City Ballet The Podcast returns just in time for the upcoming 24-25 Season. Hear the Dance host Silas Farley is joined by legendary former Principal Dancer and current School of American Ballet faculty member Kay Mazzo and Principal Dancer Anthony Huxley to discuss George Balanchine's Duo Concertant, one of the new works to premiere during the 1972 Stravinsky Festival. Mazzo shares her memories of the speed with which Balanchine choreographed each of the four movements, and commiserates with Hux...
Sep 09, 2024•50 min•Season 23Ep. 1
As the Company concludes a Diamond Anniversary season absolutely bursting with repertory favorites, new restorations, world premieres, and successful tour stops around the world, Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan talk about what went into planning and presenting the year's many achievements. From triumphant debuts to the return of dancers featured in NYCB's original opening night 75 years ago, and a number of significant firsts on the Company's stag...
Jun 17, 2024•41 min•Season 22Ep. 4
One of our favorite episodes of The Rosin Box has arrived: this season's Ask the Dancer! Hosts Claire and Aarón are joined by Corps de Ballet Member India Bradley to answer your questions and dish about everything dance life, from what's in her dance bag to the ballet that "woke her up" to the possibilities of ballet, which are her favorite costumes and how she likes to prepare for a performance, and beyond. (46:11) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy o...
Jun 10, 2024•46 min•Season 22Ep. 3
This week, hosts Claire and Aarón are joined at The Rosin Box by Soloist Megan LeCrone who gets real about what happens when things do not go as planned onstage. As they all agree, a certain degree of unpredictability is unavoidable in a live performance art like ballet; knowing how to pivot and when to let go after the fact is essential for any dancer. Megan shares her own experiences with a malfunctioning backdrop in one case and a missed count in another, and what it's like to face the challe...
Jun 03, 2024•54 min•Season 22Ep. 2
This week, The Rosin Box makes its star-studded season debut with an episode all about NYCB galas. Listen in on live coverage from the most recent red carpet with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz, and a post-fête conversation with Corps de Ballet Member and style maven Olivia Boisson. They'll discuss all the glitz and glamour and give helpful tips for thriving at these thrilling, twice-a-year events—including making the transition from pointe shoes to sky-high heels. (39:31) Edite...
May 27, 2024•40 min•Season 22Ep. 1
This week, Associate Music Director Andrews Sill invites us to See the Music of Igor Stravinsky's Scènes de Ballet, the eponymous score for Christopher Wheeldon's 1999 work. Sill relates that the piece was composed in 1944 for Broadway impresario Billy Rose, and drew inspiration from both world events and a variety of creative sources—including the ballet Giselle—as with so many of Stravinsky's singular compositions. (12:49) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by...
May 20, 2024•13 min•Season 21Ep. 6
New Combinations host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Principal Dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia, the performers of the latest world premiere work created on the Company: Resident Choreographer Justin Peck's Dig the Say. Roman shares the way in which the ballet was tailor made for the two dancers, in the mode of a "modern day Tarantella," in Tiler's words, that capitalizes on their history of partnering in some of the most challenging works in the repertory. Imbued wi...
May 13, 2024•45 min•Season 21Ep. 5
This week, NYCB Music Director Andrew Litton leads us on a promenade through the Modest Mussorgsky score to Alexei Ratmansky's 2014 ballet Pictures at an Exhibition. Beginning with a little background on the composer's short but complicated life, colored by contemporary critiques of his "disregard" for musical conventions, Litton is joined by Piano Soloist Stephen Gosling as he demonstrates the ways in which Mussorgsky captured the subjects of a beloved artists' paintings in remarkably challengi...
May 06, 2024•24 min•Season 21Ep. 4
This week, Hear the Dance host Silas Farley is joined by three dancers who know William Forsythe's 1992 ballet Herman Schmerman well: Original cast members Jeffrey Edwards and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, and current interpreter Tiler Peck. Edwards and Whelan recall the unique physical and artistic challenges Forsythe's choreography posed, particularly as he called for improvisation and constant change in the studio—sometimes up until the dancers hit the stage. For Peck, Forsythe is...
Apr 29, 2024•59 min•Season 21Ep. 3
As we prepare for opening night of Spring performances, Associate Artistic Director and New Combinations host Wendy Whelan catches up with sought-after choreographer Amy Hall Garner between rehearsals for her first commission for NYCB, premiering in just over a week. Garner shares the long, dance-rich journey—including summer sessions at the School of American Ballet, studying modern, tap, and jazz, and performing on Broadway—that led to this moment in her dance-making career. "I love being in t...
Apr 22, 2024•40 min•Season 21Ep. 2
City Ballet The Podcast is back! In the lead up to the return of two of Pam Tanowitz's ballets to the stage this spring—Gustave le Gray No. 1, from 2019, and Law of Mosaics, which premiered in 2022—Former Principal Dancer Russell Janzen and current Soloist Miriam Miller join Hear the Dance host Silas Farley to discuss working with the singular choreographer. As both dancers describe, Tanowitz's unique approach to ballet and generosity in the studio make familiar steps new, freeing the performers...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 21Ep. 1
This week at The Rosin Box, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are joined by NYCB dancers and "real-life" couple Emily Kikta and Peter Walker to talk about partnering—onstage and off. Peter and Aarón share their memories of learning from legendary former Principal Dancer Jock Soto, who taught partnering at the School of American Ballet when they were students, while Claire and Emily reflect on the ways in which pas de deux challenge their stamina while offering opportunities to take...
Mar 18, 2024•56 min•Season 20Ep. 3
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are back at The Rosin Box, joined by Corps de Ballet Member and Get Golden founder Jenelle Manzi. Jenelle describes her journey to the stage and how struggles with injuries and food allergies inspired her to start crafting her own anti-inflammatory recipes. As she shares, a stray comment from a colleague on the tour bus to the Kennedy Center sparked the formation of her business, which she runs alongside performing full-time with the Company. (40:49) Edite...
Mar 11, 2024•41 min•Season 20Ep. 2
The Rosin Box returns for another round of candid conversations with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz. This week, they're joined by NYCB Director of Costumes Marc Happel to talk all things tutus and beyond. Happel shares his journey to the Company's storied costume shop, where decades ago Co-Founder George Balanchine collaborated with Barbara Karinska on the innovative powderpuff tutu, and artisans fit and craft costumes for today's dancers under Happel's direction. (43:32) Edited...
Mar 04, 2024•44 min•Season 20Ep. 1
In this week's See the Music episode, we revisit a 2013 live presentation with host and Associate Music Director Andrews Sill, exploring Igor Stravinsky's 1945 composition Symphony in Three Movements, the score for the George Balanchine ballet of the same name. With help from the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Maestro Sill highlights the musical "nuts and bolts" of this galvanizing piece, and outlines some of the cinematic and real-world inspirations for its taut construction and powerful impac...
Feb 05, 2024•15 min•Season 19Ep. 4
Silas Farley is back with another deep dive into the Company's repertory in this week's Hear the Dance episode, devoted to George Balanchine's Liebeslieder Walzer. Farley is joined by former Principal Dancers Bart Cook and Maria Calegari, who share their memories of watching the ballet's iconic interpreters in its initial incarnations; learning individual parts within the challenging but "sublime" work; and coaching Liebeslieder in its entirety. As they describe, the ballet was like a "gift from...
Jan 29, 2024•57 min•Season 19Ep. 3
In the latest New Combinations episode, Associate Artistic Director and host Wendy Whelan chats with Principal Dancer Tiler Peck about memories from their time dancing together and Tiler's upcoming choreographic debut with the Company. Tiler describes how her internal sense of musicality drives her choreographic practice as much as her work as a performer, and shares that this commission from New York City Ballet came at exactly the right time—the dancers' happiness and enthusiasm in the studio ...
Jan 22, 2024•38 min•Season 19Ep. 2
City Ballet The Podcast launches this season with a new Hear the Dance conversation, guest hosted by Silas Farley, who is joined by three generations of dancers who are well acquainted with Jerome Robbins' In the Night. Former Principal Dancer Kay Mazzo originated the lead role in the ballet's first movement, about "young love"; Repertory Director Christine Redpath took over coaching the ballet from colleague Victor Castelli; and Principal Dancer Unity Phelan is performing the lead role in the t...
Jan 15, 2024•47 min•Season 19Ep. 1
This week, Soloist Sara Adams joins hosts Claire Kretzschmar and fellow Soloist Aarón Sanz at The Rosin Box to talk pointe shoes, from the first dancer to popularize dancing en pointe to all the sewing, banging, and prepping required to get this iconic footwear ready for a performance. Sara discusses her own history with pointe shoes and shares an array of tips and tricks, revealing just how often she changes to a fresh pair during a run of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®. (46:37) Edited by ...
Nov 27, 2023•47 min•Season 18Ep. 3
Join us this week for another conversation around The Rosin Box with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz, who are joined by Senior Manager of School Programs Colleen Megley and Corps de Ballet Member Kristen Segin. They talk about the Company's many educational and public program offerings, from Family Saturdays and Student Matinee performances to Access Programs and adult-friendly Workshop Weekends—the last of which Segin lovingly describes as "dance camp" for grown-ups. As Colleen ...
Nov 20, 2023•47 min•Season 18Ep. 2
Join us for another round of cozy conversations at The Rosin Box, beginning with Associate Music Director Andrews Sill. Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz chat with Sill about how he came to this role with NYCB, why he prefers conducting for the ballet over symphonic performances, and which Balanchine work made him fall in love with the art form. With preparations for the return of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker® under way, Sill shares how he keeps familiar music fresh—and that ...
Nov 13, 2023•51 min•Season 18Ep. 1
This week, the two-part conversation between Hear the Dance host Silas Farley and dance historian Jennifer Homans continues. They discuss Lincoln Kirstein's essential role as a collaborator with Balanchine, the creation of Serenade, and some of the key personal and artistic moments in the ongoing history of the New York City Ballet. Homans traces the development of the Company's ethos through the individual dancers' devotion to Balanchine's vision and to the art form; Balanchine's presence, she ...
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Season 17Ep. 6
In this first part of a special Hear the Dance episode, host and former NYCB Dancer Silas Farley is joined by dance scholar Jennifer Homans to discuss her recently published biography, "Mr. B: George Balanchine's 20th Century." Homans describes how her own background as a dancer—including as a student at the School of American Ballet in the 1970s—and a return to Balanchine's works while facing personal loss inspired her lasting interest in the Company's founding choreographer. Farley and Homans ...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 17Ep. 5
In this week's See the Music episode, Associate Music Director Andrews Sill provides a taste of history and context for Tschaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, the score of the first ballet George Balanchine choreographed in the United States. Sill discusses the way the composition's symmetries represent an homage to Mozart, and how Tschaikovsky marries "classical forms, folk tunes, and extroverted romantic expression" in the piece, which, combined with Balanchine's choreography, resulted in the ic...
Oct 02, 2023•13 min•Season 17Ep. 4
This week's episode is a special Hear the Dance reunion: former NYCB Dancer Silas Farley hosts a wide-ranging conversation between legendary former Principal Dancer Merrill Ashley and current Principal Dancer Tiler Peck on George Balanchine's Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2. As Peck shares, her first exposure to this daunting lead role was in a coaching session with Ashley, long before it became a mainstay in her repertory. Ashley describes the thrilling challenge of taking it on as a new-to-t...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 17Ep. 3
New York City Ballet's Music Director Andrew Litton returns to host this week's See The Music episode, devoted to Igor Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, the score for the Rubies section of George Balanchine's Jewels. Litton describes the captivating details of this composition from 1929, a prime example of the uniquely symbiotic relationship between Balanchine and Stravinsky, with a little help from Solo Pianist Stephen Gosling, who demonstrates some of the most challenging excerpt...
Sep 18, 2023•21 min•Season 17Ep. 2
City Ballet The Podcast returns in the run-up to our 75th Anniversary Season, which begins by celebrating The Foundation of the Company. Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan checks in with Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, who has been in the studios for three weeks, leading company class and observing as the dancers prepare for a Fall devoted to the works of George Balanchine. As he shares, "I'm learning as much as I'm teaching… Balanchine ballets give you different information in the d...
Sep 11, 2023•36 min•Season 17Ep. 1
This week, City Ballet The Podcast wraps up the 22-23 Season with Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, who celebrate a year of discovery, change, and renewal. Highlights include a powerful corps de ballet, shaped in part through the growing culture of mentorship throughout the Company; Justin Peck's momentous new work, Copland Dance Episodes; the return to international tours, including a wildly successful visit to Spain; and more. With performances b...
Jul 03, 2023•23 min•Season 16Ep. 4
It's time for the annual Ask the Dancers episode of The Rosin Box! Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are joined by Corps de Ballet Member Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara to dig into questions submitted by listeners, from strategies for learning new choreography to secrets for staying motivated all season long. Listen in to find out what it's like to work alongside dancers who've known each other since childhood and which step Meaghan describes as "delicious." (54:07) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music...
Jun 26, 2023•54 min•Season 16Ep. 3
This week, Soloist Olivia MacKinnon joins Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz at The Rosin Box to talk all things social media. Olivia shares how time away from the stage during the pandemic inspired her to pursue an amped up presence on Instagram, and the group discusses the importance of taking everything on social media with a grain of salt, while embracing the possibilities for new connections and opportunities. (37:19) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Cour...
Jun 19, 2023•37 min•Season 16Ep. 2
