Two openings define this week. The Australian Ballet gives the New York premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s Oscar at City Center, and in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Ballet starts its season with an all-American bill. At Lincoln Center, New York City Ballet runs four different programs in six days, including the return of Balanchine’s rarely seen Pithoprakta.
This Week at a Glance (Mon Oct 5 – Sun Oct 11)
| Performance | Dates this week | City | Venue | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Choreography I — New York City Ballet | Oct 6 | New York | David H. Koch Theater | Check official site |
| Eclectic NYCB I — New York City Ballet | Oct 7, Oct 10 (mat), Oct 11 | New York | David H. Koch Theater | Check official site |
| All Balanchine I — New York City Ballet | Oct 8 | New York | David H. Koch Theater | Check official site |
| Masters at Work I — New York City Ballet (final shows) | Oct 9, Oct 10 (eve) | New York | David H. Koch Theater | Check official site |
| Oscar — The Australian Ballet | Oct 8 – 11 | New York | New York City Center | From $45 (fees included) |
| Stars and Stripes Forever! — Philadelphia Ballet | Oct 8 – 11 | Philadelphia | Academy of Music | Check official site |
New York
Contemporary Choreography I — New York City Ballet
- When: Tue Oct 6 at 7:30 pm (last performance Oct 14)
- Where: David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza (map)
- Tickets: nycballet.com — check the official site for current pricing
The two world premieres from last week’s Fall Fashion Gala now have titles: Alysa Pires’ Auspicy and Jennifer Archibald’s Shared Rain. They share the bill with Justin Peck’s Pulcinella Variations and Kyle Abraham’s Love Letter (on shuffle). Our guide to Contemporary Choreography I has the background.
Eclectic NYCB I — New York City Ballet
- When: Wed Oct 7 at 7:30 pm; Sat Oct 10 at 2 pm; Sun Oct 11 at 3 pm (continues Oct 15 and 16)
- Where: David H. Koch Theater
- Tickets: nycballet.com — check the official site for current pricing
Three ballets in three very different moods. Christopher Wheeldon’s Continuum, made for San Francisco Ballet in 2002 and new to NYCB’s stage last spring, sets four couples to György Ligeti’s piano music. Alexei Ratmansky’s Solitude, from 2024, is a meditation on grief set to excerpts from Mahler symphonies. Balanchine’s lighthearted Bourrée Fantasque, to music by Emmanuel Chabrier, closes the night with a cast of 42. NYCB lists the evening at about 2 hours 20 minutes.
All Balanchine I — New York City Ballet
- When: Thu Oct 8 at 7:30 pm (continues Oct 13 and 17)
- Where: David H. Koch Theater
- Tickets: nycballet.com — check the official site for current pricing
The return of Pithoprakta, Balanchine’s 1968 ballet to a score by Iannis Xenakis, is the reason to go. It sits between the moody La Sonnambula and the brief, otherworldly The Unanswered Question, and the evening ends with the grand Theme and Variations. Read our guide to All Balanchine I.
Masters at Work I — New York City Ballet
- When: Fri Oct 9 and Sat Oct 10 at 7:30 pm (final performances)
- Where: David H. Koch Theater
- Tickets: nycballet.com — check the official site for current pricing
Last chance for this classic bill of Balanchine’s La Source and The Four Temperaments with Jerome Robbins’ comic The Concert. See our guide to Masters at Work I.
Oscar — The Australian Ballet at New York City Center
- When: Thu Oct 8 and Fri Oct 9 at 7:30 pm; Sat Oct 10 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm; Sun Oct 11 at 2 pm
- Where: New York City Center, 131 W 55th Street (map)
- Tickets: from $45 with fees included, according to City Center — nycitycenter.org
Christopher Wheeldon’s full-length ballet about Oscar Wilde, told from his prison cell in 1895, with Joby Talbot’s score played live by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. City Center lists a running time of 2 hours 15 minutes with an intermission and warns of mature themes and sexually explicit content. Our guide to Oscar at New York City Center has the details. For dinner nearby, City Center keeps a neighborhood guide.
Philadelphia
Stars and Stripes Forever! — Philadelphia Ballet
- When: Thu Oct 8 and Fri Oct 9 at 7:30 pm; Sat Oct 10 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm; Sun Oct 11 at 2 pm
- Where: Academy of Music, 240 South Broad Street (map)
- Tickets: philadelphiaballet.org — check the official site for current pricing
Philadelphia Ballet’s season opener marks America’s 250th anniversary with four American works: Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free, the sailor ballet that became On the Town; Eliot Feld’s Variations on ‘America’; the concert version of Balanchine’s Gershwin ballet Who Cares?; and Balanchine’s Sousa march spectacle Stars and Stripes. Friday is Military, Veterans & First Responders Night, with 40% off for those groups. Our guide to Stars and Stripes Forever! covers rush tickets and getting there.
Book Ahead
These are after this week, but worth booking now:
- Philadelphia Ballet, Dance at Great Velocity — Oct 15–18, Academy of Music. Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, Christopher Wheeldon’s DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse and Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room. The company notes that the program uses theatrical haze. philadelphiaballet.org
- Adrian Danchig-Waring Farewell — Sun Oct 18, David H. Koch Theater. A one-time program for the principal dancer’s last NYCB performance, with The Four Temperaments, Agon and a new Pam Tanowitz premiere. It also closes NYCB’s fall season. nycballet.com
Visitor Tip: Saturday Is Matinee Day
If you only have one free afternoon, make it Saturday, October 10. NYCB (Eclectic NYCB I), The Australian Ballet (Oscar) and Philadelphia Ballet (Stars and Stripes Forever!) all have 2 pm matinees, and all three companies perform again that evening (NYCB switches to Masters at Work I at night). Matinees are a good way to see a show without losing your dinner plans, and they can be easier for families and first-timers. Remember that Oscar carries a content warning, so for children the Philadelphia or NYCB programs are the better pick. New to the ballet? Start with Ballet Etiquette: What to Wear and When to Clap, How to Choose Seats at a Ballet Performance and How to Get Cheap Ballet Tickets in the US.
Last Week
Missed last week’s guide? See Ballet This Week: September Week 4, 2026 for NYCB’s Fall Fashion Gala week and the end of Fall for Dance.
Schedules and prices can change. Please confirm on the official site before booking. Spotted an error? Let me know.
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