Melissa Hayden

The next gathering of the Ballet Cook Book Dinner Series, to be held the evening of Saturday, April 13, 2013, will showcase the recipes of Melissa Hayden, the celebrated Canadian-born ballerina who danced for both New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. While at NYCB, Hayden — “one of American ballet’s greatest ballerinas, whose exultant, dramatic style defied the supposed impersonal mold of the Balanchine dancer,” according to The New York Times — created roles in in a number of classics such as Stars and Stripes (1958), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1964), and Cortège Hongrois (1973).

Hayden’s recipes in The Ballet Cook Book reflect her Eastern European Jewish heritage (spinach borsch, gefilte fish, sweet-and-sour meat balls, kreplach, and potato latkas). We are honored (and frankly a bit nervous) to have someone quite familiar with these recipes among our guests: Hayden’s son, Stuart Coleman, who is also on NYCB’s Advisory Board and the School of American Ballet’s Board of Directors.

Interest in the dinner is already high, but if you would like to attend, please write to ryanwenzel@gmail.com and we will add you to the waiting list.