American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. It has an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spring and a shorter season at the David H. Koch Theater in the fall; the company tours around the world the rest of the year. ABT was founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant and is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. ABT is the parent company of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, and was recognized as "America's National Ballet Company" in 2006 by the United States Congress.
History
In 1939 Pleasant and Chase committed to the creation of "a large scale company with an eclectic repertory". The pair and a small group from Mordorkin Ballet formed Ballet Theatre. Their new company's first performance was on 11 January 1940. Chase began developing the company's repertoire of well-known full-length ballets, as well as original works, amidst financial issues. In 1945 Oliver Smith joined Ballet Theatre and became co-director with Chase.
In 1957 the company changed its name to American Ballet Theatre. It continued to emphasize ballet classics, yet remained challenged by financial issues. During the 1960s and 1970s, the company's prospects brightened due to more favorable private funding. During this period, American Ballet Theatre shifted its ballet focus to the recruitment of star performers. In 1977, the company began its spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House, its new official venue.
Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1980 became Artistic Director for American Ballet Theatre. Baryshnikov staged, restaged, and refurbished numerous classical ballets and, according to the company, strengthened their classical tradition. Baryshnikov was replaced in 1989 by Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith, who remained as Artistic Directors until 1992, when Kevin McKenzie received the appointment. McKenzie satisfied the demands of the traditional ballet audience by prioritizing full-length narrative ballets. He also succeeded in keeping the company afloat during financially unstable times. In 2004 he established an official associate ballet school, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. After a long period of no in-house choreographer, McKenzie appointed Alexei Ratmansky as "Artist in Residence" in January 2009.
Artistic staff
Artistic directors
- Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith (1940â€"1980)
- Mikhail Baryshnikov (1980â€"1989)
- Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith (1989â€"1992)
- Kevin McKenzie (1992â€"present)
Executive directors
- Rachel S. Moore (until 2016)
- Kara Medoff Barnett (2016â€"present)
Resident choreographers
- Antony Tudor (1940â€"1950)
- Alexei Ratmansky (2009â€"present)
Dancers
American Ballet Theatre has four levels within the company. They are (in ascending order): apprentice, corps de ballet, soloist and principal.
Principals
Soloists
Former dancers
The following is a partial list of former dancers with ABT, listed by their highest rank prior to leaving the company.
Former principal dancers
Former soloists
Former corps de ballet
Repertoire
Perhaps no other choreographer was as closely associated with ABT as the great British choreographer Antony Tudor, who made his American debut with the company. The other continuous creative force was the legendary Agnes de Mille. She staged the majority of her ballet works with them. Many choreographers have mounted works especially for ABT, including George Balanchine, Adolph Bolm, Michel Fokine, Léonide Massine, and Bronislava Nijinska. Other renowned choreographers who have worked at ABT 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.
The main season is held during eight weeks in the spring at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House, with shorter seasons in the fall previously held at New York City Center, now held at the David H. Koch Theater. Performances of Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker during the holiday season are held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The company tours extensively throughout United States and the world.
The current choreographer-in-residence for ABT is Alexei Ratmansky.
Production staff
- N. James Whitehill III (Director of Production) (current)
- Richard Koch (Technical Director) (current)
- Danielle Ventimiglia (Production Stage Manager) (current)
- Jennifer McGrath (Stage Manager) (current)
- Jeremiah Bischoff (Assistant Stage Manager) (current)
- Brad Fields (Lighting Director) (current)
- Jon Goldman (Assistant Lighting Director) (current)
- Dan De Prenger (Head Carpenter) (current)
- Esteban Osorio, Chris Miano (Assistant Carpenters) (current)
- Brian Zimmerman (Head Electrician) (current)
- Andrew Blais, Paul Frydrychowski (Assistant Electricians) (current)
- Paul Wells (Property Master) (current)
- Steve Dunbar (Property Man) (current)
Music department
- Ormsby Wilkins (music director) (current)
- Charles Barker (principal conductor) (current)
- David LaMarche (conductor) (current)
- Benjamin Bowman (concertmaster) (current)
- Akira Endo (conductor) (1938â€"2014)
Wardrobe master
- Tomoko Ueda-Dunbar (current)
- Robert Holloway (joined as dancer 1964) (1965â€"1996)
Wardrobe mistress
- Hilarie Jenkins, Caryn Wells (current)
See also
- A Dancer's Life, a 1972 documentary film about the company
References
Notes
Further viewing
- Wiseman, Frederick (Director) (1995). Ballet (motion picture). Zipporah Films.Â
External links
- Official website
- The American Ballet Theatre's current apprentices
- American Ballet Theatre entry in the Encyclopædia Britannica
- American Ballet Theatre entry in the Columbia Encyclopedia
- Archive footage of ABT (then Ballet Theatre) performing Interplay in 1949 at Jacob's Pillow
- Daily Telegraph obituary of Georgina Parkinson, December 20, 2009
- NY Times obituary of Georgina Parkinson, December 18, 2009
- NYPL theatrical lighting database, complete lighting paperwork for Fall River Legend
- American Ballet Theatre at Google Cultural Institute