It is really hard to keep up with ballet repertory especially when choreographers are putting out brilliant works left and right. I mean this year alone we had like 50 new premiers on major companies… But recently I was asked, what are some of the must see ballets when starting out as a ballet go-er. Then I had to think of a list, and make sure I had the premier dates and musical score right… The list was actually a lot harder than I thought… What ballets to see, and what ballets to leave off… Then I thought, well no one should see boring ballets… and then I thought, well they might think they are lovely… So, I couldn’t really be biased. Then I had to look at what companies are performing… For example Les Noces is a brilliant ballet, but hardly in anyone’s repertory. Then again, so is the original Rite of Spring… but Rite of Spring might be more accessible… So… Including the classics, modern classics, and standards of today’s repertory… Here is a list of 65 ballets that new ballet enthusiasts should see!
If you are an experienced ballet go-er… play a game… 2 points if you have seen it live, 2 points of you have danced it.
AFTER THE RAIN
2005 CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON / ARVO PART, TABULA RASA, SPIEL IM SPIEGEL
THE AFTERNOON OF A FAUN
1912 VASLAV NIJINSKY / CLAUDE DEBUSSY
1953 JEROME ROBBINS / CLAUDE DEBUSSY
AGON
1957 GEORGE BALANCHINE / IGOR STRAVINSKY
APOLLO
1928 GEORGE BALANCHINE / IGOR STRAVINSKY
APPALACHIAN SPRING
1944 MARTHA GRAHAM / AARON COPLAND
LA BAYADERE
1877 MARIUS PETIPA / LUDWIG MINKUS
BEAUTIFUL DECAY
2013 NICOLO FONTE /
BOLERO
1961 MARICE BEJART/ MAURICE RAVEL
CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS
2003 CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON / CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS
CHROMA
2006 WAYNE MCGREGOR / JOBY TALBOT, JACK WHITE, CHRISTOPHER AUSTIN
CINDERELLA
1945 ROSTISLAV ZAKHAROV / SERGEI PROKOFIEV
COMPANY B
1991 PAUL TAYLOR / SUNG BY THE ANDREWS SISTERS
THE CONCERT
1956 JEROME ROBBINS / FREDERIC CHOPIN
CONCERTO BAROCCO
1941 GEORGE BALANCHINE / JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
(ASHLEY LARACEY ON CONCERTO)
COPPELIA
1870 JOSEPH MAZILLIER / ADOLPHE ADAM
DANCES AT A GATHERING
1969 JEROME ROBBINS / FREDERIC CHOPIN
DON QUIXOTE
1869 MARIUS PETIPA / LUDWIG MINKUS
THE DREAM
1964 FREDERICK ASHTON / FELIX MENDELSSOHN
THE DYING SWAN
1905 MICHEL FOKINE / CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS
ETUDES
1948 HARALD LANDER/CARL CZERNY
FANCY FREE
1944 JEROME ROBBINS / LEONARD BERSTEIN
LA FILLE MAL GARDEE
1789, 1828 1960 FREDRICK ASHTON / FERDINAND HEROLD
THE FIREBIRD
1910 MICHEL FOKINE / IGOR STRAVINSKY
1949 GEORGE BALANCHINE / IGOR STRAVINSKY
2012 ALEXEI RATMANSKY / IGOR STRAVINSKY
FLOWER FESTIVAL AT GENZANO
1858 AUGUSTE BOURNONVILLE / HOLGER SIMON PAULLI, EDVARD HELSTED, M. STREBINGER
(Henriette Muss and Johan Kobborg)
THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS
1946 GEORGE BALANCHINE / IGOR STRAVINSKY
GHOST DANCES
1981 CHRISTOPHER BRUCE / SOUTH AMERICAN FOLK SONGS
GISELLE
1841 JEAN CORALLI AND JULES PERROT / ADOLPHE ADAM
THE GREEN TABLE
1932 KURT JOOSS / FRITZ COHEN
IN THE MIDDLE, SOMEWHAT ELEVATED
1987 WILLIAM FORSYTHE / THOM WILLEMS
IN THE UPPER ROOM
1986 TWYLA THARP / PHILIP GLASS
JEWELS
1967 GEORGE BALANCHINE / FAURE, STRAVINSKY, PI TCHAIKOVSKY
LADY OF THE CAMELLIAS
1978 JOHN NEUMEIER / FREDERIC CHOPIN
1994 VAL CANIPORALI / FREDERIC CHOPIN
LE PETITE MORT
1991 JIRI KYLIAN / WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
THE LEAVES ARE FADING
1975 ANTONY TUDOR / ANTON DVORAK
THE LITTLE MERMAID
2005 JOHN NEUMEIER / LERA AUERBACH
L’HISTOIRE DE MANON (AKA MANON)
1974 SIR KENNETH MACMILLAN / JULES MASSENET
MISSA BREVIS
1958 JOSE LIMON / ZOLTAN KODALY
THE MOOR’S PAVANE
1949 JOSE LIMON / HENRY PURCELL
NAPOLI
1842 AUGUST BOURNONVILLE / NIELS WILHELM GADE, EDVARD HELSTED, HOLGER SIMON PAULLI, CHRISTIAN LUMBYE
ONEGIN
1965 JOHN CRANKO / PI TCHAIKOVSKY
OTHELLO
1997 LAR LUBOVITCH / ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL
PAS DE QUATRE
1845 JULES PERROT / CESARE PUGNI
LES PATINEURS
1937 FREDERICK ASHTON / GIACOMO MAYERBEER
PAZ DE LA JOLLA
2013 JUSTIN PECK / BOHUSLAV MARTINU
PETRUSHKA
1911 MICHEL FOKINE / IGOR STRAVINSKY
PILLAR OF FIRE
1942 ANTONY TUDOR / ARNOLD SCHONBERG
POLYPHONIA
2001 CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON / GYORGY LIGETI
(CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON REHEARSING POLYPHONIA ON ROYAL BALLET)
RED GISELLE
1997 BORIS EIFMAN / TCHAIKOVSKY, SCHNITTKE, BIZET
REVELATIONS
1960 ALVIN AILEY / TRADITIONAL SPIRITUALS
RODEO
1942 AGNES DEMILLE / AARON COPLAND
ROMEO AND JULIET
1965 KENNETH MACMILLAN / SERGEI PROKOFIEV
1955 FREDERICK ASHTON / SERGEI PROKOFIEV
RUTH, Ricordi per Due
2004 GERALD ARPINO / THOMASSE ALBINNONI
LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS (RITE OF SPRING)
1913 VASLAV NIJINSKY / IGOR STRAVINSKY
SCHEHERAZADE
1910 MICHEL FOKINE . NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
SERENADE
1934 GEORGE BALANCHINE / P.I. TCHAIKOVSKY
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
1890 MARIUS PETIPA / P.I. TCHAIKOVSKY
LE SPECTRE DE LA ROSE
1911 MICHELE FOKINE / CARL MARIA VON WEBER
SQUARE DANCE
1957 GEORGE BALANCHINE / ANTONIO VIVALDI, ARCANGELO CORELLI
SWAN LAKE
1895 MARIUS PETIPA AND LEV IVANOV / P.I. TCHAIKOVSKY
1995 MATTHEW BOURNE / P.I. TCHAIKOVSKY
1997 DEREK DEANE / P.I TCHAIKOVSKY (SWAN LAKE IN THE ROUND, ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET)
LA SYLPHIDE
1836 AUGUST BOURNONVILLE / HERMAN LOVENSKJOLD
LES SYLPHIDES
1909 MICHEL FOKINE / FREDERIC CHOPIN
THEME AND VARIATIONS
1947 GEORGE BALANCHINE / P.I. TCHAIKOVSKY
THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF EXACTITUDE
1996 WILLIAM FORSYTHE / FRANZ SCHUBERT
YEAR OF THE RABIT
2012 JUSTIN PECK / SUFJAN STEVENS
3 responses to “65 MUST SEE BALLETS…. for the beginner ballet audience…”
Music cred for “Ghost Dances” goes to the Chilean folk group, Inti-Illimani.
Since this is for beginning ballet audiences, I am compelled to point out that 8 works listed are not technically ballets at all, they are modern dances created on modern dancers in modern companies. The works may be in the repertory of some ballet companies and modified so ballet dancers can perform them but modern ( Chroma is contemporary ). I’m referring to Appalachian Spring, Company B, In the upper Room, Missa Brevis, the Moors Pavane, Othello, and Revelations. Audiences should still see these works, they are beautiful.
Chroma was created on Royal ballet, remember when Balanchine started no one called his ballets a ballet…. Now they are only ballets…. And most of the ballet Russe ballets are far more modern than what we see today…. Especially all of the collaborations with the artists …. I view the word ballet, referring to a work that survives within a repertory… But then again that’s just my opinion, and the majorities opinion…. Alice in wonderland has a tap variation from Royal ballet, and beautifully story boarded….. Do you consider that a ballet? And if we go off of your standard, then would fancy free be a ballet? Othello was made for ABT… I’m not arguing, I see your point but looking at how do you define a ballet?