New York City Ballet

Union Jack

Choreography by: George Balanchine

Music by: Hershy Kay (Adapted from traditional British music)

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Credits

Music: Traditional British sources adapted by Hershy Kay: "Keel Row," "Caledonian Hunt's Delight," "Dance wi' My Daddy", "Regimental Drum Variations," Scottish theme from the Water Music by George Frederick Handel, "Amazing Grace," "A Hundred Pipers"; music-hall songs, "The Sunshine of Your Smile," "The Night the Floor Fell In," "Our Lodger's Such a Nice Young Man," "Following in Father's Footsteps," "A Tavern in the Town" (ca. 1890-1914); traditional hornpipe melodies, and "Rule Brittania"
Premiere: May 13, 1976, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater
Original Cast: Helgi Tomasson, Jacques d'Amboise, Sara Leland, Peter Martins, Kay Mazzo, Karin von Aroldingen, Suzanne Farrell, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride, Victor Castelli, Bart Cook
Length: 58 min.
Costumes by: Rouben Ter-Arutunian
Set by: Rouben Ter-Arutunian
Lighting by: Ronald Bates

A dazzling display of kilts and clans meets music-hall humor and a fleet of flirtatious sailors in Union Jack, a spectacle of 74 dancers and one beloved donkey.

Union Jack was created to honor the British heritage of the United States on the occasion of its Bicentennial. Part I is based on Scottish military tattoos and folk-dance forms performed in an open castle square. Part II is a music-hall pas de deux for the costermonger Pearly King and Queen of London, with two little girls and a donkey, danced before a drop suggesting Pollock's toy theaters. Part III is a series of variations employing hornpipes, sea songs, work chants, jigs, and drill orders of the Royal Navy, in a dockside setting. For the finale, hand flags signal 'God Save the Queen' in semaphore code as the Union Jack unfurls.

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