Rare Birds

It is rare for George Balanchine’s grand, bedazzled “Symphony in C” to open a program. Its champagne-popping finale for 52 dancers tends to be a nightcap. But that is how the New York City Ballet’s Spring Season began, since the on-trend “Firebird” was waiting to close out the evening with a fanciful Chagall wedding tableau of roughly seventy performers (including the uncredited supernumerary flag-bearers and children from the School of American Ballet serving as pages and cake servers). “Firebird” also boasts the one-two punch of dual founding choreographers: Balanchine and Jerome Robbins (the latter did the Monster section). Balanchine’s abstract masterpiece, “Agon,” was sandwiched in between these heavyweights, making for a blockbuster opening night. With this much firepower, it was unsurprising that the show was sold out.

Performance

New York City Ballet: Spring Season

Place

David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, New York, NY, April 2026

Words

Faye Arthurs

Isabella LaFreniere and Gilbert Bolden III in George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins’ “Firebird.” Photograph by Erin Baiano

As if the lineup wasn’t spectacular enough, there were also exciting debuts, returns, and farewells. Entrance applause greeted Megan Fairchild at the top of the show, when she graced the stage for the last opening night of her 25-year career in the first movement of “Symphony in C.” Unity Phelan also garnered several warm hands during “Agon,” after her impressive return to the stage just eleven weeks postpartum (surely an industry record!). But to my mind, the biggest thrills of the evening came from three bold young women: Isabella LaFreniere, returning to the Firebird role with a new lens, Naomi Corti, debuting as the second soloist in “Agon,” and, especially, Mira Nadon debuting in the Adagio of “Symphony in C.”

Conductor Andrew Litton was on the brisk side in the 2nd movement of the Georges Bizet score, but Nadon and Preston Chamblee, also debuting, calmly negotiated the tricky basket lifts and other corps interweaving. Chamblee was a quiet, assured presence. He let Nadon’s creamy texture and imaginative world-building take the lead. And what ideas she has! She played with her épaulement in the seesaw falls, trying something different—but not distractingly so—in the penché each time: a diving-bird plunge here, an underarm Odette glance in allongé there. She also managed to make the staccato piddles in the solo read as one poetic paragraph.

She exuded the same serenity in the lightning-fast finale. Generally, people are not equally relaxed in the most exposed adagio in the canon as well as one of the most fleet-footed, technical gauntlets. But she is a once-in-a-lifetime artist, and her range is extraordinary. This was the first, but not the last, of the glittering white tutus she’d wear this season (she’s on deck for a slew of Balanchine’s “Diamonds”). She’s also debuting in the stark “Agon” pas de deux. Had I the time and the means, I’d go every night.

Soloist Naomi Corti, another tall, raven-haired powerhouse, seems to be benefitting from Nadon’s example. She brought incisive clarity to her “Agon” debut. This role is grounded and angular until the coda, where Corti unleashed her explosive jump like a back-pocket ace. Victor Abreu and Andres Zuniga kept up with her nicely. Taylor Stanley was also in fine form in “Agon’s” other solo—coyly playing with their delivery of their skip struts and genteel bow.

Unity Phelan and Adrian Danchig-Waring in George Balanchine’s “Agon.” Photograph by Erin Baiano

The Balanchine/Robbins “Firebird” does not exactly hinge upon its titular bird, what with Stravinsky’s magnetic score, Chagall’s glorious backdrops, and costumer Karinska’s sumptuous interpretation of Chagall’s designs. But since the bird has the only interesting dancing in the ballet, it sure helps when that performer is on fire. I’ve seen Isabella LaFreniere dance this role before, and she’s always been impressive. But until this week, she had rested on her physical prowess alone. On opening night, however, she was emotionally engaged and making bolder choices. In her pas de deux with Gilbert Bolden III—a strong Prince Ivan—she toggled between seduction and despair. She seemed to be testing if she could flirt her way out of her entrapment, “Swan Lake”-style.

Since “Symphony in C” and “Firebird” are classic closers and seldom share a bill, I had never noticed an overlapping sous-sous relevé step before. Both the Firebird and the 1st movement Bizet principal share this rotational pumping move, and it looked very different in the diametric settings—spooky woods versus unadorned cyclorama. LaFreniere’s version demonstrated her panicky state, while Fairchild bobbed happily. In “Sym in C,” this step has always been a personality test of sorts. Jenifer Ringer used to stress its humor, while Miranda Weese used to make it silky and sphinxlike. Fairchild’s perky joy was infectious, and indicative of her entire career.

This is going to sound incredibly odd, but every time I see City Ballet’s “Firebird,” I am amazed that it is as good as it is. For it is a true outlier in the Balanchine oeuvre in that is one of the very few works that is boring for the ensemble to dance. This is in direct contrast to “Sym in C,” which is challenging for all involved in terms of musicality, stamina, and technique. On opening night, there were some flubs in the Bizet all down the line. But there were also some great performances, particularly from Emma von Enck, David Gabriel, and Joseph Gordon.

Mira Nadon and Preston Chamblee in George Balanchine’s “Symphony in C.” Photograph by Erin Baiano

And “Firebird” is shockingly effective from the front. From start to finish, the magnificent scenery, costumes, and lavish Stravinsky score—so different from his spare experiments in “Agon”—come together wondrously. Though there is no epic dance battle between Prince Ivan and the evil wizard Katschei in Robbins’s Monster realm, it somehow works when Ivan simply mimics Katschei’s tightrope walking. Admittedly, Katschei’s wild costume is so cumbersome that there’s not much else he could do, and Oscar Estep handled his gear well in his Katschei debut.

Similarly, the Maidens’ dance is not Balanchine’s greatest achievement, but it contains lovely patterns and pretty folk imagery. And the final nuptial tableau with the full cast onstage (minus the Firebird, though she is represented in a multitude of fabric homages) is jaw-dropping. “Firebird” is one of the few Balanchine ballets to include a static picture call before bows. But then, Balanchine’s choreography is byzantine and dazzling for the Firebird when she is alone or with Ivan, proving that his editorial eye was ever sharp. When sets and costumes are minimal, his musicality and geometries are complex, as in “Agon.” Yet in “Firebird,” the steps mostly take a back seat to the sets, making it a rare bird indeed.

Faye Arthurs

Faye Arthurs is a former ballet dancer with New York City Ballet. She chronicled her time as a professional dancer in her blog Thoughts from the Paint. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English from Fordham University. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their sons.

comments

Lisa Mehigan maggio 03, 2026

I always love reading Faye Arthurs’ reviews. I completely agree with her on almost everything she writes. She is very precise and brings each ballet to life as I read. Thank you, Faye, for having given us pleasure as a dancer, and now as a reviewer.

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