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Dances at a Gathering

Music
Frédéric Chopin
Choreography
Jerome Robbins

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The quintessential piano ballet, Dances at a Gathering distills the spectrum of human interaction into the most natural of movements, a landmark for its invention, virtuosity, and constantly shifting emotions.

Dances at a Gathering, which premiered in 1969, heralded Jerome Robbins’ return to New York City Ballet after a 13-year absence. Inspired by Chopin’s piano music, Robbins quickly began choreographing in the rehearsal studio. When he showed 25 minutes of choreography to Balanchine, he said, “Make more, make it like popcorn,” pretending to pop popcorn into his mouth. The work eventually expanded to an hour in length with a cast of ten dancers.

Chopin’s mazurkas, waltzes, and études, groundbreaking at the time of their composition, are rooted in the Slavic character of his Polish homeland, yet still convey the elegance of Paris, where they were created. Robbins ultimately used 18 of Chopin’s piano pieces, creating dances for various duets, solos, and larger groupings.

“The ballet stays and exists in the time of the music and its work,” wrote Robbins. “Nothing is out of it, I believe; all gestures and moods, steps, etc. are part of the fabric of the music’s time and its meaning to me.”

60 minutes

Golden Hour

A look back at the creation of Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering, fifty years after it first premiered on the NYCB stage.

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ANATOMY OF A DANCE

Adrian Danchig-Waring on DANCES AT A GATHERING

“Ballet is such a hard technique—there’s a lot of unlearning to soften and make it feel so breezy.” Principal Dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring describes the windswept quality of this early pas de deux from Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering.

INSIDE THE REPERTORY

Harrison Ball and Indiana Woodward on Dances at a Gathering

Indiana Woodward and Harrison Ball discuss the humanity, community, and love found in Jerome Robbins’ masterwork Dances at a Gathering, and how the hour-long ballet isn’t just danced for the audience, but for each other.

Anatomy of a Dance

Megan Fairchild on DANCES AT A GATHERING

Megan Fairchild discusses the subtle nuances that come with dancing the Green Girl, and how the role has a different flavor and feeling than others in Dances at a Gathering.

Anatomy of a Dance

Tiler Peck on DANCES AT A GATHERING

Tiler Peck walks us through the moments of repose in Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering and how they bring out a different side of her dancing.

Dances at a Gathering

Principal Dancers Unity Phelan and Adrian Danchig-Waring create their own world onstage during this pas de deux from Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering.

Dances at a Gathering

Principal Dancer Mira Nadon's debut in the vivacious solo originated by Violette Verdy in Jerome Robbin's Dances at a Gathering.

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