Episodes
Published 03/18/24
This week at The Rosin Box, hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz are joined by NYCB dancers and "real-life" couple Emily Kikta and Peter Walker to talk about partnering—onstage and off. Peter and Aarón share their memories of learning from legendary former Principal Dancer Jock Soto, who taught partnering at the School of American Ballet when they were students, while Claire and Emily reflect on the ways in which pas de deux challenge their stamina while offering opportunities to...
Published 03/18/24
Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are back at The Rosin Box, joined by Corps de Ballet Member and Get Golden founder Jenelle Manzi. Jenelle describes her journey to the stage and how struggles with injuries and food allergies inspired her to start crafting her own anti-inflammatory recipes. As she shares, a stray comment from a colleague on the tour bus to the Kennedy Center sparked the formation of her business, which she runs alongside performing full-time with the Company. (40:49) ...
Published 03/11/24
The Rosin Box returns for another round of candid conversations with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz. This week, they're joined by NYCB Director of Costumes Marc Happel to talk all things tutus and beyond. Happel shares his journey to the Company's storied costume shop, where decades ago Co-Founder George Balanchine collaborated with Barbara Karinska on the innovative powderpuff tutu, and artisans fit and craft costumes for today's dancers under Happel's direction. (43:32)  ...
Published 03/04/24
In this week's See the Music episode, we revisit a 2013 live presentation with host and Associate Music Director Andrews Sill, exploring Igor Stravinsky's 1945 composition Symphony in Three Movements, the score for the George Balanchine ballet of the same name. With help from the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Maestro Sill highlights the musical "nuts and bolts" of this galvanizing piece, and outlines some of the cinematic and real-world inspirations for its taut construction and powerful...
Published 02/05/24
Silas Farley is back with another deep dive into the Company's repertory in this week's Hear the Dance episode, devoted to George Balanchine's Liebeslieder Walzer. Farley is joined by former Principal Dancers Bart Cook and Maria Calegari, who share their memories of watching the ballet's iconic interpreters in its initial incarnations; learning individual parts within the challenging but "sublime" work; and coaching Liebeslieder in its entirety. As they describe, the ballet was like a "gift...
Published 01/29/24
In the latest New Combinations episode, Associate Artistic Director and host Wendy Whelan chats with Principal Dancer Tiler Peck about memories from their time dancing together and Tiler's upcoming choreographic debut with the Company. Tiler describes how her internal sense of musicality drives her choreographic practice as much as her work as a performer, and shares that this commission from New York City Ballet came at exactly the right time—the dancers' happiness and enthusiasm in the...
Published 01/22/24
City Ballet The Podcast launches this season with a new Hear the Dance conversation, guest hosted by Silas Farley, who is joined by three generations of dancers who are well acquainted with Jerome Robbins' In the Night. Former Principal Dancer Kay Mazzo originated the lead role in the ballet's first movement, about "young love"; Repertory Director Christine Redpath took over coaching the ballet from colleague Victor Castelli; and Principal Dancer Unity Phelan is performing the lead role in...
Published 01/15/24
This week, Soloist Sara Adams joins hosts Claire Kretzschmar and fellow Soloist Aarón Sanz at The Rosin Box to talk pointe shoes, from the first dancer to popularize dancing en pointe to all the sewing, banging, and prepping required to get this iconic footwear ready for a performance. Sara discusses her own history with pointe shoes and shares an array of tips and tricks, revealing just how often she changes to a fresh pair during a run of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®. (46:37) Edited...
Published 11/27/23
Join us this week for another conversation around The Rosin Box with hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz, who are joined by Senior Manager of School Programs Colleen Megley and Corps de Ballet Member Kristen Segin. They talk about the Company's many educational and public program offerings, from Family Saturdays and Student Matinee performances to Access Programs and adult-friendly Workshop Weekends—the last of which Segin lovingly describes as "dance camp" for grown-ups. As...
Published 11/20/23
Join us for another round of cozy conversations at The Rosin Box, beginning with Associate Music Director Andrews Sill. Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Soloist Aarón Sanz chat with Sill about how he came to this role with NYCB, why he prefers conducting for the ballet over symphonic performances, and which Balanchine work made him fall in love with the art form. With preparations for the return of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker® under way, Sill shares how he keeps familiar music fresh—and...
Published 11/13/23
This week, the two-part conversation between Hear the Dance host Silas Farley and dance historian Jennifer Homans continues. They discuss Lincoln Kirstein’s essential role as a collaborator with Balanchine, the creation of Serenade, and some of the key personal and artistic moments in the ongoing history of the New York City Ballet. Homans traces the development of the Company’s ethos through the individual dancers’ devotion to Balanchine's vision and to the art form; Balanchine’s presence,...
Published 10/16/23
In this first part of a special Hear the Dance episode, host and former NYCB Dancer Silas Farley is joined by dance scholar Jennifer Homans to discuss her recently published biography, "Mr. B: George Balanchine's 20th Century.” Homans describes how her own background as a dancer—including as a student at the School of American Ballet in the 1970s—and a return to Balanchine’s works while facing personal loss inspired her lasting interest in the Company’s founding choreographer. Farley and...
Published 10/09/23
In this week’s See the Music episode, Associate Music Director Andrews Sill provides a taste of history and context for Tschaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, the score of the first ballet George Balanchine choreographed in the United States. Sill discusses the way the composition’s symmetries represent an homage to Mozart, and how Tschaikovsky marries "classical forms, folk tunes, and extroverted romantic expression” in the piece, which, combined with Balanchine’s choreography, resulted in the...
Published 10/02/23
This week’s episode is a special Hear the Dance reunion: former NYCB Dancer Silas Farley hosts a wide-ranging conversation between legendary former Principal Dancer Merrill Ashley and current Principal Dancer Tiler Peck on George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2. As Peck shares, her first exposure to this daunting lead role was in a coaching session with Ashley, long before it became a mainstay in her repertory. Ashley describes the thrilling challenge of taking it on as a...
Published 09/25/23
New York City Ballet’s Music Director Andrew Litton returns to host this week’s See The Music episode, devoted to Igor Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, the score for the Rubies section of George Balanchine’s Jewels. Litton describes the captivating details of this composition from 1929, a prime example of the uniquely symbiotic relationship between Balanchine and Stravinsky, with a little help from Solo Pianist Stephen Gosling, who demonstrates some of the most challenging...
Published 09/18/23
City Ballet The Podcast returns in the run-up to our 75th Anniversary Season, which begins by celebrating The Foundation of the Company. Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan checks in with Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, who has been in the studios for three weeks, leading company class and observing as the dancers prepare for a Fall devoted to the works of George Balanchine. As he shares, “I’m learning as much as I’m teaching… Balanchine ballets give you different information in...
Published 09/11/23
This week, City Ballet The Podcast wraps up the 22-23 Season with Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, who celebrate a year of discovery, change, and renewal. Highlights include a powerful corps de ballet, shaped in part through the growing culture of mentorship throughout the Company; Justin Peck’s momentous new work, Copland Dance Episodes; the return to international tours, including a wildly successful visit to Spain; and more. With...
Published 07/03/23
It’s time for the annual Ask the Dancers episode of The Rosin Box! Hosts Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz are joined by Corps de Ballet Member Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara to dig into questions submitted by listeners, from strategies for learning new choreography to secrets for staying motivated all season long. Listen in to find out what it’s like to work alongside dancers who’ve known each other since childhood and which step Meaghan describes as “delicious.” (54:07) Edited by Emilie Silvestri ...
Published 06/26/23
This week, Soloist Olivia MacKinnon joins Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz at The Rosin Box to talk all things social media. Olivia shares how time away from the stage during the pandemic inspired her to pursue an amped up presence on Instagram, and the group discusses the importance of taking everything on social media with a grain of salt, while embracing the possibilities for new connections and opportunities. (37:19) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: "Je ne t’aime plus" by Pink...
Published 06/19/23
Aarón Sanz is back from NYCB’s first tour in Madrid to join fellow host Claire Kretzschmar and guest Sean Suozzi for a chat around The Rosin Box. Suozzi, a former Soloist with Company, shares how his focus shifted to filmmaking, from his role as an Executive Producer on the 2010 film NY Export: Opus Jazz to his recent projects as a director, including 2019’s Sleeping Beauty trailer. He describes the creative process behind latest directorial effort for NYCB, the 75th Anniversary film, which...
Published 06/12/23
This week’s episode features a special live presentation of See the Music, hosted by Associate Music Director Andrews Sill and Resident Conductor Clotilde Otranto. With a little help from the New York City Ballet Orchestra, they explore the combination of old and new, romantic and acrobatic in Igor Stravinsky’s commissioned score for George Balanchine’s Agon. As Otranto notes, Agon displays Stravinsky’s creativity in “full bloom.” (10:39) Edited by Emilie Silvestri Music: Symphony in Three...
Published 05/15/23
Host and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan is back with another New Combinations episode, chatting with long-time friend, former ballet partner, and Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. He describes his journey from Royal Ballet dancer to New York City Ballet to Broadway and back again, with first new work for the Company in six years premiering on May 4. As Wheeldon shares, the “turbulent beauty” of artist Kylie Manning’s work was a major inspiration in the studio as...
Published 05/08/23
Our special two-part episode of Hear the Dance continues with former Principal Dancers Allegra Kent and Jared Angle exploring Kent’s career at New York City Ballet, zeroing in on two key roles: the Sleepwalker in La Sonnambula, and the lead in Agon. Kent shares that she was coached extensively by Balanchine for La Sonnambula—the first ballet Kent saw onstage, and immediately fell in love with—but perhaps learned most from an impromptu session with originating dancer Alexandra Danilova at a...
Published 05/01/23
In part one of this week’s special Hear the Dance episode, legendary former Principal Dancer Allegra Kent joins host and fellow former Principal Jared Angle to discuss her beginnings as a dancer. From joining Bronislava Najinska's intermediate class full of GIs fresh from World War II at the age of 11, to entering the School of American Ballet at 14, to premiering in the corps of Symphony in C as an apprentice a year later, Kent describes the whirlwind of her early years with the...
Published 05/01/23