Ruth Leon recommends…Vienna Waltzes – New York City Ballet
UncategorizedVienna Waltzes – New York City Ballet
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Vienna Waltzes is a ballet of intimate encounters, wistful missed connections, and the shared rhythms of this most social of dance forms. From its initial performance, this ballet with its cast of more than 50 dancers, has been the NYCB’s ultimate crowd-pleaser.
The ballet is, of course, romantic, but it is also very funny in places. NYCB is the only company that performs the work today and it’s always worth revisiting for the warmth and precision of Balanchine’s choreography and the beauty of its music by Lehar and Strauss (Johann and Richard).
You will notice that the women are not dancing in pointe shoes which are completely flat to the floor but in what are known as ‘character shoes’ with a tiny heel to make it easier for them to pivot and turn in the ballroom without the formality of classical ballet technique.
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No mention of New York City Ballet is complete without reference to the company’s current treatment of its musicians.
Please see this article for the full story:
https://www.icsom.org/senzasordino/2021/06/the-sleeping-beauty-torpor-and-hibernation-at-city-ballet/
Ethan Silverman,
NYC Ballet Orchestra Committee Chair
Ruth Leon may recommend, but she doesn’t watch.
“You will notice that the women are not dancing in pointe shoes …” says both her post and the website to which it is linked.
The second section (of five), set to the “Frühlingsstimmen” from Strauß, is performed en pointe, with tights and tutus. Karinska’s gorgeous gowns in the other sections necessitate character shoes.