After the success of our summer series, we are delighted to bring you the next iteration of Behind the Ballet with Elizabeth Kaye, a series of talks with ABT’s Dance Historian, renowned ballet lecturer, and New York Times #1 best-selling author. Each Behind the Ballet video provides a deep dive into the 2023 Fall season programs: Classics Old and New, 20th Century Works: Balanchine and Ashton, and 21st Century Works: King, Ratmansky, and Bond. Explore the videos below and find out what lies behind the ballet!

In Classics Old and New, Kaye takes audiences on a journey through Alexei Ratmansky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, and Harald Lander’s Études. Kaye discusses how each choreographer’s unique vision and specific style ultimately culminated in the distinctly unique masterpieces presented in the program.

From the ebullience of Russian imperialism in George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, to the magical forest and Shakespearean entanglements of Frederick Ashton’s The Dream, 20th Century Works: Balanchine and Ashton will transport audiences to new places. Kaye explains how these two ballets – one abstract, one narrative – bring viewers into their spellbinding worlds.

In the final installment of Behind the Ballet, Kaye ventures into the backgrounds of the choreographers themselves to uncover how each visionary’s upbringing is reflected through movement. Kaye discusses the history of Alonzo King and his work centered on hope, Single Eye. Kaye also connects Alexei Ratmansky’s upbringing in Ukraine to his narrative ballet On the Dnipro, which takes place in his home country.