Mercurial Manoeuvres

Mercurial Manoeuvres is a ballet choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1, with costumes designed by Carole Divet. The ballet premiered on April 28, 2000 at the New York State Theater.^[1]

External videos
NYC Ballet's Tyler Angle on Wheeldon's MERCURIAL MANOEUVRES, YouTube video

Mercurial Manoeuvres
Choreographer	Christopher Wheeldon
Music	Dmitri Shostakovich
Premiere	April 28, 2000 (2000-04-28) New York State Theater
Original ballet company	New York City Ballet
Design	Carole Divet

The first movement features a male soloist, two female demi-soloists, four male demi-soloists and a corps de ballet of twelve women. The second movement is a pas de deux. The entire cast then return to the stage for the final movement.^[1]

Mercurial Manoeuvres was made as part of the New York City Ballet's Diamond Project. The original cast includes Miranda Weese, Jock Soto, Edwaard Liang, Audrey Morgan and Elena Diner.^[1] When the ballet was made, Wheeldon was dancing with the company as a soloist.^[1] He retired from performing after Mercurial Manoeuvres to become a full-time choreographer.^[2]

In 2020, in response to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the performing arts, the New York City Ballet will release a 2017 video recording of the pas de deux from Mercurial Manoeuvres, featuring Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle.^[3]

References

1. Kisselgoff, Anna (May 1, 2000). "Dance Review; When Bellhops Go On Maneuvers". New York Times.
2. Seibert, Brian (April 28, 2017). "New York City Ballet: A Story in Three Choreographers". New York Times.
3. "Digital Fall Season: October 19 – 24". New York City Ballet. October 14, 2020.