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NYCB in London No. 6 - Serenade
“Very welcome visitors have been the New York City Ballet, in many respects the Sadler’s Wells opposite number in America…if I have...

Lauryn Johnson
Mar 10, 2024


NYCB in London No. 5 - Firebird
The day after Balanchine’s Firebird premiered in London, 1950, The Times wrote: “Firebird, for which London has waited long, was also in...

Lauryn Johnson
Mar 9, 2024


NYCB in London No. 2 - Opening Night
“From the sophisticated audience of London balletomanes, accustomed to the polished perfection of the famous Sadler’s Wells troupe, the...

Lauryn Johnson
Mar 8, 2024


NYCB in London No. 1 - Covent Garden
This week NYCB takes London as part of its 75th anniversary season tour schedule! In 1950 and 1952, NYCB made two important trips to...

Lauryn Johnson
Mar 7, 2024


NYCB Vol. 8 No. 20 - 75th Anniversary of New York City Ballet
On October 11, 1948, New York City Ballet gave its first official performance at the City Center Theater. The program was all Balanchine....

Lauryn Johnson
Oct 10, 2023


NYCB Vol. 8 No. 17 - Piano Concerto No. 2
'Ballet Imperial' was choreographed in 1941 for American Ballet Caravan's South American tour. It was thought that a classical ballet...

Lauryn Johnson
Oct 6, 2023


NYCB Vol. 8 No. 14 - La Sonnambula
Allegra Kent was 11 years old when she first experienced an evening at the ballet (1948). The third ballet on the program was La...

Lauryn Johnson
Oct 3, 2023


NYCB Vol. 8 No. 10 - Bourrée Fantasque
Bourrée Fantasque was choreographed by Balanchine in 1949 and was described by Nancy Reynolds (affiliate link) as, “melodious, colorful,...

Lauryn Johnson
Sep 28, 2023


Leslie Caron in An American in Paris
I found this photo transparency in the LIFE archives. It depicts Leslie Caron shooting a short Charleston sequence that appears in the...

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 5, 2023


NYCB Vol. 4 No. 13 - Apollo
Balanchine choreographed Apollo in 1928 when he was just 25 years old. In 1951, he revived it and cast André Eglevsky (aged 34) as...

Lauryn Johnson
Sep 30, 2022


NYCB Vol. 2 No. 23 - Prodigal Son
The ballet Prodigal Son was originally choreographed by Balanchine in 1929 for the Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe. The composer, Prokofiev,...

Lauryn Johnson
Feb 26, 2022
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