Noah and the Flood

Overview

In 1960 CBS commissioned renown composer, Igor Stravinsky, to compose a new ballet composition, Noah and the Flood, that would be adapted for a TV special. This was supposed to be one out of an eight part series of TV specials that featured prominent artists. Most of these specials never came to fruition. The ballet told the story of Noah and the Flood with symbolic references to other biblical narratives. The choreography was directed by George Balanchine and the ballet was performed by the New York City Ballet. An addition to the performance the TV special also included an overview of Stravinsky’s career and an exposition of the biblical context. The performance was aired on CBS in 1962 with Breck shampoo as the sponsor.