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Creating original choreography is a complex effort that can be inspired by an overheard conversation, a movie, or more often, a piece of music.
But timing is the ultimate catalyst for putting an idea in motion, as was the case with City Ballet’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” a world premiere by resident choreographer Geoff Gonzalez.
The contemporary ballet is danced to George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” the iconic orchestral jazz composition that Gershwin described as “a musical kaleidoscope of America.”
For nearly a century, “Rhapsody in Blue” was only available by permission from the Gershwin Family Trust and the cost was prohibitive. In the 1980s, for instance, United Airlines reportedly paid an annual fee of $300,000 to use the composition in its ads.