IN THE NEWS // The recently concluded fall performances featured a number of debut performances for Principal Dancer Unity Phelan, including as the lead in the fifth and final movement of Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes. Shortly after the movement opens, the stage clears for a dramatic solo set to the romantic strains of Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. Phelan found out she’d be tackling this role for the first time with fairly little warning. “I just thought back to the 14-year-old who would sit in the back of the third ring every night at the ballet and watch in awe,” she told Gia Kourlas of @nytimes in a recent feature. “In my head, I sang ‘Into the Woods’: ‘I’m in the wrong storyyy!’⁠ ⁠ ⁠“I always try to keep it light even when I’m just stressed out,” Phelan added. “I think if I can convince myself that it’s OK, then I am OK.”⁠ ⁠ Tap this post in our #linkinbio grid to read the feature.⁠ ⁠ Photo by Josefina Santos for the New York Times (@josefinasantos)⁠ ⁠ @unityphelan #unityphelan #ballet #dance #dancer #pointeshoes #nycb #nycballet #newyorkcityballet