Program
Eclectic NYCB II
APR 29, MAY 5, 6, 10, 14, 26
Performance Dates
A PERFECT PRIMER ON NYCB’S MULTIFACETED REPERTORY
A program that illustrates the breadth of the company’s repertory opens with a Balanchine classic, Divertimento No. 15, a scintillating dance set to a Mozart composition that features eight leading dancers in a series of variations that illuminate classical technique with captivating clarity. It is joined by Peter Martins’ Zakouski, a ballet for two dancers that takes its title from the Russian word for hors d’ouevres, honoring the four composers whose music the ballet employs—from Tschaikovsky to Stravinsky. Gianna Reisen became the youngest choreographer commissioned by the company with the frolicsome Composer’s Holiday when it premiered in 2017, while Justin Peck’s Heatscape marks another of his frequent creations with prominent collaborators, in this case the street artist Shepard Fairey.
Ballets on this Program
-
Divertimento No. 15
Balanchine considered Mozart’s Divertimento No. 15 the finest ever written and to compliment the sparkling score, he created a work of prodigious ingenuity featuring a regal cast of dancers.
-
Zakouski
Weaving together four unique compositions, the two dancers in Zakouski incorporate vernacular gesture as they explore the emotional terrain of its musical sources.
-
Composer's Holiday
Gianna Reisen, NYCB’s youngest commissioned choreographer to date, made a splash with her first work for the Company, bringing refreshing vivacity to the stage through fleet-footed choreography set to a violin and piano interpretation of Lukas Foss’ Three American Pieces.
-
Heatscape
Described by The New York Times as “a fleeting chase of romance,” Justin Peck’s Heatscape—a 2015 creation for Miami City Ballet—features a boldly patterned backdrop by artist Shepard Fairey that sets the stage for a dance blazing with exhilarating energy.
