Premieres Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS App + Encore Sunday, Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m. on KPBS 2
Spotlighting the choreography of dance legend George Balanchine and New York City Ballet star Justin Peck, GREAT PERFORMANCES "New York City Ballet in Madrid" premieres Friday, October 27.
Recorded at Madrid’s Teatro Real in March 2023, this episode highlights works by legendary choreographers George Balanchine and current New York City Ballet resident choreographer Justin Peck. 1934’s “Serenade” choreographed by Balanchine was the first full-length ballet he created in the United States and remains one of New York City Ballet’s signature works.
Conceived as an observed ballet lesson, the work begins with a simple tendu and is set music by Tchaikovsky. In his later work, “Square Dance,” Balanchine blended the traditions of American folk dance with classical ballet by featuring music by Vivaldi and Correlli.
Balanchine’s famed works are followed by a 2017 piece choreographed by Justin Peck, “The Times Are Racing.” Performed in sneakers and street clothes, the dance is set to an electronic score by two-time Grammy-nominated composer Dan Deacon. The choreography takes its inspiration from a variety of dance styles, including references to the tap dancing of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
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This performance will be available to stream for a limited time at pbs.org/gperf and the PBS App.
Credits:
Music is by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi and Dan Deacon. Choreography is by George Balanchine and Justin Peck. Directed for the screen by Isabelle Julien and produced by Xavier Dubois. Great Performances: New York City Ballet in Madrid is a coproduction of Elzévir Films and New York City Ballet in association with Teatro Real with the participation of The WNET Group, Medici and Mezzo. For GREAT PERFORMANCES, Bill O’Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.
