October 2, 2019
Erica Cornejo to Join Herman Cornejo On Stage in El Chamuyo in Celebration of Herman Cornejo’s 20th Anniversary with ABT, Saturday Evening, October 26 at David H. Koch Theater
Erica Cornejo as Mercedes in American Ballet Theatre's Don Quixote in 2004. Photo: Rosalie O’Connor.Erica Cornejo, former American Ballet Theatre Soloist and former Boston Ballet principal dancer, will join her brother Herman on stage in El Chamuyo at the David H. Koch Theater on Saturday evening, October 26 at 8:00 P.M. The pas de deux is a pièce d’occasion celebrating Herman Cornejo’s 20th Anniversary with ABT.
El Chamuyo, a tango choreographed by Ana María Stekelman and set to music by Francisco Canaro, was first performed by the Cornejos in 1998 at a gala dinner honoring Argentina on the Grand Tier of the Metropolitan Opera House. While in New York for the event, they attended Company class at American Ballet Theatre, and were invited to join ABT Studio Company.
Born in San Luis, Argentina, Erica Cornejo began her study of ballet at the age of four. In 1994, she was invited to join Julio Bocca’s company, Ballet Argentino, where she was promoted to principal ballerina and Bocca’s partner in 1995. She joined ABT Studio Company in 1998 and became a member of ABT’s corps de ballet later that same year. She was promoted to Soloist in 2003. In 2006, Erica joined Boston Ballet as a principal dancer, where she performed leading roles until her retirement in 2017. She is co-founder and artistic director of INTEGRARTE, a Dance Art Movement Center in Boston.
In addition to El Chamuyo, Herman Cornejo’s 20th Anniversary celebration on Saturday evening, October 26 will include his New York debut in the title role of George Balanchine’s Apollo and a leading role in A Gathering of Ghosts, the season’s World Premiere work by Twyla Tharp created for Cornejo and the Company. Cornejo will also lead A Gathering of Ghosts on October 16 at 7:30 P.M., October 17 at 7:30 P.M., October 19 at 8:00 P.M. and October 22 at 7:30 P.M.
Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Fall season at the David H. Koch Theater, priced from $30, are available online, at the Koch Theatre box office or by phone at 212-496-0600. The David H. Koch Theater is located at Lincoln Center, Broadway and 63rd Street in New York City. For more information, please visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.