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ABT's City Center Season


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[From ABT's web site; their url is at bottom of post]

NEW YORK, NY — American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie today announced the Company’s 2001 City Center Season, October 23-November 4, 2001. Among the season highlights are a World Premiere by Stanton Welch, a new production of Antony Tudor’s romantic classic Dim Lustre and the ABT premieres of George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, ABT Ballet Master Kirk Peterson’s Amazed in Burning Dreams and ABT Principal Dancer Robert Hill’s Marimba.

The Company will also perform two works from this year’s Metropolitan Opera House season: Paul Taylor’s Black Tuesday and Mark Morris’ Gong.

Rounding out the season will be the return of three perennial favorites: choreographer Natalie Weir’s Jabula, Clark Tippet’s 1987 masterpiece, Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 and Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo.

The City Center season opens October 23 with the Opening Night Gala Performance. The highlight of the Gala will be the Company Premiere of Balanchine’s Symphony in C. Additional programming and casting for this event will be announced later.

American Ballet Theatre’s City Center Season is sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc. For the past 15 years, Movado Watch Company has been a principal benefactor of American Ballet Theatre. Major funding has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.

Tickets go on sale June 25. Tickets range in price from $30-70. To order tickets by phone call CityTix at (212) 581-1212 or on line at www.abt.org. For Group Sales, with discounts of 15 to 20 percent for groups of 15 or more, call Susan Levy at (718) 499-9691. To order Gala tickets please call ABT’s Special Events Office (212) 477-3030 ext. 3239. Gala tickets range in price from $30-$100.

World Premiere

Highlighting ABT’s 2001 season at City Center will be the World Premiere of a new ballet by Stanton Welch. At age 32, choreographer Welch has been hailed for the imaginative range of his ballets — from full-length drama to inventive abstract works. For his first ABT commission, Welch is using violin concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach.

New Production

Also in ABT’s 2001 City Center season is a new production of Antony Tudor’s 1943 classic, Dim Lustre, featuring new sets and costumes by Zack Brown. Set to Richard Strauss’s Burleske in D for Piano and Orchestra, Dim Lustre is a moody and evocative meditation of memory and desire. It received its World Premiere by ABT on October 20, 1943 at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Other Highlights

One of the highlights of ABT’s 2001 Met Season was Black Tuesday, a new work by Paul Taylor, staged by Susan McGuire. Black Tuesday is a ballet for 14 dancers set to music from the Great Depression. Black Tuesday features sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting design by Jennifer Tipton. It is set to eight songs, including "Underneath the Arches" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" A co-production with the Kennedy Center and the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Black Tuesday had its World Premiere at the John F. Kennedy Center

for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on April 10, 2001 and its New York Premiere on April 30, 2001, at American Ballet Theatre’s Opening Night Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Another highlight of ABT’s Met Season was the World Premiere of Mark Morris’ Gong set to the Balinese-inspired Tabuh-Tabuhan, by Canadian composer Colin McPhee. Gong features costumes by Isaac Mizrahi and lighting by Michael Chybowski. Morris’ ballet for 10 women and five men had it’s World Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on Tuesday, May 1, 2001.

Company Premieres

A highlight of ABT’s 2001 City Center season will be the Company Premiere of George Balanchine’s masterful Symphony in C. Set to Georges Bizet’s music, Symphony in C. The season also features two Company Premieres by members of the ABT Company, including Robert Hill’s Marimba, set to music by Minoru Miki. One of ABT’s Principal Dancers, Hill first choreographed this fast-moving ensemble work for the ABT Studio Company. With its youthful effervescence, exotic rhythms and unique blend of classical and contemporary movement Marimba was an immediate success and now becomes the second work by Hill to join ABT’s repertoire.

In addition to Marimba, ABT’s 2001 City Center season includes the Company Premiere of Kirk Peterson’s Amazed in Burning Dreams, set to music by Philip Glass. Costumes for Amazed in Burning Dreams were designed by Peterson and Larae Hasca. Peterson is currently Ballet Master with ABT. He has had an illustrious international career as a dancer, artistic director, teacher and choreographer.

Returning Favorites

Rounding out the season will be three returning favorites including one of the hits of last year’s City Center season, choreographer Natalie Weir’s Jabula. A thrilling, kinetic celebration of tribal ritual, Jabula is energized by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer’s music from the original score to the film The Power of One. It features costumes conceptualized by Weir and lighting by Brad Fields, after original Lighting by David Whitworth. Jabula received its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at City Center on October 28, 2000.

In addition, the season features the return of Clark Tippet’s Bruch Violin Concerto No.1. Created for ABT in 1987, Tippet’s inventive neo-classical work combines subtle dramatic subtexts, complex patterns and athletically spectacular duets. A ballet for eight leading dancers and a corps of 16, the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 received its World Premiere at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California on December 1, 1987. It was Tippet’s second ballet for ABT, after 1987’s Enough Said.

The season also includes a Company favorite, Agnes de Milles classic Rodeo. Created almost 60 years ago, de Mille’s humorous, heart-warming dance-drama about a shy cowgirl in the pioneer West is vintage Americana. Thanks to the combination of de Mille’s evocative choreography, Aaron Copland’s rousing music and Oliver Smith’s colorful set, Rodeo has become a beloved part of ABT repertoire.

Classical Pas de Deux

In addition, ABT will preform a selection of classical pas de deux designed to showcase its international roster of stars. Selections and casting will be announced at a later date.

Saturday Morning Just for Kids

ABT will offer two Saturday morning programs for young people — ABTkids on Saturday, October 12 and Saturday, November 3 at 11:30 a.m.. Priced at $12 for children and $18 for adults, this hour-long performance consists of excerpts from ABT’s vast repertoire. Special preperformance workshops are available for patrons who purchase tickets to ABTkids. For more information, call the Education Office at (212) 477-3030, ext. 3012.

ABTkids is sponsored in part by The Heidtke Foundation, The William H. Kearns Foundation and the Metropolitan Life Foundation.

ABTalks

ABT will offer informative pre-show lectures led by dance writer Elizabeth Kaye and ABT Assistant Artistic Director David Richardson on selected evenings. ABTalks focuses on the fascinating stories behind the works. These fascinating talks are free to all ticket holders. ABTalks will take place one hour before curtain on October 24, 25, 30, 30 and November 1.

For more information about ABT’s 2001 City Center season, please call (212) 477-3030 or visit our website at www.abt.org.

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