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Polyphonia

{{Short description|Ballet by Christopher Wheeldon}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Infobox ballet

| name = Polyphonia

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| choreographer = Christopher Wheeldon

| composer = György Ligeti

| premiere = {{Start date|2001|01|04}}

| place = New York State Theater

| ballet_company = New York City Ballet

| designer = Holly Hynes

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Polyphonia is a one-act ballet choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon to music by György Ligeti, costumes designed by Holly Hynes, and was created for the New York City Ballet. It premiered on January 4, 2001 at the New York State Theater. It is regarded as Wheeldon's breakthrough,{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/polyphoniathe-four-temperamentssinfonietta-royal-opera-house-london-79178.html|title=Polyphonia/The Four Temperaments/Sinfonietta, Royal Opera House, London|newspaper=The Independent|date=November 20, 2003}} and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production in 2003.

Production

Performed by the New York City Ballet, Polyphonia premiered on January 4, 2001 at the New York State Theater.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=42g8Hp-xA48C&pg=PA354|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Dance|page=354|last1=Craine|first1=Debra|last2=Mackrell|first2=Judith|date=19 August 2010|publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0199563449}} It was the first premiere of the company's winter season.

Polyphonia is the first ballet Wheeldon created after he became artist-in-residence with the New York City Ballet and retired from dancing.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gPPzCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA305|title=The Ballet Lover's Companion|page=305|last=Anderson|first=Zoë|year=2015|publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=9780300154283}} It is plotless.{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/214cfa12-2a38-11e0-b906-00144feab49a|title=Polyphonia, Lincoln Center, New York|newspaper=Financial Times|last=Scherr|first=Apollinaire|date=January 27, 2011}} Wheeldon described it as "romantic with comic twists", and said it was inspired by Norman Morrice's works, though reviewers have noted it also includes homage to Frederick Ashton and George Balanchine, especially the latter's "leotard ballets".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/01/arts/dance/a-choreographer-and-a-composer-both-confounding-expectations.html|title=A Choreographer and a Composer, Both Confounding Expectations|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Dunning|first=Jennifer|date=October 1, 2005}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/06/arts/dance-review-the-breath-of-balanchine-wafts-over-a-new-work.html|title=Dance Review; The Breath of Balanchine Wafts Over a New Work|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Kisselgoff|first=Anna|date=January 16, 2001}} The title is a reference to micropolyphony, a kind of polyphonic musical texture developed by György Ligeti, whose music is used in this ballet.

The cast includes four men and four women, including Wendy Whelan, who went on to create 12 more roles for Wheeldon, and became his most frequent collaborator until she retired from NYCB in 2014. She later credited working with Wheeldon on Polyphonia for helping her "began to find herself as a dancer", and Wheeldon said Whelan "launched me as a choreographer".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/arts/dance/wendy-whelan-says-farewell-to-city-ballet.html|title=Muse Steps Away|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Sulcas|first=Roslyn|date=October 3, 2014}}

Other companies and revivals

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| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOhvllhQo8A PNB's Polyphonia excerpts], YouTube video

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In 2002, Polyphonia premiered in London, danced by Benjamin Millepied's group Danses Concertantes which consisted of NYCB dancers, at Sadler's Wells Theatre.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/danses-concertantes-sadlers-wells-london-138526.html|title=Danses Concertantes, Sadler's Wells, London|newspaper=The Independent|date=October 1, 2002}} In the 2003 Laurence Olivier Awards, the production won Best New Dance Production, and Wheeldon was also nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for choreographing Polyphonia and Tryst.{{cite news|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2003/|title=Olivier Winners 2003|website=Official London Theatre}} The Royal Ballet, where Wheeldon had also danced, and San Francisco Ballet both debuted Polyphonia in 2003.{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/S-F-Ballet-s-peak-performance-Dancers-do-2670083.php|title=S.F. Ballet's peak performance / Dancers do justice to masterpieces by Wheeldon, Balanchine|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicles|last=Roca|first=Octavio|date=February 15, 2003}} Wheeldon's own troupe, the Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, had also danced Polyphonia, with a cast consisted of NYCB dancers, except 15-year-old Beatriz Stix-Brunell, later a Royal Ballet first soloist.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/arts/dance/03morp.html|title=In Company's Second Season: Chaos, Order and 'What Happens Next?'|last=Sulcas|first=Roslyn|date=October 8, 2008}} In 2015, Polyphonia became Wheeldon's first work performed by the Paris Opera Ballet, as part of a mixed bill honoring the 90th birthday of Pierre Boulez, a conductor and composer who knew Ligeti.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/dec/06/wheeldon-mcgregor-bausch-review-pierre-boulez-birthday|title=Wheeldon/ McGregor/ Bausch review – a happy birthday bash for Boulez|newspaper=The Guardian|last=Jennings|first=Luke|date=December 6, 2015}} Other companies that had danced it include Boston Ballet,{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2012/02/boston-ballet-simply-sublime-triple-bill-boston/|title=Boston Ballet – Simply Sublime triple bill – Boston|website=Dancetabs|last=Helms|first=Alan|date=February 14, 2012}} The Washington Ballet{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2014/11/washington-ballet-petite-mort-5-tangos-polyphonia-washington/|title=Washington Ballet – Petite Mort, 5 Tangos, Polyphonia – Washington|website=DanceTabs|last=Khadarina|first=Oksana|date=November 2, 2014}} and Miami City Ballet.{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2017/02/miami-city-ballet-the-fairys-kiss-walpurgisnacht-ballet-polyphonia-miami/|title=Miami City Ballet – The Fairy's Kiss, Walpurgisnacht Ballet, Polyphonia – Miami|website=adceTabs|last=Harss|first=Marina|date=February 13, 2017}}

Music

Polyphonia is set to György Ligeti's music, including:{{cite web|url=https://www.nycballet.com/discover/ballet-repertory/polyphonia/|title=Polyphonia|website=New York City Ballet}}

Casts

Videography

In 2020, in response to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the performing arts, the New York City Ballet will extracts from a performance filmed earlier that year online, including a pas de deux between Lauren Lovette and Andrew Veyette, and another section with Lovette, Veyette, Megan Fairchild, Alston Macgill, Sara Mearns, Jovani Furlan, Roman Mejia and Silas Farley. Apart from Mearns, all the dancers were making their debut when the performance was filmed.{{cite web|url=https://www.nycballet.com/about-us/for-the-press/digital-fall-season-october-19-october-24/|title=Digital Fall Season: October 19 – 24|website=New York City Ballet|date=October 14, 2020}}

References

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Category:2001 ballets

Category:Ballets by Christopher Wheeldon

Category:Ballets designed by Holly Hynes

Category:New York City Ballet repertory