ON THIS DAY … Today 51 years ago, the Stuttgart Ballet performed in New York City for the first time. On June 10th, 1969, John Crankos Onegin opened a series of performances running for a total of three weeks at the Metropolitan Opera House. At the invitation of impresario Sol Hurok, the company went to the States knowing that the first performance had to be a success – otherwise they would have to leave again immediately. After a shaky dress rehearsal, the ensemble won over the initially reserved New York audience at the opening night. Thanks to the coverage in the New York Times the “The Stuttgart Ballet Miracle” was proclaimed and the dancers became stars overnight. Marcia Haydée in particular was celebrated as Tatiana (Heinz Clauss as Onegin) and only days later proved her comic talent in The Taming of the Shrew. The total of 24 performances in New York – from Onegin, Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew to one-act ballets such as Jeu de Cartes or Presence – became a triumph and laid the foundation for the worldwide success of the Stuttgart Ballet.


Photo: John Cranko and Marcia Haydée, Walter Erich Schäfer and his wife, John Neumeier with sunglasses as well as friends and employees before their departure to the first New York tour, © Gundel Kilian