Herman Cornejo News

Casting for American Ballet Theatre's 2017 Fall Season at the David H. Koch Theater was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

It's always a bittersweet feeling when a company ends its season, and in the current political climate, one can never take the arts for granted. But on Friday July 7, 2017, the Metropolitan Opera House was atwitter with the promise of American Ballet Theatre's program dedicated to Tchaikovsky. Pre-show, the audience crackled with uproarious excitement, perfectly in keeping with the dazzling, multi-layered nuance to be found in the breadth of Tchaikovsky's compositions.

A few years ago I bought a recording of Schlagobers, which had been written by the venerable Richard Strauss for the Vienna State Opera Ballet in 1924. I had a difficult time listening to the music-it didn't gel, nor did it leave any imprint on my mind. I suppose there was a reason for it not having many recordings-compare this with Rosenkavalier. I remember doing some research on this project: Strauss was serving as co-director of the Vienna State Opera with Franz Schalk and wanted to raise the prestige of the ballet wing after it had been decimated in the First World War. As a devoted admirer of Diaghilev company, for which he had once written Josephslegende, Strauss went about composing and writing his own libretto for what was to become Schlagobers, choreographed by Heinrich Kröller, who devised a mass spectacle that required 287 costumes at a cost of four billion kronnen, becoming known as the 'billionaire's ballet.' And at a time when inflation was climbing minute by minute.

Casting for the seventh and eighth weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2017 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

Casting for the third and fourth weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2017 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 2017 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

American Ballet Theatre's 2017 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 15-July 8, will feature the New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky's Whipped Cream and the Company Premiere of Ratmansky's Souvenir d'un lieu cher. Tickets for ABT's Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House go on sale at the box office on Sunday, March 26 at 12 Noon.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts will present the World Premiere of American Ballet Theatre's new production of Whipped Cream, choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, with sets and costumes by pop-surrealist Mark Ryden. ABT will give seven performances of the full-length work March 15-19, 2017 in Segerstrom Hall.

American Ballet Theatre marks its annual engagement with one of the most beloved full-length classical ballets, Swan Lake, January 25-29 for seven performances in the Opera House.

Casting for American Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker, co-presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts and ABT, was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director and Terry Dwyer, Segerstrom Center President. Choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, The Nutcracker will be given 12 performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, December 9-18, 2016. The Nutcracker, set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, features choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, scenery and costumes by award-winning designer Richard Hudson and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. The Pacific Symphony performs the beloved holiday score. In the Los Angeles Times review from last year's inaugural Center performance, it declared, "Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has made his own Christmas miracle: a joyful 'Nutcracker' ballet that is ravishing and clever enough to inspire multiple viewings."

American Ballet Theatre marks its annual engagement with one of the most beloved full-length classical ballets, Swan Lake, January 25-29 for seven performances in the Opera House.

American Ballet Theatre's 2017 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 15-July 8, will feature the New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky's Whipped Cream and the Company Premiere of Ratmansky's Souvenir d'un lieu cher, it was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.  

Founded in 2004, New York City Center's annual 'Fall for Dance' festival is an inspired idea that continues to fulfill the admirable mission of introducing new and younger audiences to the world of dance. Tickets are a mere $15, a price that's within the reach of millennials yet that coincidentally also tempts NYC's older dancegoers to venture out for performances of less than traditional dance fare. Over the years, the offerings have become an increasingly diverse and international roster of works created by innovative choreographers and performed by first-rate dancers.

Casting for American Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker, co-presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts and ABT, was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director and Terry Dwyer, Segerstrom Center President. Choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, The Nutcracker will be given 12 performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, December 9-18, 2016. The Nutcracker, set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, features choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, scenery and costumes by award-winning designer Richard Hudson and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. The Pacific Symphony performs the beloved holiday score. In the Los Angeles Times review from last year's inaugural Center performance, it declared, "Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has made his own Christmas miracle: a joyful 'Nutcracker' ballet that is ravishing and clever enough to inspire multiple viewings."

Arlene Shuler, New York City Center President & CEO, today announced the line-up for the 2016 Fall for Dance Festival. The 13th edition of the annual festival will feature a more international slate than ever before with 20 acclaimed dance companies and artists from across the country and around the world beginning September 26 through October 8. In keeping with City Center's commitment to make the best in the performing arts accessible to the widest possible audience, all tickets are $15. Tickets go on sale Saturday, September 10 at 11am.

New York City Center presents Vail Dance Festival: ReMix NYC, November 3 through 6, celebrating Damian Woetzel's tenth year as artistic director of the Vail International Dance Festival. Channeling the spirit of the summer dance happening in the Rocky Mountains with three programs and an UpClose event, Vail Dance Festival: ReMix NYC brings the unique collaborative sensibility of Woetzel's festival to New York City, featuring dancers and musicians from many genres.

In her first season as principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland has hit the stage glowing. Dancing both new roles, to her, and those she has performed before, while still a soloist with the company, she brought new life and light to the ballets. At every performance, the excitement throughout the audience was palpable, from the moment they entered the Metropolitan Opera House, N.Y.C., to the explosion of applause, calls of brava, and other vocalizations of appreciation at the end of each performance.

BWW Reviews 'Swan Lake' by ABT starring Maria Kochetkova.

Halfway through the bedroom scene (Act III, Scene I) I thought to myself, 'They're playing the music too quickly!' I was wrong. The tempo was fine; it simply felt faster than normal because the dancing was so wonderful. It's to be expected. Alessandra Ferri was guest starring in American Ballet Theatre's production of Kenneth MacMillan's 'Romeo and Juliet' nine years after she'd retired from the company in the same role.

Alessandra Ferri, a former Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre, will return as a Guest Artist to dance the role of Juliet in the Company's production of ROMEO AND JULIET at the Metropolitan Opera House, it was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.