Masters at Work I at David H. Koch Theater — Dates, Tickets, and What to Expect

With Jewels finished, New York City Ballet moves on to the first mixed bill of its fall season. Masters at Work I puts three ballets by the company’s two founding choreographers side by side: two by George Balanchine and one by Jerome Robbins. It is a good choice if you want to see how different one evening of ballet can feel from piece to piece.

About the Program

La Source. Léo Delibes wrote this score for a ballet by Saint-Léon that opened at the Paris Opera in 1866. Balanchine first used excerpts for a pas de deux for Violette Verdy and John Prinz, which NYCB premiered on November 23, 1968. A year later he enlarged it, adding a female soloist and a corps of eight. Expect bright, French-flavored classical dancing in costumes by Karinska. It runs about 24 minutes.

The Four Temperaments. Balanchine asked Paul Hindemith for this score in 1940. The ballet had its first performance on November 20, 1946, at the opening program of Ballet Society, the group that became New York City Ballet. The idea comes from the old theory of four humors in the body, but the dancing is not a literal story. Since 1951 it has been danced in practice clothes on a bare stage, so all the attention goes to the angular, modern-looking steps. It runs about 32 minutes.

The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody). Jerome Robbins’ comic ballet, first performed on March 6, 1956, is set to piano music by Frédéric Chopin. A pianist plays on stage while a group of concertgoers let their daydreams run wild. It runs about 29 minutes.

What Makes This Run Special

• Founders’ night. Balanchine and Robbins shaped NYCB’s repertory, and this program shows both of them in very different moods: sparkling, stark and silly.
• See the Music on opening night. NYCB’s season calendar notes that the Tuesday, September 29 performance includes a See the Music orchestra demonstration on the music of La Source.
• Two weekends. The program returns on October 9 and 10, which helps if your New York dates fall later in the month.

Who Should Go

• First-timers: three short works with no long story to follow. The Concert is funny even if you have never seen a ballet. Ballet for Beginners: 10 Works to Start With has more ideas.
• Balanchine fans: The Four Temperaments is one of his landmark plotless ballets.
• Anyone who saw Jewels: this is the next Balanchine-centered program of the season. Our guide to Jewels at the David H. Koch Theater covers the season opener.

Seats and Booking Tips

• The Four Temperaments is built on clear lines and shapes, so seats a level or two above the orchestra give a good view of the patterns. See how to choose seats at a ballet performance.
• $30 for 30: NYCB sells $30 rush tickets to ages 13 to 30 for eligible performances. It posts that week’s availability every Tuesday at noon, you need to register with photo ID, and there is a limit of two tickets per buyer.
• For more ways to save, see How to Get Cheap Ballet Tickets in the US.
• Not sure what to wear? Ballet Etiquette: What to Wear and When to Clap covers it.

Getting to the David H. Koch Theater

The theater is at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side, between West 62nd and 65th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. NYCB recommends the 1 train to 66th St–Lincoln Center, and the M5, M7, M10, M11, M66 and M104 buses all stop within a block. The Box Office is in the theater lobby at 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue. More details are on NYCB’s Getting Here page.

Back to This Week

See everything on stage in New York this week in Ballet This Week: September Week 4, 2026.

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Read next

• Jewels at David H. Koch Theater — Dates, Tickets, and What to Expect
• Contemporary Choreography I at David H. Koch Theater — Dates, Tickets, and What to Expect
• Ballet This Week: September Week 4, 2026 — New York