July 13, 2016
Company Premiere of Benjamin Millepied's Daphnis and Chloe and World Premiere of a New Work by Jessica Lang to Highlight American Ballet Theatre's Fall Season at the David H. Koch Theater, October 19-30, 2016
Revivals of George Balanchine's Prodigal Son and Frederick Ashton's Symphonic Variations Also Planned
Daniil Simkin and Blaine Hoven in Serenade after Plato's Symposium.Programming for American Ballet Theatre’s 2016 Fall Season, October 19-30, at the David H. Koch Theater was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. The season will feature a World Premiere by Jessica Lang, the Company Premiere of Daphnis and Chloe by Benjamin Millepied and revivals of George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son and Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations.
Principal Dancers for the 2016 Fall Season include Stella Abrera, Isabella Boylston, Jeffrey Cirio, Misty Copeland, Marcelo Gomes, Alban Lendorf, Gillian Murphy, Veronika Part, Hee Seo, Daniil Simkin, Cory Stearns and James Whiteside.
Fall Gala and World Premiere
American Ballet Theatre’s 2016 Fall Gala on Thursday, October 20 at 6:30pm will feature the Company Premiere of Benjamin Millepied’s Daphnis and Chloe, Alexei Ratmansky’s Rondo Capriccioso performed by students from the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations.
Set to music by Maurice Ravel, Daphnis and Chloe features costumes by Holly Hynes, scenery by Daniel Buren and lighting by Brad Fields. Daphnis and Chloe, adapted from the second century A.D. novel by the Greek writer Longus, was choreographed by Millepied for the Paris Opera Ballet in 2014. Daphnis and Chloe was originally commissioned in 1912 by Serge Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes. Staged for ABT by Janie Taylor and Sebastien Marcovici, the ballet will be given six performances during ABT’s Fall season.
Rondo Capriccioso, choreographed by Ratmansky and set to music by Charles Camille Saint-Saëns, was created in 2014 in celebration of the ABT JKO School’s 10th Anniversary. The ballet received its World Premiere on October 22, 2014.
A new work by choreographer Jessica Lang will be given its World Premiere on Friday evening, October 21. Set to music by Fanny Mendelssohn, with costumes by Bradon McDonald, scenery by Lang and lighting design by Nicole Pearce, the new work is Lang’s first creation for American Ballet Theatre. ABT previously performed Lang’s Splendid Isolation III in 2008. Lang’s new work will be given six performances during the Fall season.
Revivals
A revival of George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, set to music by Sergei Prokofiev, is scheduled for Wednesday evening, October 26. Based on the Biblical parable (St. Luke 15: 11-32), Prodigal Son was created for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1929 and revived by New York City Ballet in 1950. The ballet features scenery and costumes by Georges Rouault and lighting by Gil Wechsler. Prodigal Son received its American Ballet Theatre premiere on December 10, 1980 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. It was last performed by ABT in 2009. Staged for ABT by Richard Tanner, the ballet will be given four performances during the Fall season.
A revival of Ashton’s Symphonic Variations, set to music by César Franck, with costumes by Sophie Fedorovitch and lighting by Michael Somes, will have its Revival Premiere on Wednesday evening, October 19. The ballet will have four additional performances following its Revival Premiere. A plotless ballet for six dancers, Symphonic Variations was given its World Premiere by the Sadler’s Wells Ballet in London on April 24, 1946. It was first performed by American Ballet Theatre at the Civic Opera House in Chicago, Illinois on March 20, 1992. Wendy Ellis Somes and Malin Thoors will stage the ballet for ABT. The Company last performed Symphonic Variations in 2003.
Additional Repertory
American Ballet Theatre’s 2016 Fall season at the Koch Theater will also feature performances of Twyla Tharp’s The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Alexei Ratmansky’s Serenade After Plato’s Symposium and Frederick Ashton’s Monotones I and II.
The Brahms-Haydn Variations, choreographed by Tharp, is set to music by Johannes Brahms (Variations on a Theme by Haydn for Orchestra), and features costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. It received its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on March 21, 2000 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC. A work for 30 dancers, The Brahms-Haydn Variations is staged for ABT by Susan Jones and will be given four performances beginning Wednesday evening, October 19.
Ratmansky’s Serenade after Plato’s Symposium will be given five performances during the season beginning Wednesday evening, October 19. Set to music by Leonard Bernstein, the ballet features scenery and costumes by Jérôme Kaplan and lighting by Brad Fields. Serenade after Plato’s Symposium received its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on May 16, 2016 at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Ashton’s Monotones I and II received its American Ballet Theatre premiere last season and will be given five performances at the Koch Theater beginning Wednesday evening, October 26. Featuring music by Erik Satie, costumes by Ashton and lighting by Brad Fields, Monotones I and II is a one-act ballet in two parts staged for ABT by Lynn Wallis. Monotones II was given its World Premiere on March 24, 1965 performed by Vyvyan Lorraine, Anthony Dowell and Robert Mead. Ashton expanded the piece in 1966 with the World Premiere of Monotones I featuring Antoinette Sibley, Georgina Parkinson and Brian Shaw.
Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2016 Fall season at the David H. Koch Theater go on sale beginning July 25, 2016. Tickets priced from $25 are available online, at the Koch Theater box office or by phone at 212-496-0600. Performance-only tickets for the Opening Night Gala begin at $25. The David H. Koch Theater is located at Lincoln Center, Broadway and 63rd Street in New York City. For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.
American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
Daphnis and Chloe has been generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.
The World Premiere by Jessica Lang was commissioned with leadership support from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. This production has been generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.
Monotones I and II has been generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.
Serenade after Plato’s Symposium has been generously supported by the Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund, Linda Allard, Avery and Andrew F. Barth and The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation. This production has been generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Additional support provided by Linda and Martin Fell.