Guided equally by a dreamlike piano trio and sovereign strings, Pontus Lidberg’s monochromatic but multi-layered The Shimmering Asphalt is both musing and mechanical, taking viewers on a hypnotic journey into the intricacies of a machine-like collective.

Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg’s first-ever ballet for New York City Ballet, The Shimmering Asphalt, is set to a commissioned score by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, with whom the choreographer has collaborated for more than 10 years. The ballet’s costumes are designed by British designer Rachel Quarmby- Spadaccini, a frequent collaborator of Lidberg, and the lighting is designed by NYCB Resident Lighting Director Mark Stanley.