After the Rain
Rain-covered window imagery reflecting the quiet emotional atmosphere of the ballet After the Rain.
QUICK F A C T S
- ✦ After the Rain premiered on January 25, 2005, at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center, performed by New York City Ballet.
✦ Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.
✦ Music by Arvo Pärt, including Tabula Rasa (Ludus) and Spiegel im Spiegel.
✦ Created as part of New York City Ballet’s celebration honoring the centennial of George Balanchine’s birth.
✦ The final After the Rain Pas de Deux became especially famous and is often performed separately from the rest of the ballet.
Composer Arvo Pärt, whose music inspired the emotional atmosphere of After the Rain.
S U M M A R Y
Christopher Wheeldon created After the Rain for New York City Ballet in 2005 as part of the company’s celebration honoring the centennial of George Balanchine’s birth. The ballet was also created for celebrated dancer Jock Soto shortly before his retirement from the company.
Gentle hand contact reflecting the intimacy and emotional connection explored in the ballet After the Rain.
Dancers performing a pose reminiscent of the intimate partnering and emotional stillness of the ballet After the Rain.
The ballet is often viewed as an emotional journey through connection, distance, and love. It is divided into two sections, both set to music by Arvo Pärt. The first part features three couples dancing in a more abstract and modern style, while the second section is the famous After the Rain Pas de Deux, originally performed by Jock Soto and Wendy Whelan. Wheeldon described the duet as a simple and honest expression of intimacy and trust.
Rather than telling a traditional story, After the Rain creates an emotional atmosphere through movement and music. The ballet became one of Wheeldon’s most celebrated works and is now performed by companies around the world. In 2014, Wendy Whelan performed the duet again during her farewell performance with New York City Ballet, helping cement its reputation as one of the most emotional modern ballets of its era.
Christopher Wheeldon, creator of the contemporary ballet After the Rain, photographed in 2022.
E N C O R E
✦ On Today’s Stage — After the Rain has become one of the most frequently performed contemporary ballets of the twenty-first century, especially the famous After the Rain Pas de Deux, which is often featured in galas and mixed repertory programs around the world.
✦ Iconic Interpreters — Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto created the original duet and became deeply associated with its intimate and emotionally restrained style.
✦ Legacy — Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain helped define a new era of contemporary ballet by blending minimalist music, emotional vulnerability, and fluid modern partnering into one of the most beloved modern pas de deux of its generation.