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Ahead of its planned return to in-person performances in September, the NYC Ballet has released its digital spring season, which includes newly recorded performances at the Koch Theater.
There's a lot to look forward to in the new season, including on April 8, when choreographer Kyle Abraham and NYCB will premiere a ballet they created with Ryan Marie Helfant, an award-winning filmmaker who was one of several cinematographers who lensed the visual album "Black is King," directed by Beyoncé. It'll be available to view through April 22.
Then on May 5, NYCB Resident Choreographer and Artistic Advisor Justin Peck will debut a solo for NYCB Principal Dancer Anthony Huxley, as part of the company’s virtual Spring Gala. (The gala will also feature choreography by NYCB co-founding choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins). It'll be available through May 20.
Until then, audience members can enjoy a three-part series called “Three Sides of Balanchine,” featuring "Prodigal Son," (February 22-23, 25) "Theme and Variations," (March 1-2, 4) and "Stravinsky Violin Concerto," (March 8-9, 11).
"As the Company continues to plan for our return to the Koch Theater stage in September for the start of the 2021-22 performance season, we will once again present a series of digital programs with much of the content newly filmed in our theater at Lincoln Center,” said NYCB Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford. “That glorious venue, NYCB’s home since 1964, has been dark for nearly a year, and to see the theater begin to reawaken with NYCB’s wonderful dancers performing new works by Justin Peck and Kyle Abraham, as well as iconic masterpieces by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, is going to be a thrilling experience for all of us.”
Here's a breakdown of the season:
Inside NYCB
February 23: A look at The Siren, the leading female role in Prodigal Son, featuring a rehearsal and conversation with Principal Dancer Maria Kowroski, who has performed the role for many years, NYCB Repertory Director Lisa Jackson, and corps de ballet member Christina Clark, who will be learning the role.
Available to view through March 4
March 2: Focusing on a virtuosic male solo from Theme and Variations, this event will feature a conversation and rehearsal session with NYCB Principal Dancers Andrew Veyette and Joseph Gordon, both of whom have performed the ballet’s principal male role, and Repertory Director Kathleen Tracey.
Available to view through March 11
March 9: Showcasing one of the female solos from Stravinsky Violin Concerto, this event will feature a conversation and rehearsal session with Principal Dancer Sara Mearns and Soloist Claire Kretzschmar, both of whom have performed the leading female role in the ballet’s First Aria, and Repertory Director Rebecca Krohn.
Available to view through March 18
Performance Streams: Thursdays at 8pm
February 25: Prodigal Son, featuring Daniel Ulbricht and Teresa Reichlen
Available to view through March 4
March 4: Theme and Variations, featuring Andrew Veyette and Tiler Peck
Available to view through March 11
March 11: 1972 neoclassical masterpiece Stravinsky Violin Concerto, featuring Sterling Hyltin, Ask la Cour, Sara Mearns, and Taylor Stanley
Available to view through March 18
George Balanchine's Vienna Waltzes: June 3-17
NYCB will also stream Balanchine’s "Vienna Waltzes," which include waltzes by Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár, and Richard Strauss, and features more than 50 dancers like Rebecca Krohn, Tyler Angle, Megan Fairchild, Anthony Huxley, Erica Pereira, Sean Suozzi, Teresa Reichlen, Ask la Cour, Maria Kowroski and Jared Angle in the principal roles.
Other offerings during the digital season include:
- Mondays: New episodes of the City Ballet The Podcast, featuring discussions with past and present company artists (free)
- Mondays at 6:30pm: Ballet Essentials, live interactive movement workshops on Zoom for teen and adult dancers ($8-$15 suggested)
- Wednesdays at 6:30pm: Signature Steps, ballet classes on Zoom for intermediate- and advanced-level dancers with at least five years of training ($30)
- Thursdays at 6pm: Access Workshops, which offers warm-ups and choreography designed for teens and adults with disabilities (free)
- Saturdays at 11am: Ballet Breaks, a series of half-hour workshops for children ages 3 to 8 ($5-$10 suggested)
- Saturdays at noon: Access Workshops for Children, a program aimed at children with disabilities, ages 4 to 12 (free)
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