Revival Premieres of Paul Taylor's Airs
and August Bournonville's La Sylphide
Scheduled for Monday, June 15, at 7:30 P.M.

Nina Ananiashvili to Give Final Performance with ABT
on Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 P.M.

Casting for the fifth and sixth weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The Revival Premiere of Paul Taylor’s Airs will take place on Monday, June 15 at
7:30 P.M. The ballet, set to music by George Frederic Handel, with designs by Gene Moore and lighting by Jennifer Tipton, received its World Premiere by the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1978 and its ABT Company Premiere in 1981. Airs, last performed by ABT in 1999, was staged for the Company by Susan McGuire. Airs is generously supported by a gift from Marjorie S. Isaac in honor of ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo will lead the Revival Premiere of August Bournonville’s La Sylphide on Monday, June 15. Veronika Part and Cory Stearns will debut in these roles at the matinee on Wednesday, June 17. Natalia Osipova will make her ABT debut as the Sylphide, opposite David Hallberg dancing the role of James for the first time, on Wednesday evening, June 17, and Hee Seo will debut as the Sylphide on Friday, June 19. Set to a score by Hermann von Lovenskjold, La Sylphide (The Sylph of the Highlands) features scenery and costumes by Desmond Heeley and lighting by David K.H. Elliott. The World Premiere of La Sylphide(known as Sylphiden) was given by the Royal Danish Ballet in 1836. Last performed by ABT in 2000, the ballet received its ABT premiere in 1964 with choreography by Harald Lander, from the original by Bournonville. ABTƒÅ‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s second production of La Sylphide, with choreography by Bournonville, was restaged by Erik Bruhn in 1971. La Sylphide is made possible by generous support from the Audrey Love Charitable Foundation.

On Monday, June 22, the Company will give the first of eight performances of Swan Lake, with Irina Dvorovenko, Maxim Beloserkovksy and Marcelo Gomes in the leading roles.
On Friday, June 26, Roberto Bolle will make his ABT debut as Prince Siegfried, opposite Veronika Part as Odette-Odile. Nina Ananiashvili will give her final ABT performance on Saturday evening, June 27, in the role of Odette-Odile. Choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, Swan Lake is set to a score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown. Swan Lake is generously underwritten by
The Rosh Foundation. Costumes for Swan Lake are generously sponsored through the Ellen Everett Kimiatek Costume Preservation Trust.

Superfund Asset Management, Inc. is the sponsor of American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House. Saks Fifth Avenue is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre’s Costume Fund. J.P. Morgan is the Official Sponsor of Make a Ballet. American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. ABT’s 2009 Spring Season is also made possible with public funds from 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. ABT acknowledges The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund for its generous support of the 2009 Metropolitan Opera House season.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Metropolitan Opera House season, priced $19-$130, are available online, at the Met box office or by phone at 212-362-6000. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City.

Complete casting follows:

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