Support America’s National Ballet Company® DONATE NOW

Community

ABTKids Daily

Week of June 1-5, 2020

Christine Shevchenko and Thomas Forster in Of Love and Rage. Photo: Gene Schiavone.
Browse This Section...

Experience the excitement of classical ballet at home with ABTKids Daily!

Welcome to ABTKids Daily, American Ballet Theatre’s new home for families and educators to discover digital content for their virtual classrooms.  Join us each day to Meet an ABT Dancer, engage with an ABT Teaching Artist, learn fun facts and enjoy ballet-themed activities from the comfort of your own home.

As America’s National Ballet Company®, ABT is dedicated to preserving and extending the great legacy of classical dancing, through exciting performances and educational programming of the highest quality, presented to the widest possible audience.

Join us each Monday morning to bring the joy of classical ballet to your family. A weekly curriculum will be posted for your discovery!

 

ABTKids Daily is generously supported by
Bloomberg Philanthropies

 

Explore this week’s materials below or view the archive here.

Week of June 1-5, 2020


To Read

To Watch

To Do

Meet a Dancer Choreographer Monday

This week meet ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky!

In 2009, Alexei Ratmansky joined American Ballet Theatre as Artist in Residence. Over the past 11 years he has wowed audiences with his ability to create incredibly diverse ballets for the Company, from restaging classical Petipa ballets (The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty), to contemporary masterpieces (Symphony # 9 and Serenade after Plato’s Symposium, among others).

This week we celebrate Mr. Ratmansky and his newest ballet Of Love and Rage, which in March became his 21st ballet to join ABT’s repertoire.

Teaching Artist Tuesday

Join one of ABT’s Teaching Artists as they introduce you to one of ABT’s fabulous ballets. Learn a dance, stop and sketch, and don’t forget to have fun!

Up this week: Ms. Leann!

Alexei Ratmansky's The Sleeping Beauty: Garland Dance

What's Up Wednesday

Putting it Together: The Journey to Opening Night

Of Love and Rage had its World Premiere on March 5, 2020 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. Enjoy a rarely-seen time-lapse video capturing the entire process of bringing this amazing production to life for the first time!

Take the Of Love and Rage Challenge

Hit play on the video and see if you can put together your Of Love and Rage puzzle before the curtain goes up!

Throwback Thursday

Every Thursday we pull a photo from our archives and share it with one of our ABT dancers. You never know what stories may come from a single snapshot!

Kathryn Boren at ABT's 2007 Summer Intensive Final Performance. Photo: Rosalie O'Connor.
Kathryn Boren at ABT's 2007 Summer Intensive Final Performance. Photo: Rosalie O'Connor.

Kathryn Boren
ABT Corps de Ballet
Joined ABT 2015

“As a student, I spent many years in the ABT Training Programs. Starting with an ABT Summer Intensive in Austin, Texas when I was barely 12 years old, to performing as a member of ABT II [now ABT Studio Company] from ages 17-19. All of my fondest memories take place in an ABT setting. I have made some of my greatest friends and fostered lifelong relationships with coworkers and coaches that I adore. These memories take place in and out of the studio. Not only did ABT provide phenomenal training, it also created a familial, nurturing environment that is so special to me. I would not be the dancer or human I am today without the experiences I gained through the summer intensives, ABT JKO School, and ABT II. Having spent time away from ABT (two years at Staatsballett Berlin and two years at Boston Ballet), I always felt like ABT was my home and in turn, ABT always welcomed me with open arms. ABT has and will always be my family.”

View More Photos of Kathryn!

Writing Prompt

Write about a place that has always felt like home.

Funtime Friday

Memory Matching: Ratmansky Ballets

Our week concludes with an opportunity to test your Alexei Ratmansky memory skills. See how fast you match ten of his ABT ballets!

0 Moves | Time: 0 s

    ABT JKO School Virtual Classes

    In the Spring of 2020, @ABTSchool launched virtual classes taught by former ABT dancers, ABT JKO School faculty and ABT teaching artists – all certified in the ABT National Training Curriculum.

    These classes engaged, recommended for ages 2-4 and 5-8, by explore musicality, foster creativity and imagination, and teach ballet fundamentals. These classes engage ABT’s youngest students and their families, as well as the global community at large!

    View the full series on @ABTSchool IGTV or ABT’s YouTube Channel.

    @ABTSchool IGTVYouTube

    Photo: Richard Corman.