New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine [1] and Lincoln Kirstein. Matthew McDermott. Postal Service which issues stamps recognizing their contributions to American culture. Balanchine choreographs Serenade, with music by Tschaikovsky, his first ballet created in America, which premieres at the Warburg estate. In the same month, Soloist Shaun O'Brien retires after a final performance as Dr. Copplius in Copplia. Two new Martins ballets premiere in February: Beethoven Romance and Mozart Serenade. The benefit audience witnesses a preview performance of Peter Martins' Guide to Strange Places, which is set to a John Adams' score of the same title, and the world premiere performance of Christopher. The company, first named Ballet Society, was founded in 1946 by the choreographer George Balanchine (artistic director) and Lincoln Kirstein (general director) as a private subscription organization to promote lyric theatre. A first visit is made to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Jacques d'Amboise and Jillana are promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. Beginning this year, City Center initiates annual three-month winter seasons running from November or December to January or February of the following year. Helgi Tomasson choreographs Menuetto for New York City Ballet. Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Peter Martins, and Helgi Tomasson join the Company as Principal Dancers. In May, Christopher Wheeldon is named Resident Choreographer. Balanchine eliminates the sets and costumes of Concerto Barocco and The Four Temperaments, and both are now performed in practice clothes. The dedication to continually test and extend the boundaries of ballet has earned New York City Ballet the reputation as one of the greatest creative engines of the past century. On December 31, 2005, NYCB brings to a successful conclusion The Campaign for New York City Balletthe largest capital campaign ever conducted on behalf of a dance companywith the announcement that $58 million in endowment funds has been raised in the past five years. The School of American Ballet is awarded $2,425,000 for an equal term. The original cast includes NYCB dancers and students and faculty from the School of American Ballet. Education photography by Rosalie O'Connor and event photography by Patricia Burmicky or John Calabrese, unless otherwise noted. Principal dancer Damian Woetzel retired on June 18, 2008 after 23 years with the Company. Jacques d'Amboise choreographs his first ballet, The Chase (or, The Vixen's Choice), which premieres in September. This Fall's tour took the Company to the Tivoli Theater in Copenhagen, Denmark (September 1-6) and to the Opra Bastille in Paris, France (September 9-21). Kirstein publishes New York City Ballet (Alfred A. Knopf) in commemoration of the Company's 25th Anniversary, with photographs by George Platt Lynes and Martha Swope. In George Balanchine's New York City Ballet, Tallchief achieved her goal of becoming America's prima ballerina, the first Native American artist to achieve the rank. In July, French conductor Fayal Karoui is named NYCB Music Director. On May 18, at NYCB's Italian Tribute evening, the Company honors Principal Conductor Hugo Fiorato with the title Conductor Emeritus. Balanchine creates the full-length Don Quixote, which premieres in May. Christopher d'Amboise and Jock Soto are promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. A ballet doesn't - can't - exist without dancers. New York City Ballet - Company founded in 1948 by George Balanchine and {{complete_msg}} First Name Last Name. Coppelia, choreographed by Balanchine and Alexandra Danilova in 1974, was seen live from the stage of the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. Bright Sheng is named the first NYCB Composer in Residence for a tenure of two years during which he will compose two scores among other responsibilities. Maria Kowroski is named a Principal Dancer in June. Against the backdrop of the Depression, Balanchine and Kirstein, with the assistance of Edward M.M. United States. After performing at the City Center for Music and Drama, the Company now performs for 23 weeks of the year in the magnificent $30 million, Philip Johnson-designed New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater), built by the City and State of New York. Important individual gifts continue to be made for commissioning of new works. Cities visited are Barcelona, Paris, Florence, Lausanne, Zurich, The Hague, London, Edinburgh, and Berlin. Klavier, a new work for 10 dancers by Wheeldon, has its world premiere as part of January's New Combinations evening. 20 Lincoln Center Plaza The commissioned score is by Bigonzetti's frequent collaborator, Bruno Moretti. Our History | New York City Ballet In 2007, Wheeldon founded Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, serving as the Company's Artistic Director until early 2010. Choreographers represented are Christopher d'Amboise, Ib Andersen, Balanchine, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Bart Cook, Laura Dean, Joseph Duell, Eliot Feld, William Forsythe, Robert La Fosse, Lar Lubovitch, Miriam Mahdaviani, Martins, Robbins, Tanner, Paul Taylor, Violette Verdy, and Robert Weiss. It is a descendant of the American Ballet company. In September Kenneth Tabachnick joins NYCB as General Manager. The 2005 Spring Season (April 26June 26) features the NYCB premiere of Jerome Robbins N.Y. The American Ballet is engaged by the Metropolitan Opera for three years to perform in opera ballets and on special ballet evenings. They will observe and work with the music staff throughout the Balanchine 100: Centennial Celebration seasons. In April, Martins stages a special performance of We Are the World in support of USA for Africa. An investigation did not corroborate the allegations. In January, New York City Ballet presents the world premiere of Martins' Jazz (Six Syncopated Movements), to a commissioned score by Wynton Marsalis, who performs with his ensemble at each performance. The 100th Anniversary of Stravinsky's birth inspires Balanchine to present a Stravinsky Centennial Celebration. Duke!, in three sections, is choreographed by Robert La Fosse, Garth Fagan, and Susan Stroman. David Parsons' Touch, set to a commissioned score by composer Richard Peaslee, also premieres in January. The 2006 Diamond Project features new ballets by Mauro Bigonzetti, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Jorma Elo, Eliot Feld, Peter Martins, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon. Echo, a new work by Martins, premieres in June, with music by composer Michael Torke. Opening Night on November 22 starts the season with an All-American program. In June, West 63rd Street between Broadway and Columbus Avenue is named "Balanchine Way.". December 6 marks the 1,000th performance of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, and Martins dances his final performance. In October, the Company performs for a two-week engagement at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. 21-22 Season photography 2020 Jacob Sutton. About George Balanchine | Balanchine The 2000 Diamond Project features eight new works in the Spring Season. Composers are drawn from the entire spectrum of 19th- and 20th-century music. His first ballet for the Company, The Guests, premieres on January 14. On January 22, Robbins' Brandenburgpremieres, with music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Company's repertory, largely created by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Peter Martins, redefines classical dance giving the language of ballet an inflection both thoroughly American and wholly modern. New York City Ballet announces 2022-2023 Season - Gramilano Created to foster works by new choreographers, the project features a total of 11 new ballets. The television series Live from Lincoln Center presents Copplia. With a goal of $50 million, it is the largest endowment campaign in dance history. The Spring season also sees the retirement of two long-time NYCB Principal Dancers, Peter Boal on June 5 and Jock Soto on June 19. The program is also simulcast to fans on Lincoln Center Plaza, who watch as the program inside unfolds, a first for NYCB. The Company makes its debut in continental Europe with a five-month tour, participating in several major festivals. It is the first ballet to be made on an American ballet company by St. Petersburg-based choreographer Boris Eifman. With his schooling behind him and only 20 years old, Balanchine left the newly-created Soviet Union for the West. Mr. Fiorato joined NYCB in 1948 and had worked previously with Ballet Society, NYCB's precursor. The pendulum came back again in the early 1980s. New York City Ballet's 2022-23 Season at Lincoln Center will open on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 and continue with 21 weeks of performances through Sunday, May 28, 2023. The work receives two more performances as part of the Spring 2003 season. Kirstein organizes Ballet Caravan, a company expressly dedicated to the commission and production of ballets with American themes, to be created by American composers, choreographers, designers and dancers. Karinska retires after designing and making the costumes for Balanchine's Vienna Waltzes. Billy the Kid, with music by Aaron Copland, choreography by Eugene Loring, libretto by Kirstein, and scenery and costumes by Jared French, is a highlight. The wife and son of Peter Martins, the company's ballet. Balanchine's La Sonnambula is revived and given a new production by Alain Vas, who also provides new decor for Bournonville Divertissements. They carry within themselves the technique, knowledge, steps, and understanding to bring countless works of art alive. Lew Christensen is named Ballet Master. 15, and The Four Temperaments. Twenty-two world premieres are offered, including five ballets to newly commissioned scores, along with ballets in repertory, among them Robbins' Ives, Songs, presented earlier in the year. From 1990 through his retirement in2017, Martins had sole responsibility for the Company's artistic direction. Melissa Baraks third ballet for NYCB, A Simple Symphony, had its premiere on February 17. Diana Adams, Hugh Laing, Harold Lang, and Patricia Wilde join the Company as Principal Dancers. Highlights included ahistoric recreation of his original 1965 staging of Les Noces, Brahms/Handel choreographed by Robbins and Twyla Tharp, Watermill, Other Dances, and Four Bagatelles. Welcome to City Ballet The Podcast, an exploration of New York City Ballet where we'll journey through our history, delve into our new and existing repertory, and reveal insider tidbits. The third Diamond Project ushers in the Spring Season, with six new works by Christopher d'Amboise, Robert La Fosse, Miriam Mahdaviani, Kevin O'Day, Angelin Preljocaj, and Christopher Wheeldon. After Kirstein returns from Army service in World War II, he and Balanchine again form a new company. The 2009 Saratoga season celebrated the 35th anniversary of Copplia, which premiered at the 1974 SPAC season. During the 2006 Spring Season, NYCB devotes two performances to the work of choreographer Eliot Feld. In addition, Wheeldon has created works for The Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet . New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine[1] and Lincoln Kirstein. Robin Wagner designs the new set, and the original Karinska costumes are reproduced. A special two-part Dance in America telecast commemorates Balanchine's life and achievements. The 152nd Street Black Ballet Legacy, from left: Marcia Sells, Sheila Rohan, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Karlya Shelton-Benjamin and Lydia Abarca-Mitchell. The 2008 Spring Season featuring the Jerome Robbins Celebration marked the 90th Anniversary of the choreographer's birth in 1918 and the 10th Anniversary of his passing. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The Annual Spring Gala, May 4, presents three World Premieres: Martins Tala Gaisma, Albert Evans Broken Promise, and Wheeldons An American in Paris, as well as two NYCB premieres: Benjamin Millepieds Double Aria and Edwaard Liangs Distant Cries. Balanchine choreographs Gounod Symphony and Stars and Stripes, both of which premiere in January. Its principal dancers have included Maria Tallchief, Tanaquil LeClercq, Melissa Hayden, Patricia Wilde, Violette Verdy, Suzanne Farrell, Gelsey Kirkland, Patricia McBride, Helene Alexopoulos, Andr Eglevsky, Jacques dAmboise, Edward Villella, and Peter Martins. Stanley Williams stages Bournonville Divertissements, using a selection of works by August Bournonville. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center has been New York City Ballet's permanent annual summer home since 1966.Among its many international engagements, New York City Ballet has made numerous appearances in the capitals of Europe. The Company makes its first visit to Fort Worth, Texas. In total, 73 ballets are performed. January 22, the New Combinations Evening celebrating Balanchines birthday, features Martins Octet and Wheeldons world premiere of After the Rain. After 27 years with the Company, Soloist Kipling Houston retires on January 8. Five Pioneering Black Ballerinas: 'We Have to Have a Voice' Balanchine's new ballets include Symphony in Three Movements, Duo Concertant, and Violin Concerto. In January, NYCB performs the New York premiere of Martins' Hallelujah Junction with Guest Artists Gitte Lindstrom and Andrew Bowman from the Royal Danish Ballet. February 7 sees thedebut of Resident Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's 16th work for the Company, Rococo Variations. For selected performances in May, Baryshnikov appears as a Guest Artist in Robbins' A Suite of Dances. 21-22 Season photography 2020 Jacob Sutton. For 10 days in August, the Company travels to Italy, performing at Teatro di Verdura in Palermo. The American Ballet is the first professional company to be founded by Balanchine and Kirstein. Throughout the Balanchine 100 Centennial Spring Season guest artists from around the world perform in the Balanchine repertory. In February and March, the Company makes a southwestern United States tour: Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Bloomington, St. Louis, and Urbana. In June, Ib Andersen dances his final performance with New York City Ballet in Apollo. Soire by Tanner debuts as part of the Spring 2001 Season. [1] [2] [3] [4] Barbara Karinska begins her long association with the Company as costume maker and designer. On November 11, in Copenhagen, Jared Angle is named a Principal Dancer. In August, New York City Ballet represents the United States in cultural presentations at the Olympic Games in Munich. It was moved to its present home in 1964. 15 then enters the New York City Ballet repertory. In November, John Taras choreographs Ebony Concerto, which premieres in November with three other ballets in the four-part program Jazz Concert. New York City Ballet opened the theater on April 24, 1964, and has since been its . The program ends with a glittering confetti shower in honor of the Balanchine Centenary. Grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and local presenters enable performances in the upstate New York cities of Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo. Balanchine stages a special television version of The Nutcracker for CBS-TV's Playhouse 90 in which he performs the role of Herr Drosselmeyer. This one-time-only program features excerpts from "story ballets," including A Midsummer Night's Dream, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Apollo, and Prodigal Son. In February, Balanchine revives Prodigal Son, his last ballet for Diaghilev, and in the same month, Robbins' Age of Anxiety premieres. The Company has also appeared in Australia, China, Brazil, Japan, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan and has made three historic trips to Russia as well as visits to many of the major cities of the United States and Canada.TodayCurrently, the Company has approximately 90 dancers, making it the largest dance organization in America. Backstage and atmospheric photography by Gabriela Celeste or Erin Baiano. Ruthanna Boris, Nora Kaye, and Andr Eglevsky join the Company as Principal Dancers. The program includes two major revivals, Mother Goose and Watermill, and a special closing night features guest artists from the Paris Opera Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Darci Kistler is promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. The evenings celebration concludes as members of the Company join Peter Martins, Barbara Horgan, Trustee & General Director of The George Balanchine Trust, and a giant cake on stage for a toast as balloons and confetti rain down from above as the NYCB Orchestra plays Happy Birthday.. Mimi Paul and Anthony Blum are promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. Twenty-two new works are presented by Balanchine. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Judith Fugate is promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. Miranda Weese is promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. It includes 16 new ballets by Jacques d'Amboise, Balanchine, Robbins, and Taras as well as repertory ballets. Robbins and Martins assume positions of Co-Ballet Masters in Chief. Karin von Aroldingen, Gelsey Kirkland, and Sara Leland are promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. The Swedish choreographer Birgit Cullberg restages her dramatic ballet Medea; its cast includes French ballerina Violette Verdy, a new Principal Dancer. Highlights include Le Tombeau de Couperin by Balanchine and Robbins' Mother Goose. A 10-week European tour beginning in August encompasses Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich, Venice, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Brussels, Antwerp, Paris, Cologne, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. Alexei Ratmansky, the renowned choreographer, will join New York City Ballet in August as artist in residence, the company announced on Thursday, a coup for the organization and a new. . ABT - George Balanchine - American Ballet Theatre George Balanchine | New York City Ballet This year, underwriting from The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., establishes the Robert Irving Guest Conductor's Chair. With superstars like Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter, the Mets would win the World Series in 1986. Martins creates Songs of the Auvergne, which premieres in February. The Saratoga season features local premieres of Martins' Beethoven Romance, Mozart Serenade, and Echo. The Company also participates in the International Festival de Danse in Paris as part of a French salute to the United States Bicentennial. Balanchine's training lay in the tradition of the great Russian ballet; he entered the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg at age 10 and graduated at 17. The National Endowment for the Arts Dance Program makes its first grant to New York City Ballet. Live from Lincoln Center telecasts Apollo and Orpheus. Ray Charles and the Raelettes return to New York City Ballet to perform Martins' American Music Festival ballet A Fool for You. Following a three-year sponsorship of "Ballet for Young People" matinee performances New York Telephone becomes the corporate sponsor of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, ensuring preservation of this work and allowing its presentation to 1,000 New York City schoolchildren each year. In 2009,Katherine Brownwas named NYCBs first-ever Executive Director, a position created to oversee the administrative management of the Company. Everyone From open ballet classes for young children to educational seminars for adults, SAB has something for everyone. Principal Dancers Gudrun Bojesen and Thomas Lund of the Royal Danish Ballet are the first guest artists of Balanchine 100: The Centennial Celebration when they join NYCB for a performance of Flower Festival in Genzano pas de deux on January 11. Beginning this year, the Company presents a regular spring season at the New York State Theater, running from April or May to June or early July. Domestic appearances take place in Indiana and Michigan. The New York State Theater undergoes a major acoustical renovation made possible by The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. Jerome Robbins choreographs The Cage, which premieres in June. Its premiere is also the occasion for the first annual gala to benefit the New York City Ballet. Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine open the School of American Ballet in New York City At only 26 years of age, Lincoln Kirstein, a wealthy, Boston-born admirer of dance and the arts developed a plan to start a new American ballet tradition equal to the celebrated dance found in Europe. Incorporates pointe shoes At the Spring Gala in May, Martins' Fearful Symmetries premieres, with music by John Adams. Later, after he had moved to America and founded New York City Ballet, he decided to choreograph his own version of The Nutcracker for his company. In a journalistic sense, the Mets did not even exist. Andrea Quinn is appointed Music Director of New York City Ballet. Email Address Subscribe {{error_msg}} David H. Koch Theater 20 Lincoln Center Plaza New York, NY 10023 Venturing abroad for the first time, the Company presents a five-week season at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, followed by a three-week tour of the English provinces. In early September, the Company returns to Copenhagen for seven performances during the 150th Anniversary of Tivoli Gardens. In July, three Diamond Project ballets premiere at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center: La Stravaganza, Open Strings, and Slavonic Dances. In November, the Company dances a special performance for families of victims of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack. Never before seen at the New York State Theater, Balanchine's Gounod Symphony is reconstructed for revival by former ballet mistress Vida Brown. Balanchine's The Nutcracker is redesigned by Rouben Ter-Arutunian to fit the much larger stage. Liebeslieder Walzer, absent for some time, is reintroduced on May 24. Balanchine arrives in New York on October 17. As a constituent of Lincoln Center, City Center joins the Lincoln Center Student Program, through which the Company continues its public service programs in city schools. In November, Balanchine revives The Fairy's Kiss, first done for American Ballet in 1937. In November, Charles Askegard and Monique Meunier are promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. For the 1988-1989 Winter Season, the Company initiates the NYCB Discovery Series to encourage children and their parents to explore the world of ballet. It is his first ballet for the Company. New York City Ballet and the block letter logo are registered trademarks of New York City Ballet, Inc. Masters at Work: Balanchine & Robbins III, Copland Dance Episodes: A Ballet by Justin Peck, Art Series 2018: Jihan Zencirli / GERONIMO, Artistic Directors' Coalition for Ballet in America. The company performs during summer sessions at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga, New York. For the Tschaikovsky Festival, Balanchine re-choreographs his 1933 Mozartzana. Robbins retired in 1990, and Martins continued in his charge until 2017, when he retired amid accusations of various incidents of misconduct, including sexual harassment. All performance photography Paul Kolnik or Erin Baiano. Balanchine then establishes ongoing programs of lecture-demonstrations for New York City public schools. On April 24, the Company dances at the gala opening of the New York State Theater, which is to be its new home. With commissioned music by Igor Stravinsky, and sets and costumes by Isamu Noguchi, Ballet Society presents the premiere of Balanchine's Orpheus at City Center on April 28. Sponsored by Ballet Society, they take place at City Center during regular seasons. Marking the start of NYCB's 50th Anniversary year, William Morrow and Company publishes Tributes: Celebrating 50 Years of New York City Ballet in October. Swan Lake Giselle Select all of the people who founded the School of American Ballet that later became the New York City Ballet. Peter Boal, Helene Alexopoulos, Damian Woetzel, and Gen Horiuchi are promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. promo code applied. During the Company's return engagement at the Edinburgh Festival, Peter Martins dances as a guest artist in Apollo. Albert Evans and Ethan Stiefel are promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. On October 4 the Company participates in Dancing for Life, a benefit to help victims of AIDS.