Week of November 23-27, 2020

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Thanksgiving Week

Traditionally this is the week that families across the United States come together to celebrate Thanksgiving.  While this year’s holiday may feel and look a little different, Thanksgiving will continue to be a special time for families to feast together and show their gratitude for each other and the blessings in their lives.

For some Thanksgiving means Turkey, for others it means Football, but for most it means Family and Giving Thanks! 

Meet a Dancer Monday

How Do Ballet Dancers Give Thanks?

Classical ballet is full of traditions and one of its most beautiful traditions is called Reverence.

reverence • noun
rev·​er·​ence | \ ˈrev-rən(t)s , ˈre-və-; ˈre-vərn(t)s \

1: honor or respect felt or shown : DEFERENCE especially : profound adoring awed respect
2: a gesture of respect (such as a bow)

At the conclusion of every ballet class, dancers will finish with a reverence where they will bow or curtsy to pay respect and acknowledge both the teacher and accompanist.

Join ABT Principal Dancers Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside as they teach ABT JKO School Students Alice and Edmond all the special ways to say thank you in classical ballet.

Teaching Artist Tuesday

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

Up this week: ABT Teaching Artist Rita Bearden!

Turkey Trot for Tots

What's Up Wednesday

Find the Turkey

Giselle and the villagers are celebrating the end of the harvest and have come across a rafter of turkeys. Yes, a group of turkeys is really called a “rafter”!

10 turkeys have invaded our ballet scene! Can you find them all? Gobble gobble!

Did you find them all?  Click the button below to see the answers.

Throwback Thursday

What's Thanksgiving Day without a Parade?

In 1924 Macy’s Department store showcased the opening of the “World’s Largest Store” and its one million square feet of retail space with a special Thanksgiving morning parade in New York City.

Ironically, the inaugural parade had nothing to do with Thanksgiving! It was really a “Christmas Parade” to get shoppers excited about the upcoming holiday season!

Since then, New Yorkers have been treated to some very memorable parades. In 2017, American Ballet Theatre premiered Alexei Ratmansky’s Whipped Cream and took the production to the streets of New York City with a float that paraded through Times Square and around the city before pulling into Lincoln Center.

The float was full of unique characters from the mind of pop-surrealist artist Mark Ryden (who also joined the float that morning)!

Everyone loves a good parade!

ABT Dancer Ingrid Thoms Remembers the Whipped Cream Parade

“While I was a student at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, I performed as a supernumerary (an extra dancer on stage) during the New York City premiere of Whipped Cream at the Metropolitan Opera House. To celebrate the premiere, many of us ‘supers,’ as we call them, got to ride on a special Whipped Cream float through Manhattan the morning of ABT’s annual ABTKids performance! In this photo, we had just gotten back to Lincoln Center from our route right through Times Square. I remember feeling a little nervous at first, standing at the very front of the float, but seeing the shocked and excited reactions of the onlookers made me relax and embrace the Layer Cake Girl character. Waving to those huge crowds in our larger-than-life costumes is something I’ll never forget!

To play the Layer Cake Girl, I tried to personify a cake by imagining how the dessert would walk and talk if it could. This was new to me since I usually draw inspiration for roles from a living being, such as a swan or princess, rather than a yummy treat! I hoped to convey the sweetness of a cake to the audience through my joyful presence and huge smile.

Two years later, Whipped Cream became one of the very first ballets I performed in as an apprentice with the Company. Looking at this photo, it’s hard to believe that I had no idea that I would revisit this ballet as an ABT dancer so soon! Now, I dance as one of the whipped cream ladies, where my character is a similarly sweet treat. I used my experience from acting as the Layer Cake Girl to inspire my new role. In this dance, there is an arm gesture where was act as though we are wafting the delicious whipped cream scent from all around us. This visual always gets me into character and helps the audience to see each of us as dollops of whipped cream!”

Funtime Friday

Thanksgiving Word Search