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New York City Ballet MOVES
New York City Ballet MOVES Returns to Vail
By Sarah Silverblatt-Buser
New York City Ballet MOVES returns to Vail after 9 years, beginning with a much-anticipated performance on Opening Night, July 30. The smaller touring branch of the 90-plus dancer and 62-musician company will also present an evening program dedicated entirely to New York City
Ballet’s rich history on July 31.
Founded in 1948 by neoclassical ballet pioneer George Balanchine and impresario Lincoln Kirstein, the company sustains over 150 works: a repertory of “unequaled richness” and “the envy of the world,” as proclaimed by The New York Times. From pure dance to classic tales, these works have transformed the landscape of ballet and left a map for artists of tomorrow.
New York City Ballet MOVES brings four of these masterpieces to Vail. Dances at a Gathering serves as the marking motif of the Festival in its distillation of humanity in harmony. The quintessential piano ballet was choreographed by New York City
Ballet’s co-founding choreographer Jerome Robbins to 18 of Frédéric Chopin’s mazurkas, waltzes and études. The ten dancers weaving together a tapestry of movement is an intimate affirmation of community through music and dance.
Robbins impression of human connection in Chopin’s timeless piano works continues during the following evening’s program on July 31. The company will present Robbins’ 1970 ballet In the Night. The work for three contrasting couples expresses a spectrum of love and partnership, and is composed only of nocturnes, taking on the mood of midsummer at midnight.
The Festival is known for its commitment to reviving infrequently-seen works while showcasing current leading choreographers. This spirit endures with New York City Ballet MOVES performances of George Balanchine’s Sonatine and Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Balanchine’s Sonatine was choreographed to the radiant piano music of Maurice Ravel in 1975, and is known for its refined fluidity and emotional complexity. Alexei Ratmansky’s 2014 Pictures at an Exhibition is set to Modest Mussorgsky’s famed score, and the ballet’s dynamic shapes and rhythms evoke a rich array of imagery.
New York City Ballet MOVES’ return to Vail marks the spirited revival of the Festival with dancers, musicians and audiences celebrating the art of life together at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater.
Unity Phelan and Joseph Gordon in Dances at a Gathering. Photo by Erin Baiano.
