July 26, 2002
FOUR WORLD PREMIERES INCLUDING A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE HARRISON TO HIGHLIGHT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE'S FALL SEASON AT CITY CENTER, OCTOBER 15-27, 2002 SEASON TO INCLUDE NEW WORKS BY JAMES KUDELKA AND ROBERT HILL
AND A TRIBUTE TO RICHARD RODGERS CHOREOGRAPHED BY LAR LUBOVITCH
Revival of Antony Tudor's Offenbach in the Underworld Also Planned
The World Premiere of A Tribute to George Harrison and new works by James Kudelka, Lar Lubovitch and Robert Hill will highlight American Ballet Theatre’s fall 2002 season at City Center, October 15-27, it was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. The Company will also present a revival of Antony Tudor’s Offenbach in the Underworld and of The Garden of Villandry by Martha Clarke, Robert Barnett and Felix Blaska. Principal Dancers for the engagement are Nina Ananiashvili, Maxim Belotserkovsky, Jose Manuel Carreño, Angel Corella, Irina Dvorovenko, Marcelo Gomes, Guillaume Graffin, Paloma Herrera, Robert Hill, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel.
American Ballet Theatre’s opening night gala on Tuesday evening, October 15 at 7:00 P.M. will include a Pièce d’Occasion, an excerpt of Offenbach in the Underworld, and performances of The Garden of Villandry and Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free.
American Ballet Theatre’s City Center season is sponsored by UBS PaineWebber, and Movado Watch Company. Major funding has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. ABT’s 2002 City Center season is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.
Four choreographers will come together for the World Premiere of A Tribute to George Harrison scheduled for Friday, October 18. Ann Reinking, David Parsons, Natalie Weir and Stanton Welch will each choreograph to recorded songs written and composed by the late George Harrison, including Something, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and My Sweet Lord. Performances of A Tribute to George Harrison will be repeated on Saturday evening, October 19, Sunday evening, October 20, Tuesday, October 22, Saturday evening, October 26 and Sunday evening, October 27.
The World Premiere of a new work by Lar Lubovitch, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Richard Rodgers’ birth, is scheduled for Wednesday evening, October 23. This yet-untitled work, created on the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, is set to the Rodgers’ songs Do I Hear A Waltz?, It Might As Well Be Spring, Who Knows Where or When?, The Sweetest Sound I’ve Ever Heard and My Funny Valentine. The new work for six dancers will incorporate last season’s ABT premiere of My Funny Valentine, a pas de deux created for the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Music for Lubovitch’s new ballet will be an original arrangement of Rodgers’ music by Marvin Laird for three cellos#44; a piano and oboe. Lighting will be by Tony Award winning designer Brian MacDevitt (Into The Woods).
James Kudelka, acclaimed choreographer and Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, will choreograph a new work for ABT, which will have its World Premiere on Thursday evening, October 17. Set to Violin Concerto by Edgar Meyer written for the violinist Hilary Hahn, Kudelka’s new work features costumes by Denis Lavoie and lighting by Scott Zelensky. This will be Mr. Kudelka’s third work for ABT. He previously created Cruel World (1994) and States of Grace (1995).
The fourth World Premiere scheduled for ABT’s 2002 City Center season will be a new work by Robert Hill set to Lowell Liebermann’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1. Hill’s new ballet, his third for ABT, features costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Brad Fields. A ballet for 10 dancers, Hill’s new work will be given its World Premiere on Wednesday evening, October 23. Previously, Hill created Baroque Game (1999) and Marimba (2001).
Antony Tudor’s Offenbach in the Underworld, first performed by ABT in 1956, will have its revival premiere on Thursday, October 24. A depiction of French café society in the 1870’s, Offenbach in the Underworld is set to Gaƒ´té Parisienne by Jacques Offenbach, arranged and orchestrated by George Crum. Last performed by ABT in 1958, the revival will be staged by Donald Mahler.
Returning to the repertory for the first time since 1989, The Garden of Villandry, by Martha Clarke, Robert Barnett and Felix Blaska, will have its revival premiere on opening night Tuesday, October 15. Set to Franz Schubert’s Trio No. 1 in B flat, Op. 99, the ballet was created for the Crowsnest dance company in France in 1979 and received its ABT Premiere in 1988. The Garden of Villandry is a work for three dancers and features costumes by Jane Greenwood and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.
Additional repertory scheduled for American Ballet Theatre’s 2002 City Center season includes George Balanchine’s Symphony In C, Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free and Other Dances, Stanton Welch’s Clear and other classical pas de deux.
ABTKids, a special performance for families, is scheduled for Saturday, October 26 at 11:30 A.M. This one-hour presentation, features specially-tailored performances by ABT’s dancers accompanied by a full orchestra. Tickets for ABTKids are priced at $15 for adults and children.
American Ballet Theatre will again present ABTalks at City Center. ABTalks are pre-curtain discussions held one hour prior to performances and are free to ABT ticket holders. A detailed schedule will be announced at a later date.
Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2002 City Center are priced from $30-$75 and are available by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212 or on-line at citycenter.org. City Center is located at West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City.