Prodigal Son (Balanchine)

It is not about Marya. George Balanchine's Prodigal Son, also called Le Fils prodigue, is based on the biblical parable from the Gospel of Luke and centers on the Son, the Siren, and the forgiving Father.

Prodigal Son was choreographed by George Balanchine for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. It premiered in Paris at the Theatre Sarah Bernhardt on May 21, 1929, with music by Sergei Prokofiev.

The Siren is the seductive figure who lures the Son away before he is robbed and broken. Balanchine made the role physically striking, with angular poses and partnering that contrast sharply with the final return to the Father.

It was one of Balanchine's major Ballets Russes works and came at the end of Diaghilev's era in 1929. New York City Ballet later made it part of its repertory, with Jerome Robbins dancing the title role at the 1950 NYCB premiere.