The Suzanne Farrell Ballet: Forever Balanchine: Farewell Performances

The Suzanne Farrell Ballet
Suzanne Farrell, Artistic Director
with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra 
 
Forever Balanchine: Farewell Performances

Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. & Dec. 9 at 1:30 p.m.  (Program Timing: Approximately 2 hours, including two 20-minute intermissions.) 
Chaconne (Gluck/Balanchine)
Tzigane (Ravel/Balanchine)
Meditation (Tchaikovsky/Balanchine)
Gounod Symphony (Gounod/Balanchine)
Special treat for Thursday, Dec. 7 attendees: Ms. Farrell will be presented with the Pola Nirenska Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance.

Dec 8 at 7:30 p.m. & Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.  (Program Timing: Approximately 2 hours, including two 20-minute intermissions.)
Gounod Symphony (Gounod/Balanchine)
Tzigane (Ravel/Balanchine)
Meditation (Tchaikovsky/Balanchine)
Serenade (Tchaikovsky/Balanchine)

Program subject to change.

"The wit is Balanchine's, but still nobody communicates it better than Ms. Farrell… she understands rare secrets of time and space."--The New York Times
 
This season, we celebrate the culmination of our own ballet company led by the beloved muse of choreographer George Balanchine. Throughout her career as a dancer, Suzanne Farrell created and redefined many of the great roles of the Balanchine canon. Since 2001, her company has revealed unique insights into "Mr. B's" works, drawing out their musicality and nuance as no one else can.
 
The farewell program is a pageant of favorites, all handpicked for their special meaning to Ms. Farrell. Staged last year by the company with new costumes to accentuate the revelatory choreography, Gounod Symphony intertwines one delightful pattern after another. Two short works on the program were specifically created for Ms. Farrell: the pas de deux Meditation, the first ballet Balanchine made on her; and the gypsy fantasy Tzigane, which begins with a mesmerizing five-minute solo.
 
Finally, two large-scale ballets will alternate programs, showcasing the range of Ms. Farrell's deep connection to Balanchine's ballets. The 27-dancer Chaconne is a sublime suite of dances from his stagings of Orfeo ed Euridice, featuring an expansive main ballerina role that was created for her. And the seminal 26-dancer Serenade is the first ballet Balanchine made in America, which includes the "Dark Angel" role that, years later, became Ms. Farrell's first solo as a dancer.
 
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A Note From Suzanne Farrell
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"The enormous respect and pride I have for my dancers is immeasurable. This final season is a poignant celebration of them and my gratitude to the generous supporters of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. The program is a reflection of our last 16 years. It has been an honor to serve the art of ballet and George Balanchine."