American Ballet Theatre News

The Music Center celebrated 12 teen performing artists and four teen visual artists at The Music Center's 26th Annual Spotlight Awards during a finale performance on Saturday, April 26, 2014, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Hosted by Oscar-nominated actor, musician and author, John Lithgow, the awards show culminated The Music Center's year-long free recognition and scholarship program for Southern California high school performing and visual artists. A first place and runner-up were named in each of eight categories, including ballet, non-classical dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, classical instrumental, jazz instrumental, two-dimensional art (works of art with height and weight, but no depth, using drawing, painting, computer generated or mixed media) and photography (black/white, color and digital). This year's top performing and visual artists were awarded more than $100,000 in cash scholarships with $5,000 for students selected as first place finalists and $4,000 for runners-up in each category; five honorable mentions in each category received $250.

ABTKids, a unique hour-long program designed for children and families, will present a performance of highlights from American Ballet Theatre's 2014 Spring Season on Saturday, May 17 at 11:30 A.M. at the Metropolitan Opera House.

The Joyce Theater Foundation and The National Ballet of Canada are proud to present the New York premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's acclaimed production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland at the David H. Koch Theater from September 9 - 14, 2014. This production, which had its world premiere by the Royal Ballet at London's Royal Opera House in 2011 and its North American premiere by the National Ballet in Toronto in 2011, will be the fourth Joyce Theater presentation at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater following the just completed New York premiere of Ballet Preljocaj's Snow White (April 23-27, 2014). Tickets for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland go on sale Monday, April 28, 2014 and can be arranged online at www.DavidHKochTheater.com or by calling (212)-496-0600.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its schedule for May 5 - 11, including Jason Graae '49½ Shades of Graae,' Sheila Jordan, Maria Schneider Orchestra, Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano Quartet 'Sunday in New York,' and more!

Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie (CLC) proudly presents Elvis and the Man in Black, a double bill featuring James Kudelka'sacclaimed The Man in Black and the world premiere of Looking for Elvis, choreographed by CLC Co-Artistic Director Laurence Lemieux. Elvis & The Man in Black runs at the Mimi Herrndorf Studio Theatre at The Citadel, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm from May 21-31.

The newly established Cleveland Ballet Youth Company will make its debut performance with the program Where it All Began, tonight, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. in PlayhouseSquare's Hanna Theatre.

Tonight, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 26 at 1:30 p.m., Houston Ballet II and the entire school will present its 2014 Spring Showcase in the Cullen Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston.

Sascha Radetsky, a Soloist with American Ballet Theatre since 2003, will give his farewell performance with the Company on July 3 at the Metropolitan Opera House in the role of Franz inCoppelia. Radetsky will dance opposite Xiomara Reyes in the role of Swanilda.

John Kander and Twyla Tharp will be special guests at the 2014 Live Design Broadway Master Classes, where they will join in lively discussions with two of the top designers working on Broadway today. Composer John Kander joins sound designer Nevin Steinberg to discuss the essential collaboration between the two roles; while choreographer Twyla Tharp joins lighting designer Don Holder on the subject of light. Conversations like this are not to be missed! Individual tickets to these events are $50 per person and can be purchased by clicking the registration button at www.livedesignmasterclasses.com>.

Ballet San Jose Artistic Director and former star of American Ballet Theatre, English National Ballet and the Royal Ballet José Manuel Carreño will take the stage for the first time in more than a year for his debut in the role of Don José in Roland Petit's Carmen, partnering Ballet San Jose Principal Dancer Alexsandra Meijer in the title role, in two performances: Friday and Saturday, May 9 and 10, at 8 pm. The roles will be performed by Ommi Pipit-Suksun and Rudy Candia for the Sunday, May 11 ,1:30 pm performance, and the program also features the Company premiere of Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room. All performances of Carmen will feature full orchestral accompaniment by Symphony Silicon Valley under the baton of Paul Polivnick and there will be a pre-performance talk free to all ticket-holders 45-minutes prior to each performance. Tickets are priced $30-$105 and may be purchased at www.balletsj.org or by calling 408-288-2800.

Eight remarkable artists and philanthropists will be hooded and handed their degrees in person when The Juilliard School confers honorary doctorates during its 109th Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 23, 2014 at 11 AM in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center (Broadway at 65th Street, NYC).

Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2014 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The Chicago Dancing Festival (CDF), co-produced by renowned choreographer and Chicago native Lar Lubovitch and highly esteemed Chicago dancer Jay Franke, returns for its 8th season of free dance performances and events, August 20 - 23, 2014, featuring top ballet, modern and hip-hop dancers from Chicago and across the country.

Guest conductor Jack Everly joins the Utah Symphony on May 2-3 for a trip down memory lane at Abravanel Hall. This special concert, celebrating the Baby Boom generation, highlights songs and television shows from the 1960s. The program features music by the Beach Boys, Frankie Valli, and the Beatles, and guest vocalists Roy Chicas, Jim Hogan, Marissa McGowan, N'Kenge, Kristine Reese and Max Quinlan.

Due to injury, Denis Matvienko, a guest artist with American Ballet Theatre, will withdraw from scheduled performances with the Company this Spring, it was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director.

GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE, Artistic Directors, Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz present, as part of Greenway's Workshop Series, a Workshop Production of CARDBOARD CAPITAL, written by Gabriel Rivas Gomez, directed by Madeleine Dahm and produced by Ty Donaldson. CARDBOARD CAPITAL will open on Thursday, May 1 at 8pm for ten performances only through Sunday, May 18 at the Greenway Court Theatre, 544 North Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood.

New York City Ballet announced today that its 2014 Spring Gala on Thursday, May 8 at 7pm will feature a special one-time-only program designed by NYCB's Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the opening of the New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater) at Lincoln Center, as well as celebrate its future with a World Premiere ballet by choreographer Justin Peck and composer Sufjan Stevens.

Amas Musical Theatre and The Amas Musical Theatre Lab will present free staged readings of "Cookin! - A Taste of Things to Come," a new musical by Debra Barsha and Hollye Levin, with musical direction by Gillian Berkowitz. Directed by Tony Award nominee Lynne Taylor-Corbett (Swing!), the readings will be held on Monday, May 12th at 1pm & 4pm and Tuesday, May 13th at 4pm at St. Luke's Theatre.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its May 2014 schedule, featuring Steve Kuhn Trio, Joey DeFrancesco Organ Quartet, Karrin Allyson, BOSSABRASIL Festival, and more.

The much-anticipated 20th anniversary of Fire Island Dance Festival takes the stage July 18-20, 2014, as some of the top dancers and dance companies in the country offer a diverse array of artistry and genres. The festival, performed outdoors on the beautiful Great South Bay, is produced by and benefits Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Since its humble beginnings in 1995, the festival has grown to become the cultural and charitable event of the summer in Fire Island Pines, raising more than $3.3 million.