TBT: New York City Ballet Takes a BreakOn Tour
October 6, 2022
New York City Ballet first toured continental Europe in summer 1952. This snapshot from the Dance Magazine Archives, labeled “swimming party at the Spellmans,” shows members of the company enjoying a day away from the theater, likely during that five-week tour. Those pictured include Nora Kaye, a famed dramatic ballerina who was a principal at NYCB from 1951–54 but was better known for her work at American Ballet Theatre, and Melissa Hayden, who danced with NYCB from shortly after its founding in 1948 until her retirement in 1973 (save for a brief return to ABT and subsequent pause in performing from 1953–54).
