NYCB Vol. 10 No. 7 - The Four Seasons

The beginning of Jerome Robbins’ ‘The Four Seasons’ introduces Janus the god of new beginnings, in this case representing the new year. The four Allegories—Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall enter the stage in something of a short ceremony, decked in long capes and gowns.

Winter—originally for Heather Watts, Joseph Duell and Peter Frame—takes the stage first for a comic but classical ballet. Where the ballerina shivers in the cold and can’t find warm amongst the corps. The two men make matters worse by blowing a chilly window over her before dancing a pas de trois.

Spring—originally Kyra Nichols and Daniel Duell—replaces Winter with a fresh, classical pas de deux and corps of four spritely male dancers.

Summer—originally Stephanie Salad and Bart Cook—melt languidly across the stage, simmering in humid passion.

A Faun—originally Jean-Pierre Frohlich—bounds onto the stage, eager to move in on Summer and kick off the autumnal bacchanal. Beckoning over his cohort of friends, the corps and principal couple—originally Patricia McBride and Mikhail Baryshnikov—frolic onto the stage in a rousing movement of fun.

At the end, the cast of all four seasons swirl together on stage in a joyous finale, culminating in a tableau 

Photos by Martha Swope, 1979. Dancer as listed in the caption above EXCEPT Merrill Ashley is in Spring.

Finale photo by Fred Fehl.