“The starriest event of the season... A fascinating glimpse into the varying approaches to the greatest ballet choreographer of the twentieth century.”

– The New Yorker, Fall Preview

The New York Times calls Balanchine: The City Center Years, “A big, fancy party of a festival,” and expressed “the City Center years were crucial, not just for the astonishing variety and power of the works Balanchine choreographed, but also for the consolidation and expansion of his American style of classicism.” 

In 1948 George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein founded New York City Ballet at City Center. It was here that Balanchine continued to develop his definitive style, which remains at the pinnacle of modern ballet. Many of Balanchine’s iconic ballets from that time had premieres at our historic theater. The thirteen different pieces chosen for this unprecedented international tribute will be performed by eight of the world’s greatest ballet companies, accompanied by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.

Balanchine: The City Center Years will feature performances by American Ballet Theatre, The Joffrey Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.

The six distinct performances are complemented by two special Studio 5 programs on October 25 and 29, and a special archival exhibition at City Center.

Balanchine: The City Center Years is part of New York City Center's 75th Anniversary Season.

PREMIERE TICKETS. FESTIVAL EVENTS. INTIMATE REHEARSALS.
Étoile Circle
Starting at $3,500

We invite you to be a part of the Étoile Circle to guarantee access to prime house seats, invitations to the Opening Night Party, pre-show dinner, and intimate company rehearsal. Please call 212.763.1257 or email Balanchine@NYCityCenter.org for more information. 

Join the conversation #BalanchineNYCC

Program I—Wed, Oct 31 at 8pm

Miami City Ballet Serenade (Tschaikovsky)
Emily Bromberg, Jeanette Delgado, Simone Messmer, Rainer Krenstetter, Chase Swatosh

The Mariinsky Ballet Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (Tschaikovsky)
Viktoria Tereshkina, Kimin Kim

The Royal Ballet Tarantella (Gottschalk)
Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Marcelino Sambé

New York City Ballet Symphony in C (Bizet)
First Movement: Tiler Peck, Tyler Angle; Second Movement: Sara Mearns, Jared Angle;
Third Movement: Ashley Bouder, Anthony Huxley; Fourth Movement: Lauren King, Taylor Stanley

Program II—Thu, Nov 1 at 8pm

The Mariinsky Ballet Apollo (Stravinsky) 
Apollo: Xander Parish, Terpischore: Maria Khoreva, Polyhymnia: Anastasia Nuikina, Calliope: Daria Ionova

New York City Ballet Concerto Barocco (Bach)
Maria Kowroski, Abi Stafford, Russell Janzen

The Royal Ballet Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (Tschaikovsky)
Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Marcelino Sambé

San Francisco Ballet Divertimento No. 15 (Mozart)
Dores André, Frances Chung, Sasha De Sola, Koto Ishihara, Ana Sophia Scheller,
Benjamin Freemantle, Angelo Greco, Lonnie Weeks

Program III—Fri, Nov 2 at 8pm

San Francisco Ballet Scotch Symphony (Mendelssohn)
Mathilde Froustey, Joseph Walsh, Dores André

The Mariinsky Ballet Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (Tschaikovsky)
Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim

Paris Opera Ballet Divertissement Pas de Deux from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn)
Hugo Marchand and Sae-Eun Park

The Joffrey Ballet The Four Temperaments (Hindemith)
Melancholic: Yoshihasa Arai; Sanguinic: Christine Rocas and Dylan Gutierrez;
Phlegmatic: Greig Matthews; Choleric: Victoria Jaiani

Program IV—Sat, Nov 3 at 2pm

The Joffrey Ballet The Four Temperaments (Hindemith)
Melancholic: Alberto Velazquez; Sanguinic: April Daly and Miguel Angel Blanco;
Phlegmatic: Rory Hohenstein; Choleric: Victoria Jaiani

Miami City Ballet Pas de Trois (Glinka) (Glinka)
Nathalia Arja, Ashley Knox, Kleber Rebello

Paris Opera Ballet Pas de Deux from Agon (Stravinsky)
Hugo Marchand and Sae-Eun Park

San Francisco Ballet Divertimento No. 15 (Mozart)
Dores André, Sasha De Sola, Koto Ishihara, Wona Park, Ana Sophia Scheller,
Benjamin Freemantle, Angelo Greco, Lonnie Weeks

Program V—Sat, Nov 3 at 8pm

The Mariinsky Ballet Apollo (Stravinsky)
Apollo: Xander Parish, Terpischore: Maria Khoreva, Polyhymnia: Anastasia Nuikina, Calliope: Daria Ionova

The Royal Ballet Tarantella (Gottschalk)
Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Marcelino Sambé

Paris Opera Ballet Pas de Deux from Agon (Stravinsky)
Hugo Marchand and Sae-Eun Park

American Ballet Theatre Symphonie Concertante (Mozart)
Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher and Thomas Forster

Program VI—Sun, Nov 4 at 3pm

The Joffrey Ballet The Four Temperaments (Hindemith) 
Melancholic: Yoshihasa Arai; Sanguinic: Christine Rocas and Dylan Gutierrez;
Phlegmatic: Greig Matthews; Choleric: Victoria Jaiani

Paris Opera Ballet Divertissement Pas de Deux from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn) 
Hugo Marchand and Sae-Eun Park

The Mariinsky Ballet Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (Tschaikovsky)
Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim

American Ballet Theatre Symphonie Concertante (Mozart)
Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher and Thomas Forster

*Casting subject to change

Want to dive deeper into Balanchine's glorious legacy? Our Studio 5 series has two unique evenings complementing our Balanchine celebration. 

The Balanchine Woman
Thu Oct 25, 2018 6:30pm
With Heather Watts, Tiler Peck, Jared Angle, and Cameron Grant 

But First a School: The Making of a Balanchine Dancer
Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:30pm
With faculty members and students from the School of American Ballet led by Co-Chairman of Faculty Kay Mazzo 

75th Anniversary Season Sponsors
Stacey and Eric Mindich

Lead Sponsors
Barbara and David Zalaznick
Joseph and Sylvia Slifka Foundation

Major Support is provided by
Stuart H. Coleman and Meryl Rosofsky
Barbara Horgan
The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund

Additional Support is provided by
Deborah and Charles Adelman

The Florence Gould Foundation
Trust for Mutual Understanding

Leadership Support for Dance at New York City Center is provided by