Summary: <br> As our final episode of 2017, we are saluting this year’s biggest ballet celebration, 50 years of George Balanchine’s “Jewels.” Today we take an in depth look at Balanchine’s ‘Jewels’ with Bob Gottlieb: author, editor, and dance critic. Bob has been editor-and-chief of Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and the New Yorker. Gottlieb is widely considered to be one of the greatest editors of the second half of the 20th century. For many years he was associated with the New York City Ballet during Balanchine’s time, often contributing to programming and serving on the Board of Directors. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Miami City Ballet. We always enjoy talking with Bob, and sometimes veer off topic, and in this case, around 45 minutes into this episode, our bun-head sides take over. Today we talk extensively with Bob about Balanchine’s process, the premier of Jewels, the original cast, and how the ballet is being danced today.<br> This will be our last full-format episode of 2017. Over this past year, our podcast has grown more than we could have ever fathomed, with 110,000 listens last month alone. We want to thank all of our listeners for your support and we wish you a very happy holidays and a happy New Year.<br> Though we won’t be releasing any more full episodes until January, this week we will be in Tampa, Florida at Next Generation Ballet teaching master classes, hosting a live lecture, and recording content surrounding their Nutcracker performancers. We will be chatting with New York City Ballet Principals Sara Mearns and Amar Ramasar who will be dancing the Sugar Plum pas de deux, as well as former Miami City Ballet Principal Patricia Delgado, and current MCB Principal Renan Cerdeiro, who will also be guesting with Next Generation Ballet. We will be releasing bonus content later this week to celebrate the ballet that consumes us all right now, “The Nutcracker.” So stay tuned! We have posted ticket information for Next Generation Ballet on our Facebook page.<br> <br>
