Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Maria Kowroski

NYCB has always had a mission to present new works and Saturday's program included Amaria, a creation by Mauro Bigonzetti for retiring ballerina Maria Kowroski.

To celebrate its return to the theatre after lockdown, New York City Ballet pulled out all the stops with a triple bill of Balanchine's Serenade and Symphony in C and Wheeldon's After the Rain. The house went wild. 

Sofia Coppola's film closed on a note of optimism. The message seemed to be: “Normality is just around the corner. We’re coming back.” 

Disappointing new creations in NYCB's Fall Fashion Gala, leaving Balanchine's Symphony in C as a surefire closer. 

Whatever your taste in ballet, this program probably had it: Wheeldon's DGV meets Balanchine's Door and a Sigh and Raymonda Variations. 

Maria Kowroski and Tyler Angle at the top of their game in Diamonds. A smoking performance from Sara Mearns in Slaughter on 10th Avenue. Strong debuts from Emma Von Enck and Taylor Stanley and a memorable classical turn by Aaron Sanz in the Barber.

A well-curated gala with gravitas; showcasing several works and dancers rarely, if ever, seen in London.

An all-Balanchine program that is remarkably energetic and free at New York City Ballet

When de Luz reached down and laid his hand on the floor in the final Nocturne, it suggested to me that, on this night and with these dancers, the stage was sacred ground.

When you add it all up, this was a perfect closing show. It wasn’t without flaws but they were minor and the good far outweighed the bad.

In the mid-1960s, a visit to renowned French jewelers Van Cleef and Arpels inspired George Balanchine to choreograph a glittering ballet. New York City Ballet premiered Jewels in April of 1967 at the New York State Theater (now called the David H. Koch Theater) and it remains a fan favorite 44 years later, delighting audiences from that same stage.