Homage to Jerome Robbins, Program 1: New York City Ballet Featuring Sara Mearns

Dances at a Gathering can, like Les Sylphides, Fokine’s ballet to Chopin’s music, seem entrancing or tedious, depending on the performers. Robbins was always exigent in his choice of dancers for the cast of ten, identified in cast listings by the colours of their costumes. NYCB’s cohort was a combination of principals, soloists and two members of the corps, seizing their chance to perform coveted roles. The hour-long ballet is a test of stamina, but the final performance (the fourth in three days) was joyous, speeding by, impelled by Susan Walters’s onstage playing of Chopin’s piano music.”

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