Study in Scarlet: Rubies crown Balanchine’s Jewels in Vienna

Margarita Fernandes and António Casalinho in Rubies

Milda Luckuté in Rubies

Ioanna Avraam and Kentaro Mitsumori in Emeralds

Wiener Staatsballett in Diamonds

Laura Fernandez Gromova and Alessandro Frola in Diamonds

By Mark Pullinger, 09 February 2026

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“Milda Luckuté... kicking up to her ears, flicking her hips, stretched like plasticine”

Reviewed at Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna on 8 February 2026

Emeralds (George Balanchine)

Rubies (George Balanchine)

Diamonds (George Balanchine)

Vienna State Ballet

Paul Connelly, Conductor

Peter Harvey, Set Designer

Barbara Karinska, Costume Designer

Mark Stanley, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera

Anna Malikova, Piano

Ioanna Avraam, Dancer

Kentaro Mitsumori, Dancer

Olga Esina, Dancer

Victor Caixeta, Dancer

Margarita Fernandes, Dancer

António Casalinho, Dancer

Milda Luckuté, Dancer

Laura Fernandez Gromova, Dancer

Alessandro Frola, Dancer

Mira Nadon’s sparkling debut in Firebird with New York City Ballet

Ivy Lin, 25th April

A triple bill comprising Balanchine's Symphony in C, Agon and Firebird could not have been more inspiringly danced by New York City Ballet.

*****

Ballet for cowboys and soldiers at Kansas City Ballet

Hilary Stroh, 20th March

Kansas City Ballet celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary with three American ballets. Balanchine's Stars and Stripes, de Mille's Rodeo and a new work by Caili Quan, A Home Away.

****1

American Ballet Theatre's double bill is short and sweet in New York

Ivy Lin, 15th March

American Ballet Theatre presents Balanchine's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois and Ratmansky's Firebird which showcases the company well and provides a strong contrast.

****1

A spectacular triple bill lifts ABT’s spring season in New York

Leigh Donlan, 13th March

A finely curated triple bill from American Ballet Theatre included works from Balanchine, Jiří Kylián and Alexei Ratmansky.

****1

Understatement and spectacle at New York City Ballet

Carla Escoda, 26th February

Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering and George Balanchine's Diamonds make a study in contrasts. With lots of debuts in the former and seasoned leads in the latter.

*****

Fast Forward: Hamburg Ballet’s mixed bill proves a mixed success

Vikki Jane Vile, 22nd February

All that glistens... the world premiere of Xie Xin’s The Moon in the Ocean is the highlight of a mixed bill programme spanning 90 years of choreography.

***11

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Study in Scarlet: Rubies crown Balanchine’s Jewels at the Wiener Staatsballett