American Ballet Theatre


American Ballet Theatre is a classical ballet company based in New York City. It has an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House 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 Mordkin 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

American Ballet Theatre has four levels within the company. They are : apprentice, corps de ballet, soloist, and principal.

Principals

NameNationalityTrainingOther companies
Stella AbreraLe Studio
West Coast Ballet Theatre
Halliday Dance Centre		Royal New Zealand Ballet
Ballet Philippines
The Australian Ballet
Isabella BoylstonAcademy of Colorado Ballet
Harid Conservatory
ABT Studio Company		Paris Opera Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet
Misty CopelandSan Pedro Dance Center
Lauridsen Ballet Center
San Francisco Ballet School
ABT Studio Company
Herman CornejoInstituto Superior de Arte at Teatro Colón
School of American Ballet		Ballet del Teatro Argentino de La Plata
Ballet Argentino
Barcelona Ballet
Compañia de Danza Comtemporánea de Cuba
Boston Ballet
New York City Ballet
Sapporo Ballet
David HallbergSchool of Ballet Arizona
Paris Opera Ballet School
ABT Studio Company		Bolshoi Ballet
Colon Theater Ballet
Kiev Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet
Royal Swedish Ballet
The Royal Ballet
The Australian Ballet
Sarah LaneBallet Memphis
Draper Center for Dance Education
Boston Ballet School		The Kremlin Ballet
Hong Kong Ballet
Gillian MurphyUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts
Columbia City Ballet		Kiev Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet
Royal New Zealand Ballet
Royal Swedish Ballet
Staatsballett Berlin
Hee SeoSun-hwa Arts Middle School
Universal Ballet Academy
John Cranko Ballet Academy
ABT Studio Company
Christine ShevchenkoPennsylvania Ballet Rock School
ABT Studio Company
Daniil SimkinVienna State Opera Ballet
Staatsballett Berlin
Cory StearnsSeiskaya Ballet School
Royal Ballet School
ABT Studio Company		The Royal Ballet
Devon TeuscherChampaign-Urbana Ballet Academy
Vermont Ballet Theatre School
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School
ABT Studio Company
James B. WhitesideD'Valda and Sirico Dance and Music Centre
Virginia School of the Arts
Boston Ballet II		Boston Ballet
Ballet Philippines

Soloists

NameNationalityTrainingOther companies
Joo Won AhnY.J. Ballet People Academy
Sun Hwu Art School
Korea National University of the Arts
Aran BellCentral Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
Skylar BrandtScarsdale Ballet Studio
ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School
ABT II
Zhong-Jing FangShanghai Ballet School
Shanghai Drama University
Thomas ForsterRoyal Ballet School Associate Programme
Elmhurst School of Dance
Upper School of the Royal Ballet School
the ABT Studio Company
Joseph GorakNorth Central School of Ballet
Orlando Ballet School
ABT Studio Company		Orlando Ballet
Alexandre HammoudiParis Opera Ballet School
School of American Ballet
ABT Studio Company		Cuban National Ballet
Stars of American Ballet
Blaine HovenNorth Carolina School of the Arts
ABT Studio Company
Catherine HurlinScarsdale Ballet Studio
Westchester Dance Academy
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School
Luciana ParisColon Theater Ballet
Calvin Royal IIIPinellas County Center for the Arts
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School
ABT II
Craig SalsteinBallet Academy of Miami
Miami City Ballet School
Joffrey Ballet School
School of American Ballet
ABT Studio Company		Intermezzo Dance Company
Arron ScottBallet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania
the School of American Ballet
ABT's Studio Company
Cassandra TrenaryLawrenceville School of Ballet
ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School
ABT II
Katherine WilliamsBallet Royale Academy
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School
Roman ZhurbinFiorello H. LaGuardia High School
Studio Maestro
ABT Studio Company

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

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 Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The company tours extensively throughout United States and the world.
The current choreographer-in-residence for ABT is Alexei Ratmansky.

Schools and programs

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School

The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre is the associate school of American Ballet Theatre located within the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City. The school comprises a Children's Division for ages 4 to 12, a Pre-Professional Division for ages 12 to 18, and the preparatory program Studio Company for ages 16 to 20. Cynthia Harvey, a former dancer with ABT, serves as the school's artistic director.

Studio Company

ABT Studio Company, formerly known as ABT II, is a small company of 12 young dancers, ranging from ages 16 to 20, handpicked by ABT. It is the top level of the American Ballet Theatre training ladder and is currently an extension of the ABT JKO school. These dancers are trained in the program to join ABT's main company or other leading professional companies, and the program is described by ABT as "a bridge between ballet training and professional performance".

Project Plié

Project Plié is a diversity initiative launched in 2013 by Kevin McKenzie, ABT's current artistic director. The program was inspired by ABT principal dancer Misty Copeland, and aims to "increase racial and ethnic representation in ballet and diversify America's ballet companies". The initiative is made up of a combination of partnerships within the community and within the industry in addition to scholarships and opportunities for exposure for children of color. Annually, as of 2013, Project Plié has awarded scholarships to young people ranging from ages 9 to 18 including to the ABT/JKO School, ABT's summer intensive programs and ABT's Young Dancer Workshop.

Production staff