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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.

May 18, 2020

The newest episode of Hear the Dance is a special two-part discussion of Diamonds, the glittering final movement of Balanchine's Jewels, from the perspective of the lead ballerina. In this first installment, host Silas Farley interviews iconic former Principal Dancer Merrill Ashley, who recalls learning the corps role in her first season as a member of the Company, and the many factors that aligned in her eventually making her debut in the lead role. Now, as a répéteur with the Balanchine Trust, Ashley has taught Jewels to companies in America and abroad; as she describes it, this particular movement in the ballet is “cool, but hot—like a diamond.” (36:33)

Continue listening to Part Two of this episode.

Music:
Pelléas et Mélisande (1898) by Gabriel Fauré
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29 (1875) by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky

Recommended Reading:
1) Holding On to the Air: An Autobiography by Suzanne Farrell and Toni Bentley       
2) Dancing for Balanchine by Merrill Ashley     
3) George Balanchine: Ballet Master: A Biography by Richard Buckle in Collaboration with John Taras