New York City Ballet Presents Christopher Wheeldon’s This Bitter Earth

In the midst of preparing for our now-canceled spring performances, NYCB had recently completed production on a short film meant to be used to promote our season — a single continuous shot of Sara Mearns and Adrian Danchig-Waring performing an excerpt from Christopher Wheeldon’s This Bitter Earth. As we worked with the footage in the days following the shoot, and as the coronavirus pandemic began to unfold in NYC, it struck a chord with many of us, including NYCB Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan — the originator of Sara’s role who was on set during the filming. Reflecting on the footage she said, “Words cannot fully capture the beauty or essence of this moving pas de deux, but for me it speaks to our times. It honors where we have come from and the challenges we face moving forward into the unknown. The choreography inspires reflection from both its performers and audience and I hope, for you, conveys a peaceful sense of hope for the future.“ __ We have established