Edward Villella and Patricia McBride. Photo by Fred Fehl, 1961. Harry Ransom Center. Edward Villella on Symphony in C: “I loved ending with this ballet. It was something I knew I could really do—it suited my abilities. I could hear the audience gasp and hear the round of thunderous applause when I made my first exit during the movement. The gasp and the applause rang out again when I did the repeat. It stirred me up, higher than I'd ever been. (left) Francisco Moncion & Melis

"If there ever was any doubt that Balanchine was the greatest choreographer of our time, this doubt was dispelled when the curtain came down on his Symphony in C. Here is a classic ballet that will go down in history as the finest example of this thrilling art form. “Symphonic ballet at its greatest, it builds with ever-mounting force to a thrilling cli-max. The fifty dancers on the stage at the same time not only give exhilaration to the final movement of the ballet, but mak

Tonight NYCB’s Spring Season opens—the last of the 75th anniversary year! I can’t believe this year has gone so quickly. Stick with me to...

“From the sophisticated audience of London balletomanes, accustomed to the polished perfection of the famous Sadler’s Wells troupe, the...

Speaking of the opening night performance in 1948, Anatole Chujoy wrote, "The thrill of the evening came with Balanchine's Symphony in C....

On October 11, 1948, New York City Ballet gave its first official performance at the City Center Theater. The program was all Balanchine....

With one final Bizet, that's a wrap on NYCB's Fall 2022 season! Thank you all for learning and/or reminiscing with me. Thank you for...

Mimi Paul in Symphony in C Photos by Martha Swope, 1964.

Happy birthday to NYCB! On this day in 1948, New York City Ballet held its first performance which included Symphony in C! Tonight a...

Suki in Symphony in C : (left) Suki Schorer. Martha Swope, 1965. (center) Paul Mejia and Suki Schorer. (Merrill Ashley in the corps) Fred...

The New York City Ballet's debut season in the fall of 1948 (held at New York City Center) was somewhat of an experiment. The first...

"The thrill of the evening came with Balanchine's Symphony in C. With no story to restrain its kinetic form or to hinder its...