American Ballet Theatre

The American Ballet Theatre (ABT), based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the twentieth century and remains a leading dance company in the world today.

Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope and outreach. Launched in 1939, ABT annually tours the United States, performing for more than 600,000 people, and is the only major cultural institution to do so. It has also made more than 15 international tours to 42 countries as the ballet company most representative American dance and has been sponsored by the State Department of the United States on many of these engagements.

There are three levels within the company: the Corps de ballet, the Soloists, and the Principals. There is also the ABT Studio Company.

History

The company was originally founded in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet and then reorganized in 1940 with a new name as the Ballet Theatre, with direction from Lucia Chase, noted American ballerina, and Richard Pleasant, ballet manager and publicity agent.

When American Ballet Theatre was launched in 1939, it was a mere six years after Lincoln Kirstein had established his company, which became the New York City Ballet. With the inroads New York socialite Kirstein had made, the the American Ballet Theatre was free to develop a repertoire of the best ballets from the past and to encourage the creation of new works by gifted young choreographers, wherever they might be found.

When the curtain at Radio City's Center Theater went up on January 11, 1940, those privileged enough to be in the audience watched history being made. The company, which then billed itself as "America's First Ballet Theatre Staged by the Greatest Collaboration in History," was about to set a new course in American dance. This event sparked 40 years of unsurpassed creativity within the dance world as ABT was helmed by Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith, one of the most distinguished and prolific scenic designers in American history. Under their direction, the company more than fulfilled its original aim.

The repertoire, perhaps unmatched in the history of ballet, includes all of the great full-length ballets of the nineteenth century, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle, the finest works from the early part of this century, such as Apollo, Les Sylphides, Jardin aux Lilas and Rodeo, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces such as Airs, Push Comes to Shove and Duets. In acquiring such an extraordinary repertoire, ABT has commissioned works by all of the great choreographic geniuses of the 20th century: George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille and Twyla Tharp, among others.

In 1956, the company was christened the American Ballet Theatre, and has kept that name ever since. The Metropolitan Opera House in New York is now home to the American Ballet Theatre. Most notable, in 1960 the company became the first American company to dance in the Soviet Union.

Mikhail Baryshnikov became Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre in 1980, succeeding Chase and Smith. Under his leadership, numerous classical ballets were staged, restaged and refurbished, and the company experienced a strengthening and refining of the classical tradition. Baryshnikov, who had said he would leave the company by summer 1990, resigned prematurely in September 1989 after a dispute with management and the board over ABT's finances and the dismissal of one of his staff members.

In 1990, Oliver Smith retained leadership of the company alongside Jane Hermann, who had held administrative positions at the Joffrey Ballet and the EliotFeld Dance Company before joining the Metropolitan Opera Association as a consultant in 1976. The duo immediately established an agenda that was dedicated to maintaining the great traditions of the past while aggressively pursuing a vital and innovative future.

In keeping with the company's long-standing commitment to bringing the finest in dance to the widest international audience, ABT has recently enjoyed triumphant successes with engagements in Tokyo, London, Paris, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Palermo, Italy, and in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece.

Education and Training

In 2000, director Nicholas Hytner released a film called Center Stage, which feature a group of very talented young ballet dancers who undergo weeks of rigorous training to realize their dream of being selected for coveted spots in the company that is clearly pattered after the American Ballet Theatre. As a matter of fact, among the male dancers featured were Ethan Stiefel, who has been considered by many to be the "most advanced male dancer in the world" and Sascha Radetsky, who was a member of Baryshnikov's short-lived School of Classic Ballet at the ABT. Both are regulars with the American Ballet Theatre.

As seen in the film, American Ballet Theatre has earned a well-deserved reputation for cultivating and nurturing talented young dancers through comprehensive and rigorous training designed to teach young dancers the techniques and discipline necessary to hone and apply their natural talents. There are training components at many levels.

Jacqueline Kenney Onassis School

The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre is a pre-professional ballet training program for students, ages 12-18. Under the unparalleled direction of Franco De Vita, Principal, students thrive in an elite atmosphere dedicated to the success of each student. Students are trained in the style of the American Ballet Theatre.

ABT II

ABT II is a small classical company of thirteen young dancers (ages 16-19) of outstanding potential. In its thirteenth season, ABT II prepares these dancers to enter American Ballet Theatre and provides opportunities for the emergence of new and established choreographers and composers. Through national performances, lecture-demonstrations and academic residencies, ABT II brings the excitement of close contact with a professional company into communities around the country. The dancers are handpicked from around the world by the artistic staff of American Ballet Theatre. Under the leadership of ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie and ABT II Director Wes Chapman, ABT II dancers will train in the program for one or two years before joining American Ballet Theatre’s main Company or other leading national and international professional companies.

The ABT Summer Intensive Program

American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive has earned a reputation for being the most thorough and rewarding dance experience a student can have during the summer. Under the supervision of ABT’s Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie and Artistic Director of ABT Summer Intensives Melissa Allen Bowman, the program offers top quality teachers and master guest teachers that are dedicated to the learning process and growth of each individual student.

Collegiate Intensive

This program is designed for the mature artist, ages 18-24, involved in the pursuit of higher education. This is a chance for the college dancer to further develop their artistic talents in a challenging and professional environment, while intensively training with world-class ABT faculty.

This three-week program takes place at ABT’s 890 Broadway studios in New York City. The program, headed by Melissa Allen Bowman, Artistic Director of Summer Intensives, will include renowned ABT faculty and accompanists. College credit options are available.

Present

In October 1992, former American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Kevin McKenzie was appointed Artistic Director. McKenzie, steadfast in his vision of ABT as "American," is committed to maintaining the Company's vast repertoire, and to bringing the magic of dance theater to the great stages of the world.

In the Fall of 2000, American Ballet Theatre made its first visit to China, appearing in both Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Company also appeared in Taipei and Singapore for the first time.

Over its 60-year history, the company has appeared in a total of 126 cities in 42 countries. ABT has also appeared in all 50 states of the United States.

Artistic directors

• 1940–1980 Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith
• 1980–1990 Mikhail Baryshnikov
• 1990–1992 Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith
• 1992–present Kevin McKenzie

Notable ABT dancers of the past

• Alessandra Ferri
• Alicia Alonso
• Anton Dolin
• Erik Bruhn
• Natalia Makarova
• Cynthia Harvey
• Robert La Fosse
• Johan Renvall
• Danilo Radojevic
• Leslie Browne
• Susan Jaffe
• Amada McKerrow
• Julio Bocca
• Antony Tudor

Principal dancers of the present

• Angel Corella
• David Hallberg
• Diana Vishneva
• Ethan Stiefel
• Gillian Murphy
• Herman Cornejo
• Irina Dvorovenko
• Jose Manuel Carreno

Special repertoire

Many choreographers have staged works especially for ABT, including George Balanchine, Adolph Bolm, Michel Fokine, Léonide Massine, and Bronislava Nijinska. The great British choreographer Antony Tudor, made his American debut with ABT, and the legendary Agnes de Mille staged the majority of her ballet works with them. Other past choreographers include Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, and Alvin Ailey.

ABT's 1976 production of The Nutcracker starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland was televised the following year and has become a broadcast classic.

Their main season is held during eights weeks in the spring at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House. The 2008 spring season will include The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote, The Merry Widow, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, La Bayadère, Etudes, and a new Twyla Tharp ballet premiere.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Gottlieb, Robert. George Balanchine: the Ballet Maker. HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN 0060750707.
• Cubberley, William. Round about the ballet. Limelight Editions, 2004. ISBN 0879103116
• Payne, Charles Payne and Kenn Duncan. American Ballet Theatre, 1940-1975 : under the direction of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith, in association with Antony Tudor. K. Duncan, 1974.

External links

• Official website. www.abt.org.
• Jane Hermann Leaves ABT
• Center Stage: Film Patterned After ABT www.filmmonthly.com

Credits

Initial content was copied from the following Wikipedia article:

• American_Ballet_Theater (December 5, 2007) history

All credit for producing the original text goes to the WikiMedia Foundation and its selfless team of volunteer contributors. It was copied here in compliance with the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL). Any changes made to the original text since then create a derivative work which is also GFDL licensed. Please note the current version here and at Wikipedia are liable to diverge over time. Check the edit history for details.