Of Mice and Men and Balanchine’s Serenade

The Joffrey premiere of Serenade, set to the original score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is George Balanchine’s first ballet created in America in 1934 and originated as a lesson in stage technique, using unexpected events from rehearsals as the basis for the choreography. According to The George Balanchine Trust, “When one student fell, he incorporated it. Another day, a student arrived late, and this too became part of the ballet.” Balanchine ...