I will never know what it feels like to dance Serenade but I have a deep appreciation for the ballet’s place in the repertory of American ballets. I was once brought to tears when I was invited into the sacred world of Serenade by Heather Watts when she taught the audience of a 92Y program the opening port de bras sequence of the ballet.
It is symbolic of both beginnings and of endings, birth and death, and the journeys in between. How many dancers have stepped on stage as an apprentice for the first time in this ballet? How many were cast in their first principal role in this ballet? How many retired by dancing the familiar steps of this ballet? And how many found life after the retirement by staging the ballet and teaching the next generation? Although choreographed for 26 dancers, it is now deeply personal to hundreds of dancers across several generations.
I have no place in the history of this ballet, but I feel compelled to help others celebrate their place in the history of Serenade. A year ago I knew I wanted to do something special to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the ballet on June 10th. So I drew up the plans for this ornament (last slide) which is made of 4 layers of wood, depicting the opening pose—palms outstretched toward the light as rows of dancers fade into the distance. Each layer was cut by a laser, painted with an airbrush, and glued together by hand. My uncle and I spent a long weekend in his garage creating them through much trial and error. I am very proud of the final product and what it represents.
The pictures depict illustrate the process of making these ornaments!
I am looking forward to the series of 100th anniversaries of Balanchine ballets that will begin when his oldest surviving ballet, Apollo, turns 100 in 2028! After that, every couple years there will be a ballet of his turning 100 🤓
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