Piano Pieces is danced by seven principal dancers and a corps de ballet of six couples, all dressed in Russian style costumes.
[1][2] The ballet starts with pieces for the ensemble, followed by solos and pas de deux performed by the principal dancers.
"[3] Deborah Jowitt described that "it's the patterns and choreographic ideas that create a sense of a village, not just the device of people watching others dance.
"[1] Critic Jennifer Dunning wrote that it "contains some of Robbins's favorite themes, among them playful Russian folk-dance moves, goofy sequences of jumps and a hint or two of competition.
[1] Stacy Caddell, who had a small role in the ballet, recalled, "When we did Piano Pieces, it was hard, because Jerry would come in with Version A, B, C, D, E, F, G, up to J—like cut-and-paste.
[6] Source:[6] The principal dancers in the original cast included:[6] Piano Pieces premiered on June 12, 1981, at the New York State Theater.