August 20, 2008
ANTONY TUDOR'S ROMEO AND JULIET PAS DE DEUX
TO HIGHLIGHT ABT'S OPENING NIGHT GALA
AT NEW YORK CITY CENTER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21 AT 6:30 P.M.
Nina Ricci to Serve as Gala Sponsor
American Ballet Theatre’s Opening Night Gala at New York City Center on Tuesday, October 21, will feature highlights from the Fall season, which honors the centennial of the late choreographer, Antony Tudor. The 6:30 P.M. performance will include the pas de deux from Tudor’s Romeo and Juliet. Set to music by Frederick Delius, the original one-act production of Tudor’s Romeo and Juliet was created for Ballet Theatre in 1943 and was last performed by ABT in 1976. The Opening Night Gala will also include George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations and the Company Premiere of Paul Taylor’s Company B.
A Gala Dinner at New York’s Pierre Hotel will immediately follow the performance. Board Trustee Sharon Patrick will be honored with the 2008 Melville Straus Leadership Achievement Award, which recognizes exemplary leadership and outstanding commitment to the arts. In addition, the inaugural Northern Trust Award will be presented to one exceptional student from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre.
Gala chairmen include Muffie Potter Aston and Sherrell Aston, Anne and Mario Grauso and Julia and David Koch. Gala Vice-Chairs are Pamela Fielder and David B. Ford and Ruthe and Tony Ponturo. Lewis S. Ranieri will serve as Honorary Chair.
Performance-only tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s Opening Night at New York City Center are priced from $30 to $135 and are available online or by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212. New York City Center is located
on West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City.
ABT’s 2008 New York City Center season has been generously underwritten by Michelob Ultra. Nina Ricci is the Official Sponsor of the Fall Gala. J.P. Morgan is the Official Sponsor of Make a Ballet. Saks Fifth Avenue is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of ABT’s Costume Fund. Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. American Airlines is ABT’s Official Airline. Theme and Variations is generously sponsored by The Carl and Marsha Hewitt Foundation. Additional support has been provided by The Audrey Love Charitable Foundation. Theme and Variations is generously underwritten through an endowed gift from Mr. and Mrs. John C. Sites, Jr. The Romeo and Juliet pas de deux is generously sponsored through an endowed gift from Cosby W. and Timothy M. George. Additional support has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.