On June 18, over 2,000 miles apart, two kids from Guadalajara, Mexico, geared up to shine in front of thousands. They went through their pre-performance rituals; stretching, reviewing, meditating, and getting ready to show off at the top of their industries. 

But where one got ready to cabriole, the other practiced their saves.   

Isaac Hernández became a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre in January 2025, after starting in ABT Studio Company in 2007 and later returning to the Company as a Guest Artist. But, Isaac’s journey to the theater started long before that. Isaac’s first stage was the backyard of his childhood home in Guadalajara where his father, Hector Hernández, served as both instructor and spectator. Hector is a former performer himself, having worked stints with Dance Theater of Harlem and Houston Ballet, so he was well suited to foster the dancer within his son. Soon enough, Isaac outgrew the confines of his backyard and after tackling a handful of international competitions, Isaac joined The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at age 12.  

From there, Isaac’s stardom only continued to rise. Jumping from opportunity to opportunity, Isaac has had an illustrious career in the 24 years since he enrolled at The Rock. An anchor in storied companies such as San Francisco Ballet and Dutch National Ballet, Isaac has become an icon of the ballet world.   

But Isaac wasn’t the only star plucked from Guadalajara. In fact, roughly six years before Isaac began training in his backyard, Guillermo Ochoa was embarking on a meteoric rise of his own.  

Ochoa began playing soccer as soon as he could walk. Ochoa found his love for the sport playing neighborhood games and following his local club, Atlas. Ochoa’s passion quickly turned though, from a hobby to an all-consuming way of life. Like Isaac, Ochoa left Guadalajara as a kid in order to pursue his dream. At just age 10 his parents enrolled him in Club América’s youth academy in Mexico City, roughly 342 miles from the streets where he first fell in love with the beautiful game.  

Since then, Ochoa’s goalkeeping career has flourished. Making his professional debut for Club América when he was 18, Ochoa has gone on to play for a multitude of famed clubs abroad. But Ochoa’s club career pales in comparison to the success he’s had for Mexico’s national team. More commonly known as ‘Memo’, Ochoa has become a cult hero on the international stage, known for his charismatic demeanor, unmistakable curls, and, most importantly, his impeccable saves. This summer, at the 2026 World Cup Ochoa becomes one of only three players to be featured in six different tournaments. While his role this year looks markedly different from the starting roles he’s held in the past, Ochoa holds a coveted spot on the national roster all the same.  

Both Isaac and Ochoa have worked tirelessly to achieve their dreams. Moving to new cities, countries, and even continents to chase opportunities, the pair have made waves in their respective industries during their rises to the top. At the 2026 World Cup, Ochoa becomes the Mexican goalkeeper to have the most appearances at the international level, where last year Isaac made history becoming American Ballet Theatre’s first Mexican-born Principal Dancer last year. Each navigate their rapid success gracefully and both continue to give back to Guadalajara, with Ochoa being a consistent advocate for equitable access to soccer for all and Isaac co-founding local production company Soul Arts, a company that produces shows and projects related to dance and the arts.  

But where Isaac is still performing at his peak, Ochoa is ready to hang up his cleats at the end of this tournament. Yet the two’s impact will likely extend long beyond their time in the spotlight. 

Besides growing up in the same town and being legendary in their fields, Ochoa and Isaac have more in common than meets the eye. Because while most may assume the contrary, their professions really aren’t all that different. Whether you’re sitting in stadium bleachers or orchestra seats, you’re choosing to go to an event and enjoy a show — one that Isaac and Ochoa are more than ready to put on.  

One of those shows features 22 players sprinting back and forth fighting for goals, while the other sees dancers grace the stage to share emotional stories and athletic performances. But both display the heart and grit it takes to reach the pinnacle of success. And both make the audience feel innately connected to the community in front of, and around you. Whether that results in boisterous jeering or proud applause, the impact is the same.  

At face value, soccer and ballet may seem alien to one another. But as Isaac and Ochoa could likely attest to, at the end of the day they can be boiled down to similar values. Community, joy, and hope surround both Isaac and Ochoa’s stories — and likely most individual’s stories sitting in the audience as well.  

This summer, two kids from Guadalajara perform on the world’s stage. They are breaking barriers and fulfilling childhood dreams. But more than that they are fostering a space that we all get to enjoy, whether on the field or in the studio.  

Last month, Guillermo Ochoa and Mexico clinched their spot in the round of 32 in the World Cup tournament, while Isaac Hernández wrapped up a stunning performance of Swan Lake and made his ABT debut in Don Quixote. Isaac kicked off his season while Ochoa clinched his spot to the next stage. And while we don’t know when exactly their journeys will come to an end, for this one summer we are lucky enough to enjoy the show. 

On June 30, 2026, American Ballet Theatre celebrated its sixth annual Pride Night! Aubrey Lynch III, Dean of Students and Director of ABT Wellness and ABT RISE, kicked off the evening with a pre-show speech highlighting the importance of inclusivity and representation in the arts, followed by a passionate testimonial from Principal Dancer James Whiteside. The evening was dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community in and around ABT.  This year the Company welcomed staff, leadership, and board members from local organizations supporting the LGBTQIA+ community into the theater to enjoy a vibrant performance of Don Quixote, led by Skylar Brandt and Herman Cornejo.

ABT welcomed a number of board members from the Human Rights Campaign, and after the show Dancers Responding to Aids made a fundraising appeal in and around the Met lobby. DRA funds essential social services and programs of the Entertainment Community Fund to support individuals affected by critical health issues.

This year’s celebration wrapped up with a post-show toast on the Grand Tier where attendees heard speeches from Executive Director Barry Hughson, Artistic Director Susan Jaffe, and Lynch. To learn more about ABT’s 2026 Pride Night see this year’s insert below. We hope to see you at future ABT events!

Established in 2001 by genderqueer trans choreographer Kade Pyle, Ballez is a company committed to making ballet an inclusive and welcoming space for all. Ballez’s goal is to change the culture around ballet from the inside out, whether that be through class, performances, or conversations with the media. Ballez shares in their mission statement, “We’re here to dance, to perform, to learn and to teach, from our own expertise, and thus to change the form of ballet into what it could be: a place of joyful expression, passion, beauty, complexity, diverse representation, and, respect.”

Live Out Loud is a nonprofit organization dedicated to partnering with families, schools, and communities to provide LGBTQ+ youth with resources and opportunities that help them discover their voice and become leaders of change. Live Out Loud is committed to combatting disproportionate levels of bullying, discrimination, and hostile environments that LGBTQ+ youth face.

Through free art and community events, National Queer Theater works towards creating a more equitable vision of the world “bursting with pride”. By working alongside social justice movements National Queer Theater looks to uplift the queer community through theater various productions and education programs.

Queer the Ballet is an organization that works to create a diverse queer space through live performances, dance on film, and education. Their goal is to provide mainstream visibility for all LGBTQ+ artists with a focus on the ballet world.

A multidisciplinary art organization, Queer | Art provides mentorship, public programming, and material support to drive societal change. Queer | Art prioritizes an artist-centered approach through three major areas of support — Practice, Presents, and Awards.

Since 1972, The Door has provided comprehensive resources to youth across New York City including  health care, education, mental health counseling and crisis intervention, legal assistance, high school equivalency and college preparation services, career development, housing support, arts, sports and recreational activities, and nutritious meals all for free. The Door currently supports 11,000 young people in a diverse and caring environment.

The NYC LGBT Community Center was established at the height of the AIDS crisis to provide a safe and affirming place for LGBT+ New Yorkers. Through an in-person and online approach, NYC LGBT Community Center provides recovery and wellness programs, economic advancement initiatives, family and youth support, advocacy, arts and cultural programming, and space for community organizing, connection, and celebration.

The writer, Grace Wright, is the ABT Press Intern for Summer 2026. 

Brand new American Ballet Theatre apprentice Sooha Park knows the importance of keeping a learning mindset while in the studio. Having just wrapped up her time in ABT Studio Company, Sooha is preparing for her first season with the main Company at the Metropolitan Opera House; she has a lot to reflect on during this huge transition.  

Growing up in South Korea, Sooha began dancing when she was eight years old after developing admiration for the art form through the videos and television she watched. After attending a local studio, she joined Sun-hwa Arts School, a major preparatory arts academy in Seoul, South Korea. Sooha trained in the Vaganova style, getting to the studio every day at eight in the morning and often dancing until ten in the evening.   

“It was a tight schedule. But if I hadn’t done that, I feel like it wouldn’t be the same for me. And I don’t ever regret doing that much hard work that I enjoy,” Sooha said. 

In 2023, Sooha earned a spot as a finalist in Prix de Lausanne and Stella Abrera, Artistic Director of the ABT JKO School, offered Sooha a position in the School after enjoying her performance. ABT was always Sooha’s dream company—she grew up watching ABT Principal Dancer Hee Seo, who is also from South Korea and attended the Sun-hwa Arts School. Sooha trained in the ABT JKO School for one semester before being offered a trainee position to dance with ABT Studio Company, by ABT Studio Company Artistic Director Sascha Radetsky, for the second half of the season while she completed her training in the School.  

“I was just trying to learn and absorb the most out of it, because I was 16 at the time and a lot of my friends were older than me. So, just watching them helped me to learn a lot,” Sooha said in reflecting on her trainee experience. “Studio Company really helps you, because you’re just surrounded by so many amazing dancers and you just never stop learning.”  

ABT Studio Company has an intense performance schedule, so dancing with the group as a trainee helped Sooha smoothly transition out of the School and into a full position. Sooha described this past Spring season as nonstop, with a United States tour in March, an Asia tour in April, and performances at The Joyce Theater in New York this past May.   

“I do get overwhelmed, but just thinking about the excitement on stage helps me improve and grow a lot. From this past season, I feel like I’ve made a lot of achievements and improvements, and Studio Company just does that for you,” Sooha commented on her performances from the past months.  

Amid this busy schedule, about two months ago after finishing a rehearsal, Sooha found out that she would be promoted to an apprentice position in the main Company. Since then, Sooha shared that she has been getting a lot of support from the current main Company members as she learns the repertoire for the Summer season.  

“I’m preparing myself mentally and physically to be in the main Company, because it’s a big shift from being a pre-professional dancer to a professional dancer. I feel like I’m very prepared for this next chapter,” Sooha said. 

To keep herself grounded mentally in this high-intensity profession, Sooha gets a lot of joy from laughing with her friends; to wind down she journals about her day to organize her thoughts. It’s no secret that ballet is a demanding art form and it’s easy for dancers to feel discouraged if they don’t work through their emotions.  

“Once you have that frustration inside of yourself, it’s kind of like a loop that you get into. You get stressed because you’re frustrated, but then if you can’t let it out, you just don’t want to dance anymore,” Sooha said. “So, I sit with my emotions then write them down and see them with my own eyes, then I just wake up and I feel good because I let it all out.”  

Entering this new chapter in her career, Sooha noted that her time in ABT Studio Company allowed her to develop her skills in contemporary and neoclassical works, but she finds that her greatest strength remains in classical choreography. Her dream classical role is Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet. Sooha describes the ballet as a masterpiece and not only admires the beautiful choreography, but also the romantic atmosphere and demanding acting requirements.  

“It’s very captivating. And every time I watch it, I just cry. So, maybe one day I can look at the audience and perform this and make someone feel something,” Sooha said.  

American Ballet Theatre’s 2026 Summer season at the Metropolitan Opera House marks the 25th anniversary of the story of Onegin coming to ABT’s stage. ABT first put on South African dancer and choreographer John Cranko’s three-act ballet in 2001 and later performed a revised version in 2012, which the Company still performs to this day.  

Set in 1820s Imperial Russia, Onegin depicts the story of Tatiana, a young country girl, whose sister’s wealthy fiancé grants her access to the world of aristocracy. The title character meets Tatiana while visiting her family’s country home. She falls for Onegin instantly and writes him a love letter, which he coldly rejects. Then, Prince Gremin appears and expresses interest in Tatiana, but she is too heartbroken over Onegin to notice him. In his boredom, Onegin flirts with his friend Lensky’s fiancé, Olga, leading to a fatal duel.  

Years later after traveling the world, Onegin returns to St. Petersburg, Russia and attends a ball in the palace of Prince Gremin. Onegin is surprised to discover that the prince is now married to Tatiana. Flooded with regret, Onegin attempts to redeem himself by writing Tatiana a letter revealing his love. Even though Onegin tempts her, Tatiana asserts her agency and stays loyal to the life she has forged for herself.  

One of Onegin’s core themes is the devastation of unrequited love for both central characters. Tatiana and Onegin play the role of rejected and rejector, but at different points in the story. This tragic irony of time is frustrating and heartbreaking. Audiences are left wondering what could have been if only Tatiana and Onegin’s timelines had aligned. This tension is what makes the ballet all the more captivating. 

While 2026 marks a notable anniversary of the ballet at ABT, Onegin traces an even deeper history that reflects the longevity of the story. As the artistic director for the Stuttgart Ballet, Cranko choreographed Onegin in 1965 for the company to premiere at the Wurttemburgische Statsstheatre in Stuttgart, Germany. The narrative ballet draws inspiration from Alexander Pushkin’s 19th – century novel, Eugene Onegin.   

Before working at Stuttgart Ballet though, Cranko had considered setting a ballet to the narrative of Pushkin’s novel while arranging a production of Tchaikovksy’s opera at Sadler Wells, but the board of directors denied his proposal. Despite this initial pushback, with greater creative control at the Stuttggart Ballet, Cranko was able to fulfill his creative vision. The Stuttgart Ballet brought Onegin to the United States in 1969 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. 

“The success that John Cranko’s Stuttgart Ballet first achieved in the United States placed the seal on the company as one of international importance,” wrote Edward Thorp, dance critic emeritus for the London Evening Standard in 2001. “One can confidently say that nothing would have pleased Cranko more than to know that American Ballet Theatre had taken Onegin into its repertoire.”  

ABT premiered Onegin on June 1, 2001 at the Metropolitan Opera House, with choreography from Cranko’s 1967 version of the ballet. Julie Kent danced the role of Tatiana, Robert Hill danced the title character, Vladimir Malakhov danced Lensky, and Maria Riccetto danced Olga.  

In 2012, ABT premiered Onegin again at the Metropolitan Opera House with new staging by Reid Anderson and Jane Bourne, sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto, and lighting by James F. Ingalls. This premiere featured Diana Vishneva as Tatiana, Marcelo Gomes as Onegin, Natalia Osipova as Olga, Jared Matthews as Lensky, and Gennadi Saveliev as Prince Gremin.  

Recently, Onegin commenced ABT’s 2024 Summer season with Christine Shevchenko as Tatiana, Cory Stearns as Onegin, Jake Roxander as Lensky, and Zimmi Coker as Olga, and Roman Zhurbin as Prince Gremin. This year, this same cast is once again set to lead the Summer season’s first performance of Onegin on June 23 at the Metropolitan Opera House. In preparation for the season ahead, enjoy these photos of the ballet from over the years at ABT.  

From flocks of swans to festive court peasants, the corps de ballet simultaneously acts as the backdrop and backbone of the Company. Each year, American Ballet Theatre awards one member of the corps de ballet with the title of Jennifer Alexander Dancer, identifying a dancer who stands out for their professionalism, dedication, and perseverance. In 2007 when Jennifer Alexander was a member of the corps, she tragically passed away in an automobile incident. The Jennifer Alexander Memorial Fund was established in 2008 to honor her memory. 

This year ABT honors Nathan Vendt as the 2026 Jennifer Alexander Dancer, making him the first male recipient of the award.

In the corps de ballet, the level of talent and amount of hard work that Nathan’s fellow dancers dedicate to ABT motivates him every day. “It’s a real treasure just to work with these people, and they are the greatest dancers in the country all in one company,” said Nathan. 

Nathan didn’t begin dancing until the age of 14, a bit later than most ballet dancers perusing a professional career. Both of Nathan’s sisters were ballet dancers, so he frequently attended their competitions to support them. One year at dinner after watching his sisters perform in YAGP, “I had made light of how easy it looked to do. So, they both dared me and my brother to take a class,” Nathan said. 

Only taking one class a week for roughly two years, Nathan began with a relaxed approach to ballet. “I wasn’t really pushing for it as a profession, more as a fun hobby to pursue, or potentially for scholarships in college,” he said. Then, when Nathan was 16 years old his family moved to Dallas, Texas, so his sister could attend a more professional school, Ballet Academy of Texas, where Nathan also trained.  

At 19 years old, after finishing high school, Nathan and his sister both auditioned for and received trainee positions with Cincinnati Ballet for their 2012-2013 season. After gaining exposure to the professional ballet environment and the level of dedication that dancers commit to the artform, he felt encouraged to pursue a professional career. So, Nathan attended ABT’s 2013 Summer Intensive and was invited to join ABT Studio Company the following September. He became an apprentice with the Company in December 2013, before being promoted to a corps de ballet member in June 2014.  

“Because I started so late, I never considered it even as a possibility,” Nathan shares when reflecting on his journey to ABT. “I still to this day can’t believe how lucky I was to receive that.” 

Developing a robust repertoire from having danced in the corps for over a decade, Nathan’s previous roles range from the Russian Dance in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker to a Fairy Cavalier in Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty and many more. He especially enjoyed dancing Pirates in Le Corsaire, because he grew up watching the ABT performance on YouTube. “Finally getting to go on stage and do that with the Company, that was amazing,” Nathan said.  

Nathan feels incredibly grateful to be recognized as this year’s Jennifer Alexander Dancer but also acknowledges the other corps de ballet members who he feels are equally deserving. “This year in particular, for the women in the corps, they’ve performed shades in Giselle, and they’re going to be doing two weeks of Swan Lake. They, in my opinion, put a lot more work in than the male corps does,” he said. 

Reflecting on his career, Nathan shares that corps de ballet dancers can easily experience burnout if opportunities are never given, so it is essential to find balance and motivation to continue each day. Nathan said, “you enter with sort of an optimistic hope of rising through the ranks and achieving your dreams. And I think it’s important to keep that dream alive as long as possible.”  

In 2019, after nine years as a student at the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, three ABT Summer Intensives, and a starring role as young Clara in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Emilie Trauchessec decided to swap her pointe shoes for a textbook and enrolled at McGill University.  

Today, Emilie is a psychotherapist, specializing in providing mental health services for dancers and athletes, building on her professional ballet background to pave a career that supports other dancers. As we approach the 10th anniversary of The Nutcracker at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in California, SideBarre checked in with Emilie about this career transition, her relationship to dance today, and her time starring in The Nutcracker as a teenager. 

At age nine, Emilie joined the ABT JKO School Children’s Division, working her way through the School until her high school graduation. Emilie performed in The Nutcracker three times, as a Party Girl, Soldier, and, eventually, Clara. She looks back on those days fondly, particularly how much she loved getting to connect with the main Company members. Emilie shares that she remembers attending her first company rehearsal and being “so anxious,” but was immediately comforted as the dancers were “so nice and welcoming and all just wanted to help out.”  

Through her time at the ABT JKO School, Emilie found a family among her fellow dancers, relying on each other for support as they navigated the challenges that come with being a young dancer. This experience of communal support inspired Emilie’s decision to study psychology and sociology and go on to earn a Master of Social Work at Columbia University. “I saw a lot of people I was growing up with and dancing with struggling with their mental health,” Emilie shares, motivating her to pursue a career “making mental health care more accessible for the dance community.” 

Through her career as a therapist, Emilie has found new ways to integrate ballet into her life. This transition was not an easy one; she says, “I thought ‘who am I without dance?’ And so, when I took that step, at first, it was super scary. But then being able to continue to integrate dance into my life in different ways has been so eye opening and such a positive experience.” While dance is no longer her primary focus, she continues to take classes, see performances, and work with dancers as a therapist.  

As a Licensed Master Social Worker, Emilie works in a private practice, providing psychotherapy to a range of clients, with an emphasis on dancers and athletes. She sees the benefit of shared experience, having a personal understanding of high-pressure environments, performance anxiety, and injuries. Emilie is passionate about prioritizing mental health for professional dancers, telling us that mental health has traditionally been seen as taboo, but “now there’s a lot more discussion around it, a lot more resources at dance schools.” Emilie says that she thinks it’s important that these conversations are happening with young dancers, teaching kids from a young age to “be able to cope with the tough, competitive world they’re growing up in.” 

As her career progresses, Emilie’s dream is to open her own private practice focusing on dancers and athletes. She says, “because they have such unique experiences, I think a lot of dancers struggle to find therapists that they can connect with, because they feel like they need to explain a lot.”  

While her relationship with ballet has shifted over the years, Emilie has found the change to be positive. Working with dancers in a new way has helped her rediscover her love of ballet and help other dancers navigate the stresses of the industry. She says, “a lot of people think that once you’re no longer a dancer, that part of you is gone. But the way I see it, it’s still part of me. I think of it not as letting something go but finding a new way to integrate it into your life.” 

The writer, Lauren Trossman, is an ABT Press Intern for Fall 2025.

“Education is freedom, and the more you know, the more free you can be.”

As a middle-schooler in Missouri, Karilyn Ashley Surratt found a flyer at her local dance studio advertising a summer ballet intensive in New York City. Though her family decided that she was too young at the time for a summer in the city, years later Karilyn rediscovered that same flyer for American Ballet Theatre, still in a box at her mother’s house. Recalling this childhood dream, Karilyn decided to pursue a career in dance education, with the help of ABT. Since then, Karilyn has completed ABT’s National Teaching Curriculum, the ABT/NYU Master’s Degree, and is now a faculty member at the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.

SideBarre spoke with Karilyn about her journey to ABT, her philosophy around teaching and arts education, and her experiences as a Black and Native American woman in the performing arts. Dance has played a crucial role in Karilyn’s life, saying that dance gave her “a sense of embodiment, that helped me put myself together and understand my whole self, so that I was not afraid to speak.”

Currently, Karilyn is on faculty at the ABT JKO School Children’s Division, in addition to teaching college classes at Pace University in tap and dance history, and tap dance at the Academy at Steps on Broadway. She is also in the inaugural cohort of the Ailey Horton Teacher Training program. After a long career performing in renowned dance and musical theatre institutions such as the Rockettes and The Muny, Karilyn is now focusing her career on education. To Karilyn, dance education is “the ultimate practice of freedom,” believing that “it re-embodies your physical self, your spiritual, mental, and emotional selves.”

Karilyn feels that as an educator it is her role to create possibilities for her students. She thinks it is “really important as teachers that we never limit our students, because we limit ourselves when we limit our students.” Karilyn emphasizes the reciprocal nature of teaching; she says, “you have to recognize that your students are experts in their experience and so, at whatever age they are at, you can always be learning from them.”

As both a performer and teacher, Karilyn sees her cultural background as an inherently important component of her practice: “I’m a dancer who happens to be Native American and Black and that is a part of the artistry.” Her background informs her teaching style, as she comes from “a family of teachers,” and was raised in her family’s tradition of passing on ancestral knowledge.

Karilyn holds the honor of being the first Native American Rockette. When asked how she feels about this title, she says that it means more to her now than it did at the time, and, in fact, she did not even know that she was the first until her final year with the company. While she always included her Indigenous background in her press materials, it was often overlooked, and she feels that this was a missed opportunity, especially in her time on tour; Karilyn is passionate about community outreach and advocacy and laments the lost chance to connect with Native American groups throughout the country.

As a performer with mixed ancestry, she has felt tokenized by productions as “ethnically ambiguous,” and felt her offstage skills as a dance captain and assistant choreographer were underutilized for the sake of onstage diversity. While performing as a Rockette, Karilyn was at times provided with nude tights and costumes that did not match her skin tone. However, she feels that there have been some improvements over the years, especially with inclusive costuming, and continues to have hope that productions will fully appreciate the wide skill sets of their talent, regardless of skin color.

Ultimately, Karilyn feels that her role as an educator and a role model to younger performers, especially young women of color is both a great honor and a great responsibility. In teaching dance history to her college students, she is sure to always emphasize her own history of teachers, instilling a sense of legacy in her students. She says, “I want to be true to the legacy that has been instilled in me from my teachers, from their teachers, and from their teachers.”

Whether her classes are filled with young children in their first dance class or college students on the cusp of a professional career, Karilyn wants her students to know that the legacy they carry through dance is very valuable—“it’s valuable to them as an individual, it’s valuable to their families, and it’s valuable to society and culture at large.”

The writer, Lauren Trossman, is an ABT Press Intern for Fall 2025.

Taking audiences back to ancient Greece, Sylvia tells the story of a nymph of huntress goddess Diana. Along with their fellow huntresses, Sylvia and Diana find kinship through their shared values of maidenhood, independence, and the hunt. Sylvia takes on a vow of chastity like Diana and the huntresses, which she staunchly lives by, until she is struck by the bow of the god of love, Eros. Like any Greek tragedy, fate upends plans. In a tumultuous swirl of mutual and unrequited love, Sylvia must save herself from a tragic hero ending.  

The 2025 Summer season is not the first time the mythological goddess of the hunt has taken to the ABT stage. Sylvia was last performed by ABT in 2016 and made its Company Premiere in 2005. There exists a resonance within ancient and classical themes that leads ABT to revisit them time and time again.  

After all, the foundations of Western theater as we know it today were made in ancient Greece. Ballet originated during the Renaissance, a time when a return to classical motifs was encouraged. In fact, Sylvia itself was based on a play written in the 1500s Italian Renaissance, with its roots deriviving from Greek mythology. In the 1950s, choreographer Frederick Ashton was inspired by the premise and created the ballet. It is particularly resonant for America’s National Ballet Company® to bring a tale that has transcended centuries and lineages to the Metropolitan Opera House stage. It is the drama of forbidden love, power, and divinity that continues to grapple audiences and reverberates in ABT’s Sylvia.  

One of the core elements of this production is its demonstration of feminine strength. Ballerinas can be misinterpreted as weak or airy due to their undeniable gracefulness. In this production, ballerinas carry bows and arrows while floating in mid-air in pointe shoes. It is a visual juxtaposition seldom seen. While battling stereotypes and rigid ideas for what a ballet should look like, this production does not sacrifice beauty for brawns. Rather, it poses them as one. The athleticism of ballet is pushed to the forefront of the audience’s view.  

Of course, with antique themes come new beginnings. Skylar Brandt, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, and Christine Shevchenko will be performing the titular role for the first time. Though the Company brought this production to the Metropolitan Opera House during the 2016 Summer season, the only Principal Dancer returning to the role of Sylvia will be Isabella Boylston. This leaves unique precedents set every night of performances.  

Sylvia is a show that is as mythical as it is tangibly transformative. It defies the idea of a heroine saved by a hero. Rather, Sylvia’s wits, demonstrated in her dexterity, are what truly enable her freedom, and ultimately, her pathway to love. Modernity and tradition blend in this ballet to form a tale that will continue to reverberate in our audiences’ mind long after the curtains close.  

The writer, Suha Khan, is an ABT Press Intern for Summer 2025.

Drawing on ancient Greek mythology, Sylvia’s folkloric and classical fusion is set to return to the Metropolitan Opera House stage for the first time since 2016. In this installment of Behind the Ballet, Elizabeth Kaye invites us to immerse ourselves in the mythical world of Sylvia. From its movement language to its musical score, we are guided through the making of the enchanting classical ballet by Frederick Ashton with music by Léo Delibes. Kaye narrates, “Sylvia enchants through its music, through Ashton’s painterly choreography and the musicality and transcendent grace of ABT’s dancers whose expressive movements make Delibes sparkling score not only music you hear but music you can literally see.”

If someone told you they were going to ship a giant tree across the ocean and then tow it across the United States, you may not only think it was crazy – you might think it was impossible. But that’s exactly what American Ballet Theatre has done for the set of The Winter’s Tale, coming to The Metropolitan Opera House July 1 – 5 for ABT’s Summer season.

Based on the Shakespeare play of the same name, and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, The Winter’s Tale follows both the tragic and hopeful events that unfold when King Polixenes of Bohemia and his wife, Hermione, visit his jealousy-stricken friend, King Leontes of Sicilia. Alternating between the rulers’ two kingdoms, the ballet’s joyful second act in Bohemia takes place beneath a giant tree. With the roots exposed and its branches covered in ornaments, the tree is made to look like it also dances in its own way. It is a spectacular set piece that not only serves as King Polixenes’s hiding place in the story, but has become a symbol of the entire ballet.

Before ABT’s production of The Winter’s Tale opened at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California in April, the show was built in Vienna, Austria. Created by award-winning designer Bob Crowley, the set was shipped to the U.S. in seven sea containers for ABT’s production at Segerstrom. Now, the ballet is traveling to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for ABT’s Summer season, with the massive tree taking up the entirety of a 53-foot trailer.

Made of a steel skeleton covered in sculpted foam, the tree has to be broken into five large pieces and several smaller branches in order to make the trip. It then takes two hours to reassemble and about 14 people to push on stage.

The feat did not go unnoticed during ABT’s run of The Winter’s Tale in Costa Mesa.

“Bob Crowley’s set feels alive,” performing arts critic Michael M. Landman-Karny said in his review of the show. “…The tree doesn’t just decorate the space. It changes it, speaking to time, to growth, to the things we carry and let go. This isn’t merely storytelling through dance. It burrows deep, settling somewhere between your ribs.”

If seeing the incredible set piece isn’t enough of a reason to see The Winter’s Tale, then there’s plenty more for everyone. The choreography by two-time Tony Award®-winner Christopher Wheeldon, score by Joby Talbot, silk effects by Basil Twist, and costumes also designed by Crowley have all received astounding praise. All, of course, with ABT’s world-class dancers at center stage.

See ABT’s The Winter’s Tale for yourself at The Metropolitan Opera House July 1 – 5. Tickets are on sale now.