George Balanchine, who famously choreographed multiple ballets to composer Igor Stravinsky’s scores, once said: “I like Stravinsky's music. It is so strict, so solid. It never comes apart. You cannot improvise upon it. It's built like mathematics.” See three of his ballets set to Stravinsky's music: Apollo, Orpheus, and Agon (seen here) on the Stravinsky & Balanchine program, JAN 22, 24, 26 eve & FEB 1, 2 mat: nycballet.com/stravinsky | New York City Ballet

The ladies of Agon snapped about 30 seconds into this clip...literally. Don't miss the quintessential Balanchine leotard ballet this spring on the Masters at Work: Balanchine & Robbins III program: nycballet.com/balanchinerobbins2spring | New York City Ballet

Horns blare on a twelve-tone scale during Agon's opening Pas de Quatre, signaling a new era in the histories of ballet and music alike. Experience this high point in Balanchine and Stravinsky's collaborative innovation on the Stravinsky Festival III program this spring: nycballet.com/stravinskyfestival3 | New York City Ballet

Agon isn’t just a favorite for audience members and dancers, but a highlight for those who play the Stravinsky score. Ethan Silverman, New York City Ballet Orchestra’s Associate Bassoon, explains why Agon is the ballet he loves to perform the most in our winter repertory. “It is scored for a large orchestra, but mostly, at any given moment, there are only a few instruments playing, never everyone together. There are such strange and wonderful combinations of instruments. For example, a xylophone

Agon, named after the ancient Greek word for contest and struggle, is one of Balanchine’s most famed plotless neoclassical ballets. First staged in 1957, the ballet features a score by Igor Stravinsky and movements based on French court dances. Agon joins Apollo and Orpheus in the winter season’s Stravinsky & Balanchine Greek Trilogy program. For tickets and more information about our Winter performances, JAN 22 - MAR 3, visit nycballet.com/winter | New York City Ballet

Agon, one of Balanchine's quintessential black and white ballets, closes out the Stravinsky & Balanchine program. On the opening night of our winter programming, Principal Dancers Maria Kowroski and Tyler Angle pulled out the stops in their performance of the daring pas de deux from this abstract, plotless ballet. Catch Agon again on our Stravinsky & Balanchine program FEB 1 and FEB 2 mat: nycballet.com/stravinsky | New York City Ballet