The New York City Ballet has announced it will not return to the David H. Koch Theater until September 21, 2021, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The famed company also announced programming for its 2021-2022 season.

“While more than a year off the stage is an eternity for dancers whose careers are already short, the Company has recently begun to take small steps towards a return, with our rehearsal studios reopening last month for dancers to begin conditioning on their own,” said Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford. “In the coming weeks we hope to move into the next phase of activity and expand studio access to small groups of dancers as we continue to build towards a safe and healthy return for the full company.”

Stafford and Executive Director Katherine Brown added that if circumstances change and allow for some kind of live performance sooner than next September at an appropriate venue that is safe for artists and audiences alike, NYCB will be open to exploring those opportunities.

Among the highlights of the 2021–2022 season are six world-premiere ballets by Sidra Bell, Silas Farley, Andrea Miller, Justin Peck, Jamar Roberts, and Pam Tanowitz; farewell performances by NYCB principal dancers Maria Kowroski, Gonzalo Garcia, and Ask la Cour; NYCB’s annual fall fashion gala; the return of Balanchine’s The Nutcracker during the holiday season; and a repertory program featuring works by Jerome Robbins, Pam Tanowitz, and Alexei Ratmansky.

Houston Ballet principal dancer Chun Wai Chan will also join NYCB as a soloist next season, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem will join the troupe for the first time on stage in 20 years.

For a full list of programming, including NYCB’s previously announced fall 2020 virtual offerings, click here.