Alexei Ratmansky’s latest work for the New York City Ballet, a staging of the 19th-century ballet ‘Paquita’, is a masterful blend of past and present. This production, which premiered in 2025, is a suite of dances from the original ballet, including the ‘pas de trois’ from Act One and the ‘Grand Pas’ from Act Three.
Ratmansky’s ‘Paquita‘ Is a Bright and Tender Thing
Classical ballet works when it works: it’s handed down, reworked, and remade. This is precisely what Alexei Ratmansky has done with his latest work for the New York City Ballet (NYCB), a staging of the 19th-century ballet ‘Paquita‘. While not entirely new, this production is a masterful blend of past and present.
Alexei Ratmansky is a Russian-born ballet choreographer and director.
He has worked with numerous prominent dance companies, including the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and the Royal Ballet.
Ratmansky's choreographic style often combines traditional techniques with modern influences.
Born in 1960 in Moscow, Russia, he began his dance training at the age of 5.
Ratmansky has received widespread critical acclaim for his ballets such as 'The Bright Stream' and 'On the Nature of Things'.
The History of ‘Paquita’
First created by Joseph Mazilier in 1846 for the Paris Opera Ballet, ‘Paquita‘ was restaged by Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg in 1847 and revived by Petipa in 1881. Ratmansky’s 2025 version is a suite of dances from this original ballet, including the ‘pas de trois‘ from Act One and the ‘Grand Pas‘ from Act Three.
To fully appreciate Ratmansky’s work, it’s essential to understand its historical context. Mazilier’s 1846 ‘Paquita‘, set to a score by Édouard Deldevez, was a melodramatic ballet set in The Valley of the Bulls near Saragossa, Spain, during the Napoleonic era. It featured ‘exotic‘ Spanish and Romani character dances, with Carlotta Grisi as Paquita and Lucien Petipa (brother to Marius) as Lucien.
In 1947, Marius Petipa brought the crowd-pleasing ballet to Russia, where it became a staple of the Mariinsky Theatre’s repertory until 1926. The ballet was revived in the early 2000s by Pierre Lacotte for the Paris Opera Ballet and by Ratmansky himself for the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich in 2014.
Marius Petipa was a renowned Russian ballet master, choreographer, and dancer.
Born in 1818, he is best known for his work at the Imperial Russian Ballet in St. 'Petersburg' .
Petipa's contributions to classical ballet include 'Swan Lake', 'The Sleeping Beauty', and 'Don Quixote'. He introduced the concept of a five-act ballet and emphasized the importance of dramatic storytelling through dance.
Throughout his career, Petipa received numerous accolades for his work, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential ballet masters in history.
Ratmansky’s ‘Paquita’
Ratmansky’s staging of Balanchine’s restaging of Petipa’s ‘pas de trois‘ from Act One, ‘Minkus Pas de Trois‘, comes first. This entrée is swift and grand, with the three dancers (Erica Pereira, David Gabriel, and Emma Von Enck) proudly posing in rich berry-colored costumes by Jérôme Kaplan. The short solos and duets that follow combine fast footwork, jumps, and turns.
Gabriel’s cabriole changements were exquisite, his feet fluttering impossibly high and then landing with perfect control. Von Enck’s petite allegro was light and precise. Moments of Balanchine push through – in Pereira and Von Enck’s bent wrists and flirty shoulders, in Gabriel’s virtuosity, and in the way the Russian Imperial style is honored but not imitated.
The piece is very much a product of its time, both 1881 and 1948. The nods to Spanish and Romani dance have been all but stripped away. There is no more narrative; it is pure entertainment and technically magnificent.
A Bright and Tender Thing
Before you know it, the ‘Minkus Pas de Trois‘ is over, and the stage refills with dancers for the ‘Grand Pas‘, first the corps de ballet, then the soloists, and finally Paquita (played by Sara Mearns). Kaplan’s beautiful costumes are black, white, and gold (except for Paquita’s, which is black, white, and red).
Sara Mearns is a British ballet dancer and actress.
Born in 1981, she trained at the Royal Academy of Dance and later joined the English National Ballet.
In 2007, Mearns moved to New York City and became a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.
She has performed leading roles in numerous productions, including 'Giselle' and 'Swan Lake'.
Mearns has received critical acclaim for her performances and has been recognized with several awards.
Minkus’s music is bright and fast, and the choreography matches it. While the six variations were all danced wonderfully (especially by Unity Phelan, Indiana Woodward, and Chun Wai Chan), it was the corps de ballet that impressed me most. Their choreography was intricate, highly demanding, at times impossibly fast.
While the unison was sometimes imperfect, you can see how exhilarating it will be once it works its way into their bodies. The soloists and the corps are just setting the scene for the main attraction: Paquita. Lucien is there too, danced with great strength and beauty by Chan, but it’s Paquita’s show.
Mearns is a queen of adagio and a perfect match for the lyrical, stretching movements. No one arches like Mearns – her chest shining up, her neck gently arcing – and Ratmansky highlights this throughout. Mearns’ version of Paquita is not fiery; it’s quiet and supple and uniquely hers.
A Good Thing
Paquita is far outside the Company’s wheelhouse. It is classical and rooted in a history Balanchine wished to leave behind. But this is a good thing. World premieres can be fresh and tender, taking their first breaths, still growing – and this one was. But it’s already evident that this piece is stretching the dancers, pulling them in new directions.
Paquita will be performed again through February 9 (and then again in the Spring 2025 Season) at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center.
- observer.com | Ratmansky’s ‘Paquita’ Is a Bright and Tender Thing
