NYCB Vol. 15 No. 9 - Divertimento #15

Men (L-R): Nicolas Magallanes, Jonathan Watts, ? Women(L-R): ?, Diana Adams, Melissa Hayden, Jillana, ?

On Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Nancy Reynolds wrote:

“This is a ballet of the aristocracy, that world in which cavaliers were never more gallant, ladies never more gracious, There is elegance without ostentation good breeding does not show off. Cut crystal rather than diamond glitter characterizes the ballet’s delicate sparkle. It is one of Balanchine’s purest dance creations00a string of dances, solos, ensembles, pas de deux—with muted emotional overtones and little virtuoso display, and words can do it even less justice than is usually the case.”

--Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds

(left) Melissa Hayden kneeling

(right) Jonathan Watts and Melissa Hayden center, Diana Adams right

Photos by Fred Fehl, 1956.