“In a large practice studio inside Lincoln Center’s Koch Theater, Suzanne Farrell watches quietly as New York City Ballet principals Sara Mearns and Russell Janzen work through a series of supported poses. As Janzen kneels to face her, Mearns brushes through to croisé arabesque, extending her leg high behind her. ‘I wouldn’t penché there,’ says Farrell, gently. ‘You can, but I wouldn’t.’

‘I get so excited here,’ says Mearns with a laugh. The three are slowly working through the pas de deux of Diamonds, the ballet George Balanchine created on Farrell and Jacques D’Amboise in 1967 that makes up the third act of his full-length Jewels.

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“How do principal dancers handle their intense schedules? For New York City Ballet star Sara Mearns, honing her instrument is key. The company’s Tuesday-through-Sunday workweeks, lengthy performance seasons and extensive repertoire can make for longs days and late nights. ‘During performance weeks, I think about what I’m doing that night and make sure I don’t have a lot during the day—or if I do, I’m smart about it,’ says Mearns. ‘You do one or two things full-out and then take it easy so that you perform your best at night.’ Pointe spent a rehearsal day with Mearns to see how she does it all.”

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“Upon discovering a long-lost Bizet score, Balanchine took only two weeks to choreograph the neoclassical masterpiece Symphony in C, which dazzles with dozens of dancers – the ballerinas in sparkling Swarovski gems – and brings down the house at each performance. Set to Bizet’s high-spirited score, last night’s finale showcased Ashley Boulder who radiated her joy in her on-the-money pirouettes. Both Jared and Tyler Angle dazzled. Nonetheless, my eyes kept watching Sara Mearns who dominated center stage as the curtain closed.”

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“There were numerous standouts among the cast on opening night, chief among them Sara Mearns and Jared Angle in the ballet’s second movement, an adagio of impossible beauty. Mearns brought to bear the full force of her trademark mystery and elegance on this section and with Angle’s confident partnering she danced with an abandon that was at once steely and delicate. There was an audible sigh of awe among the audience at that movement’s end.”

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