After the Rain (ballet)

Background#

After the Rain was commissioned as a part of New York City Ballet’s annual New Combinations Evening, which honors the anniversary of George Balanchine’s birth with new ballets. It was the last ballet Wheeldon created for Jock Soto before Soto’s retirement in June 2005.

Choreography and music#

The first part of the ballet, set to Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, features three couples. The second part is a pas de deux originated by Soto and Wendy Whelan, which Wheeldon said it was a “love letter, this poem to both of them as artists.” Wheeldon encouraged dancers to interpret the pas de deux in their own ways, and said the worst thing dancers could do is to “act” it.

Revivals#

The pas de deux has since been danced by companies such as Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Australian Ballet and The Royal Ballet. In 2014, Whelan danced the pas de deux at her final performance with the New York City Ballet, and partnered Craig Hall. The Royal Ballet performed the entirety of After the Rain for the first time in 2016.

Original cast#

• Wendy Whelan
• Sofiane Sylve
• Maria Kowroski
• Jock Soto
• Edwaard Liang
• Ask la Cour Source:

Videography#

In a 2013 video, Kowroski and la Cour performed the pas de deux on the roof of 4 World Trade Center, which has over 2 million views on YouTube as of 2016. In light of the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on the performing arts, New York City Ballet released a recording of the pas de deux featuring Wendy Whelan and Craig Hall, recorded on October 9, 2012. San Francisco Ballet streamed a performance featuring Yuan Yuan Tan and Luke Ingham, as a part of the Director’s Choice program.