On Its Toes: New York City Ballet
August 2026
Before seeing NYCB perform, I had watched other companies dance Balanchine’s works, but it was only when I encountered them at NYCB that I fully appreciated them. The Balanchine style contains idiosyncrasies that are subtle yet precise and that few dancers outside NYCB have mastered: arriving a split second ahead of the beat, tilting the head to extend a line and holding off-balance poses. These hallmarks, along with open arabesques and flexed feet, are often misinterpreted by other companies.
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