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American Ballet Theatre, Official Dance Company of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, presents ABT Forward, a mixed repertory program performed March 16-19, 2022, with three dazzling works highlighting the Company's incredible artistry and athleticism, and the inspiring visions of three of today's most exciting choreographers.
ABT Forward will be highlighted by the World Premiere of a new work by Alonzo King, his first for ABT. King's new ballet will feature a commissioned score by jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran. King's new work features sets and costumes by Robert Rosenwasser and lighting by Jim French.
The program also includes Jessica Lang's ZigZag, which celebrates the legendary career of Tony Bennett, using both his recordings, including s duet with Lady Gaga, and his visual artwork to highlight the authentic humanity of his vocal performances. The program is completed with ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky's Bernstein in a Bubble to Leonard Bernstein's Divertimento, which will be performed live by the Pacific Symphony.
American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Mckenzie said, "This is an opportunity to see work by three contemporary masters of their craft. A classic taste in music and dance vocabulary (Leonard Bernstein/Alexei Ratmansky) is complemented by the iconic American voice of Tony Bennett and Jessica Lang's fun and whimsical movement, followed by a World Premiere from Alonzo King to a commissioned score from American jazz pianist Jason Moran. Literally, this will be American artists reflecting America through the lens of inventive genius."
Alonzo King has been called a visionary choreographer, who is altering the way we look at ballet. King calls his works "thought structures" created by the manipulation of energies that exist in matter through laws, which govern the shapes and movement directions of everything that exists. Named as a choreographer with "astonishing originality" by The New York Times, his company Alonzo King LINES Ballet is currently celebrating its
40th anniversary season. Jessica Lang's ZigZag celebrates the legendary career of Tony Bennett. It received its World Premiere on October 26, 2021 at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City.
A work for 14 dancers, ZigZag features costumes by Wes Gordon (creative director for Carolina Herrera), scenery by Emmy and Tony Award winner Derek McLane, and lighting by Nicole Pearce.
Lang said, "ZigZag celebrates the legendary career of Tony Bennett as a singer and visual artist," said Lang. "With 11 songs carefully selected from Bennett's masterful catalog of recordings spanning more than seven decades, and scenic elements that incorporate his art, ZigZag will highlight the unwavering quality and genuine humanity of his vocal performances. My approach to ZigZag will be to deliver a balance between physical intricacy and visual simplicity, to convey art as entertainment, and to highlight the physically brilliant range of the American Ballet Theatre dancers." ZigZag is Lang's fourth work for ABT.
Alexei Ratmansky's Bernstein in a Bubble is inspired by the variety, charm, and quintessentially American spirit of Leonard Bernstein's Divertimento. Bernstein in a Bubble is an exciting reflection of artistic creativity in these challenging times, featuring costumes by Moritz Junge and lighting by Brad Fields. Created during the pandemic in January and February 2021 in Silver Bay, New York, the ballet received its digital World Premiere at ABT Live from City Center | A Ratmansky Celebration on March 23, 2021.
Sarah Crompton in The Guardian said, "Bernstein in a Bubble is a piece full of swift shifts of mood and tone, from blowsy brass to melancholy strings. Ratmansky's choreography gloriously catches the same mercurial spirit. It's full of sumptuous, unexpected movements: an exit in silence for a woman lifted high, smiling; a throw where the ballerina is immobile, legs crossed in the air."
Single tickets for ABT Forward start at $39 and are now available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket discounts for 10 or more, call the Group Services offices at (714)755-0236.
