ABT JKO School Pre-Professional Division Will Perform at NYU Skirball in May

Students from the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School Pre-Professional Division will perform an excerpted repertoire including Winter from Alexei Ratmansky’s The Seasons, Coppélia, Raymonda, Paquita, Giselle, and George Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie staged by Deborah Wingert. Highlights will include original works choreographed by students under the direction of Gemma Bond, a new work created with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, stemming from their semester-long residency, and a study of Martha Graham’s iconic Diversion of Angels. 

Faculty members involved in staging the excerpts, as well as contributing original choreography include Stella Abrera, Gemma Bond, Cornell Callender, Yan Chen, Marianne dello Joio, Elizabeth Ferrell, Carmela Gallace, Rubén Martín, Caridad Martinez, and select Upper 3 students. 

Tickets starting at $55, fees included, can be purchased online and at the NYU Skirball box office at 566 LaGuardia Place. Student tickets are $25 and can be purchased with a valid student ID in person at the NYU Skirball box office (566 LaGuardia Place. In-person box office hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6pm, closed most university holidays). 

The ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, under the direction of Artistic Director Stella Abrera, currently serves over 350 students and encompasses a Pre-Professional Division for dancers ages 12-18, as well as a Children’s Division for dancers ages 3-12. Founded in the 2004-2005 school year, the ABT JKO School celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. ABT’s National Training Curriculum guides the ABT JKO School and provides age- and skill-appropriate classes in classical ballet technique, pointe, and pas de deux and is supplemented with classes in character dance, modern, contemporary, choreography, Pilates, strength training, and music. For more information on the ABT JKO School, visit https://www.abt.org/training/dancer-training/.