ABT Fall 2023

[Helene]

Is that how ABT works?   At PNB, for example, contracts are offered in March, and promotions are announced on Opening Night, although there have been post-Nutcracker promotions announced later.  I don't know if those dancers have a hybrid contract or are offered a new one.

[ABT Fan]

Whiteside was promoted to principal in October of that year, and I think Jeffrey Cirio was as well. So they must have a way to make that happen.

Edited September 15, 2023 by ABT Fan

[Rosa]

Way back in 2009 Veronika Part was promoted to principal in April, effective May 18, after performing Odette/Odile in DC and London.

[its the mom]

Whiteside was hired September 2012 and promoted to principal in October 2013. Cirio was hired as a soloist for September 2015 and was promoted at the end of June 2016 when Hoven was promoted to soloist.  So, there are exceptions to that June/July promotion time.

[ABT Fan]

I just hope that promotions are announced sometime this year. If Jaffe promotes no one all season, as Barbara noted that would be very bad for morale. In that situation, I wouldn't be surprised (nor would I blame) if Coker, Curley, Klein and perhaps a few others take their talent elsewhere. 

[Papagena]

40 minutes ago, its the mom said:

Whiteside was hired September 2012 and promoted to principal in October 2013. Cirio was hired as a soloist for September 2015 and was promoted at the end of June 2016 when Hoven was promoted to soloist.  So, there are exceptions to that June/July promotion time.

Yeah I was thinking about Cirio as well - for a dancer I imagine that contracts are there to provide security, labor protections and the ability to plan their year out (not to mention reducing immediate firings outside of extenuating circumstances). I'm sure most dancers would welcome a midseason revised promotion contract, especially as most of them would happily sign for the better salary and title? I have no experience in ballet world contracts though so I could be wrong.

I too think Jaffe is waiting until the end of the Fall season to finish testing out the dancers so she can make a truly informed decision. She will be judged on these promotions so I totally get why she is taking her time. My guess is also that she's working with budget confinements and wants to promote more people than she can (financially) and has to tenderly open some convos about who is going to be retiring from the soloist and principal ranks to make room for others. 

So far I've found her casting decisions to be quite smart and she put together a more interesting Fall season than we've had in a while. I'm really excited to see how she promotes! 

[its the mom]

1 hour ago, ABT Fan said:

I just hope that promotions are announced sometime this year. If Jaffe promotes no one all season, as Barbara noted that would be very bad for morale. In that situation, I wouldn't be surprised (nor would I blame) if Coker, Curley, Klein and perhaps a few others take their talent elsewhere. 

I know that others have talked about this before (and in light of the dancers mentioned above), but do you think it would benefit the company and the dancers to add one more rank, i.e., second soloist? 

[ABT Fan]

35 minutes ago, its the mom said:

I know that others have talked about this before (and in light of the dancers mentioned above), but do you think it would benefit the company and the dancers to add one more rank, i.e., second soloist? 

Personally, I don’t think that would be of benefit and I don’t see the company adding another rank anyway. In terms of just Coker and Klein, they’ve been in the corps for 6 and 10 years respectively, and have danced many soloist and a few principal roles beautifully. After all of that, a promotion to second soloist would be almost insulting. They should be *soloists*. But, again I don’t see the company creating any additional ranks.

[RUKen]

On 8/28/2023 at 12:46 PM, vipa said:

Doesn't look like we'll be seeing much of Cassandra Trenary. I always found her to be one of the more interesting dancers in the company.

Cassandra Trenary has been added to the cast of On the Dnipro on October 29th in the role of Natalia; no assignment had been shown for this role previously.  On that same date, Cory Stearns has been removed from the cast of Single Eye.  Calvin Royal III is now shown in that position (he had previously been the fifth dancer listed), and Thomas Forster is now included in the cast.

[abatt]

The Fall Gala will feature a one-time-ONLY program of beloved classic and contemporary excerpts showcasing ABT's roster of Principal Dancers. The evening will also highlight talented young dancers from ABT Studio Company and the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.  ABT's Principal Dancers will perform a special mixed repertory program of excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, The Leaves Are Fading, Concerto, Don Quixote, Études, and the World Premiere of Danzón No. 2, a new work choreographed by ABT Principal Dancer James Whiteside. ABT apprentices, ABT Studio Company dancers, and over 130 students from the ABT JKO School, including over 60 students from the Children's Division and 75 students in the Pre-Professional Division will perform a pièce d'occasion set to excerpts from Camille Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals, choreographed by Lauren Lovette and Rubén Martín.  ABT is proud to honor The Shubert Foundation, the nation’s largest funder of unrestricted grants to not-for-profit dance and theatre companies, at the 2023 Fall Gala. The Foundation’s unstinting commitment and magnanimous philanthropy have sustained and advanced live performing arts in the United States, including ABT, for nearly 50 years. ABT is grateful to have this occasion to celebrate The Shubert Foundation’s exceptional grantmaking as a singular champion of dance and theatre. Alongside peer organizations, also supported by The Shubert Foundation, ABT extends its heartfelt gratitude. ABT would additionally like to thank our 2023 Fall Gala Leadership Committee - Honorary Chairs Amy Astley and Blaine Trump, alongside Chairs Sarah Arison, Avery and Andy Barth, Emily Blavatnik, Melanie Hamrick and Mick Jagger, Stewart R. Smith and Robin A. Ferracone, Sutton Stracke, and Chai Vasarhelyi. Get your tickets to ABT's one-time-only showcase of extraordinary talent!

[Dale]

Full release: 

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE 2023 FALL GALA TO BE HELD AT THE DAVID H. KOCH THEATER OCTOBER 24  

 

2023 FALL GALA FEATURING ABT PRINCIPAL DANCERS, ABT APPRENTICES, ABT STUDIO COMPANY, AND STUDENTS OF THE ABT JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS SCHOOL 

 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW 

 

NEW YORK, NY (September 18, 2023) – American Ballet Theatre will host its 2023 Fall Gala at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, October 24 at 6:30 P.M.  

 

The Fall Gala will feature a one-time-only program of beloved classic and contemporary excerpts showcasing ABT’s roster of Principal Dancers. The evening will also highlight talented young dancers from ABT’s Training Programs. 

 

ABT is proud to honor The Shubert Foundation, the nation’s largest funder of unrestricted grants to not-for-profit dance and theatre companies, at the 2023 Fall Gala. The Foundation’s unstinting commitment and magnanimous philanthropy have sustained and advanced live performing arts in the United States, including ABT, for nearly 50 years. ABT is grateful to have this occasion to celebrate The Shubert Foundation’s exceptional grantmaking as a singular champion of dance and theatre. Alongside peer organizations, also supported by The Shubert Foundation, ABT extends its heartfelt gratitude. 

 

Honorary Chairs for the 2023 Fall Gala are Amy Astley and Blaine Trump, with Chairs Sarah Arison, Avery and Andy Barth, Emily Blavatnik, Melanie Hamrick and Mick Jagger, Stewart R. Smith and Robin A. Ferracone, Sutton Stracke, and Chai Vasarhelyi supporting.  

 

ABT apprentices, ABT Studio Company dancers, and over 130 students from the ABT JKO School, including over 60 students from the Children’s Division and 75 students in the Pre-Professional Division, will perform a pièce d’occasion set to excerpts from Camille Saint-Saëns’sCarnival of the Animals, choreographed by Lauren Lovette and Rubén Martín. 

 

ABT’s Training Programs provide young dancers with the industry standard in ballet training, preparing them for careers in American Ballet Theatre’s main Company or other leading national and international companies. Notably, over 90% of current ABT dancers are alumni of either the ABT JKO School, ABT Studio Company, or an American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive.  

 

In celebration of the 2023 Fall Gala, ABT’s Principal Dancers will perform a special mixed repertory program, beginning with Devon Teuscher and Thomas Forster in The Sleeping Beauty pas de deux with staging by Susan Jaffe and Irina Kolpakova after choreography by Marius Petipa, set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky. Cassandra Trenary and Calvin Royal III will perform the Romeo and Juliet balcony pas de deux by Kenneth MacMillan with music by Sergei Prokofiev. The Act II pas de deux from Kevin McKenzie’s production of Swan Lake will be performed by Christine Shevchenko and James Whiteside to music by Tchaikovsky. Skylar Brandt and Joo Won Ahn will make their debuts in The Leaves Are Fading pas de deux by Antony Tudor with music by Antonín Dvořák. Isabella Boylston and Aran Bell will perform in the World Premiere ofDanzón No. 2, a new work choreographed by ABT Principal Dancer James Whiteside, set to music by Arturo Márquez, transcribed by Leticia Gómez-Tagle. Hee Seo and Cory Stearns will make their debuts in the pas de deux from Concerto, choreographed by MacMillan, set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich. With choreography after Petipa and Alexander Gorsky and music by Ludwig Minkus, the Don Quixote pas de deux will be performed by Catherine Hurlin and Daniel Camargo. Finally, Gillian Murphy, Joo Won Ahn, and Herman Cornejo will perform an excerpt fromÉtudes with choreography by Harald Lander and music by Carl Czerny, arranged by Knudåge Riisager. 

 

For more information on ABT's 2023 Fall Gala or to purchase tickets and tables, please contact Megan Stahlberg, Associate Director of Special Events, at mstahlberg@abt.org. 

 

Additional performances during ABT’s 2023 Fall season will run from October 18–29 at the David H. Koch Theater featuring three programs and eight ballets. Tickets, beginning at $30, are available for purchase online, in person at the Koch Theater box office, or by phone at 212-496-0600. For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org. 

 

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®. 

 

Leadership support of ABT’s New Works Initiative is provided by Mark Casey and Carrie Gaiser Casey, The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund, and through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. 

 

Commissions and presentations of new works by women choreographers are supported by the ABT Women’s Movement. Champion support for the ABT Women’s Movement is provided by Jenna Segal. 

 

Special thanks to Denise Littlefield Sobel for her leadership gifts to: ABT Today Fund, advancing the Company’s mission; and ABT RISE, fueling the Company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

 

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 The Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. 

 

For more information, please visit www.abt.org.  

[ABT Fan]

Here's the Gala casting (this is more like the galas of the "olden" days, with big pas from the full lengths):

 

ABT Studio Company and the ABT JKO School in a pièce d'occasion

Devon Teuscher and Thomas Forster in The Sleeping Beauty

Cassandra Trenary and Calvin Royal III in Romeo and Juliet

Christine Shevchenko and James Whiteside in Swan Lake

Skylar Brandt and Joo Won Ahn in The Leaves Are Fading

Isabella Boylston and Aran Bell in Danzón No. 2

Hee Seo and Cory Stearns in Concerto

Catherine Hurlin and Daniel Camargo in Don Quixote

Gillian Murphy, Joo Won Ahn, and Herman Cornejo in Études

[volcanohunter]

44 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Here's the Gala casting (this is more like the galas of the "olden" days, with big pas from the full lengths):

Thank you for teasing out the casting. I hate fighting my way through the impenetrable thicket that are ABT press releases so much, that I usually don't bother trying.

[ABT Fan]

It's worth pointing out that the pas from Sleeping Beauty is staged by Jaffe and Kolpakova - so not Ratmansky's version.

[California]

I'm disappointed that Bell and Murphy aren't doing Other Dances, but I guess they figure NYC audiences saw it recently in those outdoor performances. Perhaps they'll bring it out on tour or for the Met gala. I confess that I like the "old-fashioned gala" feel to this. Guilty pleasures!

[ABT Fan]

2 minutes ago, California said:

 I confess that I like the "old-fashioned gala" feel to this. Guilty pleasures!

Same here! It’s just more gala-like to me as opposed to what they’ve done the past several years.

[bingham]

But I wished Aran did DQ with Cate Hurlin ….

[attitudebalance]

they seem determined to not cast aran with cate for the classical ballets...

[MoMo]

I wish ABT would announce promotions after a performance, as Angel Corella does with Philadelphia Ballet. It is thrilling and audience gets to participate. 

[California]

ABT just announced a Flash Sale 50% off for ABT members. I think they did this before the Met season, too.

Flash Sale Select Performances:
Classics Old and New:
October 19 7:30 PM
October 20 7:30 PM

20th Century Works: Balanchine and Ashton
October 25 7:30 PM
October 26 7:30 PM

21st Century Works: King, Ratmansky, and Bond
October 27 7:30 PM
October 28 7:30 PM

[ABT Fan]

6 minutes ago, California said:

ABT just announced a Flash Sale 50% off for ABT members. I think they did this before the Met season, too.

Flash Sale Select Performances:
Classics Old and New:
October 19 7:30 PM
October 20 7:30 PM

20th Century Works: Balanchine and Ashton
October 25 7:30 PM
October 26 7:30 PM

21st Century Works: King, Ratmansky, and Bond
October 27 7:30 PM
October 28 7:30 PM

Is there a code to use?

[California]

17 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

Is there a code to use?

I think it's only for an ABTMEMBER 

Edited September 22, 2023 by California

[ABT Fan]

1 hour ago, California said:

I think it's only for an ABTMEMBER (hint, hint)

👍🏻😊

[matilda]

Just looked at the fall schedule again and there's been some switching around with Etudes: Roxander is now dancing opening night, Cornejo the following night, and Aran Bell is no longer listed in the ballet (although he's still listed for his other assignments). 

[California]

54 minutes ago, matilda said:

Just looked at the fall schedule again and there's been some switching around with Etudes: Roxander is now dancing opening night, Cornejo the following night, and Aran Bell is no longer listed in the ballet (although he's still listed for his other assignments). 

Disappointing, but he was only down for one performance of Etudes -- at the same Saturday matinee as the Ratmansky.  That would have been a killer afternoon. Still...I would have loved to see him in Etudes.