Balanchine considered Mozart’s Divertimento No. 15 the finest ever written, and to compliment the sparkling score, he created a work of prodigious ingenuity featuring a regal cast of dancers.

When asked to present a work at the Mozart Festival held at the American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Connecticut, in 1956, Balanchine originally planned to revive Caracole, an earlier work set to Mozart’s Divertimento No. 15. Instead, he created a new ballet that used many steps from the old, and he named the new ballet after the music, which he considered the finest divertimento ever written. The divertimento genre reached its zenith amid the parties and informal entertainments of 18th-century aristocratic life. Divertimentos did not have a fixed structure; the number of movements could vary from one to twelve, and they could be scored for one instrument or a chamber orchestra. Divertimento No. 15 is choreographed for eight principal dancers, five women and three men, with an ensemble of eight women. The ballet omits the second minuet and the andante from the sixth movement; a new cadenza for violin and viola by John Colman was added in the late 1960s.

Zakousky is a lively and elegant ballet choreographed by Peter Martins to a suite of French and Russian music by Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, and Igor Frolov. The title — meaning “appetizer” in Russian — perfectly captures the spirit of the piece: a delightful assortment of musical flavors and dance moods, each with its own character and charm.

Playful, romantic, and virtuosic, the ballet unfolds like a tasting menu of styles, where classical technique meets a lighthearted, conversational tone between the dancers. Zakousky celebrates both the refinement and humor of ballet, blending wit, warmth, and musical brilliance in a compact and satisfying performance.

Gianna Reisen, NYCB’s youngest commissioned choreographer to date, makes a splash with her first work for the Company, bringing refreshing vivacity to the stage through fleet-footed choreography set to a violin and piano interpretation of Lukas Foss’ Three American Pieces.

Gianna Reisen’s Composer’s Holiday is set to Lukas Foss’ Three American Pieces for Violin and Piano. (Reisen’s ballet takes its title from the eponymous third piece of Foss’ score for two solo musicians.) The ballet for 12 dancers features costumes by American designer Virgil Abloh and lighting by Mark Stanley. A 2017 graduate of the School of American Ballet and currently a member of L.A. Dance Project, Reisen participated in choreography workshops at SAB and at the New York Choreographic Institute before she was commissioned by the Company in what would be her first ballet for a professional company. Reisen is the youngest choreographer to make a ballet for NYCB. Her second work for NYCB, Judah, premiered in 2018.

Heatscape is a vibrant, sun-drenched ballet choreographed by Justin Peck to the sparkling, romantic music of Piano Concerto No. 1 by Bohuslav Martinů. The ballet bursts with the feeling of movement, youth, and freedom — it’s as if the stage itself becomes a wide, open city plaza filled with the energy of Miami’s heat and light.

The piece begins with a rush of dancers crossing the stage in fluid, geometric patterns, creating a sense of speed and rhythm that feels spontaneous yet meticulously designed. Against a bold backdrop inspired by Shepard Fairey’s mural art, Heatscape explores human connection — friendships, encounters, and fleeting emotions that appear and dissolve like sunlight shifting across a wall.

Both joyful and introspective, Heatscape captures the pulse of modern life while staying rooted in classical ballet technique. It’s a celebration of community, color, and motion — a perfect example of Justin Peck’s gift for blending classical form with contemporary energy.