Alice McDermott settled into her seat at New York City Ballet on a recent Friday night, excited to see her first-ever ballet performance. The 31-year-old Manhattanite, who works in recruiting, was on a fun girls' night out with three friends she’d met through work, starting with dinner. “They told me I’d love the ballet,” says McDermott, who was also excited to realize she was already familiar with one of the evening’s performers, Tiler Peck, via the dancer’s popular Instagram feed.
“They said you can put on a nice dress and just immerse yourself in another world, whilst marveling at what the human body can achieve.” Seems they were right: At the end of the evening, McDermott, a new fan, went home and watched a ballet documentary. Perhaps you could call it “Ballet and the City”? Whatever the term for McDermott’s ballet evening with pals, the scenario would surely be music to the ears of the company — which has been celebrating its 75th birthday with fanfare this year — and especially its artistic leaders of the past five years, Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan.
The two, both former dancers at the storied troupe founded by George Balanchine, have made it a key goal to bring in a younger audience to ensure the company's long-term health — and more broadly, to guard the vitality of a centuries-old art form. It seems to be working. Though some initiatives have been in place for longer, the last five years have seen a marked shift, according to number.
