# Polyphonia

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{{Short description|Ballet by Christopher Wheeldon}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox ballet
| name             = Polyphonia
| italic title     = yes
| image            = 
| image_size       = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| choreographer    = [Christopher Wheeldon](/source/Christopher_Wheeldon)
| composer         = [György Ligeti](/source/Gy%C3%B6rgy_Ligeti) 
| premiere         = {{Start date|2001|01|04}}
| place            = [New York State Theater](/source/New_York_State_Theater)
| ballet_company   = [New York City Ballet](/source/New_York_City_Ballet)
| designer         = [Holly Hynes](/source/Holly_Hynes)
| created_for      = 
| genre            = 
| type             = 
| url              = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}
'''''Polyphonia''''' is a one-act ballet choreographed by [Christopher Wheeldon](/source/Christopher_Wheeldon) to music by [György Ligeti](/source/Gy%C3%B6rgy_Ligeti), costumes designed by [Holly Hynes](/source/Holly_Hynes), and was created for the [New York City Ballet](/source/New_York_City_Ballet). It premiered on January 4, 2001 at the [New York State Theater](/source/New_York_State_Theater). It is regarded as Wheeldon's breakthrough,<ref name=Anderson>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/polyphoniathe-four-temperamentssinfonietta-royal-opera-house-london-79178.html|title=Polyphonia/The Four Temperaments/Sinfonietta, Royal Opera House, London|newspaper=The Independent|date=November 20, 2003}}</ref> and won the [Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production](/source/Laurence_Olivier_Award_for_Best_New_Dance_Production) in 2003.

==Production==
Performed by the [New York City Ballet](/source/New_York_City_Ballet), ''Polyphonia'' premiered on January 4, 2001 at the [New York State Theater](/source/New_York_State_Theater).<ref name=oxford>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=42g8Hp-xA48C&pg=PA354|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Dance|page=354|last1=Craine|first1=Debra|last2=Mackrell|first2=Judith|date=19 August 2010|publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0199563449}}</ref> It was the first premiere of the company's winter season.<ref name=Kisselgoff/>

''Polyphonia'' is the first ballet Wheeldon created after he became artist-in-residence with the New York City Ballet and retired from dancing.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gPPzCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA305|title=The Ballet Lover's Companion|page=305|last=Anderson|first=Zoë|year=2015|publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=9780300154283}}</ref> It is plotless.<ref name=ft>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/214cfa12-2a38-11e0-b906-00144feab49a|title=Polyphonia, Lincoln Center, New York|newspaper=Financial Times|last=Scherr|first=Apollinaire|date=January 27, 2011}}</ref> Wheeldon described it as "romantic with comic twists",<ref name=oxford/> and said it was inspired by [Norman Morrice](/source/Norman_Morrice)'s works, though reviewers have noted it also includes homage to [Frederick Ashton](/source/Frederick_Ashton) and [George Balanchine](/source/George_Balanchine), especially the latter's "leotard ballets".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/01/arts/dance/a-choreographer-and-a-composer-both-confounding-expectations.html|title=A Choreographer and a Composer, Both Confounding Expectations|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Dunning|first=Jennifer|date=October 1, 2005}}</ref><ref name=Kisselgoff>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/06/arts/dance-review-the-breath-of-balanchine-wafts-over-a-new-work.html|title=Dance Review; The Breath of Balanchine Wafts Over a New Work|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Kisselgoff|first=Anna|date=January 16, 2001}}</ref> The title is a reference to [micropolyphony](/source/micropolyphony), a kind of [polyphonic](/source/polyphony) [musical texture](/source/musical_texture) developed by [György Ligeti](/source/Gy%C3%B6rgy_Ligeti), whose music is used in this ballet.<ref name=Kisselgoff/>

The cast includes four men and four women, including [Wendy Whelan](/source/Wendy_Whelan), who went on to create 12 more roles for Wheeldon, and became his most frequent collaborator until she retired from NYCB in 2014. She later credited working with Wheeldon on ''Polyphonia'' for helping her "began to find herself as a dancer", and Wheeldon said Whelan "launched me as a choreographer".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/arts/dance/wendy-whelan-says-farewell-to-city-ballet.html|title=Muse Steps Away|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Sulcas|first=Roslyn|date=October 3, 2014}}</ref>

==Other companies and revivals==
{{external media
| float  = right
| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOhvllhQo8A PNB's Polyphonia excerpts], YouTube video
}}
In 2002, ''Polyphonia'' premiered in London, danced by [Benjamin Millepied](/source/Benjamin_Millepied)'s group Danses Concertantes which consisted of NYCB dancers, at [Sadler's Wells Theatre](/source/Sadler's_Wells_Theatre).<ref name=concertantes>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/danses-concertantes-sadlers-wells-london-138526.html|title=Danses Concertantes, Sadler's Wells, London|newspaper=The Independent|date=October 1, 2002}}</ref> In the [2003 Laurence Olivier Awards](/source/2003_Laurence_Olivier_Awards), the production won [Best New Dance Production](/source/Laurence_Olivier_Award_for_Best_New_Dance_Production), and Wheeldon was also nominated for [Outstanding Achievement in Dance](/source/Laurence_Olivier_Award_for_Outstanding_Achievement_in_Dance) for choreographing ''Polyphonia'' and ''Tryst''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2003/|title=Olivier Winners 2003|website=Official London Theatre}}</ref> [The Royal Ballet](/source/The_Royal_Ballet), where Wheeldon had also danced, and [San Francisco Ballet](/source/San_Francisco_Ballet) both debuted ''Polyphonia'' in 2003.<ref name=Anderson/><ref name=sf>{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/S-F-Ballet-s-peak-performance-Dancers-do-2670083.php|title=S.F. Ballet's peak performance / Dancers do justice to masterpieces by Wheeldon, Balanchine|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicles|last=Roca|first=Octavio|date=February 15, 2003}}</ref> Wheeldon's own troupe, the [Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company](/source/Morphoses%2FThe_Wheeldon_Company), had also danced ''Polyphonia'', with a cast consisted of NYCB dancers, except 15-year-old [Beatriz Stix-Brunell](/source/Beatriz_Stix-Brunell), later a Royal Ballet first soloist.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/arts/dance/03morp.html|title=In Company's Second Season: Chaos, Order and 'What Happens Next?'|last=Sulcas|first=Roslyn|date=October 8, 2008}}</ref> In 2015, ''Polyphonia'' became Wheeldon's first work performed by the [Paris Opera Ballet](/source/Paris_Opera_Ballet), as part of a mixed bill honoring the 90th birthday of [Pierre Boulez](/source/Pierre_Boulez), a conductor and composer who knew Ligeti.<ref name=Paris>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/dec/06/wheeldon-mcgregor-bausch-review-pierre-boulez-birthday|title=Wheeldon/ McGregor/ Bausch review – a happy birthday bash for Boulez|newspaper=The Guardian|last=Jennings|first=Luke|date=December 6, 2015}}</ref> Other companies that had danced it include [Boston Ballet](/source/Boston_Ballet),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2012/02/boston-ballet-simply-sublime-triple-bill-boston/|title=Boston Ballet – Simply Sublime triple bill – Boston|website=Dancetabs|last=Helms|first=Alan|date=February 14, 2012}}</ref> [The Washington Ballet](/source/The_Washington_Ballet)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2014/11/washington-ballet-petite-mort-5-tangos-polyphonia-washington/|title=Washington Ballet – Petite Mort, 5 Tangos, Polyphonia – Washington|website=DanceTabs|last=Khadarina|first=Oksana|date=November 2, 2014}}</ref> and [Miami City Ballet](/source/Miami_City_Ballet).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2017/02/miami-city-ballet-the-fairys-kiss-walpurgisnacht-ballet-polyphonia-miami/|title=Miami City Ballet – The Fairy's Kiss, Walpurgisnacht Ballet, Polyphonia – Miami|website=adceTabs|last=Harss|first=Marina|date=February 13, 2017}}</ref>

==Music==
''Polyphonia'' is set to [György Ligeti](/source/Gy%C3%B6rgy_Ligeti)'s music, including:<ref name=NYCB>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycballet.com/discover/ballet-repertory/polyphonia/|title=Polyphonia|website=New York City Ballet}}</ref>
* Désordre and Arc-en-ciel from [Études pour piano, premier livre](/source/%C3%89tudes_(Ligeti))
*No. 4 Tempo di Valse, No. 8 Vivace energico, No. 7 Cantabile molto legato, No. 3 Allegro con spirito and No. 2 Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale from ''[Musica ricercata](/source/Musica_ricercata)''
*''[Invention](/source/Invention_(Ligeti))''
*''[Three Wedding Dances](/source/Lakodalmas_(Ligeti))''
*Capriccio No. 2 from ''[Due capricci](/source/Due_capricci_(Ligeti))''

==Casts==
*World premiere: [Wendy Whelan](/source/Wendy_Whelan), [Jennie Somogyi](/source/Jennie_Somogyi), Jennifer Tinsley, [Alexandra Ansanelli](/source/Alexandra_Ansanelli), [Jock Soto](/source/Jock_Soto), [Edwaard Liang](/source/Edwaard_Liang), [Jason Fowler](/source/Jason_Fowler_(dancer)), [Craig Hall](/source/Craig_Hall_(dancer))<ref name=oxford/>
*[San Francisco Ballet](/source/San_Francisco_Ballet) premiere: [Yuan Yuan Tan](/source/Yuan_Yuan_Tan), [Lorena Feijoo](/source/Lorena_Feijoo), [Julie Diana](/source/Julie_Diana), Kristin Long, Yuri Possokhov, [Gonzalo Garcia](/source/Gonzalo_Garcia_(dancer)), Ruben Martin, Zachary Hench<ref name=sf/>
*[Royal Ballet](/source/Royal_Ballet) premiere: [Leanne Benjamin](/source/Leanne_Benjamin), [Alina Cojocaru](/source/Alina_Cojocaru), Jaimie Tapper, [Lauren Cuthbertson](/source/Lauren_Cuthbertson), [Jonathan Cope](/source/Jonathan_Cope_(dancer)), [Federico Bonelli](/source/Federico_Bonelli), Valeri Hristov, [Edward Watson](/source/Edward_Watson_(dancer))<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/performance.aspx?performance=4770&row=0|title=Polyphonia - 15 November 2003 Matinee 2.00pm|website=Royal Opera House Collections Online}}</ref>
*[Paris Opera Ballet](/source/Paris_Opera_Ballet) premiere: Amandine Albisson, Lydie Vareilhes, [Léonore Baulac](/source/L%C3%A9onore_Baulac), Jennifer Visocchi, [Stéphane Bullion](/source/St%C3%A9phane_Bullion), Marc Moreau, Germain Louvet, Axel Ibot<ref name=Paris/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.memopera.fr/SpectRepres.cfm?SpeCode=WMB&SpeNum=41226&Dist=16084|title=Wheeldon / McGregor / Bausch|website=MémOpéra}}</ref>

==Videography==
In 2020, in response to [the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the performing arts](/source/Impact_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_on_the_performing_arts), the New York City Ballet will extracts from a performance filmed earlier that year online, including a pas de deux between [Lauren Lovette](/source/Lauren_Lovette) and [Andrew Veyette](/source/Andrew_Veyette), and another section with Lovette, Veyette, [Megan Fairchild](/source/Megan_Fairchild), Alston Macgill, [Sara Mearns](/source/Sara_Mearns), [Jovani Furlan](/source/Jovani_Furlan), [Roman Mejia](/source/Roman_Mejia) and [Silas Farley](/source/Silas_Farley). Apart from Mearns, all the dancers were making their debut when the performance was filmed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycballet.com/about-us/for-the-press/digital-fall-season-october-19-october-24/|title=Digital Fall Season: October 19 – 24|website=New York City Ballet|date=October 14, 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Category:2001 ballets
Category:Ballets by Christopher Wheeldon
Category:Ballets designed by Holly Hynes
Category:New York City Ballet repertory

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Polyphonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphonia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphonia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.