On October 11, 1948, the curtain at the City Center for Music and Drama opened on New York City Ballet for the first time. The then-fledgling company performed three George Balanchine ballets: Concerto Barocco, Orpheus, and Symphony in C. Balanchine and his co-founder, Lincoln Kirstein, had created many iterations of a ballet company together over […]
Thursday night, New York City Ballet officially announced the promotions of three dancers: soloists Unity Phelan and Indiana Woodward to principal, and corps de ballet member Roman Mejia to soloist. The news comes as several of the company’s principal dancers—Abi Stafford, Ask la Cour, Lauren Lovette and Maria Kowroski, as well as soloist Lauren King—bid […]
In December 2019, the New York Times listed New York City Ballet corps dancer Mira Nadon alongside Billie Eilish and Lizzo as one of the year’s biggest breakout stars. Nadon, then 18, had just made her debut in George Balanchine’s “Rubies,” taking on the fiery lead with a dazzling mix of risk-taking, self-assurance and charisma […]
To watch Jacques d’Amboise, the legendary New York City Ballet dancer who died this week at the age of 86 due to complications from a stroke, coach dancers in the roles he had performed over the course of his long career was to see an artist who not only possessed formidable insight, but also exuded […]
In October, New York City Ballet announced that former Houston Ballet principal Chun Wai Chan would be joining the company as a soloist for the 2021–22 season. Born and trained in Guangzhou, China, Chan moved to the U.S. to join Houston Ballet II in 2010, joining the main company’s corps de ballet in 2012. With […]
Long and lithe, India Bradley possesses a combination of sophisticated elegance and free-flying extension that brings to mind Balanchine dancers of yore. Since becoming an apprentice in 2017 and a member of the corps the following year, Bradley has been a fixture on the New York City Ballet stage. “I did so many ballets right […]
New York City Ballet apprentice KJ Takahashi moves with elegance and precision. The ease, poise and speed with which he eats up space would make George Balanchine himself proud, though Mr. B might be surprised by the exact steps you can often find Takahashi performing. Before Takahashi ever danced roles like Candy Cane and Tea […]
This is Pointe‘s Spring 2020 cover story. Click here to purchase this issue. In a brightly lit studio high above the busy Manhattan streets, Roman Mejia rehearses George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante. Though just 20, the New York City Ballet corps dancer exudes an easy confidence. Practicing a tricky sequence of triple pirouettes into double […]