Four Bagatelles is a ballet work built from a series of short, contrasting dance miniatures that blend elegance, musicality, and expressive movement. Inspired by the idea of the musical “bagatelle”—a brief and characterful piece—the ballet unfolds through four distinct sections, each exploring its own atmosphere, rhythm, and emotional tone.

The choreography moves fluidly between playful energy, lyrical intimacy, and refined classical technique, showcasing the dancers’ versatility and precision. Though compact in structure, the work captures a wide emotional range through intricate partnering, dynamic ensemble passages, and nuanced theatrical expression.

Balancing sophistication with lightness and charm, Four Bagatelles highlights the beauty of ballet in miniature form, where every gesture, phrase, and movement contributes to a vivid and emotionally resonant experience.

The captivating suspense of Stravinsky’s score, at times swelling, at others intricately layered, accompanies a trio of dancers and their compelling connectivity.

Robbins choreographed a ballet titled Four Chamber Works for the 1982 Stravinsky Centennial celebration. Five unrelated chamber works were incorporated into a four-part ballet; the third section, Concertino, choreographed to two of these pieces of music, is now performed separately.

Performed with an onstage cellist, A Suite of Dances is a solo tour de force for a male dancer that is at once witty and pensive.

Towards the end of his life, Jerome Robbins was especially inspired by his love for Bach’s music, and he choreographed three of his late works to Bach. A Suite of Dances is set to the Six Suites for Solo Cello, composed when Bach served as Kappellmeister in Cöthen and which cover a broad range of emotional territory. In the early 1990s, when Mikhail Baryshnikov expressed interest in working with Robbins again, the choreographer called to say he had "an idea for a little dance." This charming, naturalistic ballet was the result. In it, the solo dancer and cellist act as partners, playing off each other with easy-going camaraderie.

The quintessential piano ballet, Dances at a Gathering distills the spectrum of human interaction into the most natural of movements, a landmark for its invention, virtuosity, and constantly shifting emotions.

Dances at a Gathering, which premiered in 1969, heralded Jerome Robbins’ return to New York City Ballet after a 13-year absence. Inspired by Chopin’s piano music, Robbins quickly began choreographing in the rehearsal studio. When he showed 25 minutes of choreography to Balanchine, he said, “Make more, make it like popcorn,” pretending to pop popcorn into his mouth. The work eventually expanded to an hour in length with a cast of ten dancers.

Chopin’s mazurkas, waltzes, and études, groundbreaking at the time of their composition, are rooted in the Slavic character of his Polish homeland, yet still convey the elegance of Paris, where they were created. Robbins ultimately used 18 of Chopin’s piano pieces, creating dances for various duets, solos, and larger groupings.

“The ballet stays and exists in the time of the music and its work,” wrote Robbins. “Nothing is out of it, I believe; all gestures and moods, steps, etc. are part of the fabric of the music’s time and its meaning to me.”