75 seasons of Ballet

NYC Ballet returns to celebrate at SPAC this Summer

SARATOGA — Returning to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) for their yearly residency, the New York City Ballet’s (NYCB) upcoming season will feature new and beloved programs from July 9–13 as part of NYCB’s historic 75th anniversary and 58th season in Saratoga.

“This season marks the occasion of our beloved New York City Ballet’s historic 75th anniversary. We look forward to an incredible week celebrating our shared history over the past nearly six decades while also pointing toward our exciting future together,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Over the residency, classical ballets will shine center stage. For the first time since 2016, George Balanchine’s three-act work Jewels will return to the SPAC stage, featuring the dazzling performances of Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. Balanchine will be featured again with more of his beloved works, including the iconic story ballet Swan Lake, Stars and Stripes, and the SPAC-commissioned work The Steadfast Tin Soldier.

Scenes from the whimsical and entrancing ballet Coppélia will also be featured, with children from the Capital Region taking part in the production to honor the work’s 50th anniversary and connection to the region, which held its world premiere at SPAC in 1974.

Contemporary dance will also be celebrated with two evenings dedicated to works by modern choreographers, such as Amy Hall Garner and Ulysses Dove. Gustave le Gray No. 1 will be making its SPAC debut choreographed by Pam Tanowitz, and Justin Peck’s innovative sneaker ballet The Times are Racing will be exploring the breadth of their contemporary repertoire.

However, before the first dancers take the stage on July 10, the season begins with a unique and special event on July 9. ‘NYCB On and Off Stage’ will offer a ‘behind the curtain’ preview into the world of the ballets that will be performed over the residency and provide audiences with the opportunity to experience the past, present, and future of dance.

“I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to curate, program, and host this one-night event for audiences and the greater Capital Region,” said Adrian Danchig-Waring, Principal Dancer at New York City Ballet and co-host of the NYCB On and Off Stage program at SPAC this summer.

“Our intention is to take down any of the perceived barriers of entry into ballet. For a lot of people, it can feel like an inaccessible art form. This presentation allows us to pull back the curtain and show excerpts from all the different ballets that the company will perform,” he added.

Throughout the program, many aspects of dance are explored. Structurally, the program will utilize comparisons of the ballets, such as highlighting Swan Lake alongside a modern piece like The Times Are Racing. “By showing these pieces side by side, we’re able to communicate a 250-year history of this art form in real time for people,” he said.

The program will also explain how classical vocabulary is used throughout the 75-year history of the NYCB and what the dynamic and evolving language of dance looks like. It also provides attendees with the opportunity to preview samples of the ballets ahead of the residency.

“It’s like a buffet; we’re able to serve a buffet of samples of every ballet the company will perform in full over the following week,” said Danchig-Waring.

One unique aspect of the program is its exploration of accessible conversation points regarding ballet and explanations of historical context that will deepen the audience’s understanding of what makes the ballets so culturally significant.

“One point of entry that feels very gratifying is being able to show an excerpt of a larger work and explain why this particular dance was innovative, or how a specific choreographer challenged historical assumptions about how a role can be performed or how music can be interpreted through movement,” he said.

“By narrowing our focus and shining a light on these specific moments, we hope that audiences will return and see those excerpts contextualized in the full ballet,” he added.

For the audience, Danchig-Waring hopes they will find a moment of recognition, taking with them a newfound gem of knowledge about the program. This deep dive into the world of dance has results that extend to even the dancers themselves.

Danchig-Waring has found that hosting ‘NYCB On and Off Stage’ has expanded his understanding of himself and his artistry; the program invites the audience into that passion in an entirely different way than the energy he feels when performing.

“I love dancing, and I love dance,” he explained. “I feel like hosting an event like this allows me to deepen my understanding of why that is; why does this art form mean so much to me, why has it changed my life, and why have I devoted 20 years of my life to this practice?”

He’s observed that when he’s hosting the program, it’s an entirely different perspective for him onstage. Unlike when he’s performing, during NYCB On and Off Stage, he is able to look out into the audience and engage with them.

“I wish that I was able to dialogue with the audience immediately after a performance,” he reflected. “There’s obviously an energy exchanged from the stage to the audience and back again; I certainly feel that profoundly when I’m performing and dancing. In this context, it’s much more conversational.”

“There’s something so affirming about their focus, their engagement, their curiosity, and their laughter,” he continued. “We try to create a balance that includes history, demonstrations of how ballets work, and adding humor and a conversational tone to these performances. I value this opportunity to see people and see how they react.”

For the audience, he hopes that it will ‘spark within them the desire to see more, understand more’ and return to see the programs they’re presenting later in the week.

“Because there is so much range in the rep that NYCB is bringing to Saratoga, there is something for everyone,” he said. From dance styles to the individual dancers themselves, “there is ultimately something for everyone, and they [the audience] can be more empowered and informed to make decisions about what they seek out in the future.”

As a member of the NYCB, Danchig-Waring has been coming up to Saratoga every summer for the past 20 years. Returning for the yearly residency is an essential tradition that the company looks forward to every year. “I feel like the New York City Ballet has such a rich history, having been one of the first performance organizations to present work at SPAC after it was constructed,” he reflected.

“Being able to move the whole company, dancers, orchestra, and stage crew, to Saratoga Springs every summer is a great way for us to share the art that we love, connect with a broader New York State community, and offer space for us to relax, explore, be in nature, and enjoy all that Saratoga has to offer,” he continued.

“We really commit ourselves to sharing our passion for ballet with the Saratoga audiences. Returning to SPAC is a highlight of our annual calendar,” he added. “We really want to feel like we’re a part of this community, and we’re contributing to the lives of people in and around Saratoga in a meaningful and ongoing way.”

The post 75 seasons of Ballet first appeared on Spotlight News .