City Ballet The Podcast

New York City Ballet
  • 4.7 (153)
  • PERFORMING ARTS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to City Ballet The Podcast, an exploration of New York City Ballet where we'll journey through our history, delve into our new and existing repertory, and reveal insider tidbits. Each season of City Ballet The Podcast features episodes that span three topics: New Combinations hosted by Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, Hear the Dance hosted by dance educator and former NYCB dancer Silas Farley, and See the Music hosted by Music Director Andrew Litton.

  1. Hear the Dance: Dances at a Gathering

    2D AGO

    Hear the Dance: Dances at a Gathering

    Host Silas Farley is back with another fascinating Hear the Dance conversation, joined this week by Kay Mazzo, Christine Redpath, and Jean-Pierre Frohlich to discuss Jerome Robbins' masterpiece Dances at a Gathering. In this wide-ranging and intimate conversation, they share memories of the ballet's momentous 1969 premiere as well as time spent with Robbins in the rehearsal studio. As they discuss the various sections of Dances, they reflect on moments when Robbins' humor emerges; the "freedom" and even suspense of certain passages; and the ways in which the ballet is a gift from the choreographer as much to the dancers, who share in its rich sense of community, as to the audience. (1:09:57) Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music:  Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Mazurka, op. 63, no. 3; Waltz, op. 69, no. 2; Mazurka, op. 33, no. 3; Mazurkas, op. 6, nos. 2 and 4, op. 7, nos. 4 and 5, op. 24, no. 2; Waltz, op. 24; Waltz, op. 34, no. 2; Mazurka, op. 56, no. 2; Etude, op. 25, no. 4; Waltz, op. 34, no. 1; Waltz, op. 70, no. 2; Etude, op. 25, no. 5; Etude, op. 10, no. 2; Scherzo, op. 20, no. 1; Nocturne, op. 15, no. 1 All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir Edited and with Commentary by Amanda Vaill Life of Chopin by Franz Liszt Chopin: Prince of the Romantics by Adam Zamoyski Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein's The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds, with an Introduction by Lincoln Kirstein

    1h 10m
  2. New Combinations: The Naked King

    JAN 26

    New Combinations: The Naked King

    New Combinations Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky this week as the countdown to the choreographer's next world premiere—and the 500th work created on the company—continues. Commissioned by Serge Lifar in 1935, the score, by the little-known neoclassical composer Jean Françaix, adapts Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes" for the stage. Among the ballet's unique challenges was the casting of the title character, which Ratmansky shares requires a "fearless" dancer with "charisma and a sense of humor." (23:53) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co

    24 min
  3. New Combinations: The Wind-Up

    JAN 19

    New Combinations: The Wind-Up

    This week, New Combinations host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is joined by Resident Choreographer Justin Peck to discuss his upcoming world premiere. As Peck describes, the work takes inspiration from the score, the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3—the Eroica or "Heroic" Symphony—and celebrates the six "superheroes" of the cast. Choreographing to Beethoven presents unique challenges, but as Peck explains, this is part of why he chose the piece, along with the joy playing it brings to the NYCB Orchestra. (24:05)   Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co

    24 min
  4. Hear the Dance: Antique Epigraphs

    JAN 12

    Hear the Dance: Antique Epigraphs

    We're launching a new season of City Ballet The Podcast with an enlightening Hear the Dance conversation on Jerome Robbins' Antique Epigraphs. Host Silas Farley is joined by former NYCB dancers and original cast members Maria Calegari and Heléne Alexopoulos, and current Repertory Director Rebecca Krohn, who performed several roles in the work and now coaches today's performers. They describe learning this lyrical ballet, following the delicate Debussy score through its unique solos and romantic passages for the cast of "eight glamorous women." (49:32)  Written by Silas Farley Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Six Epigraphes Antiques (1915), orchestrated by Ernest Ansermet (1932) and Syrinx (1912) All music performed by New York City Ballet Orchestra Reading List: Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill Jerome Robbins, by Himself: Selections from His Letters, Journals, Drawings, Photographs, and an Unfinished Memoir by Jerome Robbins Edited by Amanda Vaill Claude Debussy: A Critical Biography by François Lesure, Translated by Marie Rolf Documenting: Lighting Design (Performing Arts Resources, Vol. 25) Jennifer Tipton, Contributing Author

    50 min
  5. The Rosin Box: Acting and Emotions

    11/03/2025

    The Rosin Box: Acting and Emotions

    The Rosin Box heats up this week with a lively conversation shared by hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz and their guests, Principal Dancers Gilbert Bolden III and Sara Mearns. They talk about acting and emotions onstage, including their favorite roles, techniques and practices, and hilarious memories. Whether conveying the characters in a narrative ballet or achieving the appropriate expressiveness in an abstract work, the dancers describe the need for extensive preparation—and life experience—to achieve an instinctual, organic performance. As Sara relates, the "half a second" when she crosses the barrier from backstage and into the lights is the moment when the character or emotion manifests. (54:08) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records

    54 min
  6. The Rosin Box: Dancing with Props

    10/27/2025

    The Rosin Box: Dancing with Props

    Listen in on another intimate conversation around The Rosin Box with host Claire Kretzschmar, joined this week by Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley. The topic is all things props, which provide essential context and character development for many of the company's story ballets and "teach you how to remain calm in the moment," as Taylor shares. From training with a professional swordsman in preparation for Romeo and Juliet, to maneuvering the candle in La Sonnambula's haunted pas de deux, Taylor describes many of the playful, challenging, and transformative props used by dancers every season. (50:37) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records

    51 min
  7. Rosin Box: Inspiration and Motivation

    10/20/2025

    Rosin Box: Inspiration and Motivation

    Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are back for another cozy conversation around The Rosin Box. This week, they're joined by Soloist Alexa Maxwell and Principal Dancer Gilbert Bolden III, who have plenty to share about inspiration and motivation, whether for their daily practice, during repetitive performance periods, amidst injuries and other challenges, and beyond. Alexa shares that it's all about the music—she's a "classical music girly"—and that she likes to bunhead out as she's learning a new role; for Gilbert, new audience members, quiet instances of beauty in his everyday life, and cherished passages in well-known ballets can help sustain his art. As all four dancers agree, "If you're open to it, you can be inspired all the time." (54:13) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Je ne t'aime plus" by Pink Martini Courtesy of Pink Martini & Heinz Records

    54 min
  8. New Combinations: Jamar Roberts

    09/29/2025

    New Combinations: Jamar Roberts

    Associate Artistic Director and host Wendy Whelan is back for another enlightening New Combinations conversation. This week, she's joined by choreographer Jamar Roberts, whose newest work for the company will premiere during the Fall Fashion Gala on October 8, timing he describes as "full-circle," considering his own forays into fashion design. His collaboration with designer Iris van Herpen has been uniquely fruitful, as well as his selection of music by Arca, with both informing this ballet that speaks to the times—"but dance," he adds, referring to the joy and beauty the work also inspires. (33:43)  Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Sisyphus" by Andrew Wegman Bird Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Muffet Music Co

    34 min
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4.7
out of 5
153 Ratings

About

Welcome to City Ballet The Podcast, an exploration of New York City Ballet where we'll journey through our history, delve into our new and existing repertory, and reveal insider tidbits. Each season of City Ballet The Podcast features episodes that span three topics: New Combinations hosted by Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, Hear the Dance hosted by dance educator and former NYCB dancer Silas Farley, and See the Music hosted by Music Director Andrew Litton.

Information

  • Creator
    New York City Ballet
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2020 New York City Ballet, Inc.
  • Show Website
    City Ballet The Podcast

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