Discover the unfolding of George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux with quotes from the original cast, Violette Verdy and Conrad Ludlow
The Making of Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
In the world of ballet, certain partnerships transcend the stage to become legends. One such pairing was Violette Verdy and Conrad Ludlow, whose performances of George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux left an indelible mark on the art form. Originating the roles in 1960, Verdy and Ludlow were both cast as understudies, while Principal dancers of New York City Ballet, Diana Adams and Jacques d’Amboise were intended to debut these roles. However, due to a foot injury, Adams was unable to continue rehearsals, which caused Balanchine to better suit the choreography to the strengths of Verdy and Ludlow.
In terms of partnering, Verdy and Ludlow complimented each other in more ways than one. In an interview featured by George Balanchine Foundation, Verdy said, “many partners were boyfriends, Conrad was a husband…who is going to take care of you, make you look good, and give you confidence and tenderness.” Ludlow viewed Verdy with the same fondness, he recalled, “[Balanchine] really liked what Violette did,” gesturing to Verdy he continued, “he mentioned your phrasing is wonderful and the way you handled the music.”
The Evolution of Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
Since Balanchine created multiple versions of his works, there isn’t a single official version of his choreography. Instead, those who teach and stage his works focus on maintaining high performance standards. They aim to reflect Balanchine’s technique and style accurately while ensuring the steps are performed correctly, guided by their own interpretations and priorities. And after nearly 65 years of Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux being performed by various dancers, a fascinating phenomenon emerged, where the male role developed many different versions of choreography, while the female role remained relatively the same as the original. In the George Balanchine Foundation interview, Ludlow said, “with women’s variations, [Balanchine] really loved to choreograph. With the men’s, he didn’t find that the finesse was quite there to do what he wanted, so he would say, ‘what can you do?’ So if someone could turn well, like I turned, he just gave me turns.” When asked about the evolution of women’s role in the pas de deux, Verdy said, “the girl’s version has survived almost untouched…the version for the girl is really more or less consistent, much more so than the men’s solo moments.”
Watch the full George Balanchine Foundation Interview with Violette Verdy and Conrad Ludlow on Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux