John Neumeier assumed the position of Ballet Director and Chief Choreographer at the revered Hamburg Ballet in 1973. He has created more than 150 ballets, in which he has continually focused on the preservation of ballet tradition, while giving his works a modern dramatic framework – his prince in The Sleeping Beauty wears jeans! For its Joyce debut, the company performs the New York premiere of Old Friends, a full length collage of ballets exploring the ever-changing nature of human relationships, appropriately set to the Simon and Garfunkel song of the same name and featuring the music of Frédéric Chopin as well.