This dynamic mixed bill showcases the energy, creativity, and spirit of American ballet through works by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, and Eliot Feld. From Robbins’ vibrant Fancy Free to Balanchine’s jazzy Who Cares? (Concert Version) and patriotic Stars and Stripes, as well as Feld’s bold Variations on ‘America,’ the program celebrates the richness of American movement, music, and history.
Fancy Free was the precursor to the Broadway musical On the Town, depicting three sailors enjoying their Manhattan shore leave.
In 1944, the young Jerome Robbins, in collaboration with composer Leonard Bernstein, created his first ballet, Fancy Free–a fresh, unmistakably American work that captured the spirit of wartime New York City. The ballet’s success led to the hit musical On the Town and later to another iconic Robbins–Bernstein collaboration, West Side Story. Fancy Free launched Robbins’s choreographic career, revealing his gift for vivid storytelling, inventive movement, and a uniquely American style.
Balanchine also created quite a few choreographies for Broadway that left a clear stamp on his work for the New York City Ballet. In Who Cares?, set to 16 songs by George Gershwin, he evokes the chic glamour, light-hearted humour and effervescent joie de vivre of old Broadway.
Who Cares? is a ballet made by New York City Ballet's co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine to songs by George Gershwin in an orchestration by Hershy Kay. The premiere took place on Saturday, February 7, 1970, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center with costumes by Barbara Karinska and lighting by Ronald Bates; it was at first performed without décor but from November 1970 with scenery by Jo Mielziner.
The conductor was Robert Irving and the pianist on opening night Gordon Boelzner; the orchestration had only been completed for two songs, "Strike Up the Band" and "I Got Rhythm". "Clap Yo' Hands" was performed to a recording made by George Gershwin; this sequence was, however, eliminated by Balanchine in 1976; new costumes were commissioned from Ben Benson by Balanchine before his death and have been used since 1983.
Balanchine and Gershwin's plans to collaborate were frustrated by the composer's untimely death in 1937. Thirty-three years later, Balanchine chose seventeen of Gershwin's from Broadway musical songs for this ballet; Mayor John V. Lindsay presented Balanchine with the Handel Medallion, New York City's highest cultural award, on opening night.
Composer George Gershwin’s melodies provide the foundation for George Balanchine’s lively choreography.
In 1970, over three decades after their first creative collaboration (Goldwyn Follies in 1938), Balanchine created Who Cares?, set to sixteen Gershwin standards written between 1924 and 1931 and orchestrated by Hershy Kay. This choreography captures an American spirit that celebrates the vibrancy and energy of urban life.
The Company will perform the Concert Version of this work, which is comprised of the pas de deux and solos.
George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes is a dazzling celebration of American spirit, set to the patriotic marches of John Philip Sousa, including the famous Stars and Stripes Forever. Filled with virtuosic dancing, military-inspired precision, and infectious energy, this beloved ballet showcases Balanchine’s signature style in one of the most entertaining and triumphant works of the classical repertoire.
Few ballets capture the spirit of American optimism and celebration quite like George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes. Created in 1958 for New York City Ballet, this beloved masterpiece is a dazzling display of classical virtuosity, military precision, and patriotic exuberance.
Set to a selection of spirited marches by the legendary American composer John Philip Sousa, including the iconic Stars and Stripes Forever, the ballet transforms the parade ground into a showcase of brilliant technique and theatrical flair. Balanchine combines the discipline and grandeur of military pageantry with the elegance and athleticism of classical ballet, creating a work that is both sophisticated and irresistibly entertaining.
Featuring a series of increasingly spectacular dances culminating in a triumphant finale, Stars and Stripes highlights the full strength of the company, demanding precision, stamina, and virtuosity from every performer. Its bold formations, sparkling choreography, and infectious energy have made it one of Balanchine’s most enduring audience favorites.
Staged by Paul Boos on behalf of The George Balanchine Trust, this vibrant production celebrates the choreographer’s distinctive vision and his unique ability to blend classical tradition with unmistakably American character. Joyful, brilliant, and exhilarating, Stars and Stripes remains a spectacular tribute to music, movement, and celebration.
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