New York City Ballet's 1999-2000 season begins Tuesday, November 23, with an Opening Night Benefit and continues through Sunday, February 27, at the New York State Theater. Highlights of the season, which will feature 45 different ballets, include a world premiere ballet by Twyla Tharp, her first solo work for New York City Ballet, which will premiere on January 22.

The season will also include the return of Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins' full-length Swan Lake, and an evening of ballet and jazz featuring the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Both Swan Lake and the jazz program premiered during New York City Ballet's 50th Anniversary season and were two of the anniversary's most sought-after tickets.

Following the Opening Night Benefit on Tuesday, November 23, the Company will present 45 performances of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™, from Friday, November 26, through Sunday, January 2. The 1999-2000 season of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™ is sponsored by Citibank. The program for the Opening Night Benefit will be announced at a later date.

The Company's annual winter repertory season will open on January 4, 2000, with a special "Waltz Into The Millennium" program.

Highlighting the winter repertory season will be the world premiere of a new ballet by Twyla Tharp. This will be Tharp's first solo work for New York City Ballet, and will premiere on Saturday, January 22, as part of the Company's fourth annual New Combinations Evening, which honors the anniversary of George Balanchine's birth. Tharp's ballet will be the fifth world premiere ballet presented on the New Combinations Evening since its inception in 1997.

Although this is the first solo work that Tharp has created for the Company, she previously worked with New York City Ballet on a collaboration with Jerome Robbins, Brahms/Handel, which premiered in 1984. The score for the new ballet will be announced at a later date. Following the premiere on the evening of January 22, the ballet is scheduled to be performed on the evenings of January 25, February 1 and February 3.

New York City Ballet will begin its winter repertory season with a special one-time-only "Waltz into the Millennium" program on Tuesday, January 4. The evening will include George Balanchine's Garland Dance from The Sleeping Beauty, Valse-Fantaisie, and Vienna Waltzes, along with Peter Martins' Valse Triste and The Waltz Project. This program will be the only time that the Garland Dance and The Waltz Project will be performed during the winter repertory season.

Other highlights of the winter repertory season include the return of Peter Martins' Swan Lake. The production, which premiered during the 50th Anniversary season and was featured on an Emmy-nominated installment of Live From Lincoln Center, will be performed on January 13, 18 and 19 at 8 p.m., January 15 at 2 p.m., and January 16 at 3 p.m.

Also returning is the all jazz program featuring the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, which was first performed during the Company's 50th Anniversary season. The program features two ballets by Peter Martins, Jazz (Six Syncopated Movements) and Them Twos, both set to commissioned scores by Wynton Marsalis. The final ballet on the program, Duke!, features choreography by Robert La Fosse, Garth Fagan and Susan Stroman, to the music of Duke Ellington. The jazz program is scheduled to be performed on January 26, 28 and 29 at 8 p.m.

The season will also include the return of George Balanchine's full-length Coppélia. Last presented during the 1997 winter repertory season, Coppélia will be performed on February 9, 15 and 17 at 8 p.m., and on February 12 at 2 p.m.

See the performance schedule for a complete listing of performance dates and times for the winter repertory season and George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™.

New York City Ballet's 2000 spring repertory season will take place from April 25 through June 25 at the New York State Theater. Programming for the spring season will be announced at a later date.

At the close of New York City Ballet's 1999 spring repertory season at the New York State Theater, the following dancers were promoted: Maria Kowroski became a principal dancer, and Jennifer Tinsley and Pascale van Kipnis became soloist. In addition, Jeroen Hofmans has joined New York City Ballet as a soloist. Hofmans, a native of Brussels, was previously a member of the Royal Ballet of Flanders.

Tickets are currently on sale by mail and through the NYCB web site for all performances of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™. Tickets for Opening Night and all performances of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™ will be available at the New York State Theater box office beginning October 4, and through TicketMaster at 212-307-4100 beginning October 6.

Winter season subscription series are now on sale by mail, through the NYCB web site, and by calling the NYCB subscription office at 1-800-580-8730. Single tickets for the winter repertory season will be available by mail and through the NYCB web site beginning October 4. Single tickets will be available by calling TicketMaster at 212-307-4100 beginning November 21, and at the New York State Theater box office beginning November 22.

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.