combinations evening on January 30, 2020. Ratmansky describes his early career as a dancer in Kiev, the importance of watching bootleg VHS dance recordings in his early development as a choreographer, and how he came to set a ballet to Peter Ablinger’s complex, avant-garde composition, Voices & Piano. (34:06) Originally released January 20, 2020
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Three sailors walk into a podcast studio… and chat with Hear the Dance host and Principal Dancer Jared Angle about Jerome Robbins’ first ballet, Fancy Free, choreographed on the American Ballet Theatre in 1944. Fellow Principal Dancers Tyler Angle, Daniel Ulbricht, and Andrew Veyette describe the importance of developing their individual characters—the “shy” midwestern farm boy, the short-fused “tough guy,” and the “cool” know-it-all, respectively—and the camaraderie they share, recalling the collaboration between Robbins and composer Leonard Bernstein, who were just 25 years old when they created the work. (54:44)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Fancy Free (1944) by Leonard Bernstein All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
In this week’s New Combinations episode, host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan talks fearlessness and phoenixes with choreographer Keerati Jinakunwiphat, whose first commission for the Company premieres this winter. Keerati traces her path from growing up in Chicago, to studying at SUNY Purchase, to dancing with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, and choreographing for NYCB; as she shares, the Company dancers’ openness to and hunger for the new movement style she brings to the studio has been an inspiration. (26:07)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Hear the Dance host and Principal Dancer Jared Angle dives into the unique challenges and special rewards of dancing George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante with Principal Dancer Tiler Peck. Tiler shares memories of learning the work from the late legendary Repertory Director and former Soloist Susie Hendl and reveals why she feels as though this ballet, which she describes as one of the hardest to dance in the repertory, was made for her. (35:58)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931)by Igor Stravinsky, Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 75 (1892) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
A fresh season of City Ballet The Podcast kicks off with New Combinations host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan in conversation with Repertory Director Craig Hall, Company Pianist Craig Baldwin, and Principal Dancer Chun Wai Chan. Each is intimately involved in the development of Justin Peck’s Copland Dance Episodes, NYCB’s first non-narrative, evening-length work since Balanchine’s 1967 piece Jewels. As Baldwin, Chan, and Hall relate, the experience of taking part in this momentous creation is one rich with the beauty and distinctly American qualities of Copland’s music, and the sense of unfettered humanity and community in Peck’s choreographic process. (44:50)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co "Fanfare for the Common Man" (1942), "Rodeo" (1942), "Billy the Kid" (1938), "Appalachian Spring" (1944) by Aaron Copland Performed by Craig Baldwin
For the concluding conversation of this season of The Rosin Box, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are joined by NYCB Principal Dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring, who also serves as the artistic director for the New York Choreographic Institute. The three share memories of their individual experiences with Institute sessions since its launch in 1999, reflecting on the importance of time and space to experiment both for the burgeoning choreographers involved (whose ranks include Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon, among many others) and for the dancers cast for each creatively-rewarding and educational two-week period. (57:26)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week’s conversation around The Rosin Box explores the way ballets are passed from generation to generation at New York City Ballet, and the artists who are responsible for carrying on that oral tradition: the Company’s repertory directors. Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are joined by Kathleen Tracey, who danced with NYCB for 15 years before becoming a repertory director. Tracey talks about her process—from preparing for rehearsals, to whether she refers to notes, and the essential assessments she makes whenever entering the studio—and the joy she feels from learning something new about the repertory and the dancers every day. (49:35)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are joined by Shoe Room Supervisor Daniel Wong around The Rosin Box to talk all things footwear at NYCB. Daniel shares how his time as a dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet and as a merchandiser informs his current position, a role that’s all about balancing the art and science of fitting, ordering, and managing over 400 pointe shoes a month—in addition to all the other shoes the Company members use, all of which are housed in the theater's “pointe shoe candy shop.” (37:41)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week we return to The Rosin Box, with co-hosts Aarón Sanz and Claire Kretzschmar in cozy conversation about retirement—a topic fresh on Claire’s mind, following her own farewell to performing with the Company this past fall. We join them behind the scenes of her final dress rehearsal and in the wings before she performed the Episodes pas de deux on an emotional yet triumphant night. As Claire shares, she closes the chapter of dancing on the NYCB stage with plenty of wonderful memories to cherish, and much to look forward to—including continuing her role on City Ballet The Podcast. (48:17)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Der Rosenkavalier (arranged 1944) by Richard Strauss
Music Tales from the Vienna Woods, Op. 325 (1868) by Johann Strauss II
Five Pieces, op. 10 (1911-13) by Anton von Webern
Ricercata in 6 Voices from Bach's Musical Offering (1935) Arranged by Anton von Webern
On the newest Hear the Dance episode, host Jared Angle leads us through the five fasntasy-filled movements of Balanchine’s crowd- and dancer-pleasing Vienna Waltzes. He and Repertory Director Rebecca Krohn share recollections of learning the principal roles in the first Tales from the Vienna Woods and fourth Merry Widow movements from former principal dancer Karin von Aroldingen, describing the strikingly different moods of these two sections and the challenges of their romantic ballgowns. Then, Jared is joined by Principal Dancer Sterling Hyltin, who describes rehearsing the second Voices of Spring and third Explosions Polka movements with former principal dancer Sara “Sally” Leland, and how she has begun to learn the principal role in the final movement following a dreamed premonition, and just in time for her retirement. (58:45)
Written by Jared Angle
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Music Tales from the Vienna Woods, Op. 325 (1868), Voices of Spring, Op. 410 (1885) and Explosions Polka, Op. 43 (1848) by Johann Strauss II
Gold and Silver Waltz (1905) by Franz Lehar
First sequence of waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier (arranged 1944) by Richard Strauss
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
On the newest Hear the Dance episode, host Jared Angle leads us through the five fasntasy-filled movements of Balanchine’s crowd- and dancer-pleasing Vienna Waltzes. He and Repertory Director Rebecca Krohn share recollections of learning the principal roles in the first Tales from the Vienna Woods and fourth Merry Widow movements from former principal dancer Karin von Aroldingen, describing the strikingly different moods of these two sections and the challenges of their romantic ballgowns. Then, Jared is joined by Principal Dancer Sterling Hyltin, who describes rehearsing the second Voices of Spring and third Explosions Polka movements with former principal dancer Sara “Sally” Leland, and how she has begun to learn the principal role in the final movement following a dreamed premonition, and just in time for her retirement. (58:45)
Written by Jared Angle
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Music Tales from the Vienna Woods, Op. 325 (1868), Voices of Spring, Op. 410 (1885) and Explosions Polka, Op. 43 (1848) by Johann Strauss II
Gold and Silver Waltz (1905) by Franz Lehar
First sequence of waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier (arranged 1944) by Richard Strauss
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Hear the Dance host and Principal Dancer Jared Angle explores George Balanchine’s bombastic and infinitely complex Symphony in Three Movements on this week’s episode. Jared speaks with two generations of the ballet's dancers: former NYCB dancer and current School of American Ballet faculty member Susan Pilarre, who originated one of the “five couple” roles in the ballet’s 1972 Stravinsky Festival premiere and who has staged the work for several companies; and current Soloist Ashley Laracey, who debuted the lead role in the pas de deux, or what she calls a pas de quatre, just a week after learning she was pregnant with twins. (1:02:26)
Written by Jared Angle
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Hear the Dance host and Principal Dancer Jared Angle explores George Balanchine’s bombastic and infinitely complex Symphony in Three Movements on this week’s episode. Jared speaks with two generations of the ballet's dancers: former NYCB dancer and current School of American Ballet faculty member Susan Pilarre, who originated one of the “five couple” roles in the ballet’s 1972 Stravinsky Festival premiere and who has staged the work for several companies; and current Soloist Ashley Laracey, who debuted the lead role in the pas de deux, or what she calls a pas de quatre, just a week after learning she was pregnant with twins. (1:02:26)
Written by Jared Angle
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
For this week’s New Combinations episode, Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan caught up with choreographer Gianna Reisen between rehearsals to talk about her third Fall Fashion Gala commission for the Company. This year’s world premiere follows 2017’s Composer’s Holiday, created when she was still a student at the School of American Ballet and in collaboration with the iconoclastic late designer Virgil Abloh; and 2018’s Judah, set to a “challenging” score by John Adams. This fall, she is working with Spanish designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo on Swarovski-studded costumes, and Solange Knowles who's composed a newly-commissioned score, on what she describes as a powerful “show-stopper.” (48:16)
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
For this week’s New Combinations episode, Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan caught up with choreographer Gianna Reisen between rehearsals to talk about her third Fall Fashion Gala commission for the Company. This year’s world premiere follows 2017’s Composer’s Holiday, created when she was still a student at the School of American Ballet and in collaboration with the iconoclastic late designer Virgil Abloh; and 2018’s Judah, set to a “challenging” score by John Adams. This fall, she is working with Spanish designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo on Swarovski-studded costumes, and Solange Knowles who's composed a newly-commissioned score, on what she describes as a powerful “show-stopper.” (48:16)
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
City Ballet The Podcast returns for another season of deep dives and candid conversations, beginning with an episode of See the Music devoted to the score for Alexei Ratmansky’s 2008 ballet Concerto DSCH. Musical Director Andrew Litton takes us on a tour through the many in-jokes, historical references, and musical cryptograms in Dmitri Shostakovich’s “uncharacteristically cheerful” Piano Concerto No. 2. As he demonstrates in various excerpts, the piece is a powerful yet playful love letter between father and son. (21:46)
Music:
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102 (1957) by Dmitri Shostakovich
City Ballet The Podcast returns for another season of deep dives and candid conversations, beginning with an episode of See the Music devoted to the score for Alexei Ratmansky’s 2008 ballet Concerto DSCH. Musical Director Andrew Litton takes us on a tour through the many in-jokes, historical references, and musical cryptograms in Dmitri Shostakovich’s “uncharacteristically cheerful” Piano Concerto No. 2. As he demonstrates in various excerpts, the piece is a powerful yet playful love letter between father and son. (21:46)
Music:
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102 (1957) by Dmitri Shostakovich
In a special 21-22 Season wrap-up, Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan reflect candidly on the many challenges, surprises, and inspiring successes of the Company’s return to the stage. From making 126 new costumes for the older students in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, to the countless debuts of a jam-packed Spring, Stafford and Whelan note the dancers’ remarkable resiliency—and what it promises for the Season to come, with repertory revivals, a roster rich with potential, and, among several world premieres, Resident Choreographer Justin Peck’s first full-length ballet for NYCB. (30:20)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48 (1880) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
The fan-favorite Q&A episode of the Rosin Box is back. Hosts and Soloists Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz respond to listener questions covering costumes, composers, and more. Tune in to find out: Is Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream score a bop? How do Claire and Aarón approach personal growth… and disappointment? And, most appropriately, what do you do if you don't have rosin? (43:57)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are back for another cameo-filled conversation around The Rosin Box. On a typically drama-filled performance night of George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the wings are like a "zoo," filled with fairies, dogs, young dancers from the School of American Ballet, a donkey-headed danseur, plenty of sparkles, and costumes fit for the ballet's "cape-ography." (44:53)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Overture and Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, opp. 21 and 61 (1826, 1842); Overtures to Athalie, op. 74 (1845), The Fair Melusine op. 32 (1833), The First Walpurgis Night, op. 60; Symphony No. 9 for strings; Overture to Son and Stranger, op. 89 (1829) by Felix Mendelssohn
In this special episode of See the Music recorded live at our Lincoln Center theater, NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton dives into the history of the Felix Mendelssohn score for Balanchine's enchanted ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream. Litton shares excerpts from the music—written 173 years ago, when Mendelssohn was just 17 years old—that encapsulate the young composer's prodigious talent, even in the face of religious persecution in his native Germany where the score was banned for a time, despite its charming, enduringly romantic character. (12:43)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Overture and Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, opp. 21 and 61 (1826, 1842) Overtures to Athalie, op. 74 (1845), The Fair Melusine op. 32 (1833), The First Walpurgis Night, op. 60; Symphony No. 9 for strings; Overture to Son and Stranger, op. 89 (1829) by Felix Mendelssohn
All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra
Hear the Dance returns with guest host Jared Angle in conversation with former NYCB Principal Dancer Kyra Nichols. Nichols shares how having a dancer mother (former Company Member Sally Streets) has influenced her career; what it was like enrolling at the School of American Ballet at age 11; and the ways in which what she learned as a performer shapes her current work as a Professor at Indiana University. Her words of wisdom for this spring's dancers in the lead Spring role she originated in Jerome Robbins' The Four Seasons? "Have fun." (45:22)
Written by Jared Angle
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
I Vespri Siciliani (Les vêpres siciliennes) (1855) by Giuseppe Verdi
I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata (1843) by Giuseppe Verdi
Il Trovatore (1853) by Giuseppe Verdi
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet
Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6 (1837) by Robert Schumann
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Associate Music Director Andrews Sill voyages into the beguiling score of George Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky's Orpheus in the latest See the Music episode. As Stravinsky describes, in a 1949 radio interview, Orpheus is a "long, sustained, slow chant," that utilizes ancient modes and inspirations without directly imitating ancient music. With select excerpts and piano demonstrations, Sills describes Stravinsky's use of a "rare form of kleptomania" to create an undeniably modern yet timeless sound. (16:13)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Interview excerpt from "Stravinsky Visits WQXR with Orpheus" by WQXR Features (1949)
Music:
Orpheus (1947) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra.
Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is back with another New Combinations episode of City Ballet The Podcast. This week she's joined by choreographer, former NYCB dancer, and current Dean of the Colburn School's Trudl Zipper Dance Institute Silas Farley and composer David K. Israel, who are creating a new work for this spring's 50th anniversary Stravinsky Festival. Farley and Israel describe the gift exchange between George Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky that provides the inspiration for their work and movingly encapsulates the depth and generative power of the two titans' artistic partnership—a model for their own collaboration today, aesthetically and spiritually. (38:22)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
In Part 2 of this week’s Hear the Dance conversation between host Silas Farley and Helgi Tomasson, the two discuss Tomasson’s career following his entrance into the Company as a Principal Dancer in 1970. As he shares, originating a role in 1971 in Jerome Robbins’ The Goldberg Variations marked a turning point in Tomasson's life; the following year, the original Stravinsky Festival led to two more seminal roles created on the dancer: Balanchine’s Symphony in Three and Divertimento from Le Baiser de la Fée. Tomassion describes how his years dancing with NYCB informed both his work as a choreographer and his tenure as the Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet, on the eve of his retirement from that position. (38:16)
Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
MUSIC:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Le Baiser de la Fée (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
Aria with Variations in G, BWV 988 (1742), "The Goldberg Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
READING LIST:
The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an An American Dance Company by Sasha Anawalt
The Stravinsky Festival of The New York City Ballet Written and Edited by Nancy Goldner Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein’s The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein
Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five by Janice Ross; Preface by Brigitte LeFévre; Foreword by Allan Ulrich
How Helgi Tomasson Reshaped S.F. Ballet to World-Class Renown by Rachel Howard
On this week’s Hear the Dance episode of City Ballet the Podcast, join host Silas Farley for an in-depth conversation with former NYCB Principal Dancer Helgi Tomasson. In Part 1, Tomasson shares his journey from childhood in his native Iceland to joining the Company at age 26. In between, Tomasson auditioned for Jerome Robbins’ Ballet USA, gaining a significant fan in the choreographer; discovered the States while on tour with the Joffrey Ballet; danced for six years with the Harkness Ballet; and won the silver medal following an adventure-filled performance at the First International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1969. Tune in to Part 2 for more of Tomasson’s fascinating story. (45:15)
Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
MUSIC:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Le Baiser de la Fée (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
Aria with Variations in G, BWV 988 (1742), "The Goldberg Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
READING LIST:
The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an An American Dance Company by Sasha Anawalt
The Stravinsky Festival of The New York City Ballet Written and Edited by Nancy Goldner Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein’s The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein
Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five by Janice Ross; Preface by Brigitte LeFévre; Foreword by Allan Ulrich
How Helgi Tomasson Reshaped S.F. Ballet to World-Class Renown by Rachel Howard
New Combinations is back with a conversation between host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan and choreographer Pam Tanowitz. Wendy catches up with Pam between rehearsals for two works making their debuts on the NYCB stage this spring: a world premiere, and the reprisal of her Gustave le Gray No. 1, to be performed by two guest dancers from Dance Theatre of Harlem as well as dancers from the Company. As Pam tells Wendy, her works are intended to activate and engage the viewer, an effect achieved in part through what she describes as an equal collaboration with the originating dancers, and in part through a constant commitment to challenging herself—as she says it, “I’m very comfortable making myself fail." (36:34)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
What goes on behind the big gold curtain at New York City Ballet? Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz take us on a backstage tour for the latest episode of The Rosin Box, catching up with dancers as they primp and prep over two nights of the winter performance period. The behind-the-scenes encounters include Principal Dancer Daniel Ulbricht sharing his journey through the character of the Prodigal Son, and the dancers of Jamar Roberts’ world premiere work Emanon – In Two Movements reacting in time to a round-the-block line of ticket buyers. (53:32)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini, Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
"Pegasus" and "Prometheus Unbound" by Wayne Shorter
"Le Fils Prodigue Op. 46" (1928-29) by Sergei Prokofiev
"On Your Toes" (1936) by Richard Rodgers, orchestrated by Hershy Kay
"Jeux d'Enfants, Opp. 22-26, nos. 6, 3, 11, 12" (1871) by Georges Bizet
"String Quartet No. 5" (1934) by Béla Bartόk
Performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra
This week’s episode of The Rosin Box finds hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz in candid conversation with NYCB Solo Pianist Alan Moverman, who shares how he went from childhood piano lessons in Syracuse, NY, to studying jazz piano with the legendary late NPR host Marian McParland, to joining the Company as a rehearsal pianist in 1995. They dig into the three aspects of Moverman’s role—providing music for daily class, accompanying rehearsals, and performing—and the “intimate gift” exchanged between musician and dancers in the studio. (58:19)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Join us for another cozy conversation around The Rosin Box with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aaron Sanz, joined by recently-promoted Soloist Ashley Hod. This week’s episode revolves around the challenges and excitement that come with creating a role in a new ballet, and how revisiting repertory roles over the years with greater experience and knowledge keeps each performance fresh. Hod and Kretzschmar relate some of the unique hurdles—particularly around footwear and the Nutcracker performance schedule—of originating featured roles in Justin Peck’s winter premiere, Partita, and being “guardians of the language.” (51:13)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Join hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz for another banter-filled backstage chat around The Rosin Box, opening a fresh season of City Ballet The Podcast. In this episode, they walk us through their personal stage makeup routines and introduce Company Makeup Stylist Neil Scibelli. Neil shares how he came to join the team just in time for The Nutcracker and a little insider info on creating the looks for George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son. (49:37)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Host Silas Farley is back with another Hear the Dance episode, devoted to the creation of George Balanchine’s tale of toy romance, The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Farley is joined by former Principal Dancers Patricia McBride and Peter Schaufuss, on whom the ballet was created. The Steadfast Tin Soldier was the first ballet Balanchine made on Schaufuss, who danced with the Company for just three short but very formative years; this marked the second ballet for which Mr. B cast McBride as a doll, following 1974’s Coppélia, and she highlights here the differences in performing the two roles. Reunited for the first time after more than 40 years, the pair's recollections of the ballet's 1975 premiere in Saratoga Springs are as fresh as if it were yesterday. (1:06:28)
Originally released October 19, 2020
Reading List:
My Theatre Life by August Bournonville and Patricia McAndrew
Letters on Dance and Choreography by August Bournonville and Knud Arne Jurgensen
My Dearly Beloved Wife!—Letters from France and Italy, 1841 by August Bournonville,
Knud Arne Jurgensen, et al
The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography by Hans Christian Andersen
Fairy Tales (Penguin Classics Edition) by Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller by Jackie Wullschlager
Dance in Saratoga Springs by Denise Warner Limoli
Balanchine’s Ballerinas: Conversations with the Muses by Robert Tracy
Dancing Across the Atlantic: USA-Denmark, 1900-2014 by Erik Aschengreen
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Jeux d'Enfants, Opp. 22-26, nos. 6, 3, 11, 12 (1871) by Georges Bizet
Overture and Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, opp. 61 (1842) by Felix Mendelssohn
In this episode of See the Music, NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton dives into the history and particular genius of Tchaikovsky’s treasured Swan Lake score. Joined by NYCB Concertmaster Kurt Nikkanen on the violin, Litton demonstrates the use of specific instruments and musical motifs to portray the characters of Odette and her dark opposite, Odile, and reveals what he considers to be the seven greatest measures Tchaikovsky ever composed. (17:17)
Originally released February 3, 2020
Music
Swan Lake (1875-76) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Our 2-part Hear the Dance exploration of Jerome Robbins’ Moves concludes with three conversations that trace the work’s living legacy. Host Jared Angle speaks with former Soloist Diana White, one of Robbins’ frequent performers who originated a role in Moves; Repertory Director Jean-Pierre Frohlich, who is responsible for coaching Robbins’ works, including Moves, to today's dancers; and Soloist Sebastian Villarini-Velez, who currently dances in Moves with the Company. (1:10:52)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
In a special two-part Hear the Dance episode, Principal Dancer Jared Angle dives deep into the history, context, development, and performance of Jerome Robbins’ masterwork Moves. Part one features a wide-ranging interview with dance historian and Robbins biographer Amanda Vaill, who traces the artistic and personal developments in the choreographer’s life that informed the creation of Moves, and his oeuvre in general. (56:08)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
In the lead up to the premiere of his first ballet commissioned for the NYCB stage, choreographer Jamar Roberts joins host Wendy Whelan for the latest New Combinations conversation. From dancing to Mariah Carey after school in Jacksonville, Florida, to moving to NYC and joining Ailey II at 18 years old, to retiring as Resident Choreographer of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater last December, Jamar traces the route that brought him to working with the Company. As he tells Wendy, this ballet is intended to spark joy—in a spirit informed by its Wayne Shorter score, the openness of the dancers, and the needs of the current moment. (38:48)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Host Silas Farley opens the latest season of City Ballet The Podcast with a Hear the Dance episode devoted to George Balanchine’s Mozartiana. Choreographed for the 1981 Tschaikovsky Festival, the ballet was a moving representation of Balanchine's admiration not only for the composer, but also for the dancers of the corps de ballet and students of the School of American Ballet. Silas is joined by fellow NYCB alums Jerri Kumery, one of the original four “tall" dancers in the Minuet movement, and Amy Kobberger, one of the child dancers in the opening “Preghiera” or prayer section in the work’s premiere, to share their memories of Mozartiana’s creation. (1:24:26) Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Emilie Silvestri Reading List:
Balanchine’s Mozartiana: The Making of a Masterpiece by Robert Maiorano and Valerie Brooks
Holding On to the Air: An Autobiography by Suzanne Farrell with Toni Bentley
Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky: Interviews with George Balanchine by Solomon Volkov Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Suite No. 4, Mozartiana, Op. 61 (1887) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Apollon Musagète (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are back with a very special holiday edition of The Rosin Box. In an intimate tour of the bustling backstage spaces before, during, and after a performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, Claire and Aarón reveal what it takes to make this magical production come to life. From the necessary comforts of a dressing room “moon pod,” to the challenges of make-up and updo changes for dancers performing multiple roles, to the meditations and incantations that (quietly) echo in the wings, the joy of revisiting this holiday tradition and sharing it with audiences new and old is shared by all. (51:29)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
“The Nutcracker” (1892) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
In the latest installment of The Rosin Box, hosts and Soloists Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are joined by Judy Elliott-Pugh, NYCB’s Senior Director of Human Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion, for a conversation about her newly-created position. From day-to-day operations to ongoing and broadly-reaching projects and goals, they discuss the ways in which NYCB is an organization of people from a wide variety of backgrounds, in just as wide an array of roles, all working together to make the Company thrive. (48:02)
Edited by: Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week on the Rosin Box, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz explore the unique experiences of Company dancers originally trained in other countries. They’re joined by retiring Principal Dancer Gonzalo Garcia and still new-to-NYCB Soloist Chun Wai Chan for a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from moving to the states, first introductions to Balanchine, adjusting to the Company culture, learning to drive, and the ways in which ballet is a universal language. (1:01:16)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Step behind the curtain and into the rehearsal studio with hosts and Soloists Claire Kretzschmar and Aaron Sanz on another episode of The Rosin Box. School of American Ballet faculty members Suki Schorer and Anthony Huxley join to talk about the School’s curriculum, the challenges of teaching and performing at the same time, and the joys of watching students join the Company and perform the roles they’d taught them. Suki and Anthony share their similar journeys to the Company—the first as a Principal Dancer and protege under Mr. B, and the other her student and a current Principal Dancer with the Company. (58:08)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
The Rosin Box is back for a fresh season of vital conversation and first-person perspective on the backstage lives and day-to-day work of NYCB’s dancers. Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz mark their triumphant return—and the Company’s return to the Theater—by sharing their experiences throughout the long months away, from Claire’s “garage Nutcracker” to Aarón’s meditation practice, and all the hurdles they had to overcome as they made their way back to the stage. (36:05)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
""Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
In this new See the Music episode, host and NYCB Orchestra Music Director Andrew Litton leads us through the history and multi-faceted movements of the music for George Balanchine's La Valse. Choreographed in 1951, the score combines two of Maurice Ravel's compositions: Valses Nobles et Sentimentales and La Valse—a "genius" merging of two interrelated works by Balanchine. Litton is joined by Solo Pianist Alan Moverman, whose piano renditions of excerpts from the score capture its by turns beguiling, bittersweet, and bombastic approaches to the waltz. (26:40)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
Valses Nobles et Sentimentales (1911, orchestrated 1912) and La Valse (1920) by Maurice Ravel
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Host Silas Farley is back with another Hear the Dance episode of City Ballet The Podcast exploring Balanchine’s Chaconne. Farley is joined by legendary former Principal Dancer Suzanne Farrell, who originated the lead role in the 1976 premiere, and current Principal Dancer Maria Kowroski, who inherited many of Farrell’s signature roles during her more than 25 years with the Company—ending this fall, when she retires from performing with NYCB. Farrell describes the fast-paced creation of Chaconne and working with Balanchine, and the two dancers share memories from their iconic careers and treasured moments in both Chaconne and the repertory. (1:13:54)
Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Reading List:
Balanchine: A Biography by Bernard Taper
Balanchine and Kirstein's American Enterprise by James Steichen
Balanchine Ballerinas: Conversations with the Muses by Robert Tracy
Following Balanchine by Robert Garis
Balanchine's Mozartiana: The Making of a Masterpiece by Robert Mairoano and Valerie Brooks
Holding On to the Air: An Autobiography by Suzanne Farrell with Toni Bentley
Gluck and the Birth of Modern Opera by Patricia Howard
Christoph Willibald Gluck: A Guide to Research by Patricia Howard
"Motherhood Reshaped Ballet Dancer Maria Kowroski's Career in a Touching Way," Elle Decor Article by Parker Bowie Larson and Vanessa Lawrence
"Like a Prayer" The New York Times #SpeakinginDance Piece by Gia Kourlas
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Ballet music from the opera Orfeo ed Euridice (Vienna, 1762 and Paris, 1774) by Christoph Willibald von Gluck
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
New Combinations is back with host Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan in a wide-ranging conversation with choreographer Andrea Miller, whose first onstage work for NYCB premieres this Thursday at the annual Fall Gala. They discuss Miller’s journey from modern dance training in Utah, to studying at Juilliard, to learning the “gaga” movement language of the Batsheva Dance Company, and how these all inform her current approach to choreography. Miller shares the decision-making that informed the creation of her work with the Company, which she describes as a story about “a seed that fell in love with a cloud”—inspired by composer Lido Pimienta’s conception of the score. (45:18)
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Host Silas Farley delves deep into the creation of Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces in part two of this new Hear the Dance episode. Former NYCB Principal Dancers and husband and wife duo Maria Calegari and Bart Cook share intimate details about the second movement pas de deux, the development of which marked the beginning of their relationship; Corps de Ballet Member Gretchen Smith remarks on the shared legacy of performing these roles and knowing that “Everything we’re taught now is learned through those that were in the room”; and former Principal Dancer Helene Alexopoulos reflects on the importance of Glass Pieces as a celebration of the Company through its focus on the corps de ballet—and an important statement from Robbins, as the work premiered just two weeks after George Balanchine’s death. (30:07)
Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Reading List:
Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
Words Without Music by Philip Glass
Jerome Robbins: By Himself by Amanda Vaill
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Rubric and Façades from Glassworks, excerpts from the opera Akhnaten by Philip Glass
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
Just like the Company itself, City Ballet The Podcast is back, with a brand new Hear the Dance episode on Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces. Returning host Silas Farley is joined by former Principal Dancers and original cast members Helene Alexopoulos, Maria Calegari, and Bart Cook, and current Corps de Ballet Member Gretchen Smith, for a conversation about this galvanizing masterwork. The originating dancers provide rare behind-the-scenes insights into Robbins’ process, from his use of “guinea pigs” to the multiple iterations that reflected the choreographer’s shifting mood and sense of the work in progress, and commiserate with Smith about the challenges the various corps roles in Glass Pieces present. (44:37)
Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Emilie Silvestri
Reading List:
Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
Words Without Music by Philip Glass
Jerome Robbins: By Himself by Amanda Vaill
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Rubric and Façades from Glassworks, excerpts from the opera Akhnaten by Philip Glass
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
For this season’s final episode, Artistic Director Jonathon Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan sat down to reflect on the concluding Digital Season, and to look forward to our return to the stage this fall. From the technical challenges of curating footage to the emotional heights of revisiting these performances, this unprecedented time in the Company’s history has inspired the Artistic team’s ambitious approach to the coming season’s programming, with special repertory revivals, our most diverse cast of choreographers, and the 50th anniversary Stravinsky Festival in the spring to look forward to—and, bridging the two seasons, a final stream of Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes, a work with special memories for both. (39:40)
Music:
Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48 (1880) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
With just days to go before the world premiere of his newest work for the Company, Resident Choreographer Justin Peck joins host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan for the latest episode of New Combinations. Beginning with his early years as a tap dancer and his invitation to enroll at the School of American Ballet by lasting mentor Peter Boal, Peck discusses his unique—and uniquely American—approach to choreography. Between reflecting on his work as the choreographer for the Stephen Spielberg-helmed West Side Story and collaborating with director Sofia Coppola on NYCB’s Spring Gala film, Peck shares what he values most about the Company and the cross-pollination inherent to the art of ballet. (40:37)
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
This season of City Ballet The Podcast continues with a fresh edition of New Combinations. Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by choreographer Kyle Abraham in the lead up to the premiere of his latest work for NYCB, When We Fell, a dance film choreographed on eight NYCB dancers during a COVID-compliant residency. Abraham describes the benefits of this unique situation, from the increased focus and productivity afforded by quarantining with the dancers, to the invaluable support from Repertory Director Rebecca Krohn, to the ways limitations can ultimately be helpful. Reflecting on the challenges of the past year, Abraham shares how last June’s Ces noms que nous portons, created on Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley, was the impetus to his return to the studio. (29:23)
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Host Silas Farley and guest Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s discussion of the 1972 Stravinsky Festival continues in this second part of a special Hear the Dance episode dedicated to Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto. Bonnefoux recalls the excitement of performing in the premiere of this seminal neoclassical work in the same week as a revival of Balanchine’s Orpheus, and the sense of historical tradition and musical pulse at the heart of every Balanchine/Stravinsky ballet. They then talk about Bonnefoux’s extensive work as a coach and mentor, and the legacy of kindness and generosity he’s taken on from Pushkin, Balanchine, and all of his own teachers; as he says, “It’s more about what you need—what are you worried about?” (45:49)
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Theme with Four Variations [According to the Four Temperaments], for string orchestra and piano (1940) by Igor Stravinsky
Sonatine (1906) by Maurice Ravel
Final movement of Suite No. 3 for Orchestra in G major (1884) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Laura Snow
Hear the Dance host and former NYCB dancer Silas Farley is back for the newest two-part episode of City Ballet The Podcast. Farley is joined by former Principal Dancer Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux for a lively discussion of Balanchine’s neoclassical masterpiece, Stravinsky Violin Concerto. In this first half of their conversation, Bonnefoux describes joining the Paris Opera Ballet at the age of 14, achieving the rank of principal dancer at 21, and relinquishing his position there just a year short of earning his pension to move to the US and work with Balanchine. The episode includes a short excerpt from legendary Russian teacher Alexander Pushkin’s class as well as Bonnefoux’s retelling of his last-minute lifesaving intercession on behalf of fellow Pushkin student, Rudolf Nureyev. (47:13)
Music
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, B.W.V. 1043 by Johan Sebastian Bach
Orpheus (1947) by Igor Stravinsky
Reading List:
Dance is a Contact Sport by Joseph H. Mazo
Striking a Balance: Dancers Talk About Dancing by Barbara Newman
The Stravinsky Festival of The New York City Ballet by Nancy Goldner
Igor Stravinsky: An Autobiography by Igor Stravinsky
The Dance Element in Stravinsky's Music by George Balanchine
Balanchine's Fourth Dimension by Lincoln Kirstein
Alexander Pushkin: Master Teacher of Dance by Gennady Albert
Vera Volkova: A Biography by Alexander Meinertz
Classes in Classical Ballet: A Book for Teachers and Dancers by Asaf Messerer
Rudolph Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanaugh
Alonzo King Lines Ballet by Alonzo King and RJ Muna
Balanchine & the Lost Muse: Revolution & the Making of a Choreographer by Elizabeth Kendall
Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Laura Snow
NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton hosts a new See the Music edition of City Ballet The Podcast, exploring the score to Balanchine’s ode to classical dance, Theme and Variations. Set to the final, eponymous movement of Tschaikovsky’s Orchestral Suite No. 3, the ballet, as Litton describes, corresponds to the many shifts in tone, pace, and featured instrumentation in the piece’s twelve variations. Highlighted by piano demonstrations and anecdotes from Tschaikovsky’s letters to his benefactress, Litton provides a tour through this musical—and dance—tour de force. (15:34)
Music:
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G, Op. 55 (1884) by Pyotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky
The second part of our Hear the Dance exploration of Balanchine’s Prodigal Son continues, with host Silas Farley and former NYCB Principal Dancer Edward Villella looking back on Villella’s legendary career. They discuss Balanchine’s recreation of Apollo on the young dancer; the Company’s momentous tour of the Soviet Union; and the importance of School of American Ballet teacher Stanley Williams’ mentorship to Villella’s development as a dancer and as a leader in the field. Villella would go on to found Miami City Ballet with the idea, as he explains, to “provide people with the closest to the best of themselves that they could achieve,” with his NYCB history providing the motivation and education that inspired this vision. (35:15)
This is a continuation of Part One of this episode.
Music:
Apollon Musagète (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky
Agon (1953-56) by Igor Stravinsky
The latest season of City Ballet The Podcast begins with this special two-part Hear the Dance celebration of George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son. Host Silas Farley is joined by former NYCB Principal Dancer and founding Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet Edward Villella, on whom Balanchine revived the role of the Prodigal Son in 1960. Villella describes his early ballet training as a child in Queens, NY before entering the School of American Ballet, often the only male dancer in his class; after receiving his degree from the New York State Maritime College, Villella defied his father’s wishes and joined the Company, quickly rising to the rank of soloist. In retelling the story of the Son, Villella revisits how his own rebellious youth and desire to become a dancer were an inspiration. (52:10)
Continue listening to Part Two of this episode.
Reading list:
Prodigal Son: Dancing for Balanchine in a World of Pain and Magic by Edward Villella with Larry Kaplan
Balanchine's Ballerinas: Conversations with the Muses by Robert Tracy with Sharon DeLano
Sergei Prokofiev: A Biography by Harlow Robinson
Stravinsky: An Autobiography by Igor Stravinsky
Ma Vie: From Kiev to Kiev; An Autobiography by Serge Lifar
Music:
Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un Faune (1892-1894) by Claude Debussy
Le Fils Prodigue Op. 46 (1928-29) by Sergei Prokofiev
City Ballet the Podcast is back for a special edition of See the Music. Music Director Andrew Litton hosts a tour through the musical delights of the Tschaikovsky score to George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, from the ballet’s ignominious beginnings to the composer’s felicitous discovery of the celesta—the renowned accompaniment to the Sugarplum Fairy’s introduction in Act II. Litton is joined by Concertmaster Kurt Nikkanen, who performs the lilting violin solo Balanchine borrowed from the rarely-played Entr’acte of Tschaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty for inclusion in his version of this classic holiday tale. (23:44)
Music:
The Nutcracker (1892) by Pyotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky
City Ballet The Podcast’s season finale has arrived with a fresh New Combinations episode, just in time for NYCB’s first ever digital New Works Festival. In the lead up to the Festival’s premiere, host Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Sidra Bell, choreographer of the opening night work, and her father Dennis, who composed the commissioned score to her piece. Native New Yorkers and lifelong collaborators, the Bells describe the processes behind the creation of both the dance and the music, the ways in which their long-standing connections with Lincoln Center and New York City Ballet informed the work, and how this collaboration represents a “homecoming.” (27:15)
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Host Silas Farley is back with another Hear the Dance episode, devoted to the creation of George Balanchine’s tale of toy romance, The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Farley is joined by former Principal Dancers Patricia McBride and Peter Schaufuss, on whom the ballet was created. The Steadfast Tin Soldier was the first ballet Balanchine made on Schaufuss, who danced with the Company for just three short but very formative years; this marked the second ballet for which Mr. B cast McBride as a doll, following 1974’s Coppélia, and she highlights here the differences in performing the two roles. Reunited for the first time after more than 40 years, the pair's recollections of the ballet's 1975 premiere in Saratoga Springs are as fresh as if it were yesterday. (1:06:28)
Reading List for The Steadfast Tin Soldier:
My Theatre Life by August Bournonville and Patricia McAndrew
Letters on Dance and Choreography by August Bournonville and Knud Arne Jurgensen
My Dearly Beloved Wife!—Letters from France and Italy, 1841 by August Bournonville, Knud Arne Jurgensen, et al
The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography by Hans Christian Andersen
Fairy Tales (Penguin Classics Edition) by Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller by Jackie Wullschlager
Dance in Saratoga Springs by Denise Warner Limoli
Balanchine’s Ballerinas: Conversations with the Muses by Robert Tracy
Dancing Across the Atlantic: USA-Denmark, 1900-2014 by Erik Aschengreen
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Jeux d'Enfants, Opp. 22-26, nos. 6, 3, 11, 12 (1871) by Georges Bizet
Overture and Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, opp. 61 (1842) by Felix Mendelssohn
This week’s edition of City Ballet The Podcast is the premiere broadcast of a live See the Music presentation on the score to Balanchine's Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, recorded on the NYCB stage in 2019. Host and Resident Conductor Clotilde Otrantro walks us through the innovations and themes of Brahms’ original chamber music score, and indicates some of the choices Schoenberg made in the instrumentation for full orchestra in order to maintain the music’s various sombre moods, military vibes, and folk influences. Otranto is joined by the NYCB Orchestra for a number of evocative excerpts, transporting us to the romanticism of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. (13:33)
Music:
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25 (1861) by Johannes Brahms, arr. by Arnold Schoenberg
In this second half of a special 2-part Hear the Dance episode celebrating the life and work of late choreographer Ulysses Dove, host Silas Farley interviews Ulysses’ brother Alfred, Director and Administrator of Ulysses’ estate. Beginning with his childhood in South Carolina and Georgia, Dove traces his brother’s transition from a talented pre-med student at Howard University to a dancer with the Merce Cunningham Company, to his first works as a choreographer commissioned by Alvin Ailey. Dove shares his recollections not only of Ulysses as a sibling, but as a creator, and discusses how continuing to engage with his brother’s works as they are performed by Companies today is like returning to an old friend—one that “gives the dancers the opportunity to live completely out loud… if they take the risk.” (46:49)
This is a continuation of Part One of this episode.
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten (1977) by Arvo Pärt
Episodes (1987) by Robert Ruggieri
Former NYCB dancer Silas Farley is back to host a special 2-part episode of Hear the Dance devoted to the life and work of late choreographer Ulysses Dove. Beginning with a brief overview of Dove’s career, this part focuses on Red Angels, the first of two works he choreographed on NYCB. Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal, and violinist Mary Rowell, all of whom performed in the ballet’s 1994 premiere, reunite to discuss Dove’s working style in the studio, the challenges presented by Red Angels’ unprecedented choreographic vocabulary, and the audience’s electric reaction on opening night. “It was all about owning your space and owning your voice,” says Whelan, “and that was Ulyssess at that time.” (45:21)
Continue listening to Part Two of this episode.
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Maxwell's Demon (1988-1990) by Richard Einhorn
July (1961) by Michael Torke
City Ballet the Podcast is back with a new season of deep dives into the history and artistry of New York City Ballet. We begin by revisiting our very first See the Music episode to celebrate the premiere of the Digital Fall Season—and the All Balanchine program. NYCB’s Music Director Andrew Litton delves into the background of Bizet’s Symphony in C, a hidden treasure that, 80 years after its creation, found a new popularity with the help of George Balanchine. Litton also sits down with NYCB Orchestra’s principal oboist, Julia DeRosa, to discuss Symphony in C’s iconic oboe solo and the intricacies of playing an instrument that is integral to so many ballet scores. (26:12)
Music:
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz wrap up this season of City Ballet The Podcast with their last episode of The Rosin Box, responding to a selection of questions submitted by NYCB Instagram followers. Along with Claire and Aarón, NYCB dancers Jared Angle, Teresa Reichlen, Lauren King, Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara, and Mary Elizabeth Sell answer: what do you like about the Balanchine style, and what are your funniest dance memories? Why did you choose NYCB? Tune in for their responses to these questions and more.
From all of us at NYCB, thank you for listening to Season Five, and we’ll be back with new episodes in September. (40:00)
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
In this week’s Rosin Box episode, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz discuss injuries, wellness, and fitness—three important, intertwined aspects of a dancer’s development and ongoing practice. They are joined by NYCB’s Health and Wellness Coordinator, Marika Molnar, PT, LAC, who helped create the first physical therapy program for an American dance company in 1980, with George Balanchine’s support; and Physical Therapist Dirk Hartog, DPT, whose essential cross-training classes continue to help NYCB’s dancers stay in shape remotely. Claire and Aarón also answer a question submitted by one of NYCB’s Instagram followers: How do you relax after a performance? (47:00)
Music:
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are back for another season of The Rosin Box, recorded remotely but with all the exclusive behind-the-scenes access intact. This week, NYCB dancers and longtime roommates Marika Anderson and Daniel Applebaum join the discussion, on touring: adjusting to new stages, packing performance necessities (and souvenirs), and the pleasures—and perils—of exploring new cuisines. Plus, Claire and Aarón answer a question submitted over NYCB's Instagram: What’s your schedule like during quarantine? (35:30)
Music:
""Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records
This week’s New Combinations episode of City Ballet The Podcast features two recordings of Inside NYCB presentations made at Lincoln Center. The first is a conversation between choreographer Pam Tanowitz and NYCB Ballet Master Craig Hall, just two days after the 2019 premiere of her Bartók Ballet; Tanowitz describes her collaborative approach to the rehearsal studio, sharing that she’ll warn dancers, “If you don’t want to do something, don’t show me, because I’ll love it.” Resident Choreographer Justin Peck is interviewed by former Miami City Ballet dancer Michael Breeden in the second half of the episode, reflecting on his personal history as a choreographer, from tap dancing at age nine to tweaking works commissioned and performed by the Company. (19:11)
Music:
String Quartet No. 5 (1934) by Béla Bartόk
USA III: Rail (2012) by Dan Deacon
Sisyphus (2019) by Andrew Bird
In the second half of our two-part Hear the Dance on Balanchine’s Diamonds, host Silas Farley is joined by Principal Dancer Sara Mearns, who has performed the lead role for over 12 years with seven different partners—for seven very different experiences. Mearns takes us through a detailed play-by-play of dancing this regal, demanding movement from Jewels, from the slow opening, which allows her to warm up, to the physically challenging dancing to come, and through to the triumphant, emotional conclusion. (36:15)
This is a continuation of Part One of this episode.
Music:
Pelléas et Mélisande (1898) by Gabriel Fauré
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (1875) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Recommended Reading:
1) Holding On to the Air: An Autobiography by Suzanne Farrell and Toni Bentley
2) Dancing for Balanchine by Merrill Ashley
3) George Balanchine: Ballet Master: A Biography by Richard Buckle in Collaboration with John Taras
The newest episode of Hear the Dance is a special two-part discussion of Diamonds, the glittering final movement of Balanchine's Jewels, from the perspective of the lead ballerina. In this first installment, host Silas Farley interviews iconic former Principal Dancer Merrill Ashley, who recalls learning the corps role in her first season as a member of the Company, and the many factors that aligned in her eventually making her debut in the lead role. Now, as a répéteur with the Balanchine Trust, Ashley has taught Jewels to companies in America and abroad; as she describes it, this particular movement in the ballet is “cool, but hot—like a diamond.” (36:33)
Continue listening to Part Two of this episode.
Music:
Pelléas et Mélisande (1898) by Gabriel Fauré
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (1875) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Recommended Reading:
1) Holding On to the Air: An Autobiography by Suzanne Farrell and Toni Bentley
2) Dancing for Balanchine by Merrill Ashley
3) George Balanchine: Ballet Master: A Biography by Richard Buckle in Collaboration with John Taras
“This is a hot summer day, in a studio, in New York City.” So former NYCB dancer Dr. Afshin Mofid recalls Jerome Robbins’ description of the setting and mood of his Afternoon of a Faun, an innocently sensual pas de deux that premiered on NYCB’s stage in 1953. In this installment of Hear the Dance, hosted by Silas Farley, Mofid joins former NYCB Principal Dancer Kay Mazzo to share their memories of rehearsing with Robbins and performing Faun, a formative ballet for both of their careers. (50:27)
Music:
Prélude á l'Après-midi d'un Faune (1892-1894) by Claude Debussy
Recommended Reading:
1) Diaghilev: A Life by Sjeng Scheijen
2) Nijinsky Dancing by Lincoln Kirstein
3) Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
4) Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir by Jerome Robbins, edited by Amanda Vaill
In the second part of this special edition of Hear the Dance, Silas Farley and former NYCB Principal Dancer Patricia McBride continue their expansive conversation on her impressive career—from working with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, to the oral tradition between ballet dancers as they hand down roles over the years, to her current career teaching the Balanchine technique and more to the students of Charlotte Ballet in North Carolina, where she is the Associate Artistic Director, and where Silas began his own ballet training. McBride shares intimate recollections of her years on the NYCB stage, including how her own “decorations” continue in present-day performances of many of the ballets she originated. (35:58)
This is a continuation of Part 1 of this episode.
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Apollon Musagéte (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet
Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56, 'Scotch,' (1842) by Felix Mendelssohn
The latest episode of City Ballet The Podcast is a special two-part Hear the Dance, hosted by NYCB Soloist Silas Farley, with special guest Patricia McBride. Her illustrious 30-year career with NYCB—highlighted by her promotion to principal dancer at just 18 years old—included 60 different roles, 30 of which were created for her. In this first part of their wide-ranging discussion, Farley and McBride discuss her early years in the Company and working with Balanchine, through the 1964 premiere of Rubies. (41:23)
Continue listening to Part Two of this episode.
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Apollon Musagéte (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet
Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56, 'Scotch,' (1842) by Felix Mendelssohn
This week’s edition of Hear the Dance with Silas Farley is a special live recording of Inside NYCB on Apollo, captured during 2018’s annual Saturday at the Ballet with George event celebrating Balanchine. Joined by NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton, Silas discusses the legacy of and compositional inspirations for Balanchine’s first active collaboration with composer Igor Stravinsky; the oldest ballet in the Company’s repertory, Apollo was a foundational piece for both NYCB and the choreographer. The presentation includes a demonstration accompanied by Piano Soloist Nancy McDill, and concludes with a brief word from Ballet Master Craig Hall on the unique, inspiring challenges of performing the lead role. (26:35)
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Apollon Musagéte (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
Reading List:
Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans
Stravinsky and Balanchine: A Journey of Invention by Charles M. Joseph
I Was a Dancer by Jacques d'Amboise
Stravinsky in the Theatre (1947 Issue of Lincoln Kirstein's Magazine, Dance Index) by George Balanchine, Aaron Copland, et al
City Ballet The Podcast is back with a new edition of See the Music originally recorded at a 2018 performance. Resident Conductor Daniel Capps gives a brief history of Tschaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3, the composer’s final completed orchestral work. Joined by Solo Pianist Elaine Chelton and the NYCB Orchestra, Capps demonstrates the concerto’s unique development from a three-movement symphony to the bravura piano piece as it is currently performed, and to which Balanchine choreographed his 1956 ballet Allegro Brillante. (15:50)
Music:
Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 75 (1892) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
In this special bonus episode of See the Music recorded live in the David H. Koch Theater, Resident Conductor Daniel Capps briefly surveys the history and unique musical qualities of Aaron Copland’s Rodeo, which provides the score for Justin Peck’s Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes. Capps and the NYCB Orchestra demonstrate how Copland uses familiar folk songs and rhythmic invention to convey a distinct Americanness, achieving for the piece a place in the “very fabric of American identity.” (13:13)
Music:
Rodeo (1942) by Aaron Copland
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
In this week’s episode of See the Music, NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton introduces us to the score of Jerome Robbins’ In G Major: Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto from 1931. With live demonstrations on the piano, Litton explores the American influences and jazzy nuances of this late work from the French impressionist composer, relating which passage he considers “achingly beautiful” and his personal connection to the piece. (24:28)
Music:
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Piano Concerto in G Major (1928-31) by Maurice Ravel
In a lively, wide-ranging discussion about the relationship between music and choreography, Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by composer Nico Muhly, who is currently collaborating on a new work with Justin Peck premiering at NYCB on February 26. Muhly muses on the manner in which ballet has enriched his appreciation of the works of Stravinsky, why he loves watching from the wings, and how his newest work is like a musical scavenger hunt for Peck. (42:36)
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
This episode of City Ballet The Podcast is the first ever Hear the Dance recorded live from a recent Inside NYCB presentation hosted by Silas Farley on the uniquely fruitful collaboration between George Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky. Silas is joined on stage by Company members and musicians from the NYCB Orchestra for demonstrations of excerpts from the Stravinsky/Balanchine partnership, as well as conductor Clotilde Otranto and Kay Mazzo, Chairman of the Faculty School of American Ballet and a former NYCB principal dancer, to discuss the music and choreography of the two titans’ careers. (56:06)
Reading List for Hear the Dance Live: Stravinsky & Balanchine
Stravinsky and Balanchine: A Journey of Invention by Charles M. Joseph
Stravinsky’s Ballets by Charles M. Joseph
Stravinsky Inside Out by Charles M. Joseph
An Autobiography by Igor Stravinsky
Stravinsky: A Creative Spring: Russia and France, 1882-1934 by Stephen Walsh
Stravinsky: The Second Exile: France and America, 1934-1971 by Stephen Walsh
Stravinsky: Chronicle of a Friendship by Robert Craft
Stravinsky: Discoveries and Memories by Robert Craft
The Stravinsky Festival of The New York City Ballet by Nancy Goldner
Holding on to the Air by Suzanne Farrell with Toni Bentley
Music:
Apollo (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
Danses Concertantes (1942) by Igor Stravinsky
Agon (1957) by Igor Stravinsky
Firebird (1910) by Igor Stravinsky
Violin Concerto in D (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Duo Concertant (1932) by Igor Stravinsky
In this episode of See the Music, NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton dives into the history and particular genius of Tschaikovsky’s treasured Swan Lake score. Joined by NYCB Concertmaster Kurt Nikkanen on the violin, Litton demonstrates the use of specific instruments and musical motifs to portray the characters of Odette and her dark opposite, Odile, and reveals what he considers to be the seven greatest measures Tschaikovsky ever composed. (17:16)
In this week’s installment of Hear the Dance, Silas Farley is joined by the two dancers who will perform the solo in Balanchine’s Episodes choreographed on Paul Taylor in 1959, NYCB Soloist Jovani Furlan and guest artist and former Paul Taylor company member Michael Trusnovec. Jovani, who performed the solo as a dancer at Miami City Ballet, shares his experience of learning the solo from former NYCB dancer Peter Frame, who’d learned it from Taylor in 1986 – and then teaching it to Michael in turn. Together they reflect on the special intimacy and historical excavation intrinsic to the oral tradition that has kept this special solo alive through the decades. (50:46)
Reading List For Episodes
Private Domain by Paul Taylor
Anton Webern: A Chronicle of His Life and Work by Hans Moldenhauer in Collaboration with Rosaleen Moldenhuaer
Deep Song: The Dance Story of Martha Graham by Ernestine Stodelle
Once a Dancer: An Autobiography by Allegra Kent
Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein’s The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein
MusicConcerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Variations, Op. 30 by Anton Webern (1940) by Anton Webern
Ricercata in 6 Voices from Musical Offering (1935) by Johann Sebastian Bach
Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky joins Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan to discuss Voices, his new ballet for NYCB, which premieres at the company’s annual New Combinations evening on January 30, 2020. Ratmansky describes his early career as a dancer in Kiev and the importance of watching bootleg VHS recordings of dance in his early development as a choreographer. Listeners will also find out how he came to set a ballet to Peter Ablinger’s complex, avant-garde composition, Voices and Piano, a departure for him musically, and why he feels NYCB is the best place to address the unique challenges this music has presented. (33:27)
In the lead-up to the return of Balanchine’s Firebird later this month, Silas Farley is joined by former NYCB Principal Dancer Merrill Ashley for this episode of Hear the Dance. They discuss her recollections of Firebird from early childhood memories of seeing Maria Tallchief dance the role at Jacob’s Pillow through her 30-plus years as a dancer at NYCB, including her own performances as a monster, a maiden, and in the ballet’s title role. Merrill reminisces with Silas about preparations for the Stravinsky Festival in 1972 and the spectacle created by the combination of Chagall’s exotic designs, Karinska’s beautifully hand-crocheted costumes, and the increasingly difficult-to-maneuver wings for the Firebird, as well as her recent work teaching Balanchine’s choreography around the world. (42:25)
Music
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Firebird Suite for Orchestra (1945), from Firebird (1910) by Igor Stravinsky Performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Reading List
America’s Prima Ballerina by Maria Tallchief
Dancing for Balanchine by Merrill Ashley
Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes by Lynn Garafola
In the final episode of Season Two of City Ballet The Podcast, Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz welcome Principal Dancer (and law student) Abi Stafford to the Rosin Box to discuss the challenges and rewards of juggling educational pursuits with a professional dancing career. Plus, Abi aces a pop quiz with some pretty obscure questions and Claire and Aaron answer listener questions on foot care, performance hacks, and pointe shoe maintenance.
From all of us, thank you for listening to Season Two, and we’ll be back with new episodes at the start of Winter performances in late January. (38:51)
Music
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini. Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records.
The art of ballet doesn't exist in a vacuum, and in the second half of this two-part episode of Hear the Dance, Silas Farley and cultural scholar Elizabeth Kendall, author of the 2013 book Balanchine & the Lost Muse Revolution & the Making of a Choreographer, discuss how the aftershocks of the Russian Revolution affected Balanchine's development as a choreographer, and the events that lead up to his dramatic departure from Russia in 1924. (34:20)
This is a continuation of Part 1 of this episode.
Music
The Nutcracker by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Romance in E-Flat Major, Op. 44 No. 1 by Anton Rubinstein
Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major by Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op 35: Marche funebre - lento Frédéric Chopin
Reading List (Pt. 1 & Pt. 2)
Balanchine and the Lost Muse: Revolution and the Making of a Choreographer by Elizabeth Kendall
Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky: Interviews with George Balanchine by Solomon Volkov
Balanchine’s Complete Stories of the Great Ballets by George Balanchine and Francis Mason
Choura: The Memoirs of Alexandra Danilova By Alexandra Danilova
Split Seconds: A Remembrance by Tamara Geva
In an extended conversation with Silas Farley, cultural scholar Elizabeth Kendall, author of the 2013 book Balanchine & the Lost Muse Revolution & the Making of a Choreographer, discusses her extensive research into Balanchine's childhood and youth in in pre- and post-Revolutionary Russia. The first half of this two-part Hear the Dance episode on Balanchine's early life focuses on Georgi Balanchivadze's origins — including the lives of his parents, his early childhood years in the Finnish countryside, and the beginnings of his dance training at the Imperial Theater School. (42:52)
Continue listening to Part 2 of this episode.
Music
Wily Tamara by Meliton Balanchivadze
The Sleeping Beauty by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
Reading List (Pt. 1 & Pt. 2)
Balanchine and the Lost Muse: Revolution and the Making of a Choreographer by Elizabeth Kendall
Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky: Interviews with George Balanchine by Solomon Volkov
Balanchine’s Complete Stories of the Great Ballets by George Balanchine and Francis Mason
Choura: The Memoirs of Alexandra Danilova By Alexandra Danilova
Split Seconds: A Remembrance by Tamara Geva
Don’t just step behind the curtain, come all the way backstage on this week's episode of The Rosin Box. Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz chat with three Company members who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that every performance runs as smoothly as possible: Director of Production Marquerite Mehler, Assistant Wardrobe Mistress Marlene Hamm, and Wardrobe Master John Radwick. And this week, Claire candidly answers a listener question about pointe shoe prep.
Music
"Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini. Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records.
Dancing can certainly run in the family, as evidenced by the multiple sibling pairs that have passed through the Company over the years. And while our dancers may find a chosen family among their colleagues, this week on The Rosin Box, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz chat with sisters Claire and Emma Von Enck about what it’s like to pursue a professional dance career with members of your biological family. Plus, Claire and Aarón answer a listener question about balancing technique and acting when tacking a character role. (31:03)
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini. Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records.
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz delve into the Company’s dancer ranks in this episode of The Rosin Box. They get the full scoop on a dancer’s life at each level with Apprentices Cainan Weber and Savannah Durham, Senior Corps de Ballet Member Gretchen Smith, and Principal Dancer Russell Janzen. Plus, Claire and Aarón introduce a new segment where they answer questions submitted by listeners via Instagram Stories. (37:06)
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini. Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records.
Join hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz as they invite celebrated Principal Dancer Maria Kowroski to step into The Rosin Box, for the series’ inaugural episode. Embarking on her 25th year with the Company, Maria talks about tackling a multitude of principal roles at an early age, including her debut at just 19 in George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, her new perspective on ballet after the birth of her first child, and some really interesting entrances while performing in Russia. (35:41)
Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink Martini. Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records.
Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford welcomes you back to a new season of City Ballet The Podcast, and announces the release of our newest series – The Rosin Box with Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz. (1:15)
Music: Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48 (1880) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
In a special bonus episode, take a trip to Lincoln Center without leaving your home. Music Director Andrew Litton takes us behind Bizet’s Symphony in C score in a See the Music presentation recorded live on October 3, 2019, right before our dancers performed the Balanchine ballet. This episode brings us to the end of Season One of City Ballet The Podcast. Be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss out when we’re back with Season Two. (13:59)
Music:
Carmen (1875) by Georges Bizet
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
In our first See The Music episode, New York City Ballet’s Music Director Andrew Litton delves into the history of Bizet’s Symphony in C, a hidden treasure that, 80 years after its creation, became a star with the help of George Balanchine. Litton also sits down with NYCB Orchestra’s newest principal oboe player, Julia DeRosa, to talk about Symphony in C’s iconic oboe solo and explores the intricacies of playing an instrument that is integral to so many ballet scores. (23:27)
Music:
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
In this episode of Hear the Dance, host Silas Farley delves into the history of Merce Cunningham and Summerspace, which returns to the NYCB stage this fall for the first time in 20 years in celebration of Cunningham’s centennial. Farley sits down with Merce Cunningham Trust repetiteur Jean Freebury and former NYCB dancer and current Chairman of Faculty at the School of American Ballet Kay Mazzo to talk about working with the legendary choreographer, combining Cunningham with Balanchine technique, and how Merce Cunningham helped close the gap between modern dance and ballet. (47:05)
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
IXION (1958) by Morton Feldman
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
Watch an excerpt of Summerspace provided by the Merce Cunningham Trust
Reference Books for Hear the Dance: Summerspace
Merce Cunningham: Common Time by Besualdo, Bellow, Bither, et al
Merce Cunningham: Fifty Years by David Vaughan
Merce Cunningham: The Modernizing of Modern Dance by Roger Copeland
Chance and Circumstance: Twenty Years with Cage and Cunningham by Carolyn Brown
In this episode of City Ballet The Podcast, Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan sits down with NYCB Principal Dancer Lauren Lovette. The two discuss Lauren’s origin story, how she overcomes insecurities and setbacks, and her personal process as a choreographer. Lauren shares how the trajectory of her new ballet, made for this year's Fall Fashion Gala and scored by Tan Dun, changed course after Zac Posen shared his vision for the piece's costumes. (46:06)
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Former NYCB Soloist and Artistic Director of BalletMet Edwaard Liang reflects on his time in the Company on this episode of New Combinations with Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan. Their conversation spans Laing's early dancing days with Jerome Robbins, to branching out on Broadway, and his most recent work at BalletMet. Liang is back in our Lincoln Center home this season in a collaboration with composer Oliver Davis for their upcoming work premiering at this year's Fall Gala with costumes by Anna Sui. (50:13)
Music:
"Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co
Silas Farley sits down with Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley, Ballet Master Jean-Pierre Frohlich, NYCB Concertmaster Kurt Nikkanen, and former NYCB dancer and Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal to discuss Jerome Robbins’ Opus 19/The Dreamer on his series Hear the Dance. In this informative episode, the five talk about the otherworldly ballet, Robbins’ choreographic process, and Prokofiev’s ambitious score. (58:11)
Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major (1917) by Sergei Prokofiev
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra
Listen to a recording of Joseph Szigeti's performance of Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major (1917) by Sergei Prokofiev
Reference Books for Hear the Dance: Opus 19/The Dreamer
Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
Jerome Robbins: That Broadway Man, That Ballet Man by Christine Conrad
Sergei Prokofiev: A Biography by Harlow Robinson
Reading Dance Edited and with an Introduction by Robert Gottlieb
New York City Ballet’s history doesn’t end with George Balanchine. Corps de Ballet Member Silas Farley continues to recount the history of the Company and the integral roles Jerome Robbins and Peter Martins played in furthering the legacy of one of the world’s premiere ballet institutions. (30:25)
This is a continuation of Part 1 of this episode.
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
Ballets discussed in this episode:
Bourrée Fantasque
The Cage
Afternoon of a Faun
The Concert
Dances at a Gathering
The Goldberg Variations
Glass Pieces
Stravinsky Violin Concerto
West Side Story Suite
Calcium Light Night
Polyphonia
After the Rain
Concerto DSCH
Pictures at an Exhibition
Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes
Everywhere We Go
Quotations from the writings of Lincoln Kirstein are © 2019 by the New York Public Library (Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations).
READING LIST
Reference Books for the Entire Season
Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans
No Fixed Points: Dance in the Twentieth Century by Nancy Reynolds and Malcolm McCormick
Reference Books for Hear the Dance: A History of New York City Ballet, Parts 1 & 2
Thirty Years: New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein
By With To & From: A Lincoln Kirstein Reader Edited by Nicholas Jenkins
Repertory in Review: Forty Years of The New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds
Dance for a City: Fifty Years of The New York City Ballet Edited by Lynn Garafola with Eric Foner
Balanchine and Kirstein’s American Enterprise by James Steichen
Balanchine: A Biography by Bernard Taper
Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
Far From Denmark by Peter Martins
In Balanchine’s Company: A Dancer’s Memoir by Barbara Milberg Fisher
How did New York City Ballet come to be? Join Corps de Ballet Member Silas Farley as he goes deep into the history of Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine’s groundbreaking company. (30:30)
Continue listening to Part 2 of this episode.
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
Ballets discussed in this episode:
Sleeping Beauty
Serenade
Orpheus
Concerto Barocco
Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2
Symphony in C
Quotations from the writings of Lincoln Kirstein are © 2019 by the New York Public Library (Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations).
READING LIST
Reference Books for the Entire Season
Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans
No Fixed Points: Dance in the Twentieth Century by Nancy Reynolds and Malcolm McCormick
Reference Books for Hear the Dance: A History of New York City Ballet, Parts 1 & 2
Thirty Years: New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein
By With To & From: A Lincoln Kirstein Reader Edited by Nicholas Jenkins
Repertory in Review: Forty Years of The New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds
Dance for a City: Fifty Years of The New York City Ballet Edited by Lynn Garafola with Eric Foner
Balanchine and Kirstein’s American Enterprise by James Steichen
Balanchine: A Biography by Bernard Taper
Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
Far From Denmark by Peter Martins
In Balanchine’s Company: A Dancer’s Memoir by Barbara Milberg Fisher
Join Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford as he kicks off City Ballet The Podcast with hosts Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, Music Director Andrew Litton, and Corps de Ballet Member Silas Farley. (17:21)
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.