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NYCB Vol. 15 No. 17 - Midsummer Night's Dream
On Balanchine’s Act II pas de Deux in Midsummer Nights Dream: “But brief as it was, the change from many dancers to just two gave a...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 30


NYCB Vol. 15 No. 15 - La Valse
Patricia McBride and Nicholas Magallanes in La Valse. Photo by Fred Fehl, 1963. In 1919, Diaghilev requested that Maurice Ravel compose...

Lauryn Johnson
May 18


NYCB Vol. 15. No. 14 - Sontatine
Balanchine’s Sonatine premiered on the gala night of the Ravel Festival celebrating the 100th anniversary of the French composer’s birth....

Lauryn Johnson
May 17


NYCB Vol. 15 No. 12 - Vienna Waltzes Costumes
Stephanie Saland. Photo by Paul Kolnik “In 1977, at the age of ninety, Karinska gave a magnificent farewell performance with her...

Lauryn Johnson
May 13


NYCB Vol. 15 No. 10 - Vienna Waltzes
"George Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes  was given for the first time this season, in one of its very best performances, Tuesday night by the...

Lauryn Johnson
May 11


NYCB Vol. 14 No. 4 - Variations pour une Porte et une Soupir
“Look out, world, Mr. Balanchine is in his avant-garde mood again! For his latest work […] George Balanchine is using musique concréte....

Lauryn Johnson
Jan 29


IIOD Podcast Vol. 2 No. 6 - Jean-Pierre Frohlich on The Nutcracker
[43/50] Counting down 50 NYCB Nutcrackers this year with stories from NYCB dancers past and present! My Christmas gift to you all is a...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 30, 2024


NYCB Vol. 13 No. 36 - Nutcracker
Photo by Martha Swope Counting down 50 NYCB Nutcrackers this year with stories from NYCB dancers past and present! Today we hear about...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 25, 2024


NYCB Vol. 13 No. 11 & 12 - Nutcracker
[11/52] Counting down 52 NYCB Nutcrackers this year with stories from NYCB dancers past and present! Today we hear from Suzy Pilarre, a...

Lauryn Johnson
Dec 7, 2024


Judith Jamison Memorial
Yesterday the dance world lost an icon—Judith Jamison, illustrious dancer and Ailey’s successor as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey...

Lauryn Johnson
Nov 10, 2024


NYCB Vol. 12 No. 4 - Ballet Imperial
Edwin Denby, the poet and dance critic wrote the following about Balanchine’s ‘Ballet Imperial’ [Now Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto no. 2] as...

Lauryn Johnson
Sep 27, 2024


IIOD Podcast Vol. 2 No. 1 - Allegra Kent on Her Life
In this episode, 87 year-old Balanchine ballerina, Allegra Kent, sits down to talk about her life and career. Beginning with her...

Lauryn Johnson
Sep 25, 2024


NYCB Vol. 12 No. 4 - Monumentum Pro Gesualdo
Monumentum Pro Gesualdo was choreographed by Balanchine in 1960 for Diana Adams and Conrad Ludlow. “Walking is the key movement,...

Lauryn Johnson
Sep 24, 2024


Serenade 90th Anniversary No. 7
To end this week of Serenade exploration, conversation, and celebration, I wanted to leave you with some parting thoughts on the final...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 10, 2024


Serenade 90th Anniversary No. 6 - Susan Pilarre
Back in August, I discovered several photos of a very young Suzy Pilarre in the corps of Serenade: Photos by Fred Fehl, 1964 Harry Ransom...

Lauryn Johnson
Jun 9, 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 6, 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 2, 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. 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
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