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Welcome to City Ballet The Podcast, an exploration of New York City Ballet introduced by Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford, where we'll journey through our history, delve into our new and existing repertory, and reveal insider tidbits.

The Rosin Box with Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz

The Rosin Box gives you the opportunity to listen in on candid conversations with members of the New York City Ballet. Hosted by NYCB Soloist Aarón Sanz and recently retired Soloist Claire Kretzschmar, these episodes take you behind-the-scenes, offering you exclusive insight into the lives of the Company’s dancers.

New Combinations with Wendy Whelan

During our performance season, New York City Ballet showcases recent works from some of the most influential choreographers working today. Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan hosts the New Combinations episodes, where she talks to the choreographers and other artists behind the unique new works premiering this season at New York City Ballet.

Hear the Dance 

Explore our expansive repertory, from the earliest Balanchine works to more recent classics, with an insider’s take on the Company’s rich history with Hear the Dance. Taking on a new ballet each episode, the host is joined by many key players, from original cast members to ballet masters to current NYCB dancers, who share their personal experiences performing and coaching works from our illustrious repertory.

See the Music with Andrew Litton

In See the Music, New York City Ballet’s Music Director Andrew Litton takes us off the stage and into the orchestra pit, giving listeners an in-depth look at the scores from some of our most notable ballets, featuring discussions with both orchestra members and commissioned composers.

Sep 29, 2019

In this episode of Hear the Dance, host Silas Farley delves into the history of Merce Cunningham and Summerspace, which returns to the NYCB stage this fall for the first time in 20 years in celebration of Cunningham’s centennial. Farley sits down with Merce Cunningham Trust repetiteur Jean Freebury and former NYCB dancer and current Chairman of Faculty at the School of American Ballet Kay Mazzo to talk about working with the legendary choreographer, combining Cunningham with Balanchine technique, and how Merce Cunningham helped close the gap between modern dance and ballet. (47:05)

Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky

IXION (1958) by Morton Feldman

All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.

Watch an excerpt of Summerspace provided by the Merce Cunningham Trust


Reference Books for Hear the Dance: Summerspace
Merce Cunningham: Common Time by Besualdo, Bellow, Bither, et al
Merce Cunningham: Fifty Years by David Vaughan
Merce Cunningham: The Modernizing of Modern Dance by Roger Copeland
Chance and Circumstance: Twenty Years with Cage and Cunningham by Carolyn Brown