NYCB Vol. 15 No. 13 - Tzigane

Suzanne: “When I first got back [to NYCB after 5 years in Europe] I did a ballet for Jerry Robbins, and another one for Jacques, both during the Ravel Festival. I was happy to be with the company, but I wanted to work with Mr. B. Tzigane was for the festival, too, but the other ballets opened first, and Mr. Balanchine left the creation of our ballet until a couple of days before the premiere. I was feeling good, and thin and healthy and new. And I was curious about what he would do. Then the first thing he asked me to do in Tzigane was just to schlepp on. And I said, Gee, but people are expecting me to dance, to wow them. People are curious to see what Balanchine and I will do after all this time. They’re not going to be prepared for this. And it bothered me, until I realized what he was up to. Of course they were not going to be prepared. That’s good! There’s no point in doing something people expect.

Suzanne Farrell, Peter Martins, George Balanchine.

Photos by Costas

“I hadn’t had to put my faith in Balanchine for five years. But you have to have faith in your partner whether he’s your physical partner or your choreographer. Or your husband or your friend. You have to let them know you trust them, and they will come through for you. I realized that Balanchine saw that I was different after having danced with Béjart. And Tzigane was a reflection of that.”

—Balanchine’s Ballerinas by Robert Tracey

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“In the opening solo of Tzigane, there were several moments were Balanchine chose not to choreograph specifically and simply told me to ‘do something’ during the first performance, just before Peter’s entrance, I found myself myself with more music than usual before a final series of fast chaine turns. Suddenly ‘something’ had a new meaning for me. I held out my palm, fingers splayed, and pointed to its center with the forefinger of my other hand – it was the universal image of a fortuneteller, but I thought of it as a very private gesture: I was pointing to my lifeline. It seemed appropriate, not only to the moment, but to my whole reunion with Balanchine.”

—Holding on to the Air by Suzanne Farrell

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Suzanne’s unique perception on her often-white costumes, and why Tzigane was different: “I was always in white, and it’s a hard color to wear and at the same time its a very beautiful color to wear because it can give you many options of different colors you can be onstage. Even though you’re in white it is sort of a prism which you can dance through.”

Suzanne dances excerpts of Balanchine’s 1975 ballet, Tzigane (now Errante) to the music of Maurice Ravel. Footage from 1977.

Interview from Anne Belle’s documentary “Elusive Muse”