Simone Messmer

October 31, Halloween. I was walking to City Center for the opening of 'Balanchine: The City Center Years.' But then I began thinking of Stephen Sondheim's 'Follies.' You must all know the musical. Everyone returns for a reunion, only to be met with ghosts and remembrances of their past lives. After all, City Center is where New York City Ballet began in 1948. I wondered who I would encounter? I saw Allegra Kent. I think I saw two other members of the company who danced on New York City Ballet's opening night 70 years ago? But perhaps I'd encounter some of the other principal dancers of that time: Maria Tallchief on the stairs? Or Tanaquil Le Clercq at the bar? Or Frank Hobi? Francisco Moncion? Nicholas Magallenes? Yvonne Mounsey? Diana Adams?

American Ballet Theatre's 2018 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 14 - July 7, will feature the World Premieres of AFTERITE by Wayne McGregor and Harlequinade by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky. Tickets for ABT's 2018 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House go on sale at the box office on Sunday, March 25 at 12 Noon.

Casting for the third and fourth weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2016 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2016 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The Joyce Theater Foundation presented the long-awaited Lincoln Center debut of the internationally lauded Miami City Ballet under the artistic direction of former New York City Ballet principal dancer Lourdes Lopez, from April 13-17 at the David H. Koch Theater. BroadwayWorld has photos from the engagement below!

Northrop at the University of Minnesota presents Miami City Ballet with a full live orchestra on Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m, marking the finale to the 2015//16 season. The sizzling company returns to Northrop for the first time since 2010 with a program as vibrant and intoxicating as their namesake city featuring a Balanchine-based repertory that Le Monde says, 'gives goose bumps to fans of dance,' and Heatscape, by wunderkind choreographer Justin Peck. Northrop's 2016//17 Dance season announcement and an audience reception will follow the performance.

San Francisco Ballet's mixed rep program showed off its strong dancers from top to bottom featuring the star power of resident prima ballerina, Maria Kotchetkova.

I still remember how surprised I was as a young dancer to learn that the first professional ballet company in the United States, the San Francisco Ballet, was not established until 1933. Given the fact that the Paris Opera Ballet was founded almost three centuries earlier in 1673, I realized that dance in America is very young indeed. Yet I am happy to report that on the evening of October 18th 2013 at the Koch Theater during the San Francisco Ballet's brief but welcome return to NYC, I watched the troupe that launched the liveliest art on these shores prove that it has become one of the finest companies on the planet.

In my next life, I'm returning as the world's foremost dance historian to write the ultimate chronicle of Tchailovsky's Sleeping Beauty from 1890 to 2013. It's going to be a huge tome, one that encompasses every move, scene shift and cast change that was ever seen. Actually, by the time I finish my epic work, it will be superseded by an even larger tome, but that's life. What led me to this decision was American Ballet Theater's production of Sleeping Beauty that I saw on the July 6, 2012, the closing night of the season. This sent me back to my books, DVDs, CDs, balletomane friends and YouTube to decide just what Sleeping Beauty is all about, or should be about.

Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2013 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was recently announced by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. The season will begin tonight, Monday, May 13 at 6:30 P.M. with the Company's Opening Night Gala, featuring a piece d'occasion choreographed by Marcelo Gomes, set to the second movement of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony and danced by Julie Kent and Roberto Bolle.

Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2013 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

American Ballet Theatre's 2013 season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 13-July 6 will be highlighted by the World Premiere of a three-part work set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich and choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, the Company Premiere of Sir Frederick Ashton's A Month in the Country and a new production of Le Corsaire. Tickets for ABT's Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House are on sale now at the box office

Tom Gold Dance has been invited to be a part of the International Ballet Festival of Havana in Cuba. They will present two performances, Wednesday, October 31 at 5:00 PM and Thursday, November 1 at 5:00 PM at The Mella Theatre of Havana, Cuba.

American Ballet Theatre Soloist Simone Messmer has been awarded a 2010 Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship. The two-year fellowship recognizes young artists of extraordinary talent with the goal of providing them with additional resources in order to realize their full potential.