American Ballet Theatre News

The HIV Experience Resources Organization (HERO) has announced that on October 26th 2015 at 8pm it will present, in partnership with Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDS, and in association with Stage48, the second annual "BROADWAY AND BALLET, HERO AWARDS," at Stage 48, 605 West 48th Street in Manhattan. The event will benefit HERO, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that helps newly diagnosed and people living with HIV/AIDS. www.hivhero.org

With the continued growth of its celebrated Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center series, and the success of its highly popular participatory dance experiences, The Music Center has become an important hub for dance in Los Angeles. Its 2015-2016 dance season is a prime example of the commitment of The Music Center to present distinctive dance experiences to Southern California audiences, especially by internationally renowned artists in classical ballet and contemporary expression.

Always a great treasure to the city, New York City Center's Fall for Dance opened its second program with great anticipation. For an affordable price, audiences get a glimpse of the wonderful world of dance, with access to some of the field's greatest visionaries from around the globe. With a roster that included breathtaking athleticism, a comical tap solo, intriguing minimalist ballet, and an entrancing African-urban fusion, Fall for Dance's second program of 2015 did not let the audience down. There is no wonder that this is perhaps one of the hottest tickets in town!

Ballet luminaries OLEG BRIANSKY and MIREILLE BRIANE will receive the 2015 'Educational Visionary' Lifetime Achievement Award, as 'visionaries who have promoted innovation in education through the arts.'  Partners in life and dance for over 50 years, Briansky and Briane are being honored for their distinguished careers as dancers and choreographers, as well as for their exemplary role as founders and teachers at The Briansky Ballet Center for over 45 years.  Presenter will be Lori Klinger, Artistic and Executive Director of Rosie's Theater Kids, and host is comedian Nat Towsen, standup comedian and host of Nat Towsen's Downtown Variety Hour. The evening includes hors d'oeuvres and drinks, a silent auction of glamorous goods including gift certificates, dinners and vacations, and dancing to a hip DJ. 

On last night's LATE SHOW, as the first African American female principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre, guest Misty Copeland talked about bringing diversity to classical ballet.

On Monday, September 28th, ROLEX presented Career Transition For Dancers' 30th Anniversary PEARL JUBILEE: A STAR-STUDDED RETROSPECTIVE in association with the Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, at New York City Center. The spectacular show was a gala celebration of Career Transition For Dancers: 30 YEARS CHANGING LIVES! Scroll down for more photos from the event, honoring Shirley MacLaine!

 Merged Work Productions (Lead Producers) and Jack Thomas (Executive Producer) announced today that music-world icons and television stars Steven Van Zandt and Paul Shaffer, along with Maureen Van Zandt and Joe Grano (Jersey Boys), have joined the Broadway-bound musical Piece of My Heart: The Bert Berns Story as lead producers.  It was also announced that Mr. Van Zandt will serve as the show's musical director.  Piece of My Heart will open on Broadway in 2016. 

CBS has announced that Misty Copeland will visit THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT on Monday, Oct. 5th. Copeland is also scheduled to perform on the broadcast.

Ballet Idaho announced that two company members have been promoted to the rank of principal dancer. Elizabeth Keller and Adrienne Kerr join returning principal dancers Phyllis Affrunti and Andrew Taft, along with 15 other company members and three apprentices/trainees to complete the roster for the 2015/16 season.

Yonanda Productions & Piccolo Productions, in association with Wendy Taucher Dance Opera Theater, present KICK, a darkly comic solo play written and performed by Joanna Rush.  Directed by Tony Award nominee Lynne Taylor-Corbett, KICK opens at St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, NYC on Sunday, October 25th at 7 PM for an open-ended engagement. 

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is throwing three nights of FREE parties on its Arts Plaza, October 9 -11.

Following last year's unprecedented collaboration for the first World Ballet Day LIVE, five of the world's leading ballet companies will once again stream 23 hours of live, behind-the-scenes footage today 1 October. The Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and San Francisco Ballet have partnered to provide viewers around the world with an inside look at professional ballet companies in the studio, on tour, and in performance. For more information, visit worldballetday.com. 

CBS has announced that Misty Copeland will visit THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT on Monday, Oct. 5th. Copeland is also scheduled to perform on the broadcast.

The Memphis Development Foundation/Orpheum Theatre today announced that Brett Batterson has been selected as the new president and CEO of the organization.

Career Transition For Dancers just held its 30TH ANNIVERSARY PEARL JUBILEE: A STAR-STUDDED RETROSPECTIVE last night, September 28, in association with the Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (btwn. 6 & 7 Aves) NYC followed by 'Supper With The Stars' in the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton New York.

For its annual fall engagement, The Joffrey Ballet presents the U.S. Premiere of the full-length, female-powered story ballet, SYLVIA, choreographed by Milwaukee native and internationally acclaimed Director/Chief Choreographer of The Hamburg Ballet, John Neumeier. Continuing Joffrey Artistic Director Ashley Wheater's endeavor to bring re-imagined story-ballets to Chicago audiences, this program represents the first time Neumeier has been invited to The Joffrey Ballet and marks the first full-length production of Joffrey's 2015-2016 60th anniversary season. SYLVIA is presented at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, in ten performances only, October 14 - 25.

American Ballet Theatre's 2015 Fall season at the David H. Koch Theater opens Wednesday, October 21 with the annual opening night Gala at 6:30 P.M. Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase & Co., the evening will feature the New York City Premiere of AFTER YOU by choreographer Mark Morris, the Company Premiere of Frederick Ashton's MONOTONES I and II and the Revival Premiere of Twyla Tharp's THE BRAHMS-HAYDN VARIATIONS.

Christoph Waltz makes his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut as the narrator for Egmont, one of Beethoven's dramatic works featured in the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2015/16 Opening Night Gala: THE BRILLIANCE OF BEETHOVEN at Walt Disney Concert Hall tonight, September 29, at 7 pm.

ROLEX presents Career Transition For Dancers' 30TH ANNIVERSARY PEARL JUBILEE: A STAR-STUDDED RETROSPECTIVE tonight, September 28, at 7:00 pm in association with the Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (btwn. 6 & 7 Aves) NYC followed by 'Supper With The Stars' in the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton New York.

Matthew Murphy talks about his rise from ballet dancer to renowned theatre and dance photographer.