Australia Dancing

Serenade

Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [2], 1970

Serenade was first seen in Australia in Sydney on 17 April 1958 when it was the opening work on opening night of New York City Ballet?s first Australian tour. It entered the repertoire of the Australian Ballet in 1970. Most recently it featured on the Australian Ballet's 2004 Balanchine tribute program, Mr B. Its various stagings in Australia have been by Victoria Simon.

Balanchine wrote of Serenade that it had no concealed story. It was, he said, simply dancers in motion to beautiful music ? ?a serenade, a dance, if you like, in the light of the moon?. It premiered on 8 December 1934 by students of the School of American Ballet, at the Avery Memorial Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut. The stage premiere was preceded by an outdoor performance in June 1934 by students of the School of American Ballet at the estate of Felix M. Warburg, White Plains, New York. Named after the music that accompanies it, Tchaikovsky?s Serenade in C major for String Orchestra, the work is in four movements danced without interruption. It was the first ballet Balanchine made after arriving in the United States and it has become a kind of talisman, a piece of magic that even from its first performances held within it the promise of the riches that Balanchine would go on to create in his new country.

Research Materials

Picture

Stringer, Walter: Artists of New York City Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade',, Australian tour 1958

Stringer, Walter: Artists of New York City Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade',, Australian tour 1958 (Picture): Stringer, Walter ; New York City Ballet Australian Tours; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/6558/7398
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Stringer, Walter: Artists of New York City Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade', Australian tour 1958

Stringer, Walter: Artists of New York City Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade', Australian tour 1958 (Picture): New York City Ballet Australian Tours ; Stringer, Walter; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/6558/7410, Album 1016/24
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Stringer, Walter: Artists of New York City Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade', Australian tour 1958

Stringer, Walter: Artists of New York City Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade', Australian tour 1958 (Picture): Stringer, Walter ; New York City Ballet Australian Tours; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/6558/7411, Album 1016/24
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Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [1], 1970

Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [1], 1970 (Picture): Stringer, Walter ; Australian Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/6558/1768, Album 1016/6
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Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [3], 1970

Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [3], 1970 (Picture): Australian Ballet, The ; Stringer, Walter; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/6558/1759, Album 1016/6
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Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [4], 1970

Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [4], 1970 (Picture): Stringer, Walter ; Australian Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/6558/1745, Album 1016/6
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Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [5], 1970

Stringer, Walter: Artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade' [5], 1970 (Picture): Stringer, Walter ; Australian Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/6558/1741, Album 1016/6
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Stringer, Walter: David Ashmole and artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade', 1970

Stringer, Walter: David Ashmole and artists of the Australian Ballet in George Balanchine's 'Serenade', 1970 (Picture): Stringer, Walter ; Australian Ballet, The ; Ashmole, David; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/6558/1765, Album 1016/6
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Walter Stringer collection: New York City Ballet (Picture): Volume 24 of the Walter Stringer collection of dance slides contains 132 35 mm colour slides of performances by New York City Ballet during its 1958 tour to Australia. Ballets represented include Firebird, Scotch Symphony, Serenade, Stars and Stripes, Symphony in C and Western Symphony by George Balanchine, Afternoon of a Faun by Jerome Robbins and Souvenirs by Todd Bollender. Some items in this album have been individually catalogued and are available as separate items on the Australia Dancing portal.; Stringer, Walter ; New York City Ballet Australian Tours ; Firebird, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC 6558, Album 1016/24

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Other resources

Find more about Serenade in:

Internet - Google
Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
Pictures - Picture Australia