Program
Balanchine + Wheeldon
MAR 1, 2 mat & eve, 3
A DELIGHFULLY IMAGINATIVE AND BRILLIANTLY CHARMING SET OF HIGH-SPIRITED WORKS
Christopher Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals makes a welcome return to the repertory. An engagingly whimsical tale, with a libretto by the actor John Lithgow, the dance depicts a young boy who falls asleep in the Museum of Natural History, only to dream that the people in his life have taken animal shapes. Three varied Balanchine classics complete this family-friendly program: the lively pas de deux Tarantella; the effervescent Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, which showcases its dancers’ virtuosic technique; and the jubilant Stars and Stripes, Balanchine’s danced celebration of America and the march-master John Philip Sousa.
Ballets on this Program
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Carnival of the Animals
With delightful narration written by John Lithgow, Carnival of the Animals imagines a schoolboy’s night in the Museum of Natural History and the outlandish museum residents who come to life as versions of his teachers, classmates, and family members.
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Tarantella
The virtuosic pas de deux Tarantella showcases two pyrotechnical dancers in an ever growing profusion of steps.
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Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
A virtuosic ballet, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux is brief, beautiful, and beloved – an adrenaline rush for both dancers and audiences.
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Stars and Stripes
Set to Sousa's buoyant marches and dressed in Karinska's delightful all-American costumes, Stars and Stripes contains as much pure dancing as many full-length classical ballets.
