Swan Lake is a two-act ballet made by New York City Ballet (NYCB) ballet master in chief Peter Martins, Martins' wife, NYCB principal dancer Darci Kistler, chose to include the final act of what, in her farewell performance?
Swan Lake (Martins) Swan Lake is a two-act ballet made by New York City Ballet (NYCB) ballet master in chief Peter Martins (after Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, and George Balanchine) to Tschaikovsky's eponymous music (1875–56). The premiere took place 27 October 1996, with the Royal Danish Ballet at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen; the NYCB premiere was 29 April 1999 at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center. Peter Martins' wife, NYCB principal dancer Darci Kistler, chose to include the final act of "Swan Lake" in her farewell performance, Sunday, 27 June.
Gelsey Kirkland Gelsey Kirkland (born December 29, 1952) is an American ballerina. Kirkland joined the New York City Ballet in 1968 at age fifteen, at the invitation of George Balanchine. She was promoted to soloist in 1969 and principal in 1972. She went on to create leading roles in many of the great twentieth century ballets by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Antony Tudor including Balanchine's revival of "The Firebird", Robbins' "Goldberg Variations", and Tudor's "The Leaves are Fading". Balanchine re-choreographed his version of Stravinsky's "The Firebird" specifically for her. She left the New York City Ballet to join the American Ballet Theatre in 1974.