About the Gala
The ballet gala marking the end of the 2026/27 season offers a multifaceted insight into the extraordinary choreographic work of the renowned dance artist Jerome Robbins.
The Four Seasons (1979) is a spirited exploration of the music of Giuseppe Verdi. Robbins transforms the four seasons into brilliant dance tableaux filled with elegance, energy, and color.
Other Dances from 1976, set to piano pieces by Frédéric Chopin, unfolds as an intimate pas de deux of poetic beauty and refined musical sensitivity.
Interplay is one of Robbins’ earliest choreographies, premiered in 1945, and reveals his early style shaped by American vitality. Set to jazz-inflected music by Morton Gould, the work develops into a lively play of youthful dynamism, rhythmic precision, and relaxed elegance.
With A Suite of Dances (1994), Robbins created a masterpiece for a solo dancer. Set to the Cello Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach, an intimate dialogue between dance and music emerges – focused, lyrically simple yet virtuosic, and profoundly human.
The humorous conclusion is provided by The Concert (1956), a charmingly comic ballet full of situational humor and pointed irony. Set to music by Chopin, Robbins gently satirizes the world of the concert hall, revealing its peculiarities with subtle wit.
Easy, by New York City Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Justin Peck, is an energetic and colorful homage to Jerome Robbins and his playful approach to choreography. Set to jazzy music by Leonard Bernstein, the work forms an exciting addition to the gala program and also demonstrates how Robbins’ artistic legacy continues to live on.
Jerome Robbins’ works are characterized by an exceptionally close connection between movement and music, in which the rhythm, structure, and emotional nuances of the score are directly translated into choreography. Robbins understood musicality not merely as precise “counting,” but as a deep grasp of the mood, dynamics, and inner dramaturgy of the compositions, which he transformed into finely nuanced, natural-looking movements. The gala program offers insight into Robbins’ intensive engagement with various composers and clearly demonstrates his understanding of the relationship between dance and music.
“Jerome Robbins is one of the defining figures in the history of dance. As a choreographer and master of his craft, he profoundly shaped 20th-century ballet and gave it a distinctive and enduring voice. This gala offers us a special opportunity to present selected works from his rich oeuvre and to consciously celebrate his artistic legacy. A gala is more than a sequence of pieces – it is a tribute: to great choreographers, to significant works, and not least to the company that brings them to life on stage. Robbins was an exceptionally refined artist. He fused jazz, Broadway, and classical ballet into a unique choreographic language. His style was unmistakable marked by musicality, elegance, and precision, yet equally by wit, humanity, and emotional depth. It is precisely this richness and versatility that continue to make his works so vibrant and moving today – for dancers and audiences alike.” (Alessandra Ferri)
