October 1-22

One of the greatest ballets of all time: Giselle a masterpiece of the story ballet’s. Let’s learn the story, how women’s new place on the stage contributed to its rise and look at different dancers’ interpret the main roles. 

Raymonda, one of Petipa’s classics choreographed while he was under the Czar’s patronage, later created in a distilled version as Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations.

Finally, we’ll arrive in the neoclassical ballet Carmen. Carmen, unlike Giselle does not meekly go towards her sad fate. We’ll look at the different versions (musically and choreographically) of this ballet. 

Oct 29-Nov 19 

La Bayadere’s Shades Scene is choreographically a classical masterpiece. We’ll learn the original story and then take a look at the role of the real life temple dancers in society (La Bayadere means temple dancer).

Don Quixote: Choreographed by Petipa and later by Balanchine as an homage to his love for Suzanne Farrell. A comedic and beautiful ballet, a joyful dance parade if ever there was one. We’ll learn the story and some of the great dancers in the main roles.

Serenade: One of the most mystical and haunting ballets of all time. A plotless poem, a shooting star, one need not know anything about it to enjoy it.

What was going on on the world stage that allowed this ballet to come into being? Who was it first made on? What are the time capsules still living in the choreography?

Nov 26-Dec 17

This topic is brimming with great stories! You may know that Ballet has been closely woven into politics since its beginning in France under the Kings and Royal court, but did you know this is also true in many other places including the US, Russia, Cuba, Turkey and even Iran?

Lincoln Center was created in competition with the Soviets, Prima Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya was accused of being a spy, Prima Ballerina Margot Fonteyn tried to help overthrow the Panamanian government...

Join us for this fascinating topic. We’ll take a look at the political climate and the lives and dances of the great dancers involved. 

Then for a change of pace before we break for 2 weeks, we have a bonus Nutcracker through time class. Taking a look at the different versions of the story and how the dancers and dances have evolved over the last century. 

January 7-28

From the savvy Swanhilda saving her beloved Franz when he almost lost his life falling in love with a doll to Firebird, the enigmatic ballet that pivoted all of ballet’s future and jumpstarted Stravinsky’s career influencing the future of ballet & Jazz music. We’ll close with Suite en Blanc, Serge Lifar’s ballet, a scene of clean classical beauty choreographed during the German occupation. 

February 4-25

Sleeping Beauty is considered the epitome of the classical style, the essence, the GOAT, the most crystalline. Meanwhile, Balanchine’s leotard ballets we (and still are in many ways) the most modern, void of story and character, filled with rhythm and poetry. 

March 4-25

What did Chagall, Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Goncharova all have in common? They were all set (and sometimes costume designers) for the ballet! Let’s take a look at their lives and works, and the ballets they were a part of.