Tarantella (ballet)

Tarantella is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Grande Tarantelle by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, arranged by Hershy Kay. The ballet premiered on January 7, 1964, at the New York City Center, performed by New York City Ballet's Patricia McBride and Edward Villella.[1]

This article is about Balanchine's 1964 ballet. For the southern Italian folk dance, see Tarantella. For other uses, see Tarantella (disambiguation).

Tarantella
ChoreographerGeorge Balanchine
MusicLouis Moreau Gottschalk
PremiereJanuary 7, 1964 (1964-01-07)
New York City Center
Original ballet companyNew York City Ballet
DesignBarbara Karinska
Created forPatricia McBride
Edward Villella
GenreNeoclassical ballet

Production

George Balanchine originally created Tarantella, a pas de deux, to showcase New York City Ballet dancers Patricia McBride and Edward Villella's techniques, especially the latter's speed and jumps.[2][3][4] According to Villella, Balanchine created Tarantella between rehearsals of his other works, and each time they would only work on small sections and not in order. Villella only realized the stamina required when Balanchine put all the choreography together.[3] He later recalled, "I would be flying parallel to the floor, and then I would be in the wings, on the ground, gasping for air".[3] New York Times critic Anna Kisselgoff wrote that Danish choreographer August Bournonville's influence on Balanchine is "debatable", but Tarantella is one of Balanchine's ballets that "paid homage" to Bournonville.[5]

The title of the ballet is taken from Tarantella, a type of Neapolitan folk dance accompanied by tambourines. Hershy Kay rearranged Louis Moreau Gottschalk's Grande Tarantelle for the ballet.[2] The costumes are designed by Barbara Karinska.[1] The man dresses in red and black and wears a gold earring while the woman is in red and white. The dancers also uses tambourines.[2] The ballet was NYCB's last premiere at the New York City Center before moving to New York State Theater.[3]

Revivals

Other companies that have performed Tarantella include the Miami City Ballet, which Villella founded,[6] Pacific Northwest Ballet,[7] Joffrey Ballet,[8] San Francisco Ballet,[9] and The Royal Ballet.[10] In 2018, at New York City Ballet's festival "Balanchine: The City Center Years", Tarantella was performed by Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambé, both from The Royal Ballet.[11] New York City Ballet released a 2013 video recording of the ballet, featuring Megan Fairchild and Joaquín De Luz, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[12]

References
  1. "Tarantella". New York City Ballet. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  2. "Ballet: Flashy 5-Minute Pas de Deux; New Balanchine Work Is Entitled 'Tarantella'; Patricia McBride and Villella Perform". New York Times. January 8, 1964.
  3. Harss, Marina (October 25, 2018). "When City Center Was Balanchine's House". New York Times.
  4. Barnes, Clive (November 1, 1977). "Joffrey shows Off New 'Tarantella'". New York Times.
  5. Kisselgoff, Anna (January 16, 2020). "City Ballet Review; Classical Scholars: Balanchine and Bournonville". New York Times.
  6. Dunning, Jennifer (July 16, 1989). "Review/Dance; Balanchine By Miami Company". New York Times.
  7. Kiraly, Philippa (June 2, 2019). "Balanchine, Limón and an emerging choreographer close PNB season". Bachtrack.
  8. Segal, Lewis (May 10, 1991). "Music and Dance Reviews : Joffrey Ballet Offers Balanchine Work". Los Angeles Times.
  9. Tsao, Aimee (February 1, 2013). "San Francisco Ballet – 80th Season Gala Opening – San Francisco". DanceTabs.
  10. Mackrell, Judith (May 20, 2017). "Royal Ballet mixed bill review – Scarlett and Yanowsky deliver a mesmerising melodrama". The Guardian.
  11. Seibert, Brian (November 1, 2018). "Review: A Balanchine Festival, With Masterpieces in Safe Hands". New York Times.
  12. "New York City Ballet Announces Casting for Weeks One and Two of Their Digital Season". BroadwayWorld. September 21, 2020.
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