Episode 159: New Combinations: Continuum

As our 25-26 Season comes to a close, Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan reminisce over some of the year's most memorable moments.  From welcoming former dancers to the front of the room and guest musicians into the orchestra pit, to choreographers returning to create in our studios and a wave of well-deserved promotions, this season was filled with artistry, growth, and unforgettable milestones. (51:10) Music:  Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (1875) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky Edited by Emilie Silvestri

Associate Artistic Director and host Wendy Whelan is back for a New Combinations conversation with Principal Dancer Tiler Peck as she prepares for the May 7 premiere of Symphonie Espagnole, her second choreographic commission for the company. Peck dives into the granularities of her process—from music selection to costumes to casting the 40-person ballet—and reflects on the unexpected ways in which choreographing has uncovered new facets of her own dancing and artistry. (35:24) Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co   Edited by Emilie Silvestri

New Combinations Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon this week, whose ballet Continuum will have its NYCB premiere on May 1. It's part of a trilogy of leotard ballets, including Polyphonia and Morphoses, set to a score by György Ligeti—a composer whose music Wheeldon was "really intrigued by," but also "terrified" by. Wheeldon and Whelan discuss unlocking and understanding the mysteries of Ligeti's works, setting this piece on the company, and the positive impact fear can have on one's creative process. (35:39)   Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co   Edited by Emilie Silvestri

The topic du jour around The Rosin Box this week is the driving force behind ballet: music. For this conversation, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are joined by Corps de Ballet Member Maya Milić and Soloist Sebastián Villarini-Vélez, two company members whose connections to music extend far beyond the studio and stage. Maya is a classically trained pianist who graduated with honors from the Manhattan School of Music's Precollege Division, which she attended while also a student at the School of American Ballet; Sebastián was raised in a musical household—his father was a percussionist with an expansive collection of tapes, and Sebastián played the guitar throughout childhood. These formative early exposures to music have influenced their dancing in countless ways: "Developing a taste is the most important thing you can do as an artist," says Sebastián. "That will allow you to shape your approach towards what you're doing. Distinguishing what works for you musically will allow you to find sort of a unique voice to approach the steps." (40:12) Edited by Gus Reed  Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records

This week around The Rosin Box, Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are talking all things adult ballet with Sloane Bratter, NYCB's Associate Director, Public Programs, and Soloist Ashley Hod. The company's Education department has been hosting adult movement workshops since 2014, taught by current and former dancers—an opportunity Claire calls "a real life-giving experience." Structured similarly to a standard company class, the workshops usually consist of a ballet barre and center, followed by learning a few phrases from NYCB's repertory and a holding a brief Q&A. For Ashley, leading these workshops has become a true highlight of each season: "It's not just what I'm giving to these dancers—it's what I'm getting in return. (36:57) Edited by Gus Reed  Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records

We're back around The Rosin Box, with Soloist Aarón Sanz pulling double hosting duty this episode. He's joined by Principal Dancer Chun Wai Chan for a conversation on the singular experience of joining an American ballet company as an international dancer. Chan, who is originally from China, and Sanz, who came to America by way of Spain, discuss navigating homesickness, the things that surprised them most about NYCB, and how, sometimes, "knowing a little less allows you to be more comfortable—which is often what you need." (44:23) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records

Host Silas Farley is back with another fascinating Hear the Dance conversation, joined this week by Kay Mazzo, Christine Redpath, and Jean-Pierre Frohlich to discuss Jerome Robbins' masterpiece Dances at a Gathering. In this wide-ranging and intimate conversation, they share memories of the ballet's momentous 1969 premiere as well as time spent with Robbins in the rehearsal studio. As they discuss the various sections of Dances, they reflect on moments when Robbins' humor emerges; the "freedom" and even suspense of certain passages; and the ways in which the ballet is a gift from the choreographer as much to the dancers, who share in its rich sense of community, as to the audience. (1:09:57) Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music:  Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Mazurka, op. 63, no. 3; Waltz, op. 69, no. 2; Mazurka, op. 33, no. 3; Mazurkas, op. 6, nos. 2 and 4, op. 7, nos. 4 and 5, op. 24, no. 2; Waltz, op. 24; Waltz, op. 34, no. 2; Mazurka, op. 56, no. 2; Etude, op. 25, no. 4; Waltz, op. 34, no. 1; Waltz, op. 70, no. 2; Etude, op. 25, no. 5; Etude, op. 10, no. 2; Scherzo, op. 20, no. 1; Nocturne, op. 15, no. 1 All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir Edited and with Commentary by Amanda Vaill Life of Chopin by Franz Liszt Chopin: Prince of the Romantics by Adam Zamoyski Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein's The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds, with an Introduction by Lincoln Kirstein

New Combinations Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky this week as the countdown to the choreographer's next world premiere—and the 500th work created on the company—continues. Commissioned by Serge Lifar in 1935, the score, by the little-known neoclassical composer Jean Françaix, adapts Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes" for the stage. Among the ballet's unique challenges was the casting of the title character, which Ratmansky shares requires a "fearless" dancer with "charisma and a sense of humor." (23:53) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co

This week, New Combinations host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Resident Choreographer Justin Peck to discuss his upcoming world premiere. As Peck describes, the work takes inspiration from the score, the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3—the Eroica or "Heroic" Symphony—and celebrates the six "superheroes" of the cast. Choreographing to Beethoven presents unique challenges, but as Peck explains, this is part of why he chose the piece, along with the joy playing it brings to the NYCB Orchestra. (24:05)   Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co

We're launching a new season of City Ballet The Podcast with an enlightening Hear the Dance conversation on Jerome Robbins' Antique Epigraphs. Host Silas Farley is joined by former NYCB dancers and original cast members Maria Calegari and Heléne Alexopoulos, and current Repertory Director Rebecca Krohn, who performed several roles in the work and now coaches today's performers. They describe learning this lyrical ballet, following the delicate Debussy score through its unique solos and romantic passages for the cast of "eight glamorous women." (49:32)  Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Six Epigraphes Antiques (1915), orchestrated by Ernest Ansermet (1932) and Syrinx (1912) All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir by Jerome Robbins Edited by Amanda Vaill Claude Debussy: A Critical Biography by François Lesure, Translated by Marie Rolf Documenting: Lighting Design (Performing Arts Resources, Vol. 25) Jennifer Tipton, Contributing Author