The Beethoven Seventh

Twyla Tharp's second ballet for New York City Ballet is a sweeping work for three principal couples and a corps of 12. It is set to music that is often referred to as Beethoven's "dance symphony" (after Richard Wagner's famous statement, "this symphony is the very apotheosis of dance"). The ballet opens with a lighthearted, yet noble first movement, followed by a slow and sensuous pas de deux filled with yearning and passion. After a bright, virtual eruption of high spirits in the third section, the ballet concludes with a playful and rousing finale.

A neoclassical ballet, The Beethoven Seventh is filled with bravura solos, pas de deux and ensemble work, intricate entrances and exits, and unusual partnering. It also incorporates vernacular movement (including a brief and elegant breakdance) and elements of Tharp's signature slinky, slouchy, syncopated style. Ms. Tharp's first work for New York City Ballet came in 1984 when she collaborated with Jerome Robbins in Brahms/Handel.

39 minutes