27 August 1961
In the summer of 1961 The American Festival of the Arts premiered at The Metropolitan Boston Arts Center along the Charles River. Edward Villella and Patricia Wilde appeared alongside The New England Civic Ballet for a special one-day-only performance which included The Young Loves, and the "Pas de Dix" from Raymonda.
The gala first season of the festival also included the US professional premiere of Benjamin Britton's The Turn of The Screw, and a dance festival which brought companies and dance luminaries to Boston including, Merce Cunningham and Company, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo Concert Company, Jose Limon and Dance Company, Maria Tallchief, and Carmen de Lavallade.
American Festival of the Arts Brochure, 1961
Boston Ballet Archives