Dale

It's very interesting, and sure to shine a light in what is the most important/powerful trust in ballet. And, I was thinking, right before some works might go into the public domain. Apollo and Prodigal Son being the oldest, most regularly performed works by Balanchine. (Maybe some of our legal people will know. There seems to be different rules for works before and after 1977) https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/faqs/copyright-basics/ https://www.nyulawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/NYULawReview-80-6-Lakes.pdf

I understand that feeling. But I've been happy to see Patricia McBride, Edward Villella and Baryshnikov coach at the company since Martins left. Mearns posted a photo of Villella coaching Prodigal Son this week, which is amazing. It would be great to see more of that. It does seem as if the new leaders are open to that. \

Well, the news is out but I'll plant this here as reference: NEW YORK CITY BALLET AND THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET ANNOUNCE NEXT GENERATION OF ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP JONATHAN STAFFORD NAMED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF NYCB AND SAB WENDY WHELAN NAMED ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF NYCB NYCB Resident Choreographer and Soloist Justin Peck to Take on Additional Role of Artistic Advisor for NYCB NEW YORK – February 28, 2019 – The Boards of Directors of New York City Ballet (NYCB) and its affiliate training academy, the School of American Ballet (SAB), today announced the appointment of Jonathan Stafford as Artistic Director of NYCB and SAB, and Wendy Whelan as Associate Artistic Director of NYCB, establishing the esteemed former NYCB dancers, SAB alumni, and prominent industry notables as the next generation of artistic leadership at two of the world’s most acclaimed and storied dance institutions. At NYCB, Stafford and Whelan will serve in a new management structure designed to ensure that one of the world’s preeminent dance companies will continue to present performances of the highest artistic caliber while providing a supportive and nurturing environment for all of its artists, including more than 90 dancers and the 62-piece New York City Ballet Orchestra. “New York City Ballet is proud to usher in this next generation of leadership with two of our own brightest luminaries at the artistic helm,” said Charles W. Scharf, Chairman of New York City Ballet’s Board of Directors. “Jonathan Stafford, whose 20-year career with the Company includes remarkable work as both an exemplary principal dancer and indispensable ballet master, has done an extraordinary job as our interim artistic leader over the past year. Wendy Whelan is one of the most important and beloved dancers in our Company’s history who went on to a build a dynamic post-NYCB career as an innovative and collaborative artist. “I would also like to thank members of the joint search committee which was comprised of board members from both NYCB and SAB and co-chaired by Barry Friedberg and Barbara Vogelstein,” added Scharf. “The boards of NYCB and SAB tasked the committee with gathering feedback from more than 220 artists, employees, and various stakeholders across the larger cultural community and then evaluating the broadest candidate pool as possible to establish our artistic leadership for the future. We are thrilled with the selection of Jonathan and Wendy, who have more than 50 years of combined experience with NYCB and SAB, and also bring fresh perspectives. “I would also like to express my appreciation to Justin Peck, Craig Hall, and Rebecca Krohn who provided outstanding service to NYCB over the past year as members of the interim artistic team; and finally, I would like to thank the entire New York City Ballet community of dancers, musicians, ballet masters, production crew, staff, board, donors, and audience members who have been steadfast in their support of the Company during this transitional period,” Scharf said. Barbara Vogelstein, Chairman of the School of American Ballet’s Board of Directors, added, “The shared artistic leadership of School and Company, originally modeled by George Balanchine, will ensure that our organizations continue to work seamlessly to maintain our distinctly American brand of classical ballet. Jonathan’s accomplishments as a dancer and his long tenure with the School as a faculty member uniquely position him to lead SAB’s efforts in producing the highest caliber artists for NYCB and companies around the world.” Candidates from across the globe submitted applications and others were nominated for consideration by multiple sources. From that pool of candidates, 20 of the most qualified individuals were invited to in-person interviews with the full search committee. Outside counsel and management of the entire process was led by Phillips Oppenheim, a leading non-profit consultancy firm. Stafford, who has been serving in interim leadership roles for NYCB and SAB since December 2017, will begin his new positions immediately and Whelan will begin her new role with NYCB in mid-March. NEW YORK CITY BALLET The new artistic leadership structure at NYCB – with both an Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director – acknowledges the growing and evolving demands of an arts organization of its size and stature. NYCB is the largest dance organization in America and currently function with an annual operating budget of approximately $88 million and supports more than 450 employees, including both artists and administrators. The board concluded that the demands of maintaining the highest standards of artistic excellence and managing the artistic needs of the Company are best served with the complementary skills of Stafford and Whelan. As Artistic Director for NYCB, Stafford will supervise all areas of the Company’s artistic operations, working closely with NYCB Executive Director Katherine Brown, who is responsible for all administrative functions for both the Company and its home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. Stafford will also continue to teach Company class and rehearse and prepare ballets for performance. During his career with NYCB, Stafford performed an extensive repertory of leading roles in works by Balanchine, Robbins, Peter Martins, and numerous other choreographers, and was renowned for his outstanding partnering skills. As a ballet master for NYCB and teacher and educator for SAB, Stafford has played an integral role in the School and Company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and also spearheaded a mentorship program which partners current NYCB dancers with new apprentices from SAB to help guide them through their first year with the Company. Stafford was also SAB’s first-ever Professional Placement Manager, a role created to assist students with the transition into their professional careers. In the role of Associate Artistic Director for NYCB, Whelan will focus on conceiving, planning, and programming NYCB’s annual performance season; commissioning new work from choreographers, composers, and other artistic collaborators; and working closely with NYCB’s dancers in the rehearsal studio, both teaching class and coaching numerous works in NYCB’s unparalleled repertory. During her 30-year career as a dancer with NYCB, Whelan performed roles in nearly all of the Company’s heritage repertory of works by Balanchine and Robbins, and was also the dancer most choreographed on in NYCB history, creating leading roles in countless new works by such choreographers as Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, William Forsythe, and numerous others. Whelan also had close working relationships with Christopher Wheeldon and Alexei Ratmansky, collaborating with the choreographers on several of their most critically-acclaimed works. Since leaving NYCB in 2014, Whelan has pursued a variety of multi-disciplinary projects with cultural organizations around the world. The new leadership formation at NYCB will also expand the involvement of Resident Choreographer Justin Peck, who will add the role of Artistic Adviser to his portfolio. In this capacity, and at Stafford and Whelan’s invitation, Peck will work closely with both of them on ideas for programming and new commissions. Throughout the past year, Peck played an important part in these areas as a member of the interim artistic team, and has been instrumental in several recent commissions for NYCB including Kyle Abraham’s The Runaway, which premiered last fall to great acclaim; and a new work from choreographer Pam Tanowitz, who will create her first-ever ballet for NYCB during the 2019 Spring Season. Following the 2019 Spring Season, Peck will transition off NYCB’s dancer roster where he is currently a Soloist. SCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET As Artistic Director of the School of American Ballet, Stafford will work closely with Chairman of Faculty Kay Mazzo and SAB Executive Director Carrie Hinrichs to ensure that the most promising ballet students in the United States have the training, resources, and guidance to develop into world-class artists and healthy, well-rounded individuals. While Whelan will not take on a formal leadership role at SAB, she is expected to guest teach with regularity. Based at Lincoln Center, the School trains approximately 1,000 students per year and actively recruits nationally and abroad for the intermediate and advanced students who live onsite. Each year, New York City Ballet selects up to 10 students to join the Company as apprentices. All but two of NYCB’s current dancers trained at SAB. As Artistic Director, Stafford will be charged with maintaining the high quality of the School’s training and curriculum and support essential fundraising initiatives for scholarships and programming. “For more than a decade, Jon has been an important figure in the life of the School, serving as a faculty member, creating the role of Professional Placement Manager, and spearheading the introduction of a formal mentorship program for apprentices,” said Barbara Vogelstein, Chairman of the School of American Ballet’s Board of Directors. “In all of these roles, Jon has been widely admired as a natural leader who is immensely invested in the success and growth of the School’s students. We are confident that the School will thrive under his leadership, and that students will also benefit tremendously from the presence of one of the greatest ballerinas of her generation, Wendy Whelan, in our classrooms.” ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP STATEMENTS “For me there are no more treasured institutions than New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet,” said Stafford. “My time with the School and Company began in 1996, and each year that I have spent here, I have grown as a person and artist. I have developed a deep appreciation for the organizations, their commitments to Balanchine, Kirstein, and Robbins, and all of the people – past and present – who comprise NYCB and SAB. I am immensely proud to serve as Artistic Director, and to stand with Wendy Whelan to lead us forward. “This appointment represents a homecoming for me, and I could not be more thrilled to return to New York City Ballet,” said Whelan. “I feel a strong, personal need to be here and to share all that I have to offer to instill positive growth and change for the Company. Having served as a role model during my career as a dancer, I am excited to now have the opportunity to contribute in a leadership capacity. The magnitude of what my appointment represents for female dancers, and all women, is of critical importance to me. The moment for change at New York City Ballet is now, and I am excited to help welcome it with Jonathan Stafford.” “I am overjoyed to team up with Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan, two individuals I admire greatly,” said Peck. “I look forward to working with them closely and to the future of New York City Ballet, and am especially excited for all that we will accomplish together to bring innovative new works to our stages, inspiring both artists and audience members alike.” BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Jonathan Stafford Stafford is a Ballet Master and a former Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet, and a permanent faculty member at the School of American Ballet. He has been leading the interim artistic team of NYCB since December 2017, working closely with the rest of the Company’s artistic staff to oversee and manage the day-to-day artistic life of NYCB. During his performing career with NYCB, he danced an extensive repertory of featured roles in numerous ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Christopher Wheeldon, and also originated featured roles in works by Mauro Bigonzetti and Alexei Ratmansky. As an educator, Stafford served as a member of SAB’s guest faculty beginning in 2006 and joined the School’s permanent faculty in 2007. In 2015 he was named SAB’s first Professional Placement Manager, a role created to assist students with the transition into their professional careers. He graduated summa cum laude from the Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies with a B.A. in Organizational Leadership. Born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Stafford studied at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet before first entering SAB in the summer of 1996. Named an NYCB apprentice in October 1998, Stafford joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in February 1999. He was promoted to the rank of Soloist in March of 2006 and became a Principal Dancer in May 2007. Upon retiring from performing in May 2014, Stafford was named one of NYCB’s Ballet Masters. Wendy Whelan Whelan, one of the most acclaimed dancers of her generation, performed with New York City Ballet for 30 years. With a repertory of more than 50 ballets, Whelan danced virtually all of the major Balanchine roles, worked closely with Jerome Robbins on many of his works, and originated roles in ballets by such choreographers as William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Jorma Elo, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Wayne McGregor, Peter Martins, and numerous others. Following her retirement from NYCB in 2014, she has cultivated multi-disciplinary performance projects with a range of collaborators including choreographers Kyle Abraham, Joshua Beamish, Brian Brooks, Alejandro Cerrudo, Lucinda Childs, Daniele Désnoyers, Javier De Frutos, David Neumann, Annie-B Parson, and Arthur Pita. Her awards include the Dance Magazine Award in 2007, and in 2009 she was given a Doctorate of Arts, honoris causa, from Bellarmine University in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. In 2011, she received both the Jerome Robbins Award and a Bessie Award for Sustained Achievement in Performance. Whelan began studying dance in Louisville with Virginia Wooton, a local teacher, and at the Louisville Ballet Academy. In 1981 she received a scholarship to the Summer Course at SAB and a year later, enrolled as a full-time student. She was named an apprentice with NYCB in 1984 and joined the corps de ballet in 1986. She was promoted to Soloist in 1989 and to Principal Dancer in 1991. Whelan’s last performance as a dancer with NYCB, which took place on October 17, 2014, was a landmark evening that brought together generations of artists and audience members in a celebration of her remarkable performing career. Justin Peck In addition to his role as Resident Choreographer and Soloist for NYCB, Peck is also one of the most acclaimed and in-demand choreographers of his generation, and has created more than 35 works for ballet companies around the world. His artistic collaborators include composers Dan Deacon, Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Sufjan Stevens; and visual artists John Baldessari, Jules de Balincourt, Marcel Dzama, Shepard Fairey, Karl Jensen, and Sterling Ruby. He is the recipient of a 2018 Tony Award for his choreography for the Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, and is currently collaborating with Academy Award- winning director Steven Spielberg on a new film adaptation of West Side Story, which Peck will choreograph. Peck will transition off NYCB’s dancer roster, where he is currently a Soloist, at the end of the Company’s 2019 Spring Season. A native of San Diego, California, Peck studied at California Ballet and the School of American Ballet. He has danced with NYCB since 2007, where he performs a variety of repertory by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon, among others. Peck first choreographed as a student at SAB in 2005 and participated in a working session at the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of NYCB, in the fall of 2009. He was named NYCB’s Resident Choreographer, the second in the Company’s history, in July 2014. About New York City Ballet New York City Ballet is one of the foremost dance companies in the world, with a roster of more than 90 dancers and an unparalleled repertory of modern masterpieces. The Company was founded in 1948 by the legendary choreographer George Balanchine and arts patron Lincoln Kirstein, and quickly became world renowned for its contemporary style and a repertory of original ballets that has forever changed the face of classical dance. In 1949 Jerome Robbins joined the Company as Associate Director and together with Balanchine created a vast and varied repertory that grew each season. From 1983 until his retirement in 2017, Peter Martins was the Company’s Ballet Master in Chief. In 2009 Katherine Brown was named NYCB’s first- ever Executive Director, a position created to oversee the administrative management of the Company and its long-time home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. In February 2019, NYCB named Jonathan Stafford Artistic Director and Wendy Whelan Associate Artistic Director. About the School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet is widely regarded as America’s leading ballet school. It is the official academy of New York City Ballet, trains almost all of New York City Ballet’s dancers as well as dancers for companies around the globe, and is world renowned for the excellence of its classical training as established by the School’s founders – the legendary teacher and choreographer George Balanchine and the visionary arts patron and writer Lincoln Kirstein. Students enrolled in the 2018-19 Winter Term hail from throughout New York City, 25 states and 5 foreign countries, and 42 percent identify as students of color. Approximately 20 advanced students embark on professional dance careers annually. Beyond the footlights, the School’s alumni have made their mark over the past 85 years as founders, artistic directors, choreographers and teachers for dance companies and schools around the world. While closely affiliated with New York City Ballet, SAB is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its own board, administration, budget, and fundraising. Peter Martins succeeded George Balanchine as Artistic Director and Chairman of Faculty in 1983. After Mr. Martins’ retirement at the end of 2017, Kay Mazzo was named Chairman of Faculty. In February 2019, Jonathan Stafford was appointed Artistic Director to oversee the School’s operations alongside Executive Director Carrie Hinrichs.

I love seeing these types of performances. As you say, it's like seeing a minor league game. Thank you for reporting back.

A release: American Ballet Theatre to Receive $65,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts New York, New York - National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $27 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $65,000 to American Ballet Theatre for the ABT Women’s Movement. Art Works is the Arts Endowment’s principal grantmaking program. The agency received 1,605 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking, and will award 972 grants in this category. “The arts enhance our communities and our lives, and we look forward to seeing these projects take place throughout the country, giving Americans opportunities to learn, to create, to heal, and to celebrate,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. ABT Executive Director Kara Medoff Barnett said, “ABT was the first grantee of the NEA in 1965, and we are thrilled that the National Endowment for the Arts continues to generously support innovation and inclusion at America’s National Ballet Company®.” Announced in 2018, the ABT Women’s Movement is a multi-year initiative to support the creation, exploration and staging of new works by female choreographers for American Ballet Theatre and ABT Studio Company. The ABT Women’s Movement will support at least three female choreographers to create new works each season. In most years, one work will be designated for ABT’s main Company, one for the ABT Studio Company and one will be a work- in-process workshop for ABT or Studio Company dancers. Each choreographer works with her respective group of dancers for a two-to-five week period, receiving guidance and feedback from ABT’s artistic staff. For 2019, the ABT Women’s Movement includes work by Stefanie Batten Bland, Gemma Bond, Cathy Marston, Claudia Schreier and Twyla Tharp. For more information, visit www.abt.org/womensmovement. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visitarts.gov/news. Follow American Ballet Theatre on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ABTBalleton Facebook at http://facebook.com/AmericanBalletTheatre or on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/ABTBalletTheatre

Guest artist news: BROOKLYN MACK TO DEBUT WITH AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE AS GUEST ARTIST FOR 2019 SPRING SEASON AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE MACK SCHEDULED TO DANCE THREE PERFORMANCES OF LE CORSAIRE, JUNE 12 MATINEE, JUNE 13 EVENING AND JUNE 15 EVENING Brooklyn Mack, a former member of The Washington Ballet and ABT Studio Company, will join American Ballet Theatre as Guest Artist during the Company’s 2019 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House. It was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Mack will dance the role of Ali in Le Corsaire at the matinee on Wednesday, June 12 and the role of Conrad on the evenings of Thursday, June 13 and Saturday, June 15. Mack began his ballet training at age 12 at the Pavlovich Dance School in Elgin, South Carolina. At age 15, he received a full scholarship to study at The Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. Mack joined the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago as an apprentice in 2004 and began training with ABT Studio Company in 2005. He joined Orlando Ballet in 2006 and The Washington Ballet in 2009. His numerous awards include a silver medal at the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, the 2007 Princess Grace Awards fellowship, the silver prize at the 2009 Helsinki International Ballet Competition, the Grand Prix at the 2012 Istanbul International Ballet Competition and the Gold Medal at the 2012 Varna International Ballet Competition. The 2019 Spring performances are Mack’s first appearances with American Ballet Theatre. Subscriptions for American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House are available by phone at 212-362-6000, or online at ABT’s website www.abt.org. Individual tickets, starting at $22, go on sale beginning Sunday, March 24 at 12:00 Noon. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City.

Thank you. I will check this out. RIP to an artist and pioneer.

I second on Osato's book. A very good read. She had a wonderful, important career. RIP.

From the company: GILLIAN MURPHY TO TAKE MATERNITY LEAVE American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Gillian Murphy has announced her maternity leave. She and her husband, former ABT Principal Dancer Ethan Stiefel, are expecting their first child in June 2019. Ms. Murphy, who joined American Ballet Theatre in 1996, will not perform on the Company’s National Tour or during the 2019 Metropolitan Opera House season, but plans to return to the Company in the Fall.

Official release: AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S 2019 SPRING SEASON AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE, MAY 13 – JULY 6, 2019, TO CELEBRATE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF ABT ARTIST IN RESIDENCE ALEXEI RATMANSKY WITH WORLD PREMIERE AND ALL-RATMANSKY PROGRAM COMPANY PREMIERE OF TWYLA THARP’S DEUCE COUPE TO HEADLINE ALL-THARP PROGRAM, MAY 30 – JUNE 3 COMPANY PREMIERE OF CATHY MARSTON’S JANE EYRESET FOR JUNE 4 ROBERTO BOLLE TO GIVE FAREWELL PERFORMANCE WITH ABT ON JUNE 20 American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 13 – July 6, will feature a World Premiere work by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky in programs dedicated entirely to his works in honor of the choreographer’s 10th year with the Company. The eight-week season will also include the Company Premieres of Deuce Coupe by Twyla Tharp and the full-length Jane Eyre by Cathy Marston. The Spring season was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Principal Dancers for the 2019 Metropolitan Opera House season are Stella Abrera, Roberto Bolle, Isabella Boylston, Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo, David Hallberg, Sarah Lane, Alban Lendorf, Gillian Murphy, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Daniil Simkin, Cory Stearns, Devon Teuscher and James Whiteside. 2019 Spring Gala Performance and World Premiere American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Spring Gala on Monday evening, May 20 will pay tribute to the 10th Anniversary year of Alexei Ratmansky as ABT Artist in Residence. Ratmansky, who was named ABT’s first Artist in Residence in 2009, has created 15 works for the Company. To celebrate his 10th year, the Gala evening will present the World Premiere of a new work by Ratmansky set to The Seasons by Alexander Glazounov, with sets and costumes designed by Robert Perdziola. For more information on ABT’s 2019 Spring Gala, please call the Special Events Office at 212-477-3030, ext. 3311. All-Ratmansky Program and Full-Lengths An All-Ratmansky program of repertory works is scheduled for four performances, May 21-23. In addition to the World Premiere work, the programs will include On the Dnieper (2009), Ratmansky’s first work of repertory for the Company, and Songs of Bukovina (2017), his most recent. On the Dnieper, set to a score of the same name by Sergei Prokofiev, has scenery by Simon Pastukh, costumes by Galina Solovyeva, lighting by Brad Fields and projections by Wendall K. Harrington. Ratmansky’s production of On the Dnieperreceived its World Premiere on June 1, 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera House, performed by Veronika Part (Natalia), Marcelo Gomes (Sergei), Paloma Herrera (Olga) and David Hallberg (Olga’s Fiancé). Prokofiev’s score for On the Dnieper was originally commissioned by the Paris Opera, and the ballet received its World Premiere in 1932 by the Paris Opera Ballet. Songs of Bukovina is set to music by Leonid Desyatnikov and features costumes by Moritz Junge and lighting by Brad Fields. The ballet was given its World Premiere on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at the David H. Koch Theater in New York, performed by Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III, as well as April Giangeruso, Lauren Post, Katherine Williams, Stephanie Williams, Marshall Whiteley, Joo Won Ahn, Duncan Lyle and Patrick Frenette. American Ballet Theatre’s recognition of Ratmansky’s work continues with performances of his full-length ballets including Harlequinade, Whipped Cream andThe Sleeping Beauty. Harlequinade, staged by Ratmansky after the original by Marius Petipa, will open the Company’s Spring season on Monday evening, May 13 with Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside, Gillian Murphy and Thomas Forster in the leading roles. The production received its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on June 4, 2018, led by the same cast. A comic ballet in two acts, Harlequinade is set to music by Riccardo Drigo and first premiered in 1900 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ratmansky’s Harlequinadefeatures sets and costumes by Robert Perdziola and lighting by Brad Fields. The ballet will be given eight performances through Saturday evening, May 18. Whipped Cream returns to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House for seven performances beginning Friday, May 24 featuring Daniil Simkin, Hee Seo, Cory Stearns and Sarah Lane in the leading roles. Choreographed by Ratmansky, the ballet features scenery and costumes by artist Mark Ryden and lighting by Brad Fields. Whipped Cream, with a libretto and score by Richard Strauss, is based on the two-act ballet originally created as Schlagobers, which premiered at the Vienna State Opera in 1924. Ratmansky’s production received its World Premiere by ABT on March 15, 2017 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California danced by Daniil Simkin (The Boy), Stella Abrera (Princess Tea Flower), David Hallberg (Prince Coffee) and Sarah Lane (Princess Praline). The Sleeping Beauty returns to the Metropolitan Opera House for the first time since 2016 for eight performances beginning Monday, July 1 with Isabella Boylston and Alban Lendorf in the leading cast. Set to the classic score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky,The Sleeping Beauty has choreography by Marius Petipa and staging and additional choreography by Ratmansky, with assistance by Tatiana Ratmansky. The production features scenery and costumes by Tony Award®-winning designer Richard Hudson. Hudson’s designs are based on the historic work of Léon Bakst, who created a seminal version of The Sleeping Beauty for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1921. The Sleeping Beauty received its World Premiere on March 3, 2015 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, danced by Diana Vishneva (Princess Aurora) and Marcelo Gomes (Prince Désiré). Company Premiere The Company Premiere of the full-length Jane Eyre, choreographed by Cathy Marston, is set for Tuesday evening, June 4 with Devon Teuscher in the title role and James Whiteside as Rochester. Jane Eyre features choreography and direction by Marston, music compiled and composed by Philip Feeney, scenery and costumes by Patrick Kinmonth and lighting by Brad Fields. The production received its World Premiere by Northern Ballet on May 19, 2016 in Doncaster, England performed by Dreda Blow as Jane Eyre and Javier Torres as Rochester. Jayne Eyre is a co-production with Joffrey Ballet and will be staged for ABT by Jenny Tattersall and Daniel de Andrade. Following the June 4 Company Premiere, the ballet will be given seven performances by ABT through Monday, June 10. Company Premiere and All-Tharp Programs Twyla Tharp’s 1973 hit Deuce Coupe will be given its Company Premiere on Thursday evening, May 30 as part of an All-Tharp program. Set to music by The Beach Boys, ABT’s premiere of Deuce Coupe will feature costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. Deuce Coupe was given its World Premiere in 1973 by Joffrey Ballet at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, Illinois. The All-Tharp program will include performances of The Brahms-Haydn Variations and In the Upper Room. A ballet for thirty dancers, The Brahms-Haydn Variations, originally entitledVariations on a Theme by Haydn, is set to music by the same name by Johannes Brahms and features costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Jennifer Tipton, with staging by Susan Jones. The Brahms-Haydn Variations was given its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D. C. on Tuesday, March 21, 2000, danced by Jose Manuel Carreño, Angel Corella, Marcelo Gomes, Herman Cornejo, Maxim Beloserkovsky, Sandra Brown, Julie Kent, Paloma Herrera, Ashley Tuttle and Irina Dvorovenko. In the Upper Room is set to music by Philip Glass with costumes by Norma Kamali and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. A ballet in nine parts, In the Upper Room was given its World Premiere by Twyla Tharp Dance on August 28, 1986. In the Upper Roomreceived its ABT Company Premiere on December 10, 1988 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California. The ballet will be staged for ABT by Shelley Washington, with Nancy Raffa. Roberto Bolle Farewell and Returning Full-lengths Eight performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon are scheduled to begin Monday, June 17 with Hee Seo in the title role, Roberto Bolle as Des Grieux, Stella Abrera as Lescaut’s Mistress and James Whiteside as Lescaut. Bolle will give his farewell performance with ABT in the ballet on Thursday, June 20. Staged for ABT by Julie Lincoln and Robert Tewsley, the ballet is set to music by Jules Massenet and features scenery and costumes by Peter Farmer and lighting by Christina Giannelli. Manon, with scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis, was given its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on March 7, 1974, danced by Antoinette Sibley as Manon and Anthony Dowell as Des Grieux. Manon received its United States premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York on May 7, 1974, danced by the same cast. The Company Premiere of the full-lengthManon was given on May 28, 1993 at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, danced by Alessandra Ferri as Manon, Julio Bocca as Des Grieux, Gil Boggs as Lescaut, Kathleen Moore as Lescaut’s Mistress, Michael Owen as Monsieur G.M., Victor Barbee as Jailer and Georgina Parkinson as Madame. This production, featuring the Farmer designs, was premiered by Houston Ballet on May 19, 1994. Manon was last performed by ABT in 2014. The season’s first performance of Le Corsaire on Tuesday evening, June 11 will feature Skylar Brandt, Herman Cornejo, Sarah Lane, Carlos Gonzales and Daniil Simkin in the leading roles. Based on the Lord Byron poem “The Corsair” (1814), the ballet features choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev after Marius Petipa and staging by Anna- Marie Holmes after Petipa and Sergeyev, with music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo and Prince Oldenbourg. Scenery and costumes are by Irina Tibilova, with additional costume designs by Robert Perdziola and lighting by Mary Jo Dondlinger. Le Corsaire received its Company Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on June 19, 1998 with Nina Ananiashvili (Medora), Ashley Tuttle (Gulnare), Giuseppe Picone (Conrad), Angel Corella (Birbanto), Jose Manuel Carreño (Ali, the slave) and Vladimir Malakhov (Lankendem). Last presented by ABT in 2017, Le Corsaire will be given seven performances through June 15. Eight performances of Swan Lake, choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, will be given beginning Monday, June 24 with Hee Seo and Cory Stearns leading the opening night cast. Swan Lake is set to the score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Duane Schuler. This production of Swan Lake premiered on March 24, 2000 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. with Julie Kent (Odette- Odile) and Angel Corella (Prince Siegfried). ABTKids ABTKids, American Ballet Theatre’s annual one-hour introduction to ballet for families, is scheduled for Saturday morning, May 20 at 11:00A.M. All tickets forABTKids are $25. Subscriptions for American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House, on sale beginning Wednesday, October 31, are available by phone at 212-362-6000, or online at ABT’s website www.abt.org. Deuce Coupe is generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Leadership support for Harlequinade, part of The Ratmansky Project, has been generously provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The Marjorie S. Isaac/Irving H. Isaac Fund. Leadership support for Jane Eyre, part of the ABT Women’s Movement, has been generously provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel. Additional support has been provided by Mark Casey and Carrie Gasier Casey, Margee and John Falk, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Elizabeth Yntema, and through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. American Ballet Theatre's performances of Le Corsaire are generously underwritten through an endowed gift from Irene and Fred Shen. American Ballet Theatre's performances of Manon were generously supported through an endowed gift from Anka K. Palitz, in memory of Clarence Y. Palitz, Jr. On the Dnieper is generously sponsored by Leila and Mickey Straus and through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund Leadership support for The Ratmansky Project has been provided by Avery and Andrew F. Barth, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, and The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund. Additional support has been provided by Dr. Joan Taub Ades, Linda Allard, Sarah Arison, Steven Backes, Lisa and Dick Cashin, Mark Casey and Carrie Gasier Casey, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation, Linda and Martin Fell, Vicki Netter Fitzgerald, William J. Gillespie, Brian J. Heidtke, The Marjorie S. Isaac/Irving H. Isaac Fund, Howard S. Paley, Pearl T. Maxim Trust, Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Bernard L. Schwartz, John Leland Sills and Elizabeth Papadopoulos-Sills, Melissa A. Smith, The H. Russell Smith Foundation/Stewart R. Smith and Robin A. Ferracone, Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation, Sutton Stracke, and Sedgwick Ward. ABT gratefully acknowledges Lead Sponsor of The Sleeping Beauty, David H. Koch. Additional leadership support is generously provided by the Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation. ABT’s production of Swan Lake has been generously underwritten by R. Chemers Neustein. Leadership support for Whipped Cream, part of The Ratmansky Project, has been generously provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence A. Deutsch Foundation. American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. ABTMetGrid2019.pdf

A release: CHOREOGRAPHERS FOR ABT INCUBATOR SELECTED KELSEY GRILLS, SUNG WOO HAN, GABRIELLE LAMB, DUNCAN LYLE AND JAMES WHITESIDE TO CREATE NEW WORK FOR WORKSHOP Choreographers Kelsey Grills and Gabrielle Lamb, along with American Ballet Theatre dancers Sung Woo Han, Duncan Lyle and James Whiteside, have been selected to create work forABT Incubator, a two-week choreographic workshop providing a focused lab to generate and inspire movement. Directed by ABT Principal Dancer David Hallberg, ABT Incubator will be held October 31 – November 10, 2018 at ABT’s New York studios. ABT Incubator choreographers were chosen through an audition process with selections made by a panel including ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, ABT Principal Dancer David Hallberg, ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie, Danspace Executive Director Judy Hussie-Taylor and choreographers Jessica Lang and Lar Lubovitch. With lead support from The Howard Hughes Corporation, choreographers will be provided studio space, a stipend and mentoring to create new work on dancers from ABT and ABT Studio Company. Kelsey Grills is a dancer-choreographer based in New York City. She earned a BFA in Dance at Florida State University and has interned at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography. She has choreographed work for PORTER Magazine and clothing brand Madewell, and has assisted on the choreography of films for Skype, Samsung and Derek Lam. Sung Woo Han joined American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet in 2013. Han was born in Seoul, South Korea and has won numerous awards including International Ballet Competition- Varna, Youth America Grand Prix and second prize at the Prix de Lausanne in 2011. Gabrielle Lamb is the director of Pigeonwing Dance, a contemporary dance company based in New York City. Lamb is the winner of a Princess Grace Award for Choreography and a New York City Center Choreography Fellowship, as well as choreographic competitions at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Milwaukee Ballet and Western Michigan University. Her work has been presented by companies such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Duncan Lyle, originally from Melbourne, Australia, graduated from the Royal Ballet School in 2010 and joined the corps de ballet of Boston Ballet the same year. He joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in 2012. James Whiteside, born in Fairfield, Connecticut, joined the corps de ballet of Boston Ballet in 2002 and rose through the ranks to become principal dancer in 2009. He joined ABT as a Soloist in 2012 and was named a Principal Dancer in 2013. “These creators exemplified the definition of ABT Incubator during the application process, and we look forward to nurturing and exploring their ideas through a concentrated two- week workshop process,” said Hallberg. “We are thrilled to welcome Kelsey and Gabrielle to ABT, as well as continue to support ABT’s dancers as they discover their individual choreographic voices.” “ABT Incubator embodies our commitment to the exploration of the creative process, and to the unique and vital talents shaping our communities today,” said David R. Weinreb, CEO, The Howard Hughes Corporation. ABT Incubator will conclude with a private studio showing on November 10.Lead Support for ABT Incubator is generously provided by The Howard Hughes Corporation.

He just posted a multi-part post on IG: https://www.instagram.com/alastair.macaulay/?hl=en I'm happy for him as it sounds like he's got some things he wants to do but I fear they won't replace him and the coverage of dance will be diminished.

From the company: TRICK-OR-TREAT WITH AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE AT THE FAMILY FRIENDLY MATINEE, DAVID H. KOCH THEATER, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2018, 2:00 P.M. DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR CHILDREN AGES 4 AND UP ON SALE A special matinee on Saturday, October 27 at the David H. Koch Theater will feature family friendly programming from American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Fall Season, Halloween- themed activities and discounted pricing for children. The matinee performance will include Lauren Lovette’s Le Jeune danced by the ABT Studio Company, the pas de deux from Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker performed by Misty Copeland and Aran Bell, and Jerome Robbins’s Fancy Free with Arron Scott, Thomas Forster, Calvin Royal III, Luciana Paris and Isabella Boylston. Families are invited to wear their favorite costumes and Trick-or-Treat with ABT at 1:15 P.M. prior to the performance and during intermission. A variety of activities designed for children to learn about the art of ballet will be stationed on the Promenade of the Koch Theater. Families can meet an ABT dancer, explore different styles of dance shoes at the “Dance Shoe Petting Zoo,” pose for photos on ABT’s “Costume Catwalk” and enter a contest for “Best Ballet-Inspired Costume.” Children (ages 4-18) receive a 50% discount off tickets with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket. Family discount tickets are available only by phone at 212-496-0600 or at the Koch Theater box office. The David H. Koch Theater is located at Lincoln Center, Broadway and 63rd Street in New York City.

Sorry. Late to post this as I was out enjoying the first nice day in three weeks! from Nycb: NEW YORK CITY BALLET ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE TERMINATIONS OF PRINCIPAL DANCERS ZACHARY CATAZARO AND AMAR RAMASAR New York City Ballet announced today that Principal Dancers Zachary Catazaro and Amar Ramasar have been terminated, effective immediately. Earlier this summer, following an internal investigation, NYCB determined that Catazaro, Ramasar, and former Principal Dancer Chase Finlay had engaged in inappropriate communications, that while personal, off-hours and off-site, had violated the norms of conduct that NYCB expects from its employees and were unacceptable. As a result, on August 27, NYCB took the initial action of suspending Catazaro and Ramasar until NYCB’s 2019 Winter Season. NYCB had also made the decision to terminate Finlay prior to receiving notice of his resignation. After further assessment of their conduct and the impact on the NYCB community, the Company has made the decision to terminate Catazaro and Ramasar. In making the announcement NYCB Executive Director Katherine Brown and Interim Artistic Team leader Jonathan Stafford said, “We have no higher obligation than to ensure that our dancers and staff have a workplace where they feel respected and valued, and we are committed to providing that environment for all employees of New York City Ballet. We will not allow the private actions of a few to undermine the hard work and strength of character that is consistently demonstrated by the other members of our community or the excellence for which the Company stands.”

A release: SLEEPING BEAUTY DREAMS A NEW KIND OF LIVE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE COMBINING ART, THEATRE, AND TECHNOLOGY Diana Vishneva, Principal Dancer Thijs de Vlieger, Composer Bart Hess, Costume Design Tobias Gremmler, Digital Artist Marcelo Gomes, Principal Dancer fuse*, Technology Artists Laurent Fort, Light Artist Edward Clug, Choreographer World Premiere December 7th and 8th | Miami | The Adrienne Arch Center December 14th and 15th | New York City | Beacon Theater New York, NY (September 2018) – Sleeping Beauty Dreams is an innovative artistic performance that unifies dance, contemporary art, and cutting-edge digital technology. Artists of different medias draw inspiration from the famous legend and explore the untold story of Princess Aurora’s 100 years of dreams. Combining real-time digital imaging technology, contemporary choreography, electronic music, and new media art Sleeping Beauty Dreams will show that the world of dreams is unique and doesn’t have to be confined by time or space. The team of artists includes Diana Vishneva (Princess Aurora), Tobias Gremmler (Digital Artist), Thijs de Vlieger of NOISIA (Composer), Edward Clug (Choreographer), Bart Hess (Costume Design), fuse* (Technology Artists), and Laurent Fort (Light Artist). Dancing as the Prince will be Marcelo Gomes. Diana and Marcelo will be reunited on stage for the first time since retiring from American Ballet Theatre. Tobias Gremmler has visualised and fuse* brought to life the digital avatars – virtual characters that will react in real time to the dancers' movements on stage. No two performances will be identical. Thijs de Vlieger, of the musical group NOISIA, has composed music specially for this production. Lady Gaga's slime dress creator, Bart Hess, will design costumes that interact with the digital projections. Bart’s designs express his ongoing fascination with the human form using instinctive and futuristic textiles. Sleeping Beauty Dreams will premiere in Miami at The Adrienne Arch Center on December 7th and 8th and then comes to New York’s Beacon Theater December 14th and 15th. In 2019 Sleeping Beauty Dreams will tour nationally to 20 cities and in 2020, internationally. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information visit www.sbdart.com. Diana Vishneva, Principal Dancer Diana Vishneva is one the worlds most celebrated dancers. Prima Ballerina with the Mariinsky Theatre, Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (until 2017), she is also one of those rare artists who, quoting William Forsythe, "define the vector of their practice" and distinguish themselves as "dance philosophers". A graduate of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St Petersburg, from the start of her career she combined extraordinary accomplishments in classical dance with an ardent desire for experimentation. This led to collaborations with outstanding contemporary choreographers, from Hans van Manen and Mats Ek to Edouard Lock and Ohad Naharin. In 2013, Vishneva performed in Maurice Béjart's Bolero, being the first Russian ballerina after Maya Plissetskaya to dance the highly coveted principal part with Ballet Béjart Lausanne. Vishneva is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including the Gold Medal and Grand Prix of the International Ballet Competition in Lausanne (1994), the Divine prize, the Benois de la Danse award, the Golden Soffit, the Spirit of Dance prize in the category «Queen of Dance», Europe’s Best Dancer award, six Golden Masks, and the Ballerina of the Decade prize. In 2010, she established the Diana Vishneva Foundation, aimed at increasing access to ballet for every social strata, promoting dance as a modern art form, and providing support to young and retired performers. She is the founder of Context. Diana Vishneva, an international festival giving the Russian audience access to the best in contemporary dance and supporting Russian talent in this field. Vishneva has initiated a series of projects in various artistic fields. New dance pieces have been created for her by renowned choreographers such as John Neumeier, Carolyn Carlson, Alexei Ratmansky, Jean-Christophe Maillot, and Moses Pendleton. She starred in the award-winning film Gravitation (2016) that used state-of-the art technology to translate the language of dance into that of cinema, and initiated Multiverse (2017), a publication focused on the new, emerging forms of art. The book features interviews with some of the leading contemporary choreographers Vishneva had collaborated with, as well as artists Bill Viola and Olafur Eliasson; designer Ross Lovegrove, fashion creator Iris van Herpen, and photographer Nick Knight to name but a few. Thijs de Vlieger (NOISIɅ), Composer Together, Thijs de Vlieger, Nik Roos and Martijn van Sonderen form Noisia – the three-musicians, one-Vision collective that aims to "explore the outer edges and capabilities of electronic musicality without compromise, turn sound design into an art" and translate their discoveries into records "that sound like nothing else". Sharing a passion for progression, technical innovation and ruthless quality control, the trio have worked together since leaving school. Within two years of their 2003 debut release, they already appeared on some of the most agenda-setting labels in drum & bass: Moving Shadow, Subtitles, Renegade Hardware, Shogun, Ram, and many more. A decade later, they proceeded to become one of the most established and uncompromised acts in electronic music. From their unique, custom-built floating triple-studio complex in Groningen, Netherlands, they have created benchmark productions, established three respected labels (Vision, Division, Invisible), remixed rave titans such as The Prodigy and Skrillex, curated their own Noisia Invites festival, and scored games (Devil May Cry, Counter Strike) and music for movies (The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Transformers 3). The defining chapter in the trio’s ambitious vision so far, the album and performance concept Outer Edges expands their palette still further. Visually heightening, physically stimulating, technically unique and immersive, it lends itself to a broad range of contexts, from festival mainstages to underground clubs. Exploring other dimensions independently, de Vlieger has cooperated with several dance and live music performances. These include (non-electronic) scoring for a wind quintet and mixing a live string quartet with electronic music for the symphony orchestra NNO (2014); electronic/acoustic scores for interdisciplinary dance & live music performances by renowned contemporary dance ensemble Club Guy & Roni (2015, 2017), and for Dijanne Italianer’s theatre & dance performance at this year’s Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival. Bart Hess, Costume Design An artist with a gift for producing magic from the most basic materials, Bart Hess creates art films, performances, installations and texture designs that suspend the viewer between meditation and addiction. Hess’s untamed imagination is backed by his sophisticated craftsmanship and proficiency in new media. "Today I’m a filmmaker, but tomorrow I can be a textile designer," says the artist whose workshop in Eindhoven, Netherlands, keeps transforming on a regular basis. The outcome is visually arresting work that blurs the boundaries between dream and reality, beauty and ugliness, attraction and repulsion, nature and technology. Hess has collaborated with Lady Gaga; "science fiction artist and body architect" Lucy McRae; eminent fashion photographer and digital imaging pioneer Nick Knight. In 2015, Hess created stage design and costumes for the renowned Dance Company Nanine Linning’s production Silver. His work has been shown in a solo exhibition Future Bodies in Stedelijk Museum ’s-Hertogenbosch; as well as in exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; The Institute Of Contemporary Arts, Singapore, and Saatchi Gallery, London, among others. Tobias Gremmler, Digital Artist A pioneer of media scenography, Tobias Gremmler is continuously reinventing the scope of what’s possible in performance arts. This German-born, Hong Kong-based artist is known as the one who "breaks the wall between virtuality and reality" (designNET). "In our cultural projects we can go beyond the digital; we can break the rules, transfer them to other media and develop hybrid forms," the artist says. Blending his profound expertise in digital media, motion graphics & interface design with bold artistic exploration, Gremmler creates unique immersive experiences for brands, musicians and theatre productions. Gremmler’s pursuits range from academic research to multimedia art. His mind-bending artistry spans various genres, from collaborations with the world’s leading brands including Apple, Nike, BMW, Daimler Chrysler and Siemens to real-meet-digital creations celebrating the London Symphony Orchestra; sophisticated virtual actors for a 21st century, new-media version of the Chinese Opera at Asia’s leading theatre festival Zuni Icosahedron; powerful media scenography for a concert of Asia Pacific’s influential music duo Tat Ming Pair or for a theater show by Oscar-winning art director Tim Yip. Marcelo Gomes Marcelo Gomes is a principal dancer who is widely admired for his combination of technical prowess, fine acting and beautiful form. His other assets include being one of the top three male dancers in the world – known for his athleticism, artistry, dedication, work ethic and collaborative nature – his movie-star good looks and his fashionable style. Beyond his ballet and acting talents, Marcelo is articulate in multiple languages, has a warm engaging voice, and projects a charismatic stage and television presence. A native of Brazil, Marcelo was born in Manaus and raised in Rio de Janeiro, where he began his dance studies at the Helena Lobato and Dalal Achcar Ballet Schools. He set off alone at age 12 to study at The HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, and subsequently at the schools of the Paris Opera Ballet, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Cuballet. Marcelo was invited to join ABT in 1997 at age 18 and was rapidly promoted to principal dancer in 2002 until 2017. He was ABT’s lead male dancer and has an enthusiastic following of 31,000 Facebook and 66,000 Instagram fans. He was awarded the the "Hope Prize" at the Prix de Lausanne and received the prestigious " Benois de la Danse". Marcelo has starred as a guest artist with the Mariinsky Ballet and The Royal Ballet, among many international companies. He has appeared with the Kings of the Dance since 2006. He made his debut with the Bolshoi Ballet in July 2013, dancing the title role in Onegin opposite Diana Vishneva. Marcelo choreographed the Under Armour “I Will What I Want” television campaign starring ballerina Misty Copeland, which has gone viral on the internet, receiving over 10 million views on YouTube alone. He also created a solo for Misty’s appearance on The Late Show with Steven Colbert this October, accompanied by YoYo Ma. Recently, Marcelo had a smashing success at Lincoln Center with AfterEffect, a ballet he choreographed for ABT, collaborating in the scenic design with the remarkable 93-year-old artist, Françoise Gilot. Marcelo both choreographed and performs in the newly released music video by country singer Lindi Ortega. In November 2015, he created a solo for a sold-out Frick Collection Salon Evening, in tandem with an exhibition by Renaissance painter Andrea del Sarto. In 2015, media coverage includes Marcelo featured on the cover of American Airlines’ NEXOS in-flight magazine in the December-January edition. In January 2016, Marcelo received Dance Magazine’s Dancer of the Year Award, one of the highest honors in the field. Marcelo is also the subject of a full-length documentary that is nearing release called " The anatomy of a male ballet dancer" fuse*, Technology Artists fuse* is a creative studio and production company that operates at the intersection of art and science, exploring the expressive potential of emerging digital technologies. From the outset, the Italy-based studio’s research was focused primarily on the production of immersive installations and live media performances that profoundly engage the audience creating a powerful emotional impact. Taking a holistic approach to art, fuse* develop work that inspires, pushes the limits, and fascinates the viewer with new kinds of interplay between light, space, sound and movement. fuse* has always linked its evolution to that of the community in which it operates – supporting, promoting and developing projects aimed at spreading culture and knowledge. For this purpose, it co-produces NODE since 2016, an electronic music and digital arts festival. Laurent Fort, Light Artist Laurent Fort’s art is focused on the beauty and emotional power of light. The works by this French-born, US-based artist transport the viewer into mysterious, immersive environments defined by ever-changing, moving and 'breathing’ reflections of light. Guided by Leonardo da Vinci’s idea of simplicity as the ultimate sophistication, Fort uses familiar materials and techniques to produce an infinite variety of breathtaking luminous effects. In his installations, the artist seeks to achieve "an unusual balance between nature and artifice". Exploring the poetic dimension of light and colour, he wishes to create moments of contemplation and serenity and bypass our rational thinking to directly address our emotions and feelings. The winner of The Architectural Digest’s Young Designer Award (2005), Fort is involved in multiple art and design collaborations, notably with prestigious Italian fashion brand ETRO and the Baglioni Hotel in London, and exhibits internationally, including the participation in the Governors Island Art Fair (New York), spectacular exhibitions in Rome and Paris during the UNESCO-sponsored International Year of Light (2015), and the Biwako Biennale in Japan (2016, 2018). Edward Clug, Choreographer Edward Clug is a contemporary dance choreographer and a long-time artistic director of the Slovenian National Theatre’s Maribor Ballet who has succeeded in putting the company on the international dancing map. Bachtrack praises Clug’s "unusually athletic but poetic works, dances that reveal and play upon the foibles and ironies of the human condition". His profound sense of theatre allies with an openness towards new creative disciplines as Clug seeks to reach beyond the familiar scope of a dance production and deliver work that speaks to "the 21st century’s mind". Under Clug’s artistic direction, the Maribor Ballet participated in the largest theatre festivals, such as Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the US, The Stars of the White Nights festival in the Mariinski Theatre St.Petersburg, Arts Festival in Singapore, and Seoul International Dance Festival in Korea. The Slovenia-based, globe-trotting choreographer received international acclaim with Radio & Juliet (2005), followed by Rite of Spring (2012), Stabat Mater (2012), and Peer Gynt (2015). Clug was repeatedly invited to create new works for Stuttgart Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Les Grands Ballets in Montréal and other companies around the world. In 2014, German magazine Tanz acknowledged him as one of the future's hopes in the field of choreography. In 2015, his work for one of the world’s most innovative and prestigious contemporary dance companies, Nederlands Dans Theater, received rave reviews, leading to further collaborations with NDT. Faust for Zürich Ballet in April and Petrushka for the Bolshoi Theatre in November are Clug’s other 2018 premieres besides Sleeping Beauty Dreams.

No. Third guy is Geoffrey.

I noticed that Catazaro has been removed from the Bloomingdales ad campaign and he deleted the items from his social media: https://www.bloomingdales.com/b/campaigns/mixmasters/men/?cm_sp=Zachary-Catazaro-image

Just read the court docs - ugly stuff. Extremely Inappropriate, if proven true (and it does seem as if copies of the correspondence has been captured). I think this comes from the top down. Agree with all who are saying how the female members of the company must be feeling (and I hope some of the men are disgusted with what has been going on!) and how new leadership is needed. This doesn't seem like a healthy workplace.

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S 2018 FALL SEASON AT DAVID H. KOCH THEATER ALESSANDRA FERRI TO APPEAR AS GUEST ARTIST Casting for American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Fall Season at the David H. Koch Theater was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Principal Dancers for the 2018 Fall season include Stella Abrera, Isabella Boylston, Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo, Sarah Lane, Gillian Murphy, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Cory Stearns, Devon Teuscher and James Whiteside. Alessandra Ferri returns to ABT for the Fall season as a Guest Artist. American Ballet Theatre’s Fall season will open with a Gala performance on Wednesday, October 17 at 6:30pm. As part of the ABT Women’s Movement initiative, the Fall Gala performance will be devoted to works by female choreographers. The evening will feature Le Jeune, choreographed by Lauren Lovette and performed by the ABT Studio Company, and a World Premiere by tap dancer and choreographer Michelle Dorrance, co-commissioned with the Vail Dance Festival. Rounding out the Gala performance will be Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, led by Cassandra Trenary, Devon Teuscher, Gillian Murphy, Herman Cornejo, Roman Zhurbin, Blaine Hoven, Isabella Boylston and Joseph Gorak. Skylar Brandt, Alexandra Basmagy, Catherine Hurlin, Cory Stearns, Calvin Royal III, Duncan Lyle, Misty Copeland and Thomas Forster will dance these roles on Friday, October 19. Last performed by American Ballet Theatre in 2012, In the Upper Room is set to music by Philip Glass with costumes by Norma Kamali and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. A ballet in nine parts, In the Upper Room was given its World Premiere by Twyla Tharp Dance on August 28, 1986. In the Upper Room received its ABT Company Premiere on December 10, 1988 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California. The ballet will be staged for ABT by Shelley Washington and Richard Colton. American Ballet Theatre will give the season’s first performance of George Balanchine’sSymphonie Concertante on Thursday evening, October 18 with Hee Seo, Isabella Boylston and Blaine Hoven debuting in the leading roles. Stella Abrera, Gillian Murphy and Alexandre Hammoudi will lead the cast at the matinee on Saturday, October 20, with Hammoudi making his debut in the ballet. Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher and Thomas Forster will dance these roles for the first time at the matinee on Sunday, October 21. Last performed by ABT in 2007, Symphonie Concertante is set to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Major for Violin and Viola K. 364) with costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by David K. H. Elliott. Symphonie Concertante received its World Premiere by Ballet Society at the City Center Theater in New York on November 12, 1947, with Maria Tallchief, Tanaquil LeClerq and Todd Bolender. The ballet received its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on January 19, 1983, danced by Cynthia Gregory, Martine van Hamel and Patrick Bissell. Symphonie Concertante is staged for ABT by Susan Jones. The 2018 Fall season will present Jerome Robbins’s Fancy Free and Other Dances in tribute to the choreographer’s centennial. Performances of Fancy Free, which also commemorate the centennial of composer Leonard Bernstein, begin Thursday evening, October 18, danced by Herman Cornejo, Cory Stearns, James Whiteside, Stella Abrera and Gillian Murphy. At the matinee on Saturday, October 20, Arron Scott will dance the role of the first sailor for the first time in New York, while Thomas Forster and Calvin Royal III will make their debuts as the second and third sailors, respectively. Staged for ABT by Jean-Pierre Frohlich, the ballet features scenery by Oliver Smith, costumes by Kermit Love and lighting by Jennifer Tipton, after Nananne Porcher. Fancy Free received its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on April 18, 1944 at the Metropolitan Opera House. The season’s first performance of Other Dances will take place on Saturday evening, October 20, danced by Hee Seo and Cory Stearns. Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo will make their New York debuts in the ballet at the matinee on Sunday, October 28. Set to a waltz and four mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin, Other Dances features costumes by Santo Loquasto and original lighting by Nananne Porcher. The plotless, classical character pas de deux was created by Robbins for a Gala evening for the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center at the Metropolitan Opera House on May 9, 1976, performed by Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Other Dances is staged for American Ballet Theatre by Isabelle Guérin. The first of four performances of Alexei Ratmansky’s Songs of Bukovina will take place on Friday, October 19, led by Isabella Boylston and Blaine Hoven, in his debut in the role. Set toBukovinian Songs (24 Preludes for Piano) by Leonid Desyatnikov, the ballet features costumes by Moritz Junge and lighting by Brad Fields. Songs of Bukovina received its World Premiere on October 18, 2017 at the David H. Koch Theater in New York danced by Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III. Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Fall season at the David H. Koch Theater, priced from $25, are available online, at the Koch Theater box office or by phone at 212-496-0600. Performance-only tickets for the Opening Night Gala begin at $30. The David H. Koch Theater is located at Lincoln Center, Broadway and 63rd Street in New York City. For more information, please visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org. The World Premiere by Michelle Dorrance has been generously supported by Denise Littlefield Sobel, the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. The World Premiere by Jessica Lang has been generously supported by Denise Littlefield Sobel, the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Symphonie Concertante has been generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Fancy Free is generously underwritten by an endowed gift by Avery and Andrew F. Barth, in honor of Laima and Rudolf Barth. Leadership support for The Ratmansky Project has been provided by Avery and Andrew F. Barth, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, and The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund. Additional support has been provided by Dr. Joan Taub Ades, Linda Allard, Sarah Arison, Steven Backes, Lisa and Dick Cashin, Mark Casey and Carrie Gasier Casey, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation, Linda and Martin Fell, Vicki Netter Fitzgerald, William J. Gillespie, Brian J. Heidtke, Caroline and Edward Hyman, The Marjorie S. Isaac/Irving H. Isaac Fund, Robin Chemers Neustein, Howard S. Paley, Pearl T. Maxim Trust, Lloyd E Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Bernard L. Schwartz, John Leland Sills and Elizabeth Papadopoulos-Sills, Melissa A. Smith, The H. Russell Smith Foundation/Stewart R. Smith and Robin A. Ferracone, Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation, Sutton Stracke, and Sedgwick Ward. Leadership support for AFTERITE has been provided by The Leila and Mickey Straus Family Foundation. Additional support is provided through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Le Jeune was commissioned with leadership support from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Additional support provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel. American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

AUDITORIUM THEATRE AND AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE ANNOUNCE FOUR-YEAR PARTNERSHIP AMERICA’S NATIONAL BALLET COMPANY® TO PERFORM AT CHICAGO’S AUDITORIUM THEATRE ANNUALLY THROUGH 2022 AS VISITING RESIDENT COMPANY CHICAGO, IL – Auditorium Theatre Chief Executive Officer Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Executive Director Kara Medoff Barnett, and ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie announced a four-year partnership between the two institutions, beginning with the already announced engagement of Whipped Cream in April of 2019 and continuing with engagements each spring through 2022. “As one of Chicago’s major dance presenters, it is exciting and inspiring to partner with the renowned American Ballet Theatre for the next four years as our visiting resident company,” says Castroverde Moskalenko. “This partnership honors the extended history between the Auditorium and ABT, a company that first appeared at the Auditorium in 1969. We look forward to having the company perform its magnificent story ballets, such as Whipped Cream, on our historic stage for many years to come.” “American Ballet Theatre’s long relationship with the Auditorium Theatre will be continued with this new partnership, and we look forward to adding to the vibrant array of dance offerings in Chicago,” said Barnett. “ABT’s dancers will shine on the Auditorium’s landmark stage. It is a special privilege for our dancers to perform for Chicago audiences who have so loyally followed the Company for decades.” Recognized by an act of the United States Congress as America’s National Ballet Company®, American Ballet Theatre is one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope and outreach. Founded in 1940, ABT performs for more than 400,000 people annually. It has made more than 30 international tours to 50 countries, including recent triumphant engagements in Hong Kong, Brisbane, Singapore, Oman and Paris. The Auditorium Theatre is an Illinois, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark.

Sorry to be so late in posting this: SASCHA RADETSKY APPOINTED ABT STUDIO COMPANY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Sascha Radetsky has been named Artistic Director of ABT Studio Company. It was announced today by American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Radetsky succeeds Kate Lydon, who joins St. Paul’s School as the director of dance at the start of the 2018-19 academic year. Lydon has served as ABT Studio Company Artistic Director since 2013. Radetsky joined American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet in 1996 and was promoted to Soloist in 2003. He also danced as principal and guest principal with the Dutch National Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin and Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Ballet. Radetsky retired from ABT in 2014. Radetsky has served as Ballet Master with ABT Studio Company since 2016. That same year, he became a Company Teacher with American Ballet Theatre and was named Director of the ABT/NYU Master’s in Ballet Pedagogy Program. He has taught for institutions such as the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Youth America Grand Prix, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Adelphi University and Ballet West Academy. He has lectured at the University of California at Santa Barbara and AMDA College and Conservatory and choreographed for The Juilliard School, Bucknell University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, ABT’s Young Dancer Program and Under Armour® athletic wear. Radetsky has written for publications such as Playbill, Vogue and Dance Magazine and starred in the films Center Stage, Center Stage 3 and the Starz television series Flesh and Bone. He studied at Long Island University and St. Mary’s College and served as a fall 2015 artistic fellow at NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts. “I feel deeply invested in ABT Studio Company, having journeyed from one of its young members to its most recent ballet master,” said Radetsky. “As Studio Company Artistic Director, I’ll strive to strengthen its tradition of cultivating talented dancers and innovative choreography, honor the extraordinary work of my predecessor and help realize ABT’s broader artistic vision.” ABT Studio Company is a classical ensemble made up of 12 dancers of outstanding potential aged 16-20. As the highest level of the ABT training ladder, ABT Studio Company serves as a crucial bridge between ballet training and professional performance. Over two-thirds of the current dancers in American Ballet Theatre began their careers in ABT Studio Company, including nine Principal Dancers. ABT Studio Company performs masterworks of the classical and neoclassical canons, alongside new commissions. Notable choreographers have developed new works on ABT Studio Company in recent years, including Jessica Lang, Benjamin Millepied and Liam Scarlett. For more information on ABT Studio Company, please visithttp://www.abt.org/training/dancer-training/abt-studio-company/.

The release: ZHONG-JING FANG, CATHERINE HURLIN AND KATHERINE WILLIAMS PROMOTED TO SOLOIST WITH AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE Zhong-Jing Fang, Catherine Hurlin and Katherine Williams have been promoted to the rank of Soloist with American Ballet Theatre. The promotions, announced today by ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie, become effective September 1, 2018. Zhong-Jing Fang was born in Shanghai, China and received her early training at the Shanghai Ballet School. She graduated from the Performing Arts College of Shanghai Drama University prior to joining the ABT Studio Company in 2002. Fang joined ABT as an apprentice in 2003 and became a member of the corps de ballet in 2004. Her roles with the Company include Aya, Lead D’Jampé and a Shades soloist in La Bayadère, Twig in Cinderella, Prayer in Coppélia, Zulma in Giselle, Old Mother in The Green Table, Nanny, Sugar Plum Fairy and one of the Nutcracker’s sisters in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Lady Montague, Rosaline’s Friend and a Harlot in Romeo and Juliet, Canari qui chante in Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty, Hungarian Princess, Lead Czardas, a big Swan and the pas de trois in Swan Lake, the Prelude in Les Sylphides, Diana and Ceres in Sylvia, Mademoiselle Marianne Chartreuse in Whipped Cream, Mercedes in Don Quixote and roles in AfterEffect, Black Tuesday, Continuo, Kaleidoscope, Sinfonietta, Songs of Bukovina and Symphonic Variations. She created a leading role in Pretty Good Year. Catherine Hurlin was born in New York City and began her dance training at Scarsdale Ballet Studio and Westchester Dance Academy. She won the Hope Award at the Youth America Grand Prix and received a full scholarship to study at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Hurlin performed the role of Clara in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for three years. She joined the ABT Studio Company in 2012, became an apprentice with the main company in 2013 and a member of ABT’s corps de ballet in 2014. Her repertoire with the Company includes Lead D’Jampé and a Shades soloist in La Bayadère, an Odalisque in Le Corsaire, a Flower Girl in Don Quixote, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, a Harlot in Romeo and Juliet, the pas de trois and a big Swan in Swan Lake, the Maiden in Firebird and roles in AfterEffect, AFTERITE, The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Company B, Her Notes, I Feel The Earth Move, Songs of Bukovina and Thirteen Diversions. She created Mademoiselle Marianne Chartreuse in Whipped Cream and a role in Mark Morris’ After You. Katherine Williams was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and began her early training with the Hawaii State Ballet. She studied at the Ballet Royal Institute in Baltimore and at ABT and Boston Ballet Summer Dance programs before joining the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in 2005. She joined the ABT Studio Company in January 2007, became an apprentice with the main company in December 2007 and a member of ABT’s corps de ballet in June 2008. Her repertoire with the Company includes a Shades soloist in La Bayadère, an Odalisque in Le Corsaire, a Flower Girl and Driad Queen in Don Quixote, peasant pas de deux, Moyna and Myrta in Giselle, Spanish Dance and one of the Nutcracker’s Sisters in Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, the Fairy Violente, Gold Fairy and Cinderella in Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty, the pas de trois, a big Swan and Italian Princess in Swan Lake and roles in Airs, Company B, Continuo, Her Notes, In the Upper Room and Jardin aux Lilas. Williams created roles in AfterEffect, Everything Doesn’t Happen at Once and Songs of Bukovina. American Ballet Theatre’s Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House continues through July 7, 2018. For tickets and information, please visit www.abt.org.

WORLD PREMIERES BY MICHELLE DORRANCE AND JESSICA LANG TO HIGHLIGHT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S FALL SEASON AT THE DAVID H. KOCH THEATER, OCTOBER 17-28, 2018 PERFORMANCES OF FANCY FREE TO COMMEMORATE CENTENNIALS OF JEROME ROBBINS AND LEONARD BERNSTEIN BOX OFFICE TO OPEN JULY 23 Programming for American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Fall season, October 17-28 at the David H. Koch Theater, was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. The season will feature World Premieres by Michelle Dorrance and Jessica Lang, as well as centennial tribute performances of Jerome Robbins’s and Leonard Bernstein’s Fancy Free. Principal Dancers for the 2018 Fall season include Stella Abrera, Isabella Boylston, Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo, Sarah Lane, Alban Lendorf, Gillian Murphy, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Cory Stearns, Devon Teuscher and James Whiteside. Fall Gala and World Premieres American Ballet Theatre’s Fall season will open with a Gala performance on Wednesday, October 17 at 6:30pm. As part of the ABT Women’s Movement initiative, the Fall Gala performance will be devoted to works by female choreographers. The evening will feature a World Premiere by tap dancer and choreographer Michelle Dorrance, co-commissioned with the Vail Dance Festival, Le Jeune, choreographed by Lauren Lovette and performed by the ABT Studio Company, and Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room. A new work by Jessica Lang will receive its World Premiere on Friday, October 19. Lang’s new work, her third for ABT, will feature scenery and costumes by American artist Sarah Crowner and lighting by Nicole Pearce. The ballet will be given six performances during ABT’s Fall season. Revival and Returning Repertory The 2018 Fall season at the Koch Theater will include a revival of George Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante. Last performed by ABT in 2007, Symphonie Concertante is set to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Major for Violin and Viola K. 364) with costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by David K. H. Elliott. Symphonie Concertante received its World Premiere by Ballet Society at the City Center Theater in New York on November 12, 1947, with Maria Tallchief, Tanaquil LeClerq and Todd Bolender in the principal roles. The ballet received its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on January 19, 1983, danced by Cynthia Gregory, Martine van Hamel and Patrick Bissell. Staged for ABT by Susan Jones, Symphonie Concertante will be given five performances beginning Thursday, October 18. American Ballet Theatre’s Fall season will present Jerome Robbins’s Fancy Free and Other Dances in tribute to the choreographer’s centennial. Performances of Fancy Free, which will also commemorate the centennial of composer Leonard Bernstein, begin Thursday evening, October 18. The ballet features scenery by Oliver Smith, costumes by Kermit Love and lighting by Jennifer Tipton, after Nananne Porcher. Fancy Free received its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on April 18, 1944 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Fancy Free is staged for ABT by Jean-Pierre Frohlich. Other Dances returns to the repertory on Saturday evening, October 20. Set to a waltz and four mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin, Other Dances features costumes by Santo Loquasto and original lighting by Nananne Porcher. The plotless, classical character pas de deux was created by Robbins for a Gala evening for the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center at the Metropolitan Opera House on May 9, 1976, performed by Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Staged for American Ballet Theatre by Isabelle Guérin, Other Dances will receive three performances during the season. Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room will be given five performances beginning Wednesday evening, October 17. Last performed by ABT in 2012, In the Upper Room is set to music by Philip Glass with costumes by Norma Kamali and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. A ballet in nine parts, In the Upper Room was given its World Premiere by Twyla Tharp Dance on August 28, 1986. In the Upper Room received its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere on December 10, 1988 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California. The ballet will be staged for ABT by Richard Colton and Shelley Washington. Wayne McGregor’s AFTERITE returns this Fall for four performances beginning Wednesday evening, October 24. In his first work for ABT, McGregor created a new scenario set to Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. The ballet features sets and costumes by Vicki Mortimer, with video designs by Ravi Deepres and lighting by Lucy Carter. A co-commission with The Royal Danish Ballet, AFTERITE received its World Premiere on Monday, May 21, 2018 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Alexei Ratmansky’s Songs of Bukovina, set to Bukovinian Songs (24 Preludes for Piano) by Leonid Desyatnikov, will be given four performances during the Fall season beginning Friday evening, October 19. A work for 12 dancers, the ballet has costumes by Moritz Junge and lighting by Brad Fields. Songs of Bukovina received its World Premiere on October 18, 2017 at the David H. Koch Theater in New York. Family Friendly Matinee A special matinee on Saturday, October 27 will feature family-friendly programming including the ABT Studio Company in Lauren Lovette’s Le Jeune, a classical pas de deux and Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free. Children (ages 6-18) receive a 50% discount off tickets with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket. Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Fall season at the David H. Koch Theater go on sale beginning July 23, 2018 at 10:00am. Tickets priced from $25 are available online, at the Koch Theatre box office or by phone at 212-496-0600. Performance-only tickets for the Opening Night Gala begin at $25. The David H. Koch Theater is located at Lincoln Center, Broadway and 63rd Street in New York City. For more information, please visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org. The World Premiere by Michelle Dorrance has been generously supported by Denise Littlefield Sobel, the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. The World Premiere by Jessica Lang has been generously supported by Denise Littlefield Sobel, the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Symphonie Concertante has been generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Fancy Free is generously underwritten by an endowed gift by Avery and Andrew F. Barth, in honor of Laima and Rudolf Barth. Leadership support for The Ratmansky Project has been provided by Avery and Andrew F. Barth, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, and The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund. Additional support has been provided by Dr. Joan Taub Ades, Linda Allard, Sarah Arison, Steven Backes, Lisa and Dick Cashin, Mark Casey and Carrie Gasier Casey, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation, Linda and Martin Fell, Vicki Netter Fitzgerald, William J. Gillespie, Brian J. Heidtke, The Marjorie S. Isaac/Irving H. Isaac Fund, Howard S. Paley, Pearl T. Maxim Trust, Lloyd E. Rigler, Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Bernard L. Schwartz, John Leland Sills and Elizabeth Papadopoulos-Sills, Melissa A. Smith, The H. Russell Smith Foundation/Stewart R. Smith and Robin A. Ferracone, Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation, Sutton Stracke, and Sedgwick Ward. Leadership support for AFTERITE has been provided by The Leila and Mickey Straus Family Foundation. Additional support is provided through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Le Jeune was commissioned with leadership support from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Additional support provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel. American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

From the company: AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE LAUNCHES ABT INCUBATOR TWO-WEEK CHOREOGRAPHIC WORKSHOP OPEN TO ABT DANCERS AND FREELANCE CHOREOGRAPHERS, OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 10, 2018 Audition for Freelance Choreographers to be Held September 18 American Ballet Theatre has announced a continuation of its in-house choreographic program with the launch of ABT Incubator. It was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. ABT Incubator, a two-week choreographic workshop, is committed to providing a focused lab to generate and inspire ideas for the creation of new work. Directed by American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer David Hallberg, ABT Incubator will be held October 31 – November 10, 2018 at ABT’s New York studios and is open to ABT dancers and freelance choreographers. Participating choreographers will be chosen through an audition process with selections made by a panel of choreographers, directors and artists in ballet and dance, including ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, ABT Principal Dancer David Hallberg, ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie, Danspace Executive Director Judy Hussie-Taylor and choreographers Jessica Lang and Lar Lubovitch. During the two-week workshop, choreographers will be provided studio space, a stipend, collaborators, panel discussions and mentorships to create new work on dancers from ABT and the ABT Studio Company. ABT Incubator will conclude with a private studio showing on November 10. “It has always been my vision to establish a process-oriented hub to explore the directions ballet can forge now and in the future,” said Hallberg. “I am thrilled that Incubator will provide the resources for emerging and established creators to explore movement and new paths in dance.” “ABT Incubator exemplifies our shared commitment to innovation and the exploration of artistic boundaries,” said David R. Weinreb, CEO of The Howard Hughes Corporation. “Cultural events are an integral part of the communities we build and a pillar of our revitalization of the Seaport District in Lower Manhattan; we are pleased to help bring forward-thinking, dynamic arts and entertainment initiatives to the city.” “ABT has always provided a door into the creation of new choreography,” said McKenzie. “Our mission includes extending the great canon of classical dance.ABT Incubator offers artists the time and resources to experiment, develop and create.” Audition information and guidelines for freelance choreographers is available by visiting: www.abt.org/abtincubator Lead Support for ABT Incubator is generously provided by The Howard Hughes Corporation.

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THIRD AND FOURTH WEEKS OF AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S 2018 SPRING SEASON AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside, Gillian Murphy and Thomas Forster to Lead World Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Harlequinade on Monday, June 4 Casting for the third and fourth weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. The first of seven performances of La Bayadère begins Tuesday, May 29 featuring Hee Seo as Nikiya, Guest Artist Kimin Kim as Solor and Gillian Murphy as Gamzatti. The matinee on Wednesday, May 30 will feature debuts by Devon Teuscher (Nikiya), Joo Won Ahn (Solor) and Christine Shevchenko (Gamzatti). Other debuts for the week include Sarah Lane as Nikiya and Skylar Brandt as Gamzatti on Wednesday evening, May 30, Isabella Boylston as Nikiya and Jeffrey Cirio as Solor on Thursday, May 31 and Cassandra Trenary as Gamzatti at the matinee on Saturday, June 2. Choreographed by Natalia Makarova after Marius Petipa, La Bayadère is set to music by Ludwig Minkus, specially arranged by John Lanchbery, and features scenery by PierLuigi Samaritani, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by Toshiro Ogawa. The full-length La Bayadère received its World Premiere by the Imperial Ballet at the Bolshoi Kamenny in St. Petersburg on February 4, 1877. La Bayadère, Act II (The Kingdom of the Shades) was first performed in the West by the Leningrad-Kirov Ballet in 196l. Natalia Makarova first staged The Kingdom of the Shades scene for American Ballet Theatre in 1974 and it received its premiere at the State Theater in New York City on July 3 of that year, danced by Cynthia Gregory as Nikiya and Ivan Nagy as Solor. Makarova subsequently produced and choreographed the complete version of La Bayadère (in three acts) for American Ballet Theatre, which received its World Premiere on May 21, 1980 with Natalia Makarova as Nikiya, Anthony Dowell as Solor and Cynthia Harvey as Gamzatti. An all-new production of Harlequinade, staged by Alexei Ratmansky after the original by Marius Petipa, will be given its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on Monday, June 4, led by Isabella Boylston as Columbine, James Whiteside as Harlequin, Gillian Murphy as Pierrette and Thomas Forster as Pierrot. Sarah Lane, Jeffrey Cirio, Stella Abrera and David Hallberg will lead the ballet for the first time on Tuesday, June 5. On Wednesday, June 6, the ballet will feature debuts by Misty Copeland (Columbine), Daniil Simkin (Harlequin), Hee Seo (Pierrette) and Alexandre Hammoudi (Pierrot) at the matinee, and by Cassandra Trenary (Columbine), Gabe Stone Shayer (Harlequin), Christine Shevchenko (Pierrette) and Blaine Hoven (Pierrot) at the evening performance. A comic ballet in two-acts, Harlequinade is set to music by Riccardo Drigo and first premiered in 1900 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The new production will feature sets and costumes by Robert Perdziola and lighting by Brad Fields. A co-production with The Australian Ballet, Harlequinade is ABT’s first full-length production of the ballet. Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2018 Metropolitan Opera House season, beginning at $22, are available online, at the Met box office or by phone at 212-362-6000. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City. For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.