At 75, NYC Ballet is getting older. Its audience is skewing younger, and that's the plan (2024)

NEW YORK (AP) — Alice McDermott settled into her seat at New York City Ballet on a recent Friday night, excited to see her first-ever ballet performance. The 31-year-old Manhattanite, who works in recruiting, was on a fun girls’ night out with three friends she’d met through work, starting with dinner.

“They told me I’d love the ballet,” says McDermott, who was also excited to realize she was already familiar with one of the evening’s performers, Tiler Peck, via the dancer’s popular Instagram feed. “They said you can put on a nice dress and just immerse yourself in another world, whilst marveling at what the human body can achieve.”

Seems they were right: At the end of the evening, McDermott, a new fan, went home and watched a ballet documentary.

Perhaps you could call it “Ballet and the City”? Whatever the term for McDermott’s ballet evening with pals, the scenario would surely be music to the ears of the company — which has been celebrating its 75th birthday with fanfare this year — and especially its artistic leaders of the past five years, Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan.

The two, both former dancers at the storied troupe founded by George Balanchine, have made it a key goal to bring in a younger audience to ensure the company’s long-term health — and more broadly, to guard the vitality of a centuries-old art form.

It seems to be working. Though some initiatives have been in place for longer, the last five years have seen a marked shift, according to numbers provided to the Associated Press: In 2023, 53% of ticket buyers were under age 50, and people in their 30s made up the largest age segment by decade. Five years earlier, in 2018, 41% of ticket buyers were under 50, and people in their 60s made up the largest age segment.

Now, longtime ballet followers note that on a bustling Friday evening you can look down from the first ring of the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center and not simply see, well, a sea of gray.

`A GENERATION OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS’

A major factor in attracting younger people, especially those under 30, has been affordable pricing. There are also evenings targeting young professionals, including post-show receptions. And there have been collaborations with visual or musical artists with youthful followings — like the musician Solange, who in 2022 was commissioned to score a ballet by 23-year old choreographer Gianna Reisen.

The Solange collaboration was a significant moment, Whelan and Stafford said in a recent interview, surveying the past five years as the thumping of leaping dancers’ feet echoed through the ceiling above Stafford’s office.

“We sold out every show,” Whelan noted. “It was a little nugget, but it was memorable.”

Perhaps even more important was the fact, says Stafford, that about 70% of those ticket buyers were new to the company — contributing to “a generation of young professionals in the city that are at our theater every night now.”

Katherine Brown, the ballet’s executive director, said the company had taken a look at the theater and vastly reduced the price of certain seats — and saw them fill up. She also noted the 30-for-30 program, where members under 30 can buy any seat in the house for $30. “That thing has just exploded,” Brown says, from some 1,800 members in the last full season before the pandemic-forced shutdown, to some 14,000 now.

One can’t discount the “pure economics” of an evening at the ballet, especially for young people, says Wendy Perron, longtime dance writer and former editor of Dance Magazine. “When I was in New York in the ’70s and ‘80s, I just couldn’t afford to go to the ballet,” she says.

GETTING BETTER ACQUAINTED

Also not to be discounted: the effect of social media in promoting dancers as people with personalities.

“We’ve got this crop of really exciting but also relatable, approachable dancers, and through social media, audiences can connect to them in a way they couldn’t back when we were dancing,” says Stafford, who retired as a dancer in 2014.

Consider Peck, one of the company’s most popular ballerinas (and a rising choreographer), whose Instagram feed had reached McDermott before she ever saw her dance. Peck supplies her half-million followers with short, punchy videos about everything from her 10 favorite dance roles to how she applies stage makeup. Her videos often feature her partner onstage and off, rising principal dancer Roman Mejia.

It’s all very different from a time when — like Odette in “Swan Lake” — ballerinas used to be mysterious and, above all, silent.

Social media — whether used by the company or via the dancers’ own feeds — can also answer questions. If you attended a performance of “The Nutcracker” a few seasons ago, you might have wondered why dancer Mira Nadon, as Sugarplum Fairy, suddenly disappeared from the stage at a key moment. The answer was on her Instagram later: Her pointe shoe had slipped off.

“See, you can get all your answers from Instagram now,” quips Whelan, who herself has an active feed.

ESTABLISHING A PARTNERSHIP

A few months ago, Whelan, a much-loved former NYCB principal who also retired in 2014, got a congratulatory text from Stafford in the morning — it had been exactly five years since the two had taken the helm after a turbulent period when #MeToo accusations caused scandal.

Historically, the company had been led by one man — Balanchine until 1983, then Peter Martins. This time, the board tried something new: a duet. Stafford was already interim head, and Whelan had applied for the job.

“They put us in a room and closed the door, and we were like – ‘Hi?’” Whelan says. “They were like, figure it out! And we did.” Stafford, the artistic director, serves as a bridge between the creative and business sides. Whelan, associate artistic director, focuses on the delicate task of programming.

Company insiders describe a mood different from the days when one outsized, all-powerful personality ruled from above. For one thing, the pair says they’ve instituted annual taking-stock conversations with each dancer.

Diversity — ballet is slowly changing but still overwhelmingly white — is also a priority, they say, and that includes diversifying “the pipeline,” meaning students at the affiliated School of American Ballet.

Recently, the company heralded its first two Black dancers to dance Dewdrop, the second most important female “Nutcracker” role: India Bradley and guest artist Alexandra Hutchinson of the Dance Theater of Harlem. Yet to come is a Black Sugarplum Fairy. The company says 26% of of its dancers identify as people of color, whereas 10 years ago that figure was 13%. Stafford and Whelan have commissioned 12 ballets by choreographers of color in the last six years, it says.

“We know where the gaps are, and we take it seriously,” Whelan says.

She and Stafford say they’re also paying more attention to wellness, be it physical training to avoid injury, healthy diets, or a more frank discussion of mental health.

As for the company’s financial health, it is strong, Brown says, four years after the pandemic cost tens of millions in losses The 2024 budget is roughly $102 million, compared to $88 million in 2019. Audience capacity has exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

As for new fan McDermott, she’s planning more visits, along with her friends.

“I think we have a new tradition between the four of us,” she says. “We’ll definitely be making it a bit of a thing.”

At 75, NYC Ballet is getting older. Its audience is skewing younger, and that's the plan (2024)

FAQs

At 75, NYC Ballet is getting older. Its audience is skewing younger, and that's the plan? ›

Its audience is skewing younger, and that's the plan. NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Ballet, one of the world's premier dance troupes, has been celebrating its 75th anniversary all year. But while the company founded by George Balanchine is getting older, its audience is skewing younger.

Which film is about a 20 year old dancer in a New York City ballet Company? ›

"Center Stage," a film about the lives of young modern dancers who want nothing more than to make a name for themselves, dazzles with some of the best on-screen dance performances since Patrick Swayze shook his hips in "Dirty Dancing" thirteen years ago.

Is ballet for girls only? ›

Is ballet just for girls? No. Every year more and more boys are taking ballet lessons. Ballet dancers are elite athletes and to dance at a professional level requires great co-ordination and strength.

Is ballet a sport? ›

Ballet is an art form and sport, which may be shocking to many. In this form of physical activity, similar to other sports, it requires the participants to go through physical exertion, difficult skills, and the long practice of discipline.

What is the controversial ballerina movie? ›

Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological horror film about a ballerina directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, and Mila Kunis.

What is the fat ballet dancer movie? ›

"Reflect," now streaming on Disney+, follows a young plus-size ballerina named Bianca.

What age do most ballerinas retire? ›

On average, a dancer's performance career tends to end around the age of 35.

Can overweight girls do ballet? ›

The truth is- dancing en pointe while overweight is hard.

But newsflash: Dancing en pointe is hard, period. But if you're ready to put in the effort, then it is SO worth it. Your weight doesn't have to stop you- and I have collected a few tips and tricks to make dancers more successful en pointe.

What are male ballerinas called? ›

A regular male dancer in Italy is called a ballerino. In the English-speaking world, boys or men who dance classical ballet are usually referred to as (male) ballet dancers. Often ballerino is used in English-based countries as slang.

Is ballet harder than any sport? ›

In fact, a 1975 study ranked ballet as the number one most physically and mentally demanding activity. Like athletes, proficient dancers need to be extremely strong, but they also need to be very flexible and have the ability to quickly apply corrections and pick up on new choreography.

What sport is similar to ballet? ›

Fencing. Ballet and fencing both use French as their universal language. To begin each bout, fencers stand at attention, in a position remarkably similar to first position in ballet.

Do NFL players take ballet classes? ›

You may have heard that many professional football players participate in ballet. This is in fact true and there are several reason for this. Ballet provides a number of benefits to athletes. Some males are uncomfortable taking ballet classes due to the stigma and stereotypes associated with men in ballet.

What is the movie about ballet in the early 2000s? ›

Center Stage is a 2000 American teen drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner about a group of young ballet dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at the fictitious American Ballet Academy in New York City.

What is the movie about the kid who does ballet? ›

Billy Elliot is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy who discovers a passion for ballet.

What is the Black Swan movie about? ›

What is the movie about dancing in the early 2000s? ›

Among the best '00s dance movies are the musical version of Hairspray, High School Musical, and Dance Flick - a movie that pokes fun at the entire genre. You'll also find the cheerleading classic. If hip-hop dancing is more your style, Step Up and Step it Up 2: The Streets might top your list.

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