Rubies

(Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra)

One-act ballet

Choreography by George Balanchine

First staged in 1967. This version was first performed in Perm in 2014. Running time: 19 minutes

Rubies, a well-known movement of the three-act ballet Jewels, today adorns the repertoires of leading theatres across the world. George Balanchine came up with the idea of creating a triple-bill evening, in which dancers represent jewels when he visited Claude Arpels» jewellery boutique in New York. He was captivated by the idea of putting the feelings and emotions, which people experience at the sight of emeralds, rubies and diamonds, in choreography. For rubies, which, according to legends, contain an incredible power of attraction and fascination, Balanchine chose Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929). The piano concert, written as a fantasy in which alternating and varying musical movements create a feeling of capriciousness, is well-suited for a dance about a precious symbol of passion — a passion for life, power and love.

The ballet is staged in collaboration with the George Balanchine Foundation in accordance with Balanchine’s style and technique