Tschaikovsky

“So you take Pushkin out of the libraries? You cancel Tschaikovsky concerts? You don’t perform Chekhov?”

Unity Phelan and Furlan, in Balanchine’s “Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux,” displayed an exciting, glowing bravura, while, in “The Four Temperaments,” Gilbert Bolden III, sparkling in Sanguinic opposite the striking Isabella LaFreniere, was impressively bold.

The first program will focus on the work of George Balanchine, the troupe’s founding choreographer, and will include footage of “Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux,” “Symphony in C” and “Episodes.”

On Saturday night, the company introduces a new program pairing Balanchine’s “Serenade” and “Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2” with Cunningham’s colorful, delicate “Summerspace,” a work that was first performed by this company in 1966 but has not been since 2000.

The gala will also feature a premiere by City Ballet’s resident choreographer, Justin Peck, and George Balanchine’s “Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3.”