New York City Ballet’s 2000-2001 season will begin on Tuesday, November 21, with an Opening Night Benefit and continue through Sunday, February 25, at the New York State Theater. Highlighting the season, which will feature 47 different ballets, are world premieres by Eliot Feld, Peter Martins and Christopher Wheeldon.

The season will also feature 24 ballets by George Balanchine including the return of Variations pour une Porte et un Soupir, which has not been performed since 1994, and Prodigal Son, which was last performed in 1998. Nine ballets by Jerome Robbins will be performed, including Moves created in 1959 and Brandenburg, the last work Mr. Robbins created for New York City Ballet in 1997.

Other works returning to the repertory include four ballets from the 2000 Diamond Project: Peter Martins’ Harmonielehre and Slonimsky’s Earbox, Helgi Tomasson’s Prism and Christopher Wheeldon’s Mercurial Manoeuvres.

Following the Opening Night Benefit on Tuesday, November 21, the Company will present 45 performances of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker from Friday, November 24, through Sunday, December 31. The program for the Opening Night Benefit will be announced at a later date.

Following The Nutcracker performances, the Company’s winter repertory season will begin on Tuesday, January 2 and continue for eight weeks, through February 25. Highlighting the winter repertory season will be three world premiere ballets. The first, by Christopher Wheeldon, will premiere on Thursday, January 4 at 8 p.m., with additional performances on Saturday, January 6 at 2 p.m., Wednesday, January 17 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, January 20 at 8 p.m.

A former Soloist with New York City Ballet, Mr. Wheeldon has been named NYCB’s first Artist in Residence, and will create two new ballets during the 2000/2001 season. The second ballet will premiere during the Company’s spring repertory season. Mr. Wheeldon has previously created three works for the Company, Slavonic Dances for the 1997 Diamond Project, Scènes de Ballet for the Company’s 50th Anniversary Season, and Mercurial Manoeuvres for the 2000 Diamond Project.

The second new ballet of the season will be choreographed by Eliot Feld, and will premiere on Tuesday, January 23 at 8 p.m. as part of the Company’s fifth annual New Combinations Evening, which honors the anniversary of George Balanchine’s birth. Mr. Feld’s ballet will be the sixth world premiere ballet presented on the New Combinations Evening since its inception in 1997. Following the premiere, the ballet will be repeated on Thursday, January 25 at 8 p.m., Saturday, January 27 at 8 p.m., and on Sunday, January 28 at 3 p.m.

The founder of the Ballet Tech Company and School, Mr. Feld has choreographed 106 ballets since 1967. Mr. Feld studied ballet at the School of American Ballet and at the age of 12 danced with New York City Ballet as the Prince in George Balanchine’s original production of The Nutcracker. In 1988 Mr. Feld created The Unanswered Question for NYCB; this will be his second ballet for the Company.

The final new ballet of the season will be a world premiere by the Company’s Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins on Wednesday, February 14 at 8 p.m., with additional performances on Saturday, February 17 at 2 p.m., Tuesday, February 20 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, February 24 at 2 p.m. Mr. Martins’ newest work will be the 68th ballet he has created for the Company since 1978.

Among the 24 ballets by George Balanchine returning to the repertory for the 2001 winter season, is Variations pour une Porte et un Soupir (Henry), created in 1974, New York City Ballet has not performed the work since 1994. Other ballets by Mr. Balanchine returning to the repertory include Allegro Brillante (Tschaikovsky), Divertimento from "Le Baiser de la Fée" (Stravinsky), Duo Concertant (Stravinsky), The Four Temperaments (Hindemith), Kammermusik No. 2 (Hindemith), Prodigal Son (Prokofiev), Scotch Symphony (Mendelssohn), and La Source (Delibes).

The season will also include a special performance in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Mr. Balanchine’s La Valse, which had its world premiere on February 20, 1951. The special anniversary performance will take place on Tuesday, February 20 and will also include the new ballet by Mr. Martins, as well as Mr. Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes.

The season will include five all-Balanchine programs, which will take place on Saturday, January 13 at 2 p.m., Friday, January 26 at 8 p.m., Friday, February 16 at 8 p.m., Saturday, February 17 at 8 p.m., and Wednesday, February 21 at 8 p.m.

Of the nine ballets by Jerome Robbins to be performed during the 2001 winter season, seven have not been seen in several seasons, including Afternoon of a Faun (Debussy), Brandenburg (Bach), Dances at a Gathering (Chopin), Fanfare (Britten), The Four Seasons (Verdi), In memory of... (Berg), and Moves (no score).

The season will include two all-Robbins programs, which will take place on Saturday, January 6 at 8 p.m. and on Thursday, February 15 at 8 p.m.

See the enclosed performance schedule for a complete listing of performance dates and times. New York City Ballet’s 2001 spring repertory season will open April 30 and run through July 1. Programming for the spring season will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker are currently on sale by mail and through the NYCB website at www.nycballet.com. Tickets for the Opening Night Benefit and all performances of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker will be available at the New York State Theatre box office beginning October 2, and through TicketMaster at 212-307-4100 beginning October 4.

Winter season subscription series are now on sale by mail, through the NYCB website at www.nycballet.com, and by calling the NYCB subscription office at 1-800-580-8730. Single ticket orders for the winter repertory season will be accepted by mail and through the NYCB website at www.nycballet.com beginning October 2. Single tickets will also be available by calling TicketMaster at 212-307-4100 beginning November 19 and at the New York State Theater box office beginning November 20.

The New York State Theater is located on the Lincoln Center Plaza at Broadway at 63rd Street. The mailing address for the NYCB Box Office is New York City Ballet, New York State Theater, 20 Lincoln Center, New York, NY 10023. For general information on tickets for any New York City Ballet performance call 212-870-5570.

New York City Ballet’s special theme series and audience development programs are made possible by a major grant from the Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Fund for Lincoln Center, established by the founders of The Reader’s Digest Inc.

New York City Ballet salutes the Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace fund for Lincoln Center, The Irene Diamond Fund, and members of the New Combinations Fund for leadership support of new choreography.

Special appreciation to contributors who support New York City Ballet’s Repertory Fund, helping to make possible new works, revivals, and special projects.

New York City Ballet’s family programs are made possible in part by a generous grant from the American Express Company

New York City Ballet’s performances are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.

New York City Ballet’s 2000 presentation of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is sponsored by Citibank.