Northrop Welcomes American Ballet Theatre's GISELLE This Weekend

By: BWW News Desk Apr. 04, 2014

Northrop at the University of Minnesota reopens today, April 4, 8:00 pm with its Northrop Inside Out Grand Reopening Gala. The opening night gala features American Ballet Theatre, America's National Ballet Company performing the classic romantic ballet Giselle with live orchestra, a post-performance dessert and champagne reception, and Northrop Inside Out After Dark dance party featuring a live DJ and special performances.

American Ballet Theatre performs Giselle again April 5, 8:00 pm and April 6, 2:00 pm, featuring a different cast dancing the roles of Giselle and Albrecht at each performance. All three performances will be accompanied by live music, with 60 local musicians taking part.

Casting Announced! American Ballet Theatre and Northrop announce the following casting for the roles of Giselle and Albrecht:

Opening night, Friday, April 4: Paloma Herrera and Cory Stearns, both ABT principals

Saturday, April 5: Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside are debuting in these roles

Sunday, April 6: Hee Seo and Alexandre Hammoudi (Debut)

In celebration of a long, rich history of performing at Northrop, American Ballet Theatre's classic Giselle is the perfect event to showcase Northrop's new theater with phenomenal new acoustics, sightlines, and other amenities.

NORTHROP PRESENTS

American Ballet Theatre

Fri, Apr 4, 8:00 pm (Northrop Inside Out Gala, performance, reception, and dance party)

Sat, Apr 5, 8:00 pm

Sun, Apr 6, 2:00 pm

Carlson Family Stage at Northrop

Giselle with live orchestra

Tickets: $125, $100, $75, (U of M students $15 on April 4 and $10 April 5-6). Prices do not include processing or facility fees. Tickets include admission to Inside Out After Dark dance party on Northrop Plaza. Tickets are available on Northrop's website, or from U of M Tickets and Events Mon-Fri, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at 612-624-2345 or in person at Northrop, 84 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, east side ground level box office only. Groups of 10+ save 15% off original ticket prices to Northrop events.

Northrop is dedicated to providing persons with disabilities the necessary measures to allow for a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Contact U of M Tickets and Events to request accommodations.

About American Ballet Theatre: American Ballet Theatre is recognized as one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope, and outreach. Recognized as a living national treasure since its founding in 1940, ABT annually tours the United States, performing for more than 600,000 people, and is the only major cultural institution to do so. It has also made more than 30 international tours to 43 countries as perhaps the most representative American ballet company and has been sponsored by the State Department of the United States on many of these engagements.

When American Ballet Theatre was launched in the autumn of 1939, the aim was to develop a repertoire of the best ballets from the past and to encourage the creation of new works by gifted young choreographers, wherever they might be found. Under the direction of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith from 1940 to1980, the company more than fulfilled that aim. The repertoire, perhaps unmatched in the history of ballet, includes all of the great full-length ballets of the nineteenth century, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle, the finest works from the early part of this century, such as Apollo, Les Sylphides, Jardin aux Lilas and Rodeo and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces such as Airs, Push Comes to Shove and Duets. In acquiring such an extraordinary repertoire, ABT has commissioned works by all of the great choreographic geniuses of the 20th century: George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, and Twyla Tharp, among others.

In 1980, Mikhail Baryshnikov became Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, succeeding Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith. Under his leadership, numerous classical ballets were staged, restaged, and refurbished, and the company experienced a strengthening and refining of the classical tradition. In 1990, Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith succeeded Baryshnikov and immediately established an agenda that was dedicated to maintaining the great traditions of the past while aggressively pursuing a vital and innovative future.

In October 1992, former American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Kevin McKenzie was appointed Artistic Director. McKenzie, steadfast in his vision of ABT as "American," is committed to maintaining the company's vast repertoire, and to bringing the art of dance theater to the great stages of the world.

Over its nearly 75-year history, the company has appeared in a total of 136 cities in 43 countries. ABT has appeared in all fifty states of the United States. In keeping with the company's long-standing commitment to bring the finest in dance to the widest international audience, ABT has recently enjoyed triumphant successes with engagement in Hong Kong, Havana, Tokyo, and Beijing.

On April 27, 2006, by an act of Congress, American Ballet Theatre became America's National Ballet Company.

Giselle, A Romantic Ballet in Two Acts, Featuring: Choreography after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, and Marius Petipa; Staged by Kevin McKenzie; Libretto by Theophile Gautier, on a theme by Heinrich Heine; Music by Adolphe Adam; Orchestrated by John Lanchbery; Scenery by Gianni Quaranta; Costumes by Anna Anni; and Lighting by Jennifer Tipton.

Production History: The world premiere of Giselle, the oldest continually-performed ballet, occurred at the Theatre de l'Academie Royale de Musique in Paris on June 28, 1841, danced by Carlotta Grisi as Giselle and Lucien Petipa as Albrecht.

This ballet is in the repertoire of almost all of the major ballet companies in the world and was first presented by American Ballet Theatre (then Ballet Theatre) at the Center Theatre in New York City on January 12, 1940, with choreography by Anton Dolin and scenery and costumes by Lucinda Ballard. The leading roles were danced by Annabelle Lyon and Anton Dolin.

American Ballet Theatre's second production of Giselle premiered on October 15, 1946, at the Broadway Theatre in New York City, with choreography by Dimitri Romanoff and scenery and costumes by Eugene Berman. The leading roles were danced by Alicia Alonso and Igor Youskevitch.

The third production of Giselle, directed by David Blair, received its first performance at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Washington, D.C. on July 4, 1968, with scenery by Oliver Smith and costumes by Peter Hall. The leading roles were performed by Lupe Serrano as Giselle and Royes Fernandez as Albrecht. The production's New York City premiere was given at the Metropolitan Opera House on July 10, 1968, with the same cast.

Using the Smith/Hall scenery and costumes, Mikhail Baryshnikov staged both the fourth and fifth productions of Giselle for ABT after choreography by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, and Marius Petipa. The first premiered at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on December 16, 1980, with Marianna Tcherkassky as Giselle and Baryshnikov himself as Albrecht; while the second, which featured additional staging by John Taras and Elena Tchernichova, received its first performance at the Filene Theatre at Wolf Trap Farm in Vienna, Virginia on August 28, 1985, danced by Miss Tcherkassky and Fernando Bujones.

American Ballet Theatre's sixth production, featuring scenery by Gianni Quaranta and costumes by Anna Anni, was created for the film Dancers, produced in 1987 by Cannon Films. The film incorporates Giselle into its storyline. The production's first public performance was given on March 20, 1987 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, with Miss Tcherkassky as Giselle and Kevin McKenzie as Albrecht.

The current staging is by Kevin McKenzie, using the Quaranta and Anni designs.

The music for Giselle is used by arrangement with Theodore Presser Company, agents for Editions Mario Bois, publisher and copyright owner.

ARTISTIC STAFF

Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director

Kevin McKenzie was a leading dancer with both The Joffrey Ballet and the National Ballet of Washington before joining American Ballet Theatre as a Soloist in March 1979. He was appointed a Principal Dancer the same year and danced with the company until 1991. A native of Vermont, McKenzie received his ballet training at the Washington School of Ballet. In 1972, McKenzie was awarded a silver medal at the Sixth International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria.

In September 1989, McKenzie was appointed a permanent guest artist with The Washington Ballet and, in 1991, assumed the position of Artistic Associate. He has also acted as Associate Artistic Director and choreographer with Martine van Hamel's New Amsterdam Ballet.

McKenzie was appointed Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre in October 1992. His previous choreographic credits include Groupo Zambaria (1984) and Liszt Études (l991) both for Martine van Hamel's New Amsterdam Ballet, and Lucy and the Count (1992) for The Washington Ballet and, for American Ballet Theatre, The Nutcracker (1993), Don Quixote (1995, in collaboration with Susan Jones) a new production of Swan Lake (2000), the conception and direction of a new production of Raymonda (2004), with choreography by Anna-Marie Holmes, and a new production of The Sleeping Beauty with Gelsey Kirkland and Michael Chernov (2007).

McKenzie has received numerous awards including an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont (1993) and the Dance Magazine Award (1999). McKenzie is a founding board member of Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, New York.

Alexei Ratmansky - Artist in Residence: Alexei Ratmansky was born in St. Petersburg and trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School. His performing career included positions as principal dancer with Ukrainian National Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and the Royal Danish Ballet. He has choreographed ballets for the Mariinsky Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Kiev Ballet, and the State Ballet of Georgia. He earned a Golden Mask Award in 1999 and 2007, and in 2005 was awarded a Benois de la Danse prize. He was made Knight of Dannebrog by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 2001.

Ratmansky was named artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in January 2004. For the Bolshoi Ballet, he choreographed full-length productions of The Bright Stream (2003) and The Bolt (2005), and re-staged Le Corsaire (2007) and Flames of Paris (2008). Under Ratmansky's direction, the Bolshoi Ballet was named "Best Foreign Company" in 2005 and 2007 by The Critics' Circle in London, and he received a Critics' Circle National Dance Award for The Bright Stream in 2006. In 2009, Ratmansky choreographed new dances for the Metropolitan Opera's production of Aida. Ratmansky joined American Ballet Theatre as Artist in Residence in January 2009.

For American Ballet Theatre, Ratmansky choreographed On the Dnieper, Seven Sonatas, Waltz Masquerade, The Nutcracker, Dumbarton, Firebird, Symphony #9, Chamber Symphony, Piano Concerto # 1, and The Tempest.

Ratmansky was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow for 2013.

PRINCIPAL DANCERS

Paloma Herrera

From Buenos Aires, Argentina

Joined ABT 1991

Principal since 1995

Sponsored by Susan and Leonard Feinstein

Veronika Part

From St. Petersburg, Russia

Joined ABT 2002

Principal since 2009


News on your favorite shows, specials & more!