Danses Concertantes

The mercurial movements of this intoxicating ballet feature a series of witty pas de trois that are simultaneously fanciful and invigorating.

Igor Stravinsky’s score for Danses Concertantes was commissioned by Werner Janssen of Los Angeles for his own orchestra in 1941 and conducted by Stravinsky at its premiere. Although Danses Concertantes was not composed for ballet, Balanchine mounted it first for the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo at New York’s City Center Theater in 1944, and then re-choreographed the piece for New York City Ballet’s 1972 Stravinsky Festival. Eugene Berman designed the original Ballet Russe production, and his scenery and costumes, which Stravinsky particularly admired, are also used in this production. The ballet was rechoreographed for the 1972 Stravinsky Festival which is the version performed today.

21 minutes