Merrill Ashley in Donizetti Variations. Photo by Martha Swope, 1979. Said one dancer of Donizetti Variations, ‘It’s like an endless...

The following is a chapter from Merrill Ashley's autobiography Dancing for Balanchine . In this chapter she recalls the making of the...

"Light, airy, surprising, George Balanchine's new Ballo della Regina is not a great ballet. It is merely terrific. There is such a...

Merrill Ashley in Ballo della Regina. Photo by Martha Swope. “There was George Balanchine’s Ballo Della Regina,  a 1978 work set to...

Merrill Ashley, Sean Lavery and Mel Tomlinson. Photo by Martha Swope, 1982. Robbins’ “Concertino” was originally the third part of a...

NYCB closes their Saratoga season with Stars and Stripes and Swan Lake tonight. Here are some Saratoga memories from each of these...

"When Balanchine choreographed, he did all the partnering himself. He had always taken great pride in the fact that he never asked his...

Merrill Ashley speaking about the jump that has become synonymous with both her the ballet Ballo della Regina : “Soon Balanchine came to...

The beginning of Jerome Robbins’ ‘The Four Seasons’ introduces Janus the god of new beginnings, in this case representing the new year....

“Barefoot David Parsons, who has never partnered a ballerina, steadies New York City Ballet principal Merrill Ashley as she rises on...

Peter Martins’ “Barber Violin Concerto” features 2 couples, one dancing a neoclassical duet (originally Merrill Ashley and Adam Luders)...

Did you know ... Merrill Ashley debuted in Swan Lake with only 3 days of rehearsal over the course of one week. She talks about the...

Lourdes Lopez and Merrill Ashley in Concerto Barocco. Photo by Steven Caras, mid 1980s. (left) Heather Watts (R) & Sean Lavery. Photo by...

THE Donizetti grande pas de chat as shown by 5 NYCB icons. (top left) Merrill Ashley. Photo by Martha Swope, 1979. (top center) Patricia...

In 1988 (3 years prior to NYCB's full production), Merrill Ashley and Lindsay Fischer appeared in the grand pas de deux from Sleeping...

"In the original 1890 Mariinsky production, she was portrayed by the great Italian dancer Enrico Cecchetti. But Peter Martins, who...

Merrill Ashley in Valse Fantaisie Photo by Martha Swope, 1977

[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...

[27/50] A story from Merrill Ashley's book Dancing for Balanchine (affiliate link) "At the first rehearsal, taught by Una Kai, a ballet...

Raymonda Variations has been described as, “an adorable confection, concocted of marzipan, diamond, youth, and nostalgia” in “candy floss...