Yesterday, New York City Ballet moved back into the New York State Theatre to begin our season of endless Nutcrackers (48 to be exact), and after that, one of our busiest Winter Seasons (which will include many Jerome Robbins classics, Martins’ Romeo and Juliet, and a revival of the two-act Double Feature). Its always comforting for many of us dancers to set up at the Theatre again, as it acts as sort of a second home. Since we are there for practically more time then we spend at our own apartments, they try to make things comfortable by providing cots in the dressing rooms for napping purposes, as well as various lounges located around the vast reaches of the Theatre.

Winging for the Winger

Dancers in our dressing room playing nintendo to pass the time in between rehearsals

Yesterday night, we opened with the Winter Season Gala, which happened to include one of the most beautiful works that I have seen to date—Wheeldon’s Liturgy. For some reason I had missed its premiere when Jock Soto and Wendy Whelan danced the part a few years back. This time around, Whelan danced it once again, with Albert Evans supporting her. Both artists were absolutely striking. With that said, it would have been nice to witness Jock Soto premiere the ballet (I have idolized him since I was a kid training at S.A.B.). Nevertheless, the images created for the dancers in respond to the divine score (by Arvo Part) were dynamic, expansive, and multifaceted. The other pieces on the Gala program were the Rose Adagio & Garland Dance from Sleeping Beauty, a new Peter Martins ballet, an excerpt from Western Symphony, Life of a Tsar, and an interesting video preview of the film version of Opus Jazz, which some of the dancers in the company are working on creating.