Breathing Light into the Ballet

IT was another evening at the ballet three weeks ago when the Kirov presented an evening of works by William Forsythe. As the audience members settled into their seats and looked at their programs before the first piece, a dancer appeared on the stage. His presence and his cryptic, telegraphic gestures seemed to indicate the start of Mr. Forsythe’s “Steptext,” but as the house lights remained on, the audience only gradually quieted its chatter, a little unsure about exactly what was happening.

This ambiguous moment at the beginning of “Steptext” is Mr. Forsythe’s sleight-of-hand demonstration of how unquestioningly we accept the laws of theatrical lighting and illusion. The auditorium dims; we are in the dark. They — whoever they are, the purveyors of magic and art — are in the light.

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Robbins Brought Charm, Glamour to N.Y. City Ballet

April 29 (Bloomberg) -- The ringmaster of a mock circus directs 48 little girls from the School of American Ballet who finally spell out JR, the initials of the performance's honoree. Tonight at Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, the New York City Ballet begins a season-long homage to the late Jerome Robbins on the 90th anniversary of his birth. It's an unabashedly show-bizzy gesture for a choreographer who was, in truth, better suited to the Broadway stage than to ballet's.

Think of ``West Side Story,'' the reimagining of the Romeo and Juliet legend as a timely saga of teenage street-gang conflict and young love; the lusty ``Fiddler on the Roof'' and the sheer enchantment of the ``Small House of Uncle Thomas'' ballet from ``The King and I,'' each created for Broadway.

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NYC Ballet Plans Celebration

The Jerome Robbins celebration to feature 33 ballets by the great American choreographer who made New York City Ballet his artistic home for nearly 40 years. Guest artists to include dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, and The Royal Ballet.

The 2008 Spring Season to Also Include a World Premiere by Alexei Ratmansky as Well as Works by George Balanchine, Mauro Bigonzetti, Peter Martins, Susan Stroman, and Christopher Wheeldon

Principal Dancer Damian Woetzel to Give Farewell Performance on Wednesday, June 18

This spring New York City Ballet will celebrate Jerome Robbins, the groundbreaking choreographer and director who transformed American musical theater, and who also made NYCB his artistic home for nearly 40 years.

The Jerome Robbins Celebration, which will mark the 90th anniversary of the choreographer's birth in 1918, will take place at the New York State Theater from April 29 through June 29, 2008, and will feature 33 ballets that Robbins created over a span of more than 50 years.

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