Performer: New York City Ballet

A matinee performance that was bright and polished across the board, boding well for the company's future. 

Several important firsts at New York City Ballet: two female choreographers; the first black female choreographer; the first collaboration between a female choreographer and female composer. But the longstanding practice of pairing choreographers with fashion designers continues to prove problematic.  

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.” 

After the success of The Runaway, it wasn’t surprising that Kyle Abraham was tapped to create a new work for NYCB’s 2021 Digital Season.