Program
Balanchine + Ratmansky I
APR 25, 29 MAT & EVE, MAY 3, 6 EVE, 7
Approximately 1 hr 43 min
Performance Dates
SPANNING FOUR DECADES, TWO WORKS PERFUMED BY FRENCH COMPOSITIONS MAKE FOR A PLAYFUL PAIRING
Dances set to music from 19th-century France comprise this program. Balanchine’s La Source, set to the music of Léo Delibes, has been hailed as the choreographer’s tribute to the charm and sophistication of French dancing. Originally composed as a pas de deux, it was later expanded with the addition of an ensemble. Alexei Ratmansky turned to the lesser-known Édouard Lalo for inspiration for his Namouna, A Grand Divertissement, a ballet that likewise draws on classical French steps and style as it depicts a romantic tale of thwarted love eventually rewarded, combining pure dance, hints of drama, and lively moments of wit.
Ballets on this Program
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La Source
A frothy classical wonder, the French-themed La Source combines thrilling ensemble work with virtuoso pas de deux.
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Namouna, A Grand Divertissement
A truly monumental work, Ratmansky abstracts Édouard Lalo's comical 19th-century story ballet into a stylized series of witty and animated dances for seven featured performers and a large ensemble.
