Simple Symphony is a plotless ballet made in 2009 by Melissa Barak, a former New York City Ballet dancer, for New York City Ballet itself, set to Benjamin Britten's 1934 string-orchestra work of the same name. It premiered on 17 February 2009 at the David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center. The catalogue value of the piece lies in its position as a choreographic debut-generation work made inside NYCB by one of its own dancers, explicitly built in dialogue with the Balanchine repertory that defines the company's identity.
What is danced
The article does not describe the choreography itself — no synopsis, cast list detail, or number-by-number breakdown survives in the source. What it does establish is the frame Barak worked within: she names Balanchine's La Source and Raymonda Variations as her points of departure, both plotless, demi-caractère showcase ballets built from academic classical vocabulary rather than narrative mime. That stated lineage, plus the commissioning company, points toward a plotless, musically-driven idiom in the Balanchine tradition, but the article gives no concrete description of steps, partnering, or structure, so nothing beyond that inference can be offered here.
Context
The work belongs to a period in which New York City Ballet regularly commissioned new pieces from its own dancers and recent alumni, extending the company's identity as a breeding ground for choreographers as much as performers. Barak, credited in the article as a 'former company dancer,' fits that pattern, and her stated reference points — two Balanchine ballets already in the NYCB repertory — situate the piece as a conscious continuation of house style rather than a break from it.
How to watch it
Watch for the ways Barak's own stated models — La Source and Raymonda Variations — surface in ensemble patterning and soloist showcase moments, since both are demi-caractère display pieces rather than narrative works. The article offers no further detail on structure, so beyond that stated influence there is nothing here to guide specific attention to steps or staging choices.
Credits
- composer: Benjamin Britten