ON STAGE THIS FALL // Premiering in 1946 on the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo under the title Night Shadow, George Balanchine’s La Sonnambula captures the fashions and passions of the preceding century as well as its own. Bellini’s eponymous opera, selections from which (along with several other Bellini operas) provide the basis for the Vittorio Rietti score, debuted in 1831, a time when stage productions featuring somnambulism—aka sleepwalking—were all the rage. Though the plot of Balanchine’s ballet differs from that of the source material, La Sonnambula incorporates the figure of the mysterious sleepwalker, whose dramatic entrance enraptures the lead male dancer as well as the audience. All the more appropriate that the original set and costume designs for the ballet were by the surrealist artist Dorothea Tanning. Though the title and the designs have changed upon its 1960 NYCB premiere, the ballet retains its otherworldly quality.⁠ ⁠ This haunting tale of doomed infatuation makes its ghostly return to the Company's stage after nearly five years away. Don’t miss La Sonnambula on the All Balanchine I program, with Divertimento No. 15 and Scotch Symphony, SEP 20-21, 23, 25 mat, and 30. Tap this post in our #linkinbio for tickets and more information.⁠ ⁠ Photo credit: Paul Kolnik⁠ ⁠ @tilerpeck #tilerpeck #lasonnambula #georgebalanchine #balanchine #ballet #dance #nycb #nycballet #newyorkcityballet