Described by the New York City Ballet as "an eight-minute display of ballet bravura and technique," The ebullient male variation that follows, which was originally much longer, varies from performer to performer, although the sequence of steps is much the same, featuring big jumps and ''double tours en l'air''. The choreography for the ballerina's variation is, however, rigorously maintained, with a darting attack and flashing footwork expressing the sparkling melodic line. The air-flung coda builds dramatically with the music in high lifts, dazzling turns, and breathtaking leaps, as the ballerina flies across the stage into the waiting arms of her partner. Finally, she is carried offstage, high overhead, with one leg extended in front, her arms and head flung back in rapturous abandon. The steps for the opening and closing parts of the ballet are much the same as those that Balanchine set at the beginning of his work on the piece, with
Diana Adams and
Jacques d'Amboise. Other sequences and the variations were devised to suit Verdy and Ludlow as the choreography developed. ==Video discography==