However, miscommunication between Miller and company co-founder George Balanchine prevented him from appearing as a guest artist.

[4]: 222  In their respective biographies on Robbins, authors Deborah Jowitt and Greg Lawrence both speculated that it was due to the all-white New York City Ballet's reservation about having an interracial couple performing a romantic pas de deux.

[4]: 222 [6]: 211  Johnson later stated that he believed it was Balanchine who rejected his casting, because the role would have led to him joining the company permanently.

He explained, "When the dancers' attention is to the side, it's easier for the audience to watch - they are sort of looking in - but when it's straight front, I think something more arresting happens.

[5] The costumes were designed by Irene Sharaff, with the woman in a practice tunic and the man in tights and bare-chested.

[1] Author Amanda Vaill wrote that the ballet is "deliberately devoid of flashy steps or complicated lifts; spare and poetic'.

[2]: 222–223  Moncion noted that the choreography referenced the poem, "the gestures he used were evocative of Mallarmé's faun - such as pushing through the reeds on a hot humid afternoon.

[1] Between 1958 and 1961, Afternoon of a Faun was performed by Ballets: USA, Robbins' company, during their State Department-funded tours.

During these tours, John Jones, a black dancer, was paired with Wilma Curley, and later Kay Mazzo, both white women.

[12] The only footage of Le Clercq and Moncion in Afternoon of a Faun is an amateur silent black-and-white film that was shot from the side.

[4]: 225 [3] Canadian Broadcasting Corporation filmed a performance of Afternoon of a Faun, featuring Le Clercq and Jacques d'Amboise.

[4]: 226, 294 In 1980, the ballet was among several of Robbins' work that was filmed for NBC's series Live from Studio 8H, with Patricia McBride and Ib Andersen performing.

[6]: 439 [13] In 2016, Afternoon of a Faun was included on a Royal Ballet DVD, danced by Sarah Lamb and Vadim Muntagirov.