Performance Dates
A Striking Display of the Myriad Creative Possibilities Inspired by Stravinsky’s Body of Work
A smorgasbord of works from the Company’s founding choreographers highlights the creative possibility of Stravinsky’s multifaceted output. Set to Stravinsky’s symphonic suite of the same name, Balanchine’s plotless Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée’ conveys a sense of both playfulness and foreboding with its fleet choreography. Inspired by the Concerto in D for String Orchestra’s dramatic intensity, Robbins crafted The Cage, a boundary-breaking tale of the violent actions of a “Novice” in a female-centric, cult-like hive of insects. Balanchine’s admiration for Stravinsky’s music finds its ultimate expression in Duo Concertant, in which the leotard-clad couple shares the stage with the violin and piano, and in Rubies, a dazzling work set to Stravinsky’s jazzy Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra.
Ballets on this Program
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Divertimento from 'Le Baiser de la Fée'
An abstraction of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, Stravinsky’s colorfully playful yet foreboding divertimento sets the stage for Balanchine’s fleet-footed choreography.
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The Cage
The Cage plunges into the world of natural selection, using Stravinsky’s daring score to depict the feral instinct compelling the female of an insect species to consider its male counterpart as prey.
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Duo Concertant
An animated dance for a neoclassical couple, the dancers periodically stop and listen to the onstage musicians before ending with a poignant scene in a pool of light on a dark stage.
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Rubies
Rubies sends its dancers racing across the stage like lightning to Stravinsky’s jazz-inflected piano capriccio, emphasized by a sharp attack and sassy style.
