City Ballet's Spring Season Shines Through Thoughtful Casting and Compelling Performances

Despite initial impressions suggesting a conservative approach, the New York City Ballet's spring season revealed a deeper sense of direction through its casting decisions, coaching efforts, and thoughtfully selected repertoire. The season featured no new premieres apart from a stage adaptation of a pandemic-era dance film and a mix of contemporary works, some notably strong, particularly by Alexei Ratmansky, and others less impactful.

Suzanne Farrell, the celebrated former City Ballet principal, contributed significantly by coaching dancers across four ballets, enriching their performances. The season also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Ravel Festival, offering audiences a nostalgic return to 1975. Numerous debuts stood out, representing carefully chosen roles that challenged dancers appropriately and fostered artistic growth.

Alexei Ratmansky’s presence was felt strongly without the need for a new work. His contrasting styles appeared through the vibrant, technically demanding 'Paquita,' a contemporary homage to classical ballet, and 'Solitude,' a poignant ballet conveying the emotional and tragic impact of the war in Ukraine. This latter piece resonated with a quiet intensity and stark minimalism, delivered with profound conviction by the performers.

However, the programming placement of 'Solitude' between Caili Quan’s 'Beneath the Tides' and Justin Peck’s 'Mystic Familiar' seemed mismatched, as it implied an equivalence among contemporary works that did not hold. Some programs were weakened by ballets that felt superfluous, such as Peck’s overly lush 'Belles-Lettres' and Christopher Wheeldon’s emotionally thin 'After the Rain' pas de deux, which extended what could have been a strong program featuring Jerome Robbins and Ratmansky ballets.

The physical demands of ballet remain unforgiving: principal dancer Gilbert Bolden III suffered a torn Achilles tendon during a performance of 'Scotch Symphony,' requiring months of recovery. Nonetheless, the show continued with Jules Mabie stepping in. The season also marked the farewell of longtime principal Andrew Veyette and concluded on an uplifting note with Balanchine’s enchanting 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream.' The performance was further brightened by the debut of Mira Nadon, who danced with Peter Walker in the second act divertissement, displaying a fluid and graceful presence.

Below are highlights of other notable ballets and standout performances from the season.

'When We Fell'