In part one of this week's special Hear the Dance episode, legendary former Principal Dancer Allegra Kent joins host and fellow former Principal Jared Angle to discuss her beginnings as a dancer. From joining Bronislava Najinska's intermediate class full of GIs fresh from World War II at the age of 11, to entering the School of American Ballet at 14, to premiering in the corps of Symphony in C as an apprentice a year later, Kent describes the whirlwind of her early years with the Company—capped off with the first featured role created for her: that of the lead in Balanchine's The Unanswered Question from Ivesiana. (40:37)

Edited by Emilie Silvestri

Music: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky Agon (1953-56) by Igor Stravinsky Based on themes from operas by Vincenzo Bellini, including La Sonnambula, Il Puritani, Norma and I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830-1835) by Vittorio Rieti The Unanswered Question (1908) by Charles Ives Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra