New York Theatre Ballet Celebrates 35 Years with LEGENDS This Weekend

New York Theatre Ballet celebrates 35 years with LEGENDS at Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, NYC. LEGENDS, the second of two programs in the series LEGENDS AND VISIONARIES, performs tonight, May 9 and Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 7pm. Tickets are $30 ($20 for students and seniors) and are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-982-2787.

The LEGENDS performance program is a tribute to Antony Tudor and includes a full evening of ballets.

New York Theatre Ballet's repertory pairs the ballets of legendary creators with those of contemporary visionaries, bringing a new understanding and appreciation of dance. This season features new works and beloved favorites from choreographers including Dan Siretta, Gemma Bond, Pam Tanowitz, Richard Alston, Antonia Franceschi, Remy Charlip, and Antony Tudor.

LEGENDS includes a full evening of ballets by Antony Tudor - A. Tudor Celebration:

Jardin aux Lilas (Lilac Garden): The bittersweet theme is set in the gracious Eduardian era. A young woman betrothed to a man she does not want to marry, mirrors the society in which power and position are uppermost. The ballet is so musically constructed that it would seem Ernest Chausson, musician and composer of the ballet, indeed wrote it for the ballet. The changes of weight amplify the changes of emotion. And while the movement vocabulary is simple in its use of ballet steps and gestures, the choreography and layering of emotional content are dense.

Dark Elegies: Tudor described this as his favorite ballet and many people agree and consider it to be his greatest. From tender moments of quiet devastation to careering bursts of rage, Tudor's "ballet requiem," set to Gustav Mahler's absorbing Kindertotenlieder, expresses the raw emotion of a tight knit community faced with the inexplicable loss of their beloved children.

Trio Con Brio is a short, punchy pas de trois technical statement for two men and one women. In 2008, a 16 mm film was found by Norton Owen at Jacob's Pillow. Diana Byer and then-Music Director Ferdy Tumakaka took a year to reconstruct the pas de trois. A minute was burned out and Lance Westergard re-choreographed that small section.

Judgment of Paris: The Greek legend transferred to a French Café, late at night, where a drunken boulevardier makes his choice from three sad and aging ladies of pleasure.

Soiree Musicale: A charming divertissement set to Benjamin Britton's suite based on pieces by Rossini. Legend has it that in conceiving the choreography, Tudor had in mind four of the great ballerinas of the Romantic period, Lucille Grahn for the Canzonetta, Marie Taglioni for the Tirolese, Fanny Elssler for the Bolaro and Fanny Cerrito for the Tarantella.

For full season information visit www.nytb.org.

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB), founded in 1978 by artistic director Diana Byer, is the most widely seen chamber ballet company in the United States and has been hailed by The New York Times as "an invaluable company." NYTB is dedicated to inspiring a love of dance in diverse audiences through performances of chamber ballet masterpieces and bold new works, as well as innovative one-hour ballets for children, all at affordable prices.

By pairing the ballets of legendary creators with those of contemporary visionaries, NYTB brings a new understanding and appreciation of dance. The approach to live performance for children is groundbreaking and unique. New York Theatre Ballet offers an annual series of hour-long ballets tailored to the attention span of young audience members, while offering high production values and clever choreography sophisticated enough for discerning parents.

NYTB is committed to reaching underserved audiences by performing in small cities throughout the U.S. Its professional school provides ballet training based on the Cecchetti syllabus. Classes are offered at affordable prices. Scholarships are awarded to talented homeless and underserved children along with support for well-rounded learning.