Variations is a Balanchine ballet set to Igor Stravinsky's score "Variations: Aldous Huxley in memoriam" (1963–64), a short orchestral work Stravinsky wrote as a memorial tribute to the writer. Balanchine's ballet had its premiere on 31 March 1966 at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, home of New York City Ballet, the company he co-founded and led as founding choreographer.
What is danced
The article gives no synopsis, cast breakdown, or description of steps, formations, or technique for either the 1966 original or the 1982 remake, so no concrete movement content can be drawn from it. What is recorded is only that Balanchine made a wholly new version of the ballet for City Ballet's 1982 Stravinsky Centennial Celebration, implying the choreography was substantially reworked rather than simply revived — a fact worth noting for anyone comparing casts or film across the two versions, but the article does not say what changed.
Context
The ballet dates from the mid-1960s, a period in which Balanchine was building an extensive body of short, plotless works to Stravinsky's music for New York City Ballet, the two having collaborated closely since the company's founding. The 1982 Stravinsky Centennial Celebration, for which Balanchine remade the piece, was a major company-wide festival marking the centenary of the composer's birth and gathering (or regathering) a large body of Balanchine–Stravinsky repertory.
Staging history
The article records two distinct stagings by Balanchine himself: the original 1966 premiere at the New York State Theater, and a new version created for New York City Ballet's 1982 Stravinsky Centennial Celebration. No later revivals, other companies, or subsequent restagings are mentioned.
How to watch it
The article does not describe what to watch for on stage; nothing here indicates formation, partnering, or vocabulary. Readers wanting staging detail should consult programme notes or film of the 1966 or 1982 casts, neither of which is covered in this source.
Credits
- composer: Igor Stravinsky