[5] She later stated she believed she was given the role because "[Balanchine] saw in me the psychological raw material that could be molded and remolded into images of sensuality - unrealized and restrained, but there, just under the surface.
[2] The original version of Ivesiana featured six works by Ives, Central Park in the Dark, Hallowe'en, The Unanswered Question, Over the Pavements, In the Inn, and In the Night.
Instead of Tanaquil LeClercq and Todd Bolender from the original cast, Diana Adams and Arthur Mitchell danced the new version of the movement.
[10] The first movement of Ivesiana is set to Central Park in the Dark, danced by a principal couple and an all-female corps de ballet.
"[2] Patricia McBride, who performed the principal female role of this movement in revivals, recalled, 'Balanchine told me to close my eyes and pretend I was a blind person.
[6] Balanchine did not follow the remarks Ives wrote for this score, instead this movement is about "a girl all-knowing like a sphinx to whom a man might turn.
She also wrote, "In this role I was manipulated - threaded under legs and pulled into splits - all the time remaining passive and inaccessible, The woman in this ballet ultimately represents the unattainable.
"[2] The fourth and final movement of the ballet is set to In the Night, a score that was described as "a brief, tranquil melody with instants of unrest" by dance critic Marcia B.
"[11] Following the premiere of Ivesiana, New York Times critic John Martin wrote, "It is strictly for the Balanchine admirers who recognize his genius and are eager to 'assist' at anything that he feels under inner compulsion to do.
"[12] Dance critic Edwin Denby commented, "Ivesiana develops no speed of momentum at all, no beat; it is carried onward as if way below the surface by a force more like that of a tide, and the sharp and quickly shifting rhythms that appear have no firm ground to hold against an uncanny, supernatural drift.
"[13] In her book Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet, author Nancy Reynolds summarized reviews of Ivesiana, and found The Unanswered Question to be "the most arresting episode", while Central Park in the Dark, In the Inn and In the Night were also well-received, but not Hallowe'en and Over the Pavements, the movements Balanchine eventually removed.
[6] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York City Ballet released a 2013 video recording of The Unanswered Question, featuring Janie Taylor and Anthony Huxley.