Founded in 1948 by the legendary choreographer George Balanchine and arts patron Lincoln Kirstein, the New York City Ballet has a 75-year legacy of being one of the foremost dance companies in the world.
New York City Ballet’s first performance took place on October 11, 1948 at City Center for Music and Drama, which served as the Company’s New York City performance venue until 1964 when NYCB moved to its current home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
Now, NYCB is celebrating its 75th Anniversary Season, which will showcase and celebrate the Company’s extraordinary heritage and continuing contributions to creating a new ballet repertory with performances of more than 60 ballets, and more than 25 weeks of performances that will take place from September 2023 through the summer of 2024.
The season began on September 19, 2023 at Lincoln Center, the Company’s home since 1964, and will include 160 performances at the David H. Koch Theater, including NYCB’s annual fall, winter, and spring repertory seasons, as well as the annual holiday engagement of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®.
New York City Ballet is widely acknowledged as one of the most creative arts organizations in the world. Since its inception the Company has commissioned nearly 500 ballets, and in the process has helped to reshape the world of classical dance. Many of the works created for NYCB by Balanchine and the Company’s co-founding choreographer Jerome Robbins are considered 20th century masterpieces, and are now performed by numerous dance companies around the world.
“In creating this 75th anniversary celebration for New York City Ballet, we wanted to explore the great riches of our repertory, from the incredible foundation provided by the landmark works of both Balanchine and Robbins, to the many contemporary classics that were created on NYCB’s dancers and are now performed by ballet companies around the world,” said Stafford and Whelan in making the announcement.
In addition to performances in New York City, the Company will bring the 75th anniversary celebration to the Harris Theater in Chicago (March 20 through 24, 2024), the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC (June 4 through 9, 2024), the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York (summer 2024, dates to be announced), and Sadler’s Wells in London (2024, dates to be announced).
Here are highlights from the 75th Anniversary season:
2023 FALL SEASON, SEPTEMBER 19 TO OCTOBER 15
TO EXPLORE THE FOUNDATION OF NYCB’S UNPARALLELED REPERTORY
Featuring 18 ballets by the company’s co-founder George Balanchine in 27 All Balanchine Performances, and an opening-week celebration featuring seven performances of Balanchine’s 1967 Masterpiece Jewels and a recreation of NYCB’s first-ever performance on October 11, 1948, featuring Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Orpheus, and Symphony in C.
2024 WINTER and SPRING SEASONS
TO EXPLORE THE EVOLUTION AND FUTURE OF THE COMPANY’S REPERTORY
Will include world premiere ballets by NYCB principal dancer Tiler Peck and Alexei Ratmansky, who will create his first work as NYCB’s Artist in Residence—along with world premiere ballets by choreographer Amy Hall Garner and NYCB resident choreographer Justin Peck.
To see the full season and book your tickets, visit nycballet.com.
Photo Courtesy of Erin Baiano.
