New York City Ballet will open its 2011-2012 season at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, September 13, with four weeks of fall performances through October 9, featuring 16 ballets including works by George Balanchine, Peter Martins, Jerome Robbins and Christopher Wheeldon.
The four-week fall season opens with the return of
Peter Martins' full-length staging of Swan Lake, set to Tschaikovsky's beloved score, and featuring sets and costumes designed by the acclaimed Danish artist Per Kirkeby. The Company will present six performances of Swan Lake, which was last performed to sold-out houses during NYCB's 2011 winter season.
The highlight of the fall season will be the September 22 Fall Gala, which will feature the World Premiere of Ocean's Kingdom, a collaboration between Sir
Paul McCartney and NYCB Ballet Master in Chief
Peter Martins. The production will mark the first time that Sir Paul has written an original orchestral score for dance, and will also feature costumes designed by the acclaimed fashion designer Stella McCartney, who will be designing costumes for the theater for the first time ever. Ocean's Kingdom will also feature projections designed by
S. Katy Tucker, and lighting designed by
Mark Stanley.
The September 22 gala performance will also include a special "See the Music..." presentation featuring NYCB Music Director Fayçal Karoui and the New York City Ballet Orchestra, which will open the evening with a unique exploration of the Ocean's Kingdom score.
Following the World Premiere performance, Ocean's Kingdom will be performed four additional times during the fall season on September 24, 25, 27, and 29 (as well as five additional performances during the 2012 winter season on January 19, 21, 24, 27, and 29).
The opening week of fall will also feature a special Balanchine Black & White performance on Friday, September 16, featuring Episodes, Apollo, and The Four Temperaments. For this specially priced program all tickets will be $50 and $25.
Other highlights of the fall include a second Balanchine Black & White performance on Tuesday, September 20, as well as five performances of Balanchine's full-length Jewels on September 28, October 1, 2, 4 and 7.
On Sunday, October 9, the final day of the fall season, NYCB will also present a special farewell performance for Principal Dancer Charles Askegard who will retire after 25 years as a dancer, first at
American Ballet Theatre, where he began his career in 1987, and then at NYCB which he joined as a Soloist in 1997, becoming a Principal the following year. The program for Askegard's farewell performance will consist of
Jerome Robbins' In Memory Of..., and
George Balanchine's Diamonds (pas de deux), Episodes, and Western Symphony.
Subscription series packages for the 2011-2012 season, which provide savings of up to 20% off single ticket prices, are available through the NYCB subscription office at 800-580-8730, and online through the NYCB website at www.nycballet.com. Single tickets for all 2011-2012 repertory performances go on sale August 8 at the David H. Koch Theater box office, by phone at 212-496-0600, and online at
nycballet.com.
Once again this season the lobbies of the David H. Koch Theater will open one hour prior to curtain time. In addition, for repertory performances, all Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., and whenever possible will include only one intermission.
All performances will take place at the David H. Koch Theater, which is located on the Lincoln Center Plaza at Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street. For general information on tickets for any New York City Ballet performances, call 212-870-5570, or visit
nycballet.com.
