''An American in Paris'' is a one-act ballet choreographed by

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon OBE (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Life and career Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dan ...

, to the eponymous music by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, costumes designed by

Holly Hynes Holly Hynes is an accomplished, award winning costume designer with over 250 ballets to her credit, including more than 70 at the New York City Ballet. Hynes' designs are also on view in companies around the world, including American Ballet Theatre, ...

, sets designed by

Adrianne Lobel Adrianne Lobel is an American scenic designer and producer for theatre, opera, and dance known for her "very daring and creative sets."Greenspon, Jaq. "Acting" (1996). McGraw-Hill Professional. , p. 82. Life and career Lobel was born and raised i ...

and lighting designed by

Natasha Katz Natasha Katz is an American lighting designer for the theatre, dance, and opera. Biography Early life and education A New York City native, Katz trained at Oberlin College, and early in her career was mentored by Roger Morgan, a lighting design ...

. The ballet premiered on May 4, 2005 at the

New York State Theater The David H. Koch Theater is a theater for ballet, modern and other forms of dance, part of the Lincoln Center, at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Originally ...

. Wheeldon later directed and choreographed the musical adaptation of the ''

An American in Paris ''An American in Paris'' is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by American composer George Gershwin first performed in 1928. It was inspired by the time that Gershwin had spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital ...

'' film.

Production

Choreographer

was first invited to choreograph the musical version of the film ''

'', though the project was abandoned. Wheeldon, who said

's orchestral piece of the same name was "a great piece of classical music" in addition to being a film score, decided to make a ballet version instead. On the choreography, Wheeldon said he wanted to create a more "balleticize" version with his own choreography, as the film's choreography is simple and uninteresting, but the cinematography made the film work on screen. He said he considered to have one of the dancers be off pointe, but went against it as it is a ballet. The set, designed by

, was inspired by

Georges Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculpture, sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his all ...

and

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

and

were brought in to design costumes and lighting respectively. ''An American in Paris'' premiered on May 4, 2005 at the

, the three lead roles were originated by

Carla Körbes Carla Körbes is a Brazilian ballet dancer who performed as a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, then became the associate artistic director of L.A Dance Project. She is now an associate professor at Indiana University Jacobs S ...

Jenifer Ringer Jenifer Ellen Ringer (born ) is an American ballet dancer and educator. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1990, became a principal dancer in 2000, and retired from performing in 2014. She then became the director of the Colburn School's pro ...

and

Damian Woetzel Damian Woetzel (born May 17, 1967) is an American choreographer. Woetzel was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he performed from 1985 until 2008. He also frequently performed with companies like the Kirov Ballet and America ...

, and Andrea Quinn conducted the orchestra. The ballet received mixed reviews. The reviewer for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that Wheeldon was "clever in capturing idealized Paris street life" though "the dance never quite coheres." Another ''Times'' reviewer wrote that the scenes were unmemorable but "well crafted that the overall result is amiable entertainment." Wheeldon later claimed he "never felt entirely happy" with the ballet.

Musical

Wheeldon later went on to direct and choreograph musical adaptation of the ''

'' film, which was Wheeldon's directorial debut. The musical opened at the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a s ...

, Paris in 2014, Palace Theatre, Broadway in 2015, and

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following year ...

, West End in 2017. NYCB principal dancer

Robert Fairchild Robert Fairchild (born June 9, 1987) is an American dancer and actor. He is best known for originating the role Jerry Mulligan in the musical ''An American in Paris'', and as Munkustrap in the 2019 film ''Cats''. He was a principal dancer at the ...

and

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

Leanne Cope Leanne Michelle Cope (born September 13, 1983) is an English ballet dancer and theatre actress. She achieved prominence as First Artist for The Royal Ballet, after training in the Royal Ballet School and graduating in 2003. In 2015, she origina ...

originated the roles Jerry Mulligan and Lise Dassin respectively. Wheeldon was awarded the

Tony Award for Best Choreography The Tony Award for Best Choreography is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of choreographers in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1947, but nominees were not announced until 1956. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:American in Paris, An Ballets by Christopher Wheeldon Ballets to the music of George Gershwin New York City Ballet repertory 2005 ballet premieres Ballets designed by Natasha Katz Ballets designed by Holly Hynes