By Marissa Vaccarelli

At the heart of New York culture is the New York City Ballet. At Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, the fall season began on Sept. 23 and will continue until Oct. 19. Tuesday through Sunday, the talented dancers put on their biggest and best performances accompanied by the New York City Ballet Orchestra.

On Friday, Sept. 26, members of the principal ballet gathered to perform the All Balanchine suite of:  Donizetti Variations, La Sonnambula and Firebird.  Each performance conveyed a unique story.

Donizetti Variations was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the unification of Italy.  In this upbeat performance, the dancers’ costumes resembled those of Italian peasants in the countryside and they danced in trios and duos.

The principal ballet’s next performance of La Sonnambula featured a masquerade ball in which the main character finds love and then becomes spellbound by a sleepwalking woman.  La Sonnambula evokes a mysterious, yet enchanting vibe.

The final show of the evening, Firebird, was the most riveting.This performance tells the story of Prince Ivan in a wizard’s magical woods.  The prince catches the Firebird, who helps him destroy the wizard and save the creatures of the mystic forest. The Firebird wears a radiant red costume that catches the attention of the whole audience.

The David H. Koch Theater is easily accessible via the Ram Van, which drops you off a block away from the theater. It is definitely a must-see for dancers and non-dancers alike.

In each performance, the dancers executed challenging choreography, while demonstrating the finesse and grace of ballerinas that takes years to master. With the Nutcracker season, a holiday favorite, on its way, you should catch a performance of the New York City Ballet.