funded in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Office of Cultural Affairs In April of 2001 NMBC presented a trio of American ballets at the KiMo in downtown Albuquerque. Balanchine & Billy the Kid ran for three performances at the newly-renovated historic KiMo Theatre, itself a marvelous piece of Albuquerque’s cultural heritage. The KiMo’s stage was graced by three pieces that combined tribute to our country’s past and vision of its future promise. Joining Balanchine’s Serenade and Billy the Kid in this production was Shining, a ballet for young dancers originally choreographed by Patricia Dickinson for the NMBC’s 25th Anniversary Gala in spring of 1998. Shining is an exuberant piece incorporating American Sign Language and featuring live music by the Green Chili Jam Band, a popular Albuquerque band performing original music for children. Billy the Kid was composed by Aaron Copland in 1938 at the request of Ballet Caravan Artistic Director Lincoln Kirstein. The first of Coplands’ Americana works, Billy the Kid resonates with imagery of the American West skillfuly evoked by familiar cowboy tunes. A new and thoughtful setting premiered in this production, the first New Mexico performance of the work, with choreography by Patricia Dickinson and Dara Beckley. The choreographers departed from the cliche-driven tropes of the original 1938 production, and instead explored the true history--as near as conflicting accounts allow--of this legend-shrouded figure and his tragic involvement in the Lincoln County War. Serenade was created by George Balanchine for his students and was first presented by the Producing Company of the School of American Ballet on December 6, 1934, at the Avery Memorial Theatre in Hartford, CT. It was subsequently staged on Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1940, for the Paris Opera in 1947, and in 1948 as part of the inaugural year of the New York City Ballet, where it became a part of the permanent repertoire. Traditionally performed in blue costumes against a blue background, Serenade interprets Tchaikovsky’s romantic "Serenade for Strings." NMBC was hoinored to have the George Balanchine Foundation’s permission to perform this work under the guidance of world-renowned ballerina Melissa Hayden.