Performer: Patricia Zipprodt

Roman Mejia and a raft of soloist debuts galvanized Peter Martins' Sleeping Beauty. An elegant production with some incidental messiness and the structural liability of a princess' dependence on a kiss.

Andreas Schager is the main reason to catch the latest revival of Otto Schenk's ultra-traditional Tannhäuser.

If the famous fairy variations in the Prologue can sometimes expose weaknesses, NYCB proved that it excels in pure classical ballet and not only in the neo-classical repertory.