24/25
OCTOBER 12–13, 2024
Soft blue tutus…
a sweeping Tchaikovsky score.
Next – a western saloon and
cowboy hats.
George Balanchine’s iconic ballets – Serenade and Western Symphony -- look nothing alike, yet both demonstrate Balanchine’s ability to evoke powerful emotions. Finally, After the Rain Pas de Deux, created for New York City Ballet by Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon (MJ The Musical), honors the great master
WESTERN SYMPHONY
BY GEORGE BALANCHINE
SERENADE
BY GEORGE BALANCHINE
AFTER THE RAIN
BY CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON
WESTERN SYMPHONY
By George Balanchine
Orchestrated by Hershy Kay
Western Symphony is a rodeo of frisky fillies and lonesome cowpokes with a rousing, non-stop finale that brings the curtain down.
Western Symphony is a striking example of Balanchine’s fascination with American themes. Set on a rugged Old West street populated by cowboys and dance hall girls, the ballet nevertheless is very much a classical work.
SERENADE
By George Balanchine
Music by Tchaikovsky
A ROMANTIC WORK OF IMMENSE SWEEP, SET TO A TRANSCENDENT TSCHAIKOVSKY SCORE.
Serenade is a milestone in the history of dance. It is the first original ballet George Balanchine created in America, and is one of the signature works of New York City Ballet’s repertory. Balanchine began the ballet as a lesson in stage technique and worked unexpected rehearsal events into the choreography.
NOVEMBER 30–DECEMBER 2
& DECEMBER 19–23, 2024
HOLIDAY FAVORITE!
By Gen Horiuchi
Music by Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker drew record crowds in 2023. Saint Louis Ballet returns to the stage for its Thanksgiving previews of the Nutcracker and in mid-December for more amazing dancing, music and spectacle. Don’t delay! Secure your Nutcracker seats now and take part in what has become a great Saint Louis holiday tradition!
FEBRUARY 14–16, 2025
Saint Louis Ballet celebrates love at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center with IN CREASES, an intriguing ballet of shifting shapes and geometric forms that was first performed by the Joffrey Ballet. Peck is a Tony Award-winning choreographer (Carousel), director and resident choreographer with New York City Ballet. The dancers perform to music by renowned composer Phillip Glass.
Former New York City Ballet principal CHRISTOPHER D'AMBOISE creates a NEW BALLET set to memorable tunes by Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.
To Love! culminates with a NEW BALLET by Artistic Director GEN HORIUCHI and longtime collaborator TOYA.
IN CREASES
By Justin Peck
Music by Philip Glass
Like a puzzle of shifting shapes and formations, Peck's first ballet for NYCB showcases his keen eye for manipulating bodies to form complex geometric structures and unique patterns.
In Creases is the first work Justin Peck, a former soloist with New York City Ballet, created for the Company. The ballet is set to Philip Glass’ "Four Movements for Two Pianos."
APRIL 25–27, 2025
CAROUSEL (A DANCE)
By Christopher Wheeldon
Music by Richard Rodgers
With the Springfield Symphony Orchestra
This charming distillation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic Carousel recalls the poignant romance and thrilling drama of the celebrated Broadway production.
Many award-winning choreographers have created ballets for both the Broadway stage and for ballet companies to perform on their own. Don't miss this opportunity to see Saint Louis Ballet celebrate the "essence" of American musical theatre with these remarkable ballets that project the style, energy and rhythms of the Broadway stage. With accompaniment by full orchestra – the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for the third consecutive year.
CAROUSEL (A DANCE)
BY CHRISTOPER WHEELDON
INTERPLAY
BY JEROME ROBBINS
WHO CARES?
BY GEORGE BALANCHINE
INTERPLAY
By Jerome Robbins
Music by Morton Gould
Interplay’s young dancers take part in lighthearted competition as they revel in the exuberant yet cool melodies of the ballet’s jazz-infused score.
Using the interplay of classical and vernacular choreography, Robbins experimented with choreographic patterns and the interactions of dancers in various formations. Morton Gould's score is full of humor and jazzy orchestration and revels in the swingtime rhythms of the 1940s.
WHO CARES?
By Geoge Balanchine
Music by George Gershwin,
Orchestration by Hershy Kay
Gershwin’s radiant melodies serve as the basis for syncopated group dances and balmy, romantic duets.
Balanchine choreographed Who Cares? to 16 songs Gershwin composed between 1924 and 1931. Balanchine used the songs not to evoke a particular era but as a basis for a dynamic that is uniquely American and, more specifically, evocative of New York City: Balanchine’s choreography brings out the exuberance of city life.