June 6, 2008
CASTING ANNOUNCED
FOR FIFTH AND SIXTH WEEKS OF
ABT'S 2008 SPRING SEASON
AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE
Guest Artist Marisa Lopez to Perform the Role of
Gamzatti in La Bayadère, June 25 and 27
Casting for the fifth and sixth weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2008 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.
Marisa Lopez, a First Soloist with Dutch National Ballet, will perform with ABT as a guest artist in La Bayadère at the Wednesday, June 25 matinee and on the evening of Thursday, June 27. A native of San Francisco, Lopez trained at the the San Francisco Ballet School and previously danced as a member of San Francisco Ballet before joining the Dutch National Ballet in 1998. She was promoted to Grand Sujet in 2000, to Second Soloist in 2002, and to First Soloist in 2007. This will mark Lopez’s debut with American Ballet Theatre.
The Sleeping Beauty will have the first of eight performances this season on Monday, June 16, led by Paloma Herrera as Princess Aurora and Angel Corella as Prince Désiré, and featuring New York debuts by Veronika Part as the Lilac Fairy and Nancy Raffa as Carabosse. Staged by Kevin McKenzie, Gelsey Kirkland and Michael Chernov, after choreography by Marius Petipa, The Sleeping Beauty is set to a score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and features sets by Tony Walton, costumes by Willa Kim, with additional costume designs by Holly Hynes, and lighting by Richard Pilbrow and Dawn Chiang.
The Company will give eight performances of Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadère beginning Monday evening, June 23, led by Veronika Part as Nikiya, Marcelo Gomes as Solor and Michele Wiles as Gamzatti. On Tuesday, June 24, Gillian Murphy will dance the role of Nikiya for the first time, opposite David Hallberg as Solor. At the matinee on Wednesday, June 25, Marisa Lopez will make her ABT debut as Gamzatti, having previously performed the role with Dutch National Ballet. Yuriko Kajiya will debut as Gamzatti at the evening performance on Wednesday, June 25. Conceived and directed by Makarova after Marius Petipa, La Bayadère is set to the music of Ludwig Minkus and arranged by John Lanchbery and features scenery by PierLuigi Samaritani, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by Toshiro Ogawa.
Superfund Asset Management, Inc. is the sponsor of American Ballet Theatre’s 2008 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House. Saks Fifth Avenue is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of American Ballet Theatre’s Costume Fund. American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. ABT’s 2008 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.
Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2008 Metropolitan Opera House season, priced $25-$106, are available 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:
| FIFTH WEEK | |
| Mon. Eve., June 16, 8 P.M. | THE SLEEPING BEAUTY – Herrera, Corella, Part**, Raffa**, Abrera, Radetsky |
| Tues. Eve., June 17, 8 P.M | THE SLEEPING BEAUTY – Kent**, Gomes, Wiles, van Hamel, Riccetto, Hoven** |
| Wed. Mat., June 18, 2 P.M. | THE SLEEPING BEAUTY – Murphy, Stiefel, Part, Bystrova**, Lane, Lopez |
| Wed. Eve., June 18, 8 P.M. | THE SLEEPING BEAUTY – Reyes**, Carreño**, Abrera, Raffa, Kajiya**, Matthews** |
| Thur. Eve., June 19, 8 P.M. | THE SLEEPING BEAUTY – Lane**, Cornejo**, Riccetto, Bystrova, Kajiya, Saveliev |
| Fri. Eve., June 20, 8 P.M. | THE SLEEPING BEAUTY – Dvorovenko, Beloserkovsky, Abrera, van Hamel, Riccetto, Hoven |
| Sat. Mat., June 21, 2 P.M. | THE SLEEPING BEAUTY – Wiles**, Hallberg, Part, van Hamel, Abrera, Radetsky |
| Sat. Eve., June 21, 8 P.M. | THE SLEEPING BEAUTY – Herrera, Corella, Abrera, Raffa, Lane, Lopez |
| SIXTH WEEK | |
| Mon. Eve., June 23, 8 P.M. | LA BAYADČRE РPart, Gomes, Wiles |
| Tues. Eve., June 24, 8 P.M. | LA BAYADČRE РMurphy*, Hallberg, Wiles |
| Wed. Mat., June 25, 2 P.M. | LA BAYADČRE РHerrera, Corella, M. Lopez+ |
| Wed. Eve., June 25, 8 P.M. | LA BAYADČRE РKent, Stiefel, Kajiya* |
| Thur. Eve., June 26, 8 P.M. | LA BAYADƒåRE – Dvorovenko, Carreño, Murphy |
| Fri. Eve., June 27, 8 P.M. | LA BAYADČRE РHerrera, Corella, M. Lopez |
| Sat. Mat., June 28, 2 P.M. | LA BAYADČRE РPart, Gomes, Abrera |
| Sat. Eve., June 28, 8 P.M. | LA BAYADČRE РMurphy, Hallberg, Wiles |
*Please note first time in a role:
Tues. Eve., 6/24 – Murphy (Nikiya) in La Bayadère
Wed. Eve., 6/25 – Kajiya (Gamzatti) in La Bayadère
**Please note first time in a role in New York:
Mon. Eve., 6/16 – Park (Lilac Fairy) and Raffa (Carabosse) in The Sleeping Beauty
Tues. Eve., 6/17 – Kent (Aurora) and Hoven (Bluebird) in The Sleeping Beauty
Wed. Mat., 6/18 – Bystrova (Carabosse) in The Sleeping Beauty
Wed. Eve., 6/18 – Reyes (Aurora), Carreño (Prince Désiré), Kajiya (Princes Florine) and Matthews
(Bluebird) in The Sleeping Beauty
Thurs. Eve., 6/19 – Lane (Aurora) and Cornejo (Priince Désiré) in The Sleeping Beauty
Sat. Mat., 6/21 – Wiles (Aurora) in The Sleeping Beauty
+Please note first time in a role with ABT:
Wed Mat., 6/25 – M. Lopez (Gamzatti) in La Bayadère