Exploring his fascination with the music of Chopin, Robbins created three vastly contrasting sets of lovers, from innocent to impetuous, who meet beneath a midnight sky.

After the enormous popularity of Dances at a Gathering in 1969, Jerome Robbins built on his love affair with Chopin’s piano works with In the Night.  While the earlier ballet primarily uses mazurkas, waltzes, and études, In the Night, which premiered in 1970, conjures up a post-dusk scenario to four of the composer’s nocturnes. Choreographed for three couples of distinct personality, the ballet uses the music as a jumping-off point to explore subtle dance dramas. The Nocturne Op. 27, No. 1 takes on a stately quality before melting into lyricism. Nocturnes Op. 55, No. 1 and No. 2 are, respectively, bittersweet, and tempestuous in their melodies. The final piece, Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 uses the rondo form, but in a tender, almost ethereal andante.

Other Dances pays homage to Chopin’s romanticism and the purity of classical ballet technique, featuring two dramatic dancers in a series of short, folk-infused dances.

Jerome Robbins was a great admirer of the Russian stars Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who each famously defected and made new careers in America. Other Dances, a pas de deux created in 1976 for a New York Public Library for the Performing Arts benefit, was specifically crafted to display their legendary technique and artistry.

Robbins chose four mazurkas and one waltz by Chopin, the composer whose piano music had inspired him for Dances at a Gathering. Although Chopin did not invent the mazurka, a stylized Polish dance in triple meter, his compositions brought them to the public attention and raised them to a new level of sophistication. Other Dances, through its simplicity and virtuosity, pays homage to both Chopin’s Romanticism and the fluidity of classical ballet technique.

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.

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.