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American Ballet Theatre
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: American Ballet Theatre |
| Dictionary of Dance: American Ballet Theatre |
American ballet company. Originally known as Ballet Theatre, it was founded in 1940 by several ex-members of the Mordkin Ballet. With the financial backing of Chase, who became co-director with Smith in 1945 and under the initial direction of Pleasant it had its debut on 11 Jan. 1940 at New York Radio City Center Theater, in a season which featured an impressive range of works from Fokine's Les Sylphides and Dolin's Giselle to Tudor's Jardin aux lilas and Dark Elegies, and six premieres including Loring's The Great American Goof. The company's aim was to preserve important works from the past as well as develop a strong new repertory and during the 1940s it was associated most strongly with Fokine, Tudor, and de Mille. That decade saw the commissioning of many major ballets including Dolin's Pas de quatre (1941), Fokine's Bluebeard (1941), Tudor's Pillar of Fire (1942), Romeo and Juliet and Dim Lustre (1943), and Undertow (1945), Massine's Aleko and Mam'zelle Angot (1943), Robbin's Fancy Free (1944), Balanchine's Theme and Variations (1947), and de Mille's Fall River Legend (1948). It also nurtured a generation of American dancers including Kaye, D. Adams, and Kidd as well as producing its own classic ballerina in Alonso, though from the beginning it also relied on foreign artists as star principals, including Markova, Dolin, Baronova, Eglevsky, and Youskevitch. Lacking a permanent base in New York, touring played a major part in the company's existence both in the US and abroad (it first appeared in Europe in 1946) and in 1957 it changed its name to American Ballet Theatre.
After the creative push of the 1940s the company had less critical success during the 1950s. Fokine was dead and Tudor had left, though de Mille continued to choreograph new works for the repertory. In the 1960s it acquired Cullberg's Lady from the Sea (1960) and Robbins's critically acclaimed Les Noces (1965), and in 1967 staged its first full-length Swan Lake. In the same year Feld made an important debut as choreographer and dancer, with C. Gregory emerging as a star and ballerina. In 1970 Makarova joined the company and in 1974 staged a seminal production of Act II of La Bayadère which elicited a new classical authority from the dancers. The same year Baryshnikov joined and Tudor returned as associate director, creating The Leaves are Fading in 1975. Other important acquisitions of the 1970s were Tharp's Push Comes to Shove and Robbins's Other Dances (both 1976), and the company's new generation of dancers included Bujones, Kirkland, and van Hamel. In 1977 the company was granted an official home at New York's Metropolitan Opera House and in 1980 Baryshnikov became artistic director. He strengthened the company's classical base, staging Giselle (1980) and Swan Lake (1988) among others and acquiring MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet in 1985. At the same time he developed a new repertory of works by major modern dance choreographers, including Taylor, Cunningham, Tharp, and Mark Morris. During the 1980s Jaffe and L. Browne were among the new dancers to emerge as principals. In 1989 Jane Herman and Oliver Smith took over as co-directors, followed by ex-principal Kevin McKenzie in 1992. Financial uncertainties—always a problem for the company, despite Chase's injections of money—became acute during the 1990s, forcing the company to perform for only limited seasons each year. However, it maintained a strong roster of principals including Bocca, Carreno, A. Ferri, Herrera, R. and J. Kent, and E. Steifel, and in addition to expanding its repertoire of classics and full-length ballets, such as MacMillan's Anastasia in 1999, it also continued to premiere significant new works such as Tharp's, Known by Heart (mus. various, 1998). Its official school, the American Ballet Theatre School, was founded in 1972 with its own performing group, but both were disbanded under Baryshnikov. A new ensemble, ABT Studio Company, was started in 1995.
| US History Encyclopedia: American Ballet Theatre |
American Ballet Theatre, famous for its use of various ballet techniques, including Imperial Russian, American folk, and hi-tech contemporary, was founded in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet, and reorganized as the Ballet Theatre in 1940 under the direction of Lucia Chase. Headed by Chase until her replacement by Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1980, the company became the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in 1956. In 1960 the ABT was the first American ballet company to dance in the Soviet Union. Unlike the New York City Ballet Company, the ABT brought in foreign stars as compliments to its American corps. It also featured the work of such choreographers as Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, and Twyla Tharp.
Bibliography
Jacobs, Laura. "The ABT at Fifty." The New Leader 73, no. 4 (1990): 21–23.
Kaye, Elizabeth. American Ballet Theatre: A 25-Year Retrospective. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.
—Jennifer Harrison
| Columbia Encyclopedia: American Ballet Theatre |
American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the foremost international dance companies of the 20th and 21st cents. It was founded in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet and reorganized as the Ballet Theatre in 1940 under the direction (1940-80) of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith. It became the American Ballet Theatre in 1956. Its repertoire has included newly staged classical ballets and innovative modern dance works, many concerned with specifically American themes. Most of the company's seasons have been presented in New York City, but it has also toured throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. In 1960 ABT became the first U.S. ballet company to dance in the Soviet Union.
George Balanchine, Adolph Bolm, Michel Fokine, Léonide Massine, and Bronislava Nijinska staged works for the company, as did the British choreographer Antony Tudor, who was introduced to the American public with such works as Pillar of Fire (1942) and Romeo and Juliet (1943). Agnes de Mille staged nearly all of her dance works for the company, including Fall River Legend (1948) and The Harvest According (1952). Jerome Robbins's Fancy Free (1944) and Michael Kidd's On Stage (1945) were also created for the company, as were Alvin Ailey's The River (1970) and Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove (1976). Dancers who gained fame or reached their peak with the American Ballet Theatre include Alicia Alonso, Alicia Markova, Erik Bruhn, Nora Kaye, and Natalia Makarova. Mikhail Baryshnikov was artistic director of the company from 1980 to 1990 and was followed in that position by Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith (1990-92) and Kevin McKenzie (1992-).
Bibliography
See A. Olshan, ed, American Ballet Theatre: The First Fifty Years (1989), E. Kay, The American Ballet Theatre: A 25-Year Retrospective (1999); study by C. Payne (1978).
| Wikipedia: American Ballet Theatre |
American Ballet Theatre, based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today. A writer for London's The Observer describes the ABT along with the New York City Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet to be a "triumvirate of great classical companies defining the American style on the world stage today".[1] There are three levels within the company (in rising order): ABT's corps de ballet [2], the soloists [3] and the principals [4]; there is also ABT II, formerly known as the ABT Studio Company. [5]
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History
The company was founded in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet, and then reorganized in 1940 with a new name as the Ballet Theatre. For 40 years Lucia Chase directed it, working with many choreographers and ballet masters. In 1956, it was renamed the American Ballet Theatre, and has kept that name ever since. American Ballet Theatre performs at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York. In 1960, the company became the first American ballet company to dance in the Soviet Union.
Artistic Directors
- Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith (1940-1980)
- Mikhail Baryshnikov (1980-1989)
- Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith (1989-1992)
- Kevin McKenzie (1992-present)
Dancers
Notable Dancers of ABT's Past (partial listing)
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Dancers of the Present
Principal Dancers
See also category: American Ballet Theatre principal dancers
Soloists
See also category: American Ballet Theatre soloists
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Corps de Ballet
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Special Repertoire
Many choreographers have staged works especially for ABT, including George Balanchine, Adolph Bolm, Michel Fokine, Léonide Massine, and Bronislava Nijinska. The great British choreographer Antony Tudor made his American debut with ABT. The legendary Agnes de Mille staged the majority of her ballet works with them. Other renowned choreographers include Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, and Alvin Ailey.
ABT's 1976 production of The Nutcracker starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland was televised the following year and has become a broadcast classic.
The main season is held during eight weeks in the spring at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House. The 2008 spring season will include The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote, The Merry Widow, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, La Bayadère, Etudes, and a new Twyla Tharp ballet premiere.
Education
Today, ABT encourages the growth of dance and choreography by holding a summer intensive session for young people from across the country. Its Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School teaches throughout the year the style and techniques specifically used by ABT. Tony Award-winner David Alvarez, one of the original Billys in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot the Musical, [6] is a student on full scholarship at the JKO School and has danced feature roles in the ABT's productions of The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty. [7]
Ballets Performed
Below is a list of works which have been performed by American Ballet Theatre. Not all of the works are currently in the company's repertory, listed alphabetically.
Adagio for Strings, Afternoon of a Faun (Robbins), Afternoon of a Faun (Nijinsky), Airs, Aleko, Amazed in Burning Dreams, Americans We, Amnon V'Tamar, L'Amour et son Amour, Anastasia, Angrismene, Annabel Lee, Apollo, Appalachian Spring, Artemis, At Midnight, Awakening
Bach Partita, Le Baiser de la Fée (John Neumeier), Baker's Dozen, Le Bal, Balladen der Liebe, Ballet Imperial, Barn Dance, Baroque Game, La Bayadère, Beatrice, The Beloved, Billy the Kid, Birthday Offering, Bitter Rainbow, Black Ritual (Obeah), Black Tuesday, Blood Wedding, Bluebeard, Bolero (solo), Bolero, Bourrée Fantasque, Brahms Quintet, A Brahms Symphony, The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Brief Fling, Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, The Bull Dancers, Bum's Rush
The Capital of the World, Capriccio Espagnol, Capriccioso, Caprichos, The Careless Burghers, Carmen (Alberto Alonso), "Carmen" (Roland Petit), Carnaval, The Catherine Wheel, Cinderella, Cinderella (Kudelka), Circo de Espana, Clair de Lune, Clear, The Combat, Concerto (Dollar/Chopin), Concerto (Dollar/Mendelssohn), Close to Chuck, Concerto (MacMillan), Concerto (Ross), Concerto no. 1 for Piano and Orchestra, Concerto Six Twenty-Two (duet), Concert Waltzes, Configurations, Conflict, Continuum, Conterdances, Coppélia, Corbaille de Fleurs, Le Corsaire (full-length ballet), Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, Cruel World
Dancing with Monet, Danses Concertante, Catie Stillwell, Danza del Molinero, Dark Elegies, Death and the Maiden, Les Demoiselles de la Nuit, Designs with Strings, Desir (pas de deux), Dialogues, Diana and Actéon (pas de deux), Dim Lustre, Disposition, Diversion of Angels, Divertimento-Rossini, Divertissement D'Auber, Don Domingo de Don Blas, Donizetti Variations, Don Quixote (ballet), Don Quixote (Grand pas de deux), Don't Panic!, Dorian, The Dream, Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, Duets
Eccentrique, Echoing of Trumpets, Eden (pas de deux), Electra, Elegy, The Elements, The Enchanted, The Encounter, Enough Said, Ensayo Sinfonica, Epilogue, Esmeralda (pas de deux - after Perrot), Esmeralda (pas de deux - Stevenson), La Esmeralda (Beriosoff), Espana, Estuary, The Eternal Idol, Etudes, Everlast
Facsimile, Fair at Sorochinsk, Fall River Legend, Fancy Free, Fandango, Fantaisie Serieuse, The Fantastic Toyshop, Festa, Fest Polonaise, Field Chair and Mountain, La Fille Mal Gardée, Firebird, Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, Five Sketches, Flames of Paris, Flower Festival in Genzano, Follow the Feet, The Four Marys, Francesca da Rimini, From Here on Out, The Fugue
Gaîté Parisienne, Gala Performance, The Garden of Villandry, Gartenfest, Gayaneh (pas de deux), Gemini, Getting Closer, Gift of the Magi, Giselle, Glinka Pas de Trois, Glow-Stop, Gong , Goya Pastoral, Goyescas, Graduation Ball, Grand Pas Classique, Le Grand Pas de Deux, Grand Pas (Glazunov), Grand Pas Romantique, Le Grand Spectacle, Grand Tarantella, Grass, Graziana, The Great American Goof, Great Galloping (Gottschalk), The Green Table, The Guards of Amager (Bournonville)
Hamlet Connotations, Harbinger, Harlequinade (pas de deux - Balanchine), Harlequinade (Pas de deux - Stevenson), The Harvest According, Harvest Time, Helen of Troy, Hereafter, Las Hermanas, Hommage a Lucia, How Near Heaven, The Howling Cat, Huapango
In a Country Garden, In Volo, L'Inconnue, The Informer, Interludes, Intermezzo, Interplay, In The Upper Room, Italian Suite (four dances)
Jabula, Jack And Jill (Pas de deux), Jardin Anime (from Le Corsaire, Act II), Jardin aux Lilas, Jeu D’Esprit (Pièce d’Occasion), Le Jeune Homme et la Mort, Jeux, Jeux des Cartes, Journey, Jubilee, Judgment of Paris, Jump Start
Kaleidoscope, Known by Heart, Kontraste
Lady From the Sea, Lady into Fox, The Leaf and the Wind, The Leaves Are Fading (pas de deux), Legende (pas de deux), Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Lilting Fate, The Little Ballet, Little Improvisations, The Love Song
Mademoiselle Angot, The Maids, Manon, Marimba, Meadow, Mechanical Ballet, Medea (pas de deux), The Meeting, Mendelssohn Symphony, The Merry Widow, Minkus Pas de Trois, The Miraculous Mandarin, The Mirror, Miss Julie, The Mollino Room, Momentum, Monument for a Dead Boy, Moondance, Moonlight Sonata, Moon Reindeer, The Moor's Pavane, La Muerte Enamorada, Murder, My Funny Valentine
Napoli Divertissements, N.Y. Export: Op. Jazz, Night Journey, Nimbus, Nine Sinatra Songs, Les Noces, The Nutcracker (Baryshnikov), The Nutcracker (McKenzie)
Odalisque, Ode to Glory, Offenbach in the Underworld, Once More Frank, On Stage!, Eugene Onegin, Ontogeny, Othello, The Other, Other Dances, Ovid Metamorphoses
Paean, Paquita, Paquita (pas de deux), The Parliament of the Birds, Pas de Deux (Anatole Oboukhoff), Pas de Deux Holberg, Pas de Deux Imperiale (from Anastasia, Act II), Pas de "Duke", Pas de Quatre, Pas d'Esclave (from Le Corsaire), Pas des Deesses, Pas de Trois (Valentina Pereyslavec), Pas et Lignes, Le Passage Enchante, Les Patineurs, Pavane, La Peri (pas de deux), Petite Mort, Peter and the Wolf (Bolm), Peter and the Wolf (Smuin), Petrouchka, Pièce d’Occasion, The Pied Piper, Pierrot Lunaire, Pillar of Fire, Pleroma, Points of Jazz, Polovtsian Dances, Polyandrion, Prevailing Westerlies, Princess Aurora (excerpt from The Sleeping Beauty), The Prodigal Son, A Promise, Pulcinella Variations, Push Comes to Shove
Quartet, Quintet
Rabbit and Rogue (Tharp), Raymonda, Raymonda (Act III), Raymonda (Divertissments), Raymonda (Divertissements from Act II & Act III), Raymonda (Grand Pas Classique), The Red Shoes, Remanso, Les Rendezvous, Rendezvous(Pas de deux - Hoff), Rendezvous (pas de deux - Nijinska), Requiem, Le Retour, Reverie, Rib of Eve, Ricercare (pas de deux), Rigaudon, The Rite of Spring, The River, Rodeo, Romantic Age, Romeo and Juliet (MacMillan), Romeo and Juliet (Tudor), Romeo and Juliet (pas de deux - Bruhn), Romeo and Juliet (pas de deux - Nureyev), Romeo and Juliet (pas de deux - Tchernichov), A Rose for Miss Emily, Russian Soldier
Le Sacre du Printemps (see above: The Rite of Spring), Sargasso, Scherzo for Massah Jack, Schubertiade, Schuman Concerto, Sea-Change, Sebastian, Sechs Tänze, Sentient Bach, Serious Pleasures, Seven Faces of Love, Seven Spanish Songs, Shadow of the Wind, Shadowplay, Side Show, Sin and Tonic, Sinatra Suite, Sinfonietta, "...smile with my heart", Slavonika, The Sleeping Beauty, The Snow Maiden, Soirée Musicale, A Soldier's Tale, Solitaire (pas de deux), Solo, Some Assembly Required, Something Special, Some Times, La Sonnambula, Spartacus (pas de deux, Act III), S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A., Le Spectre de la Rose, Sphinx, The Sphinx, Spring and Fall, Spring Waters, States of Grace, Stepping Stones, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, A Streetcar Named Desire, Streetcar Royalty, Summer Day (pas de deux), Sunset, Swan Lake, Swan Lake (McKenzie), La Sylphide, Les Sylphides, Sylvia, Sylvia (pas de deux), Symphonic Variations, Symphonie Concertante, Symphony in C
Tales of Hoffmann, Tally Ho- or the Frail Quarry, The Taming (pas de deux), The Taming of the Shrew, Tarantella (pas de deux), Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Texas Fourth, Theatre, Theme and Variations, The Thief Who Loved a Ghost, This Property is Condemned, Three-Cornered Hat, Three Essays, Three Preludes, Three Virgins and a Devil, The Tiller in the Fields, Till Eulenspiegel, Times Past, Top Hat and Tails, Torso, The Traitor, Transcendental Etudes, Triad, Trio a Deux, Triptych, Tristan (pas de deux), Tropical Pas de Deux, Turnstile
Undertow, Unfinished Symphony, Us (pas de deux)
Variations on 'America', Variations for Four, La Ventana, Vestris, Venetian Carnival, Voices of Spring, Voluntaries
Walk This Way, Waltz Academy, The Wanderer (Errante), Way Out, Weren't We Fools?, The Wild Boy, The Wind in the Mountains, Winter's Eve, Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison, Without Words, The Wooden Prince (solo), Workout, workwithinwork
See also
References
- ^ Jennings, Luke (2007-02-18). "One step closer to perfection: The best of Balanchine lights up London - but Stravinsky in Birmingham must not be missed". The Observer. Guardian News and Media Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2007/feb/18/dance. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ^ ABT corps de ballet
- ^ ABT soloists
- ^ ABT principals
- ^ ABT II
- ^ Billy Elliott the Musicl website
- ^ Playbill
External links
- ABT website
- American Ballet Theatre entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica
- American Ballet Theatre entry in the Columbia Encyclopedia
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