Our Sylvie Prayers Have Been Answered

May 27, 2015

This morning, I opened an email from Dance Magazine‘s associate editor Kristin Schwab that said, simply, “OMG SHE’S COMING.”

 

The “she” of that OMG is Sylvie Guillem, who is currently on a world-wide retirement tour that, up until now, didn’t include any stops in the United States. Over the past few months, the DM staff has been lamenting the fact that we’d never get the chance to see her dance again. But it was just announced this morning that Guillem has added three performances at New York City Center, November 12–14! The program, called Life in Progress, includes a new solo for Guillem by Akram Khan, a new duet for Guillem and La Scala dancer Emanuela Montanari by Russell Maliphant, plus Mats Ek’s touching solo Bye and William Forsythe’s Duo for Brigel Gjorka and Riley Watts. Yes, it’s basically a dream lineup of solos and duets by today’s top contemporary choreographers, three of which feature arguably the most iconic ballerina of the past three and a half decades.

 

In a hilarious statement explaining her retirement, Guillem said, “Why stop? Very simply, because I want to end while I am still happy doing what I do with pride and passion. Also…I have a friend, a sleeper agent, to whom I gave a ‘license to kill’ in case I tried to continue longer than I should! And frankly, I’d like to spare him this task.”

 

Tickets, starting at just $25, are on sale now to City Center members, and will be available to the general public beginning Friday, June 5 at 11 am. Be prepared—they’re gonna go fast. 

 

 

Because City Center loves us, they posted this adorable picture of little Sylvie. Look at that excellent posture!