Serenade

Speed and agility are top of mind when it comes to the work of George Balanchine, but he was also a gifted creator of imagery and poetic moments of stillness, as when Apollo gently rests his head in the hands of his Muses. In Serenade, the curtain rises on an image of astonishing beauty from which everything else in the ballet will flow: 17 women drenched in blue light, arms raised to the sky.

“You get the sense that there are infinite women standing there and that you’ve only been given a small slice of their world,” says Associate Artistic Director Christopher Stowell. “Nearly 100 years after the ballet was created, the image still hasn’t lost its power. There’s a reason why ballet companies are choosing to return to the stage with it.”

Serenade was first performed in 1934 by students at the School of American Ballet. It was the first ballet Balanchine created in America and is now a signature work for the company he co-founded, New York City Ballet. The story of its creation is legendary, with Balanchine incorporating unexpected events from the rehearsal process into the choreography and reworking the ballet repeatedly over time. But as Christopher observes, the core of Serenade – its “palette” – is so exquisite that Balanchine was able to do a variety of things within it and not distract from its power.

“What makes a piece of art last? I think it comes down to a combination of surprise and inevitability,” he says. “Serenade certainly isn’t predictable, but there is an inevitability about it. Every aspect comes to a satisfying conclusion – the patterns resolve themselves into a beautiful shape – and you’re left with the feeling that it couldn’t have happened any other way.”

In Serenade, Balanchine hearkens back to his early Russian training and the choreography of Marius Petipa while stripping away traditional notions of character and plot. In a sense the opening tableau is a reimagining of the female ensembles from classical ballets of the past, full of atmosphere and structure yet unbound by theatrical elements.

Musically, Serenade also enters a dialogue with ballet’s past, with Balanchine choosing Petipa’s frequent collaborator and classical ballet composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Balanchine felt strongly connected to Tchaikovsky as an artist and returned to his music many times throughout his career.

“Balanchine and Tchaikovsky were meant for one another,” says Christopher. “They were kindred Russian spirits despite being a generation apart. Both managed to be emotional without wearing it on their sleeves. The form and structure of their works, the colours and atmosphere, all service a deeper artistic expression.”

Though it was created for students, Serenade is a challenging piece to dance, with fast footwork and intricate patterning for the soloists and corps de ballet alike. After more than a year offstage, the dancers of The National Ballet of Canada have welcomed the opportunity that Serenade has afforded to hone their technique.

“It’s deeply rewarding to do something that we’re comfortable with and is also a challenge,” says Christopher. “It feels good to do these steps right now. Serenade is incredibly physical but it’s also full of joy. The dancers are getting so much satisfaction from that.”

The performance of Serenade, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced by arrangement with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.