Due to injury, Herman Cornejo will not perform during the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2011 Metropolitan Opera House, it was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

Cornejo was scheduled to perform the leading role of Basilio in Don Quixote on Thursday, May 19 and Boy With Matted Hair in Antony Tudor’s Shadowplay on Tuesday evening May 24 and at the evening performance on Wednesday, May 25. Guest Artist Rolando Sarabia will replace Cornejo in Don Quixote on May 19 and ABT Soloist Craig Salstein will dance the lead role in Shadowplay for Cornejo at both performances.

Rolando Sarabia was born in Havana, Cuba and began his dance training at the age of seven with his father Rolando Sarabia, Magaly Suarez, Alicia Alonso and LƒØzaro Carreño at the National Ballet School in Havana. He joined the National Ballet of Cuba in 1998 and was soon promoted to principal dancer. His numerous awards include the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi in 1998, the gold medal at the International Competition in Nagoya, Japan and the Grand Prix at the 1998 International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. Sarabia left Cuba in 2003 and joined Houston Ballet as a principal dancer in 2006. He joined Miami City Ballet as a principal dancer in 2007. He currently appears with the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami as a guest principal dancer.

American Ballet Theatre’s 2011 Spring Season marks Sarabia’s first appearance with the Company.

For more information on ABT’s Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House, please visit www.abt.org.

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