American Ballet Theatre Named Resident Company Of Segerstrom Center For The Arts
ABT will present annual spring engagements featuring THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, DON QUIXOTE, and WHIPPED CREAM alongside its continued holiday performances.
American Ballet Theatre has been named a resident company of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, marking a new chapter in a partnership spanning nearly four decades. Under a five-year agreement through 2030, ABT will present an annual spring engagement at the Center, strengthening its longstanding relationship with Southern California audiences.
The residency began with Sylvia in April 2026 and continues with The Sleeping Beauty in 2027, Don Quixote in 2028, and Whipped Cream in 2029. The five-year commitment will culminate in 2030 with a new co-production by ABT and Segerstrom Center. The spring engagements complement the Company's annual holiday performances of Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker, a beloved Southern California tradition.
'American Ballet Theatre has been part of Segerstrom Center's story for decades, and this addition as our resident company gives that relationship a new, lasting home,' said Casey Reitz, president of Segerstrom Center for the Arts. 'Audiences can look forward to welcoming ABT back year after year for a remarkable range of ballet from beloved classics to a new co-production.'
'Segerstrom Center has been an extraordinary partner to American Ballet Theatre for nearly four decades, and we are thrilled to deepen that relationship through this new residency,' said Barry Hughson, Executive Director of ABT. 'Having a strong partnership on the West Coast allows us to share the extraordinary artistry of our dancers, introduce audiences to the breadth of our repertoire, and continue creating ambitious new productions. We look forward to building on this remarkable partnership for years to come.'
The partnership between ABT and Segerstrom Center dates to ABT's first engagement at the Center in 1987. Since then, the organizations have brought world and West Coast premieres, major repertory works, and celebrated productions to Southern California audiences. Their collaborations include Ratmansky's The Nutcracker, Whipped Cream, and Of Love and Rage, as well as the North American premieres of Christopher Wheeldon's Like Water for Chocolate and Wayne McGregor's Woolf Works. The residency builds on this artistic history and creates opportunities for future productions.
This December, ABT's The Nutcracker returns for its 11th season at Segerstrom Hall, featuring the Company's internationally acclaimed dancers under the artistic direction of Susan Jaffe, with Tchaikovsky's score performed live by Pacific Symphony. The 2026 engagement will feature an extended season of 17 performances from December 10 through 24.
The 2026 engagement of The Nutcracker will also mark the final Segerstrom Center performances for two of the Company's most celebrated artists, Principal Dancers Herman Cornejo and James Whiteside. Cornejo, an ABT Principal Dancer since 2003, and Whiteside, a Principal Dancer since 2013, will give their final performances with ABT during the Company's 2027 Summer Season at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
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