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Serenade 90th Anniversary No. 4
Below is the program note that accompanied Serenade at its second performance in December, 1934 performance in Hartford, CT: “Without an...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 6, 2024


Serenade 90th Anniversary No. 3
For a ballet that turns 90 this Monday (June 10th), Serenade has endured it fair share of audiences and critics hypothesizing and...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 5, 2024


Serenade 90th Anniversary Lauryn's Reflections
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...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 5, 2024


Serenade 90th Anniversary No. 2
Approaching on June 10th is the 90th anniversary of the first performance of Serenade; Balanchine’s first creation on American soil. To...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 4, 2024


Serenade 90th Anniversary No. 1
Approaching, on June 10th, is the 90th anniversary of the first performance of Serenade—Balanchine’s first creation on American soil. To...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 3, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 30 - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Suzanne Farrell wrote: “I was cast as one of four tall fairies in Titania's retinue; Diana Adams was Titania. One day while we were...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 1, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 29 - A Midsummer Night's Dream
When Balanchine was 8 years old, he was an elf in a theatrical production of Midsummer at the Mikhailovsky Theater in Russia. Later, he...

Lauryn Johnson
May 31, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 28 - A Midsummer Night's Dream
“The pas de deux with Titania and bottom in the donkey’s head is the jewel at the heart of the ballet. It is Balanchine’s triumph as a...

Lauryn Johnson
May 30, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 27 - A Midsummer Night's Dream
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oberon and Titania are King and Queen of the fairies. Balanchine was very specific in his use of stage...

Lauryn Johnson
May 29, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 26 - A Midsummer Night's Dream
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a mischievous fairy who is a servant to Oberon, the fairy king. Originally danced by Arthur...

Lauryn Johnson
May 28, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 25 - Philip Glass
This week at NYCB, the dancers had the honor of performing Jerome Robbins' Glass Pieces for the composer himself! He sat discreetly in...

Lauryn Johnson
May 18, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 24 - Glass Pieces
“The lights dimmed and dancers inched across the back of the stage while Bart Cook lifted Maria Calegari from side to side. Whereas the...

Lauryn Johnson
May 17, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 23 - Symphony in Three Movements
“It was in 1977, the City Ballet's first performance after a long orchestra strike. The audience booed the musicians as they took their...

Lauryn Johnson
May 17, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 22 - Rubies
Patricia McBride: “The woman is strong, but she’s very feminine and the male is the powerhouse. We had such passion together dancing it,...

Lauryn Johnson
May 15, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 21 - Glass Pieces
Cast of Glass Pieces Photo by Martha Swope, 1988 New York Public Library “Glass Pieces is stunning, When it opens with 36 dancers in...

Lauryn Johnson
May 14, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 20 - Other Dances
"It seemed as if it would be a relatively ordinary night of repertory on Thursday evening when the New York City Ballet performed at the...

Lauryn Johnson
May 12, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 19 - Symphony in Three Movements
"Yet Tuesday, the ballet confirmed itself as one of the most exciting works in the entire international repertory. The electrifying...

Lauryn Johnson
May 11, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 18 - Other Dances
On Robbins’ Other Dances: “The ballet needs a kind of innate eloquence to make its understated, folk-accented solos and partnering shine....

Lauryn Johnson
May 9, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 17 - Interplay
Edwin Denby wrote:“Robbins’ Interplay, once in Billy Rose's"Concert Varieties" and now a success in Ballet Theater's repertory, is of...

Lauryn Johnson
May 9, 2024


NYCB Vol. 11 No. 16 - Interplay
(L-R) Harold Lang, Tommy Rall, Janet Reed, Melissa Hayden [lifted], John Kriza [lifting], Muriel Bentley, Fernando Alonso, Roszika Sabo....

Lauryn Johnson
May 8, 2024
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