Balanchine & Kylián

This exciting program pairs the exploratory style of Kylián’s work with the weightiness and expansiveness of George Balanchine’s legendary choreographed works in a dramatic presentation. Jiří Kylián is recognized as one of the most beloved and influential Czech modern dance choreographers, celebrated for his extensive body of work created during his tenure as artistic director of the prestigious Nederlands Dans Theater. NBT is proud to present his work for the first time in The Company’s history.

Concerto Barocco
Concerto Barocco, set to Bach’s Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins, featuring a quartet of strings on stage is one of George Balanchine’s greatest ballets offering imagery and music woven into gorgeous movement. Featuring two dancers depicting the instrumental solos fueled by a live double violin concerto and the exquisite music of Johann Sebastian Bach. First presented in 1948 by New York City Ballet, the revered work stands out as an important Balanchine ballet of the period.

Duo Concertant
Stravinsky’s score, Duo Concertant, conceived for violin and piano premiered in Berlin in 1932, and gained prominence across Europe. The piece had long been a favorite of Balanchine — who had first heard it performed soon after it was composed. Years later, Balanchine incorporated the haunting work into a piece he choreographed for the 1972 Stravinsky Festival. Inviting the merging of the musicians and dancers on stage is a hallmark of this work. Standing at the piano with the musicians, the dancers listen to the first movement. For three movements they dance, mirroring the music and each other in a brilliant back and forth, pausing at times to rejoin the musicians and to listen. In its finale, the stage goes dark and the dancers are illuminated one final time in singular light in dramatic conclusion.

Sechs Tänze (Six Dances)
Theatrical, humorous, and disarming, simple costumes arouse unexpected laughter for the slightly vaudevillian presentation of Kylián’s irreverent and amusing Sechs Tänze. Known as “Six Dances”, this work pokes fun at human behavior and emotion with great zeal. Featuring six nonsensical acts, this theatrical display whisks audiences into a raw display of nonsensical poetry. Set in a time of two centuries, this work reflects history shaped by wars, revolutions, and social upheavals, which is a theme that continues to resonate today.

Duo Concertant Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust.
Concerto Barocco Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust by arrangement with the American rights holder, New York City Ballet.
Featuring NBT Company Artists Shelby Rambo, Julia Pasquale and Alumni Emma McGirr. Photo by Virginia Trudeau.