Saturday’s Gala at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center had a relaxed, laid-back feel that matched the hot, humid evening, but the outdoor setting and sticky weather didn’t stop the crowds from dressing up for the occasion. Nor was the event lacking in star power: Rita Moreno, who played “Anita” in the film version of [...]

Designed by NYCB soloist Craig Hall The New York State Theater was packed on Friday night, and not just with the typical crowd of New York City Ballet devotees. Young people, too, had flocked to Lincoln Center to see the Dancers’ Choice program, a benefit for the Dancers’ Emergency Fund. Principal dancer Jonathan Stafford [...]

I’ll be the first to admit that I love Chopin’s piano pieces. They are breezy, thoughtful, and at times dramatic and intense. With such beautiful music, it is easy to let the mind wander (as mine did several times throughout the performance), to lose yourself in listening to the music, which is exactly what Jerome [...]

Christopher Wheeldon’s Rococo Variations - photo by Paul Kolnik “Here and Now” was a fitting title for a program that featured four contemporary works - the oldest premiered in 1998 - by some of the most sought-after choreographers in ballet today. But I was swept far away from the here and the now, traveling to [...]

Wendy Whelan in costume for Opus 19/The Dreamer photo by Josef Astor, Dance Magazine, March 2003 Wednesday evening’s program at the New York State Theater was a quadruple bill of works by Jerome Robbins with music by three Russian composers. With the exception of the not-so-memorable Andantino, the opening duet that was performed delicately by Megan [...]

American Songs and Dances is a fitting title for the New York City Ballet program I saw on Wednesday night, which included Thou Swell, Ives, Songs, and West Side Story Suite. These are all period pieces, occurring at a specific time and place in America - and all (refreshingly) without tutus. Peter Martins’ [...]