Alumni of the institute's program, including Melissa Barak, Albert Evans, Edwaard Liang, Benjamin Millepied, and Christopher Wheeldon, will create short works to different parts of the same piece of music as part of an "exploration of the choreographic process."
Tickets for the evening, which includes a cocktail reception and dinner, are available for $350-$500 by calling the institute at (212) 870-4060.
Other anniversary events not open to the public include a roundtable discussion about the development and commissioning of new ballet choreography, featuring Peter Martins of New York City Ballet, the institute's founder and artistic director; Reid Anderson of Stuttgart Ballet; Monica Mason of the Royal Ballet; Kevin McKenzie of American Ballet Theatre; Mikko Nissinen of Boston Ballet; and Helgi Tomasson of San Francisco Ballet.
"By design," Martins said, "the institute has functioned largely out of the public eye since both [co-founder Irene Diamond] and I believed that the institute should be a place where choreographers could work and take risks without the pressures of creating something for the public. However, as we mark our fifth anniversary, we thought it was important for us to take stock of what we have accomplished, and look to the future by throwing a bit of a coming-out party."
He added, "We are also very excited about some new initiatives that will expand the scope of the institute both nationally and internationally, and we wanted to use this opportunity to announce these programs."
The New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet, was founded by Martins and Diamond in 2000. As a laboratory for classical choreography, it hosts two sessions per year at which choreographers work with NYCB dancers and take part in seminars on creative and business topics.
The institute's other projects include a partnership with the Juilliard School, which has resulted in six original scores commissioned from the school's composers, and a series of symposia on major choreographers such as George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, and August Bournonville.
