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Generally acknowledged as the quintessential classical ballet, and certainly the most popular, Swan Lake never fails to enchant audiences with its mythical tale of a lovelorn prince who falls under the spell of a swan, Odette, a young woman transfigured by the sinister Von Rotbart. The Company’s full-length production, first presented in 1999 and choreographed by longtime Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins, draws on the staging by the preeminent classical masters Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. But Martins’ version also highlights the Company’s matchless gift for dancing complex choreography at intoxicatingly brisk tempos.

A feast for Balanchine devotees. The oldest Balanchine ballet in the repertory, the neoclassical masterwork Apollo, first staged in 1928, leads a bill that traces the choreographer’s work across an astonishing half-century. Also on the program is the exhilarating Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, a supremely stylish dance created to music originally written for Swan Lake.

Inspired by a Company engagement at the Edinburgh Festival and set to an evocative Mendelssohn score, Balanchine’s Scotch Symphony, for a lead couple and a corps de ballet, is a nod to the romantic tradition of ballet. Jerome Robbins’ enthralling Glass Pieces, a perennial favorite in the repertory, moves through moods to rise to a galvanizingly energetic finale. And while Justin Peck is celebrated for his high-energy ensemble works, Belles-Lettres reveals another aspect of his voice, with its series of gently lyrical pas de deux and solos steeped in an air of reflective romanticism.

A pair of Jerome Robbins ballets set to the music of Bach are featured alongside works by Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon. Robbins’ A Suite of Dances features a single male dancer—Mikhail Baryshnikov originated the role—interacting with the onstage cellist, creating a mood of friendly companionship. Brandenburg, Robbins’ final ballet, danced to four of the famed concertos of the title, is a series of pas de deux that evoke strikingly contrasting moods. Wheeldon’s After the Rain Pas de Deux has become one of his signature works, a transfixing dance that contains hints of spirituality and transcendence despite its seeming simplicity.

The 2025 Spring Gala highlights Balanchine’s fondness for the waltz with the monumental five-part Vienna Waltzes, featuring opulent settings, sumptuous costumes, and 50 dancers in dreamlike motion.

A supremely well-crafted ballet performed in tutus and set to the sparkling music of Mozart, Divertimento No. 15 illustrates Balanchine’s unsurpassed gift for exploring the variety and richness of classical choreography. Vienna Waltzes, a ballet in five parts set to music from Johann Strauss II, Franz Léhar, and Richard Strauss, is Balanchine’s variously hued tribute to the Austrian capital at its cultural apex in the 19th Century.

The ever-growing breadth of the repertory is illustrated in this program highlighting the work of three current dancemakers. Alexei Ratmansky’s Solitude debuted in the winter of 2024 to broad acclaim. Somber in its beauty, this elegiac ensemble work, with a moving lead role depicting a grieving father, is a rare dance set to the music of Gustav Mahler. Ratmansky, Russian-born but raised in Kyiv, dedicated this singular ballet “to the children of Ukraine, victims of the war.” The program also includes ballets from Caili Quan and Justin Peck, which debuted in the fall and winter, respectively.

In 1975 the Company presented a festival dedicated to the music of the French composer Maurice Ravel. To honor the 50th anniversary of the event, the Company offers this program featuring four works that had their premieres during the festival: Jerome Robbins’ playful In G Major, with sets and costumes by the Art Deco master Erté; Pavane, a solo work from Balanchine for a female dancer; Errante, returning from its lauded Spring 2024 revival; and Sonatine, a pas de deux marked by a lighthearted spirit of dancers at play.

A program distinguished by its variety opens with Balanchine’s Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée,’ choreographed to a Stravinsky symphonic suite. Kyle Abraham’s When We Fell was originally filmed and streamed during the pandemic, and here makes its live debut. Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Chiaroscuro, a ballet for six dancers from 1994, evokes the artistic term of its title through the interaction of light and shadow as well as diverging tempos, while Alexei Ratmansky’s Odesa features three couples, their interplay infused with hints of drama, and a corps de ballet, and is set to incidental music from the Russian film Sketches to Sunset that alternates between the ruminative and the rambunctious.

This specially curated performance is designed to provide a relaxed, inclusive environment where individuals with sensory processing challenges, including autism, can experience New York City Ballet. Slight modifications will include a relaxed entry/exit policy, adjustments to lighting and sound levels, designated break areas throughout the Theater, additional event staffing to assist with audience needs, and pre-visit resources, including a visual schedule. This one-time-only performance features three ballets by NYCB’s Founder George Balanchine.