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NYCB Vol. 6 No. 10 - Firebird
Balanchine on Gelsey in his 1970 revival of Firebird: “She’s still a baby, just coming out of the awkward stage. But I didn’t want a...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 26, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 9 - Donizetti Variations
Donizetti Variations was originally choreographed in 1960 as "Variations from Don Sebastian" with music by Gaetano Donizetti. Ten years...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 25, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 8 - Allegro Brillante
“The novelty of the program was Violette Verdy making her debut, strangely enough, in George Balanchine’s 'Allegro Brillante.' One says...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 24, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 7 - Walpurgisnacht Ballet
Of Heather Watt's solo in Walpurgisnacht, Anna Kisselgoff wrote: “There was a breathtaking instant when she seemed suspended in slow...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 22, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 6 - Firebird
“The ballet was made for Maria, and she went after it like a demon, as if possessed, with ferocity. That is certainly one of Balanchine’s...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 21, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 5 - Haieff Divertimento
Balanchine on Haieff Divertimento: “The piece was composed originally for piano, which was the form in which I first heard Haieff play...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 21, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 4 - Allegro Brillante
Maria Tallchief on Allegro Brillante: “The ballet captivated me. The business of being lifted into the air in my flowing chiffon skirt...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 20, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 3 - Donizetti Variations
“This is a dance ballet, pure and simple, to some pleasant music by Donizetti. It was originally produced as a part of “Salute to Italy,”...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 19, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 2 - Valse Fantaisie
"The Valse is so lovely. You feel beautiful."—Suki Schorer in Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet The ballet Valse...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 18, 2023


NYCB Vol. 6 No. 1 - Haieff Divertimento
We're back! Tonight is opening night of NYCB's Winter 2023 season. In his autobiography, Jacques d'Amboise recalled being in the audience...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 17, 2023


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 50 - Nutcracker
[50/50] One last bow for 2022! Allegra Kent on dancing Sugar Plum in 1964 for the first time on the larger New York State Theater stage,...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 31, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 48 - Nutcracker
[48/50] Paloma Hererra guesting with NYCB as Dewdrop. Photos by Costas. Probably 1994, according to Paloma.

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 30, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 49 - Nutcracker
[49/50] Suzy Pilarre recently reached out to me to share her history with the Nutcracker: "In 1958, at 10 I was brought to SAB by Melissa...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 30, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 47 - Nutcracker
[47/50] “Suki Schorer was a Dew Drop that had the lightness of a refracted sunbeam, and made the “Waltz of the Flowers” an enchanted...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 29, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 45 - Nutcracker
[45/50] *This photo is of Merrill Ashley as Sugar Plum, but the story is about Dew Drop. [After recovering from a hip injury] My thoughts...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 28, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 46 - Nutcracker
[46/50] “Little Miss Bethune, incidentally, gave up a good job in Broadway’s ‘The Most Happy Fella’ in order to appear as Clara. Her...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 28, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 43 - Nutcracker
[43/50] We are nearing the finale of this Nutcracker season! Edward Villella and Patricia McBride in the finale. Martha Swope, 1968.

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 27, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 44 - Nutcracker
[44/50] Of Mimi Paul, Clive Barnes wrote: “Her musicality was precise and yet not so precise as to be ungracious, her manner was regal...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 27, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 41 - Nutcracker
[41/50] “This was a Sugar Plum Fairy with both regal carriage and gentle, gracious manner, particularly in her interaction with the...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 26, 2022


NYCB Vol. 5 No. 42 - Nutcracker
[42/50] Suzanne Farrell as Dew Drop. Photo by Martha Swope, 1966.

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 26, 2022
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