According to Mr. Martins, the balletmaster in chief of the company, the idea to bring in Mr. Valentino as a collaborator belonged to the actress Sarah Jessica Parker, a member of the board of trustees.
It's no secret that the ballet-master-in-chief has made little name for himself as a choreographer, so it remains to be seen if audiences who respond to his administration's seasonal themes will respond to one pegged to his own dancemaking.
These were joined, to sorry effect, on several bills by "Bal de Couture, " a recent creation by company ballet-master-in-chief Peter Martins, which, with its gaudy Valentino costume designs, began life last spring as desperate gala fare and which continues now as program filler.
