Alexandra Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 This just in: AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S 2004 FALL SEASON AT CITY CENTER, OCTOBER 20-NOVEMBER 7, ANNOUNCED U.S. PREMIERE OF VIII BY CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON AND WORLD PREMIERE BY TREY McINTYRE TO HIGHLIGHT SEASON Michel Fokine’s Le Spectre de la Rose and Les Sylphides to be Revived American Ballet Theatre’s 2004 Fall season at New York’s City Center, October 20 through November 7, was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. The U.S. Premiere of VIII by Christopher Wheeldon and a World Premiere by Trey McIntyre will highlight the three-week engagement along with revivals of Michel Fokine’s Le Spectre de la Rose and Les Sylphides. Principal Dancers for the engagement include Nina Ananiashvili, Maxim Beloserkovsky, Irina Dvorovenko, Jose Manuel Carreño, Angel Corella, Herman Cornejo, Alessandra Ferri, Marcelo Gomes, Guillaume Graffin, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, Xiomara Reyes, Ethan Stiefel and Ashley Tuttle. American Ballet Theatre’s 2004 Fall season at City Center will commence with an Opening Night Gala at 7:00 P. M. on Wednesday evening, October 20 featuring ABT’s Principal Dancers performing highlights of the season’s works. Countrywide Financial is the National Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre and Cole Haan is a Leading Benefactor. Graff Jewelers is the 2004 season sponsor of ABT at City Center. ABT’s 2004 Fall season at City Center is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts. United States Premiere A new production of Christopher Wheeldon’s VIII, will have its U.S. and Company Premiere on Friday evening, October 22. Based on the life of King Henry VIII and his first two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, VIII is set to Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10 by Benjamin Britten, with new scenery and costumes by Jean-Marc Puissant and lighting by Natasha Katz. Created for the Hamburg Ballet, VIII received its World Premiere in Hamburg on July 1, 2001. In his first work for American Ballet Theatre, Wheeldon has rechoreographed sections of the ballet which will also feature newly designed scenery and costumes by Puissant. World Premiere American Ballet Theatre will present the World Premiere of a new work by choreographer Trey McIntyre on Friday evening, October 22. A former member of Houston Ballet, Trey McIntyre created his first work for Houston, Skeleton Clock, at the age of 20. He has since created five other works for Houston Ballet including the full-length Peter Pan in 2002. He has also created works for a wide range of companies including Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet de Santiago (Chile), Oakland Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre. McIntyre is the recipient of two choreographic fellowships from the NEA and a Choo-San Goh Award. The October 22 premiere will mark McIntyre’s first work for ABT. Revivals Two of the most well-known works of Michel Fokine, one of ABT’s founding choreographers, will be revived this season. Les Sylphides, set to the music of Frederic Chopin, will receive its revival premiere on Thursday evening, October 21. This romantic one–act plotless work was premiered by Ballet Theatre, staged by Fokine, at the Company’s inaugural performance on January 11, 1940. Fokine’s staging of the ballet was performed by the Company every season thereafter through 1980. Les Sylphides received its World Premiere as Chopiniana by the Maryinsky Theatre in 1908 and staged for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes a year later in the form we know today. The revival of Les Sylphides, which will have four performances during the City Center season, will feature scenery by Alexandre Benois and lighting by David K.H. Elliott. Kirk Peterson will stage the revival production of Les Sylphides, after the original by Fokine, with assistance from Susan Jones. Le Spectre de la Rose will be given its revival premiere on Tuesday evening, October 26. A ballet in one act, Le Spectre de la Rose is set to Invitation to the Dance by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Jean Louis Vaudoyer. It was first presented by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at the Theatre de Monte Carlo in 1911 and received its United States premiere by the same company at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1916. In 1941, a year before his death, Fokine staged Le Spectre de la Rose for Ballet Theatre. Le Spectre de la Rose was last performed by ABT in 1980 with an excerpt presented at ABT’s Gala in 1997 performed by Vladimir Malakhov and Alicia Alonso. ABT’s revival of Le Spectre de la Rose will be staged by Kirk Peterson. Jirí Kylián’s Sinfonietta, last performed by ABT in 1998, will have its revival premiere on Thursday evening, October 21. Set to Leos Janácek’s Sinfonietta, Kylián’s ballet in five movements for fourteen dancers features scenery and costumes by Walter Nobbe. Sinfonietta received its World Premiere by Netherlands Dance Theater in Charleston, South Carolina in 1978 and was first presented by ABT in 1991. Returning Repertory American Ballet Theatre’s three week season at City Center will also feature the return of last season’s Company Premieres of George Balanchine’s Mozartiana, William Forsythe’s workwithinwork and Jirí Kylián’s Petit Mort and Sechs Tänze. Additional repertory will include Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Kirk Peterson’s Amazed in Burning Dreams and Antony Tudor’s Pillar of Fire. Family Fare A special Halloween matinee for families on October 31 will include a program of Theme and Variations, Le Spectre de la Rose, Sinfonietta and a Pièce d’Occasion performed by PBS Award winning storybook character Angelina Ballerina. Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2004 Fall season at City Center are priced from $35 to $80 and are on sale now by mail or by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212. Discounts are available for packages of three or more performances. The box office will open August 22. City Center is located at West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City. For more information, please visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org <http://www.abt.org/> . -30- Link to comment
Leigh Witchel Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Sigh. No Ashton for the Centennial. Maybe in the spring? Link to comment
Juliet Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 C'mon, Leigh. You've got Angelina Ballerina. You want Ashton, too? Link to comment
Maxi3D Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Oh my gosh! Angelina Ballerina with ABT! my dream has come true Link to comment
Petra Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Has anyone seen (or heard) about the Wheeldon ballet? I suppose it only covers Henry's first two wives, as after that he became too fat to be portayed by a ballet dancer. Link to comment
GeorgeB fan Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Like GWTW, I'm curious about the Wheeldon ballet myself. It's ashame that ABT didn't ask him for a new ballet. I also notice that Amanda McKerrow won't be dancing. It seem to me she is becoming the forgotten dancer in this company. Isn't City Center stage to small to stage Mozartiana? To me it seems to be a ballet made for a larger stage. I look forward at seeing again Pillar of Fire and for the first time Le Spectre de la Rose. But I say this: If ABT does not give a spectacular performance of Les Sylphides after denying Alicia Alonso's Cubia ballet company to perform it last year they will be getting a great deal of flack! Link to comment
Juliet Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 "I also notice that Amanda McKerrow won't be dancing. It seem to me she is becoming the forgotten dancer in this company." McKerrow has been dancing for many years. She gave a "farewell performance", at least once, from ABT some time ago. Mozartiana has, in the coda, 11 dancers on stage...just for a brief time. I think it is a perfect ballet for City Center, smaller stage, and not too deep. I agree about Les Sylphides.....but I doubt that the ABT management care what I think. :rolleyes: Link to comment
Patricia Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 According to Antonia Fraser in her entertaining THE WIVES OF HENRY VIII, Henry didn't become a slobbo until after his marriage to Anne Bolyen. Portraits of Henry as a young prince and king indicate he was a handsome fellow. He was full porker-size by the time he got to wife #5, Katherine Howard. How this works as a ballet will be interesting. Now let's be fair: if NYCB has Barbie, ABT should have Angelina Ballerina, right ? Link to comment
Alexandra Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Perhaps Angelina and Barbie could meet, a la Martha Graham's tennis match for Mary and Liz in "Episodes"....... Link to comment
Dale Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Here's the 2004 City Center brochure. Link to comment
bingham Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 Hmmm...Wheeldon at ABT,I did not think NYCB would"allow" him to choreograph for ABT.How about doing a full-length "Cinderella" for ABT(if ABT can't get the rights for Ashton's version) in the future? Joe Link to comment
nysusan Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 ABT now has casting listed on their website. No Tuttle or McKerrow as previously noted, but we get Nina in 2 performances each of Les Sylphides and Mozartiana, Part in Mozartiana and Ferri in 2 performances of VII. And Kent is back Link to comment
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