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ABT News

May 10, 2004

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THIRD AND FOURTH WEEKS OF AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE

Nina Ananiashvili and Angel Corella to Lead Company Premiere of George Balanchine's Mozartiana on Monday, May 24

Casting for the third and fourth week of American Ballet Theatre’s 2004 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The third week of ABT’s Spring Season will feature the season’s second repertory program, a tribute to the centenary of choreographer George Balanchine, set to the music of Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky. The program will be highlighted by the Company Premiere of Mozartiana on Monday, May 24, featuring Nina Ananiashvili and Angel Corella in the leading roles. Ashley Tuttle and Ethan Stiefel will make their ABT debuts in the leading roles on Wednesday evening, May 26 and Veronika Part and Maxim Beloserkovsky will perform the roles for the first time on Thursday, May 27. Created for New York City Ballet in 1981, Mozartiana, one of Balanchine’s last works, is set to Suite No. 4 Mozartiana by Tchaikovsky and features costumes by Rouben Ter-Arutunian. The ballet was staged for ABT by Maria Calegari.

American Ballet Theatre’s all-Tchaikovsky salute to George Balanchine will also include the revival premiere of Ballet Imperial on Monday May 24, featuring Gillian Murphy, Carlos Molina and Michele Wiles in the leading roles. Paloma Herrera, Gennadi Saveliev and Stella Abrera will dance the leading roles at the Wednesday, May 26 evening performance. Nina Ananiashvili, Marcelo Gomes and Monique Meunier will make their debuts with ABT in the roles on Thursday, May 27. Set to Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 2 in G for Piano and Orchestra, Ballet Imperial was last performed by ABT in 1996. It received its World Premiere by American Ballet Caravan in 1941 and first entered ABT’s repertory in 1988. The revival of Ballet Imperial was staged for ABT by Colleen Neary . ABT’s all- Balanchine/Tchaikovsky program will also feature Theme and Variations and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Xiomara Reyes will make her debut in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux on Thursday, May 27 and Michele Wiles and David Hallberg will perform the ballet for the first time at the Saturday, May 29 matinee.

The fourth week continues with ABT’s new staging of Raymonda, choreographed by Anna-Marie Holmes and conceived and directed by Holmes and Kevin McKenzie. Gillian Murphy, Angel Corella and Carlos Molina will make their debuts in the leading roles at the Wednesday, June 2 matinee and Paloma Herrera, Marcelo Gomes and Julio Bocca will make their debuts at the evening performance. Other debuts include Jesus Pastor as Abderakhman on Friday, June 4 and Michele Wiles as Raymonda and David Hallberg as Jean de Brienne at the matinee on Saturday, June 5.

Countrywide Financial is the National Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre and Cole Haan is a Leading Benefactor. Graff Jewelers is ABT’s season sponsor of the 2004 Metropolitan Opera House season. ABT’s 2004 spring season is also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2004 Spring Season, priced from $20 to $90, are on sale at the Metropolitan Opera House box office or by calling 212-362-6000.

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