NYCH at a glance - New York City Ballet Company - Brief Article

Dance Magazine, Dec, 2001

20 Lincoln Center New York, New York 10023 212/870-4083 212/870-4244 fax www.nycballet.com

General Manager: Anne Parsons Ballet Master in Chief: Peter Martins

NEW YORK CITY BALLET WAS ESTABLISHED in 1948 as the successor to the American Ballet, Ballet Caravan, and Ballet Society by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, who had invited Balanchine to direct the School of American Ballet in 1934. Jerome Robbins joined the company in 1949 as co-director. At its homes in the New York City Center and (starting in 1964) the New York State Theater in Lincoln Center, the company staged a series of now-classic Balanchine ballets that cemented his reputation as the century's pre-eminent choreographer. After Balanchine's death in 1983, the company was led by Robbins and Peter Martins, a Danish-born dancer and choreographer who created principal roles in numerous Balanchine ballets and who soon assumed sole charge of the company. Under Martins the New York City Ballet has preserved and continued the Balanchine legacy, performing his ballets and training its dancers in his distinctive style, while also opening its repertoire of more than 350 works to choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, William Forsythe, and Martins himself. The company's annual December performances of Balanchine's The Nutcracker are a New York City tradition that has introduced generations of youngsters to ballet.

The company's ranks are drawn largely from the School of American Ballet. Admission to SAB is by audition only; applicants must be at least 8 years old and have a body structure suited to the demands of classical dance. Intermediate and advanced student auditions for SAB's summer course are held in twenty-two cities in January and February or by appointment in New York. Children ages 8 and 9 are auditioned at SAB primarily in May; additional weekly auditions are held at the school throughout the school year. Scholarships are available; some cover ballet class tuition only, while others may be applied to room and board, transportation, and academic high school tuition.

* 90 dancers (20 principals, 15 soloists, and 55 corps members) and 7 apprentices

* Average contract: 42 weeks (including rehearsals and one week of paid vacation)

* 14-week Winter Season; 9-week Spring Season; 3-week Summer Season

* Union company

* Venues: The company stages its regular season season at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, and its summer season at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY.

* The New York City Ballet Orchestra is led by Music Director Andrea Quinn and three other conductors.

* Touring: The company tours throughout the United States and the world for 2-4 weeks during the summer.

* Outreach: In-school programs for elementary and middle schools, master classes, and physical education programs for high school students, backstage tours, and a student rush ticket program.