Ratmansky Departing ABT

[abatt]

The Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky Is Leaving American Ballet Theater - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

This is very bad news for ABT in my opinion.

Edited December 22, 2022 by abatt

[Helene]

This isn't surprising given his recent focus, and, often, people re-evaluate in face of change and/or a milestone -- contract renewal, change in administration --- but it's bittersweet given the plethora of home-grown talent in the company.  I hope he does come back as choreographer or to stage something the premieres elsewhere on these dancers.

[Dale]

Release:

ALEXEI RATMANSKY TO DEPART AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE IN JUNE 2023 FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF CONTRACT

 

RATMANSKY WILL CONCLUDE HIS TIME AS ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AFTER 13 YEARS WITH THE COMPANY

 

NEW YORK, NY (December 22, 2022) – American Ballet Theatre (ABT) announced today that Alexei Ratmansky will be stepping down as Artist in Residence at the end of his contract in June 2023. Ratmansky, who has been with ABT since January 2009, has made a significant impact on the Company with his choreography and leadership.

 

Born in St. Petersburg and trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow, Ratmansky has had a distinguished career as a dancer and choreographer. Prior to his time with ABT, he held positions as a principal dancer with the Ukrainian National Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and the Royal Danish Ballet. He has also choreographed for a number of other companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, La Scala Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, The Australian Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Berlin Staatsballet, Bayerische Staatsballett Munich, Ballet Semperoper Dresden, Zurich Ballet, State Ballet of Georgia, and National Ballet of Ukraine.

 

During his tenure at ABT, Ratmansky has choreographed numerous ballets for the Company, including:

 

Waltz Masquerade (2009)

On the Dnieper (2009)

Seven Sonatas (2009)

The Nutcracker (2010)

Dumbarton (2011)

Firebird (2012)

Symphony #9 (2012)

Chamber Symphony (2013)

Piano Concerto #1 (2013)

The Tempest (2014)

The Sleeping Beauty (2015)

Serenade after Plato's Symposium (2016)

Whipped Cream (2017)

Songs of Bukovina (2017)

Harlequinade (2018)

The Seasons (2019)

Of Love and Rage (2020)

Bernstein in a Bubble (2021)

 

ABT has also performed Ratmansky's The Bright Stream, created for the Bolshoi Ballet in 2003 and premiered by ABT in 2011; The Golden Cockerel, created for The Royal Danish Ballet in 2012 and premiered by ABT in 2016; and Souvenir d'un lieu cher, created for Dutch National Ballet in 2012 and premiered by ABT in 2017.

 

In March 2021, American Ballet Theatre and New York City Center co-presented the digital program ABT Live from City Center | A Ratmansky Celebration. This filmed performance featured excerpts from Ratmansky's choreographic works, including The Seasons, Seven Sonatas, and The Sleeping Beauty, as well as the World Premiere of Bernstein in a Bubble, a piece created during a quarantined “ballet bubble” and set to music by Leonard Bernstein. The program was met with widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

 

In the coming months, ABT will be performing Ratmansky's Songs of Bukovina in various U.S. cities as part of the Company's Spring 2023 tour, including in Stony Brook, NY; Chicago, IL; and Iowa City, IA.

 

Ratmansky has received widespread acclaim for his work, including being named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2013 and receiving a Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Choreography in 2020 for his work with San Francisco Ballet on Shostakovich Trilogy, a co-commission with ABT.

 

“Alexei has given an immeasurable gift to ABT,” said Kevin McKenzie, outgoing Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. “Creating an indelible mark on our identity, he pushed the bar of what is possible to achieve in artistic language that speaks to artists and the general public with equal measure: to be human is a wonder, and to be excellent is the goal. ABT is so honored to have Alexei reside with us these last 13 years.”

 

“Alexei's extraordinary vision of dance has propelled ballet to heights far beyond what we thought was possible 20 years ago,” said Susan Jaffe, incoming Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. “As his works have brought ballet into a new era, ABT has been incredibly fortunate to have been part of that process for the last 13 years. We will continue to perform Alexei's works and commission new works from him in the future. We wish him well in his new adventures and look forward to working with him again.”

 

Ratmansky's impact on the world of dance has been profound. His choreography is known for its innovative use of classical forms and its ability to connect with audiences on a deeply emotional level. His works have been performed by companies around the globe, and he has inspired and mentored countless dancers and choreographers.

 

Regarding his pending departure, Ratmansky said, "My time at ABT has been a true privilege, offering me a unique opportunity to work with its incredible artists under the wonderful direction of Kevin McKenzie, and the remarkable ballet staff and management team. I will always be grateful for my time here, and would like to thank everyone in the organization, from the Board to the staff, for making me feel a part of the ABT family. I would also like to thank the donors and audiences for supporting my work at ABT throughout the years. ABT has a bright future under Susan Jaffe’s directorship, and I look forward to working with Susan and the Company well into the future.”

 

ABT will be announcing details about the Company's plans for the future in the coming months. In the meantime, the Company is committed to honoring Ratmansky's contributions and celebrating his extraordinary career.

 

ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

American Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT’s repertoire includes full-length classics from the nineteenth century, the finest works from the early twentieth century, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America's National Ballet Company®.

[California]

This is the message Jaffee and MacKenzie just sent to Friends/Subscribers:

Dear Friends, We are writing to share some bittersweet news with you. ABT will announce today that Alexei Ratmansky will be stepping down as Artist in Residence at the end of his contract in June 2023 (full Press Release here). While we are sad to see him go, we are grateful for the incredible impact he has had on the Company over the past 13 years. During his time at ABT, Alexei has choreographed numerous ballets for the Company, including Waltz Masquerade, On the Dnieper, Seven Sonatas, The Nutcracker, Dumbarton, Firebird, Symphony #9, Chamber Symphony, Piano Concerto #1, The Tempest, The Sleeping Beauty, Serenade after Plato's Symposium, Whipped Cream, Songs of Bukovina, Harlequinade, The Seasons, Of Love and Rage, and Bernstein in a Bubble. ABT has also performed Ratmansky's The Bright Stream, The Golden Cockerel, and Souvenir d'un lieu cher. In the coming months, the Company will be performing Songs of Bukovina in various U.S. cities as part of the Company's Spring 2023 tour. We cannot thank Alexei enough for his contributions to ABT and look forward to working with him in the future, although differently. His extraordinary vision of dance has inspired and moved us all. Thank you for your support of American Ballet Theatre. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming performances. Sincerely, Susan & Kevin

Edited December 22, 2022 by California

[MoMo]

With Alexei Ratmansky leaving, will ABT still have access to perform his works? 

[abatt]

Ratmansky owns the rights to his works.  ABT will have to pay him for the rights to perform a particular work.  This is not a change from any prior arrangement. The difference is that he is not contractually obligated to create a new work each season for ABT,

Edited December 22, 2022 by abatt

[matilda]

What respected ballet choreographers are there to potentially step into the Artist in Residence position once he's gone? Ratmansky has been a good fit for ABT because he's so classical. I imagine they'll look for a woman or a not-white guy... but who???? Hoping Jaffe has some ideas. 

[vipa]

4 minutes ago, matilda said:

What respected ballet choreographers are there to potentially step into the Artist in Residence position once he's gone? Ratmansky has been a good fit for ABT because he's so classical. I imagine they'll look for a woman or a not-white guy... but who???? Hoping Jaffe has some ideas. 

They don't necessarily need an Artist in Residence do they? They can commission new works from Ratmansky or anyone else, while maintaining their current rep. They don't really need a "house choreographer."

[abatt]

Ratmansky's position as Artist in Residence was funded largely from funds supplied by David Koch.  Now that Koch is gone, I have to wonder  what role, if any, financial considerations may have played in this outcome.

Of course, Ratmansky is in demand all over Europe and America, so he is not lacking in commissions.

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by abatt

[Helene]

Balanchine owned the rights to his ballets when he was alive, and he gave his ballets freely or at nominal fees to many companies. 

Are the terms of Ratmansky's rights schedule for ABT public?  If not, we only know he has the right to get fees, unless he ceded them.

[bingham]

       I'm probably in minority here but  it looks like except for the Seasons and Seven Sonatas , none of his ABT  commissions  has been very well received to be revive.. Instead of a resident choreographer, ABT would be better off hiring an additional coach of Irina Kolpakova quality. Just my opinion.

[Helene]

I think they shouldn't be in a hurry to fill the spot until/unless they find the right person.  They didn't always have a resident choreographer, and there was a reason at the time to hire Ratmansky.

I also think they should be looking for additions to their coaching staff, independent from the RC role.  May she live a much, much longer life, but Irina Kolpatkova will be 90 next May.

[NinaFan]

5 minutes ago, Helene said:

I think they shouldn't be in a hurry to fill the spot until/unless they find the right person.  They didn't always have a resident choreographer, and there was a reason at the time to hire Ratmansky.

I also think they should be looking for additions to their coaching staff, independent from the RC role.  May she live a much, much longer life, but Irina Kolpatkova will be 90 next May.

I agree with both of your points.

[Fleurfairy]

56 minutes ago, bingham said:

       I'm probably in minority here but  it looks like except for the Seasons and Seven Sonatas , none of his ABT  commissions  has been very well received to be revive.. Instead of a resident choreographer, ABT would be better off hiring an additional coach of Irina Kolpakova quality. Just my opinion.

Totally agree. I was never big on Ratmansky’s choreography. Case in point: His Sugarplum variation, which is like a lead balloon, very labored and just exhausting-looking. 
 

ABT desperately needs coaches. I hope Jaffe has some lined up. 

[abatt]

ABT desperately needs star dancers who can attract an audience.  Attendance is now so poor that they have reduced their Met schedule to 4 1/2 weeks.  People are not coming to the theater much to see the majority of the home team players.  I know there was a huge backlash against international guests in favor of home grown dancers, but that plan doesn't seem to be working out very well at the box office.  With a few notable exceptions, ABT is now a shadow of its former greatness.

 

Most entertainment has returned to full capacity, so we can no longer blame the pandemic for the lack of box office for ABT and the substantial reduction in its Met season.

Edited December 22, 2022 by abatt

[Drew]

Was very sorry to learn this news....not least because Ratmansky's choreography and interests are so intimately bound up with a deep knowledge and love of classical ballet.  I think it's a terrible loss for the company and depending on what he does next could be a loss for the larger American Ballet landscape.

I do agree that ABT should not rush to "fill" the position and would love to see them hire more coaches....

(I always thought the backlash against guest artists that @abattmentions was excessive, but they could use guest artists who will appear with the company with some regularity not just one-shot wonders.)

[volcanohunter]

I'm pretty sure that the economic fallout of the pandemic remains. I'm still finding it easier to buy tickets to just about anything, than I did, say, five years ago. People are also contending with inflation.

It would be difficult for anyone to fill the Met. I just looked at sales for the new year's eve performance there. Lots of unsold tickets.

[nysusan]

52 minutes ago, Fleurfairy said:

ABT desperately needs coaches. I hope Jaffe has some lined up. 

 

27 minutes ago, abatt said:

ABT desperately needs star dancers who can attract an audience.  Attendance is now so poor that they have reduced their Met schedule to 4 1/2 weeks.  People are not coming to the theater much to see the majority of the home team players.  I know there was a huge backlash against international guests in favor of home grown dancers, but that plan doesn't seem to be working out very well at the box office.  With a few notable exceptions, ABT is now a shadow of its former greatness.

 

I 100% agree with both of these statements. ABT needs more coaching not just for principals but also for the corps and soloists.

I have zero interest in seeing most of ABT's current principals with the exception of Cornejo, Camargo, Bell, Forster, Brandt and Hurley. Ok, I'm also a little interested in Shevchenko and Trenary, but not enough to go see them with a partner I don't like.

I went from having 4 subscriptions (16 tickets) and adding a few more when singles went on sale to having a sub with 8 tickets and having trouble finding enough shows I want to see to book those 8 tickets.

I think coaches & international level dancers are much more important to ABT than a resident choreographer at this point.

[volcanohunter]

52 minutes ago, nysusan said:

I have zero interest in seeing most of ABT's current principals with the exception of Cornejo, Camargo, Bell, Forster, Brandt and Hurley. Ok, I'm also a little interested in Shevchenko and Trenary, but not enough to go see them with a partner I don't like.

This is quite a lot of dancers, all but one of whom began in ABT's corps. Perhaps the home-grown strategy is not entirely hopeless.

Although I certainly agree that ABT doesn't necessarily need a resident choreographer. It didn't have one before Ratmansky took on the position.

[nysusan]

3 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

This is quite a lot of dancers, all but one of whom began in ABT's corps. Perhaps the home-grown strategy is not entirely hopeless.

Well... Cornejo may have started in ABT's corps but he has been an international star for years now and unfortunately, is nearing the end of his career. Camargo just joined after dancing with other companies. So I'm really only talking about Bell, Forster, Brandt and Hurley. And I'll add Curley. Even though he is still in the corps I find him very interesting.

Too bad so many performances are taken up by Ahn, Boylston, Seo, Royal, Stearns, Teuscher and Whiteside. And let's not forget that Copeland will be back at some point.

[On Pointe]

Because of the political fallout over the war in Ukraine,  there appear to be a number of highly-accomplished dancers available who would happily sign on at ABT,  as guests or regular principals.  There might even be a coach or two looking to get out of Russia for a few years.

[miliosr]

3 hours ago, abatt said:

ABT desperately needs star dancers who can attract an audience.  Attendance is now so poor that they have reduced their Met schedule to 4 1/2 weeks.

Most entertainment has returned to full capacity, so we can no longer blame the pandemic for the lack of box office for ABT and the substantial reduction in its Met season.

Are poor ticket sales the reason for ABT's curtailed spring/summer season at the Met? I thought the reason was that the Metropolitan Opera itself decided to cancel performances in February (when ticket sales are low) and extend its season into June; thus forcing ABT to ratchet back the length of its season.

Here's the discussion from Ballet Alert:

Met Opera 2020-21 Season to Run through June 5, 2021 - American Ballet Theatre - Ballet Alert! (invisionzone.com)

Looking at the Metropolitan Opera's Web site that still appears to be the policy:

Metropolitan Opera | Calendar (metopera.org)

4 hours ago, bingham said:

       I'm probably in minority here but it looks like except for the Seasons and Seven Sonatas , none of his ABT commissions has been very well received to be revive.

I'm right there with you in the minority. Scanning that list, I question how many of those works will stay in repertory now that Ratmansky isn't intimately tied to the company via a contract. Instead of being the next Ashton/Balanchine/Tudor at ABT, Ratmansky may find that he's the next Glen Tetley.

[Marta]

Helene said:  I think they shouldn't be in a hurry to fill the spot until/unless they find the right person.  They didn't always have a resident choreographer, and there was a reason at the time to hire Ratmansky.

I also think they should be looking for additions to their coaching staff, independent from the RC role.  May she live a much, much longer life, but Irina Kolpakova will be 90 next May.

   I agree with what you say.  It is a huge loss for ABT and also for his "fans".  I'm very curious about where Ratmansky is going, or if he is going anywhere.

[Helene]

1 hour ago, miliosr said:

I thought the reason was that the Metropolitan Opera itself decided to cancel performances in February (when ticket sales are low) and extend its season into June; thus forcing ABT to ratchet back the length of its season.

That is true, and I haven't heard anything about the Met planning to change this.  Their Listen Live/Sirius XM on-air people, mainly Debra Lew Harder and William Berger, are asking for people to recommend favorite broadcasts to replay during the four-week break, from the end of January until the half February/half March week when performances resume.  Plus, the singers they contract with have long lead times, so if they're planning to make a switch, it would be complicated and costly to change quickly.

[nanushka]

But didn't ABT used to start their Met season almost immediately following the Met's own final performance of their season? The Met finishes on Saturday, June 10, but ABT doesn't start until Thursday the 22nd. Unless things have changed on the Met's end, they could presumably start as early as Monday the 12th. Ending at the same time, that would then be a six-week season.

Last year they did five full weeks; this year, they're not even doing that.

Edited December 23, 2022 by nanushka