New York City Ballet, one of the world's premier dance troupes, has arrived at its 75th anniversary. It has introduced incentives to draw larger, younger crowds to shows.
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.
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 , whose Instagram feed had reached McDermott before she ever saw her dance.
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.
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.
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