Okay. Here's the deal. The Lilac Fairy appears to you and says, "Only one ballet by George Balanchine will be in repertory at his 200th birthday. [stop screaming. I'm sure there will be many more, but this is just for the sake of a Thread] Which ballet would you want it to be? We promise it will be danced exactly the way you like it, and the cast will be just the kind of dancers you love to see in it. But you can only have one."

Which will it be?

I was thinking of this as I watched "Four Temperaments" last night. I think, after much agonizing and inner debate, I'd pick that one, not because it's my favorite (although I do love it) but because it shows so clearly what he was like as a choreographer.

What about you?

SERENADE, with SYMPHONY IN C a close second...

SERENADE, hands down. Whether danced by small or big companies, students or pros, I am always moved by this piece of choreography. Serenade lives in and of itself. Very rare for a ballet.

I'd pick 4 Ts, too. I've always thought of it as my "desert island ballet," if such a thing were possible. (Imagine being marooned on a desert island with only a ballet company. ) It's my choice just because it's so thrilling -- it never fails to send shivers up my spine -- and because there's nothing else like it in the ballet repertoire. Other choreographers try, but they don't come within shoutin' distance of this.

For history, I must choose 4 Ts. For myself, I choose Liebeslieder.

Divertimento #15 for me and Agon for history.

Divertimento #15

First choice: Barocco, and runner-up: Barocco.

If I were greedy, I'd pick Jewels: 3 for 1! Otherwise Agon.

--Andre

I still haven't stopped screaming over the prospect of "just one," but I'm inclined to go with Concerto Barocco. Divine music, and choreography that is Balanchine distilled to its essence.

Apollo, danced by Peter Boal, in the version that begins with the birth of Apollo.

Torture us, why don't you? :sweating: I'd save Apollo, but lay awake at nights wondering if I should have picked 4T's, Agon, or Serenade.

i'll go with carbro and say barocco for posterity, for myself the rest (not greedy at *all*)

Liebeslieder Walzer, and let history take care of itself

Serenade - absolutely if I had to pick only one.

God, what agony. But if I could only get one out of the burning building, it would be Four T's.

If this thread summons this fate though, I blame you Alexandra. 200 years and we're down to just five Bournonville ballets. . .(happily, recording ballets has gotten more thorough since that time)

Now, now, it depends on how you count "ballets." You can come up with 10 Bournonville Ballets if you count the divertissements and pas de deux.

My Worst Nightmare about Balanchine is that he will lurch into the 22nd century represented by The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Slaughter, Tschaipas (its 22nd century name; they think it has something to do with spicy tea) and the Agon pas de deux.

(Oh - no - though I'm laughing about the Chai tea - please, No! You know, I it took me a while to understand what people meant when they said that.)

:speechless: Scary indeed! But thanks to the Balanchine Foundation, you can sleep soundly, at least as far as the Balanchine legacy is concerned.

What is so amazing about the list compiled by the posters is that each ballet named is a unique treasure. Aren't we lucky to have them all! :clover: At least for now.

Oh, and in honor of Mr. B's love for those of the feline persuasion: :cat:

Apollo. I just like it the best .

It would have to be The Four T's!!!!

Tzigane, although I haven't seen many of the mentioned works.

Concerto Barocco---but it MUST be performed in black leotards---only then does its architectural style become obvious---it is sort of the forerunner of Adams and Mitchell in Agon.

What a pretty dilemma!

Thank you, Alexandra.

I wonder if I would want to save my favorite, or something historically more important?

Actually, it's clear to me, if all the rest had to die, I'd save Symphony in C, and Barocco too if I could.

Serenade is Mr B's Swan Lake IMO.

After that come Symphony in C and Violin Cto.

Herman

Interesting proposition, ATM, but wouldn't you miss the Elysian Fields quality imparted by the white?

Your condition led me to imagine Agon in white, and it just doesn't happen. Even in my mind, it fizzles.

But atm's black Concerto B has a historical precedent!

I know. I've seen excerpts on film.

I sort of gave myself a mental exercise, because I do like the lighter quality of the white in Barocco. But Agon needs not only the black, but the contrast of the black and white in the sections where the whole cast is on stage.

I'm just so surprised -- even shocked -- that 4 T's, the ballet that I thought was my personal idiosyncratic favorite, has turned out to be the most cherished ballet of many of this board. For posterity, I'd vote for Serenade.

I pick Symphony in C, because it's a personal favorite.

Apollo! Symphony in C a close second.

Just as you say, Carbro--it's the contrast that I miss, and I'm pretty certain that you would not like an alll white 'Agon', and I gag when I think of the original Barocco costumes. It was quite revolutionary, at the time, and most of the audience did not know how to take it--including most of the critics. I must admit, I was in that group. When The Ballet Russe was performing this, Ballet Theatre was in the midst of a very glamorous season---Markova, Toumanova, Riabouchinska--Hence, Barocco was a shock to our system---but Balanchine slowly reeducated us.

Oh my goodness the Horror of just Picking one . I actually read this thread last night and became upset trying to think of which one is my favorite. At first I thought Serenade, but where would the worl be without Concerto Barocco. Then what about 4t's, and Stravinsky Violin is just so cool. Then there's Square Dance, I could dance that ballet forever, and the male solo is just perfect. Oh and Agon, Rubies, Prodigal Son, Theme And Variations, Symphony in C, Symphony in 3, I can't imagine being a dancer, and not having these works to dance. So If I had to make a decision in the case of the "Burning Building" emergency, I'll burn up with them cause I cant just pick one. On the other hand there are a few of his ballets that I think we could do without, I won't mention names, but they know which ones they are.

I find Concerto Barocco (especially the second movement) unbelievable. It's as though Bach & Balanchine colaborated at the outset.

Serenade. Four T's in a close second.

Theme & Variations.

Tie between Symphony in C and 'Diamonds' portion of Jewels for second place. (Yeah, I'm greedy!)

"Serenade"

Serenade.

I still see new things in this ballet each time I see it... and I have seen it many, many times! And, the casting doesn't seem to make as much a difference in my enjoyment of Serenade as it does for other ballets (e.g., Barocco, Apollo). Four T's would be my back-up, though it's not a sentimental favorite of mine. It is, however, the other ballet that stands up against bad casting for me (not that i have seen many bad casts).

-amanda, who will eventually post reviews of the current season...

I would choose Liebeslieder, but I know that if it is the only one left, there isn't anyone around who can stage it properly (even now, over at the POB it looks quite, quite dead), so I cast my vote for 4T---it could survive on construction alone, and it is a wonder.

Karin von Aroldingen did a wonderful staging of Liebeslieder Walzer for the San Francisco Ballet in 1998. I suspect that Suzanne Farrell could stage it as well, having danced at least the Diana Adams role. In a Q&A after a recent Pacific Northwest Ballet performance, artistic directors Francia Russell and Kent Stowell said that this ballet was their personal favorite of Balanchine's ballets. I'm not sure if either danced in the ballet -- I suspect Stowell did -- but Russell was one of the first stagers for NYCB under Balanchine, and if she weren't able to stage it herself, she would be able to assess the quality of someone else's.

Von Aroldingen and Leland also staged the POB's version. Perhaps something got lost in translation:) But we are talking a 100 years from now--the present stagers will be dead, and mercifully so will I, and will not have to suffer through hand-me-downs of Yvonne Borree's stagings of Barocco, Serenade, Apollo, and/or Square Dance.

editing to add: Stowell did dance in Liebeslieder. I have a beautiful photo by Martha Swope of him and a very young Suzanne Farrell in the "whispering" duet.

I would have to say Slaughter or Harlquinade jk lol

I would have to choose Serenade closly followed by Apollo, although I did love Miranda Weese in Tschaikovsly Piano Concerto No.2 this season.

Gaynor Girl