Her return caps a new phase of City Ballet history. The company’s first 35 years (1948-1983) were shaped by Balanchine; the next 35 years were shaped by his successor, Peter Martins. What makes Ms. Farrell so important? “Diamonds,” one of the signature works Balanchine made for Ms. Farrell, displayed the heroic scale of her dancing; though the role has Imperial Russian qualities, she often seemed to be dancing it with unparalleled freedom in infinite space. The summer timing didn’t work out, but with the company’s coming revival of “Diamonds,” Mr. Stafford tried again.

Source: New York Times April 23, 2019 12:00 UTC