American Ballet Theatre Announces 2022 Fall Season Featuring the World Premiere of Christopher Rudd's LIFTED & More

Programming for American Ballet Theatre's 2022 Fall season, October 20-30 at the David H. Koch Theater, was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin Mckenzie. The season will be highlighted by the World Premiere of Christopher Rudd's new work Lifted, as well as five performances of ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky's full-length ballet Whipped Cream. Repertory works by Ratmansky, Frederick Ashton, Jiří Kylián, and Jessica Lang will round out the season, which marks McKenzie's final NY season as Artistic Director.

Principal Dancers for the 2022 Fall season include Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Isabella Boylston, Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Herman Cornejo, Thomas Forster, Catherine Hurlin, Gillian Murphy, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Cory Stearns, Devon Teuscher, Cassandra Trenary, James Whiteside, and Roman Zhurbin.

Fall Gala and World Premiere

The Fall Gala will take place on Thursday evening, October 27 at 6:30 P.M. at the Koch Theater. The evening's performance will feature the World Premiere of Christopher Rudd's Lifted and the return of Jiří Kylián's Sinfonietta. The 2022 Fall Gala will honor ABT Trustee Patricia R. Morton with The Melville Straus Leadership Achievement Award.

Receiving three performances through Saturday, October 29, the World Premiere work by Christopher Rudd aims to highlight, amplify, and celebrate Black creative voices. Lifted will be set to music by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon, with Roderick Cox making his debut as Guest Conductor with ABT. The work will feature costumes by New York-based creative director and fashion designer Carly Cushnie, sets by Carlos Soto, lighting by Alan Edwards, and dramaturgy by Phaedra Scott. Sarah Lozoff will serve as Intimacy Director.

Lifted is Rudd's second work for ABT.

"I am honored to be returning to ABT to create Lifted, which fulfills a long-held vision and ambition to bring together an all-Black cast and creative team to celebrate Black excellence within America's National Ballet Company®," states Rudd. "I am thrilled to again have the opportunity to collaborate with ABT's exceptional artists and to create ballet that is socially and culturally relevant and reflects the communities in which we live."

Whipped Cream

American Ballet Theatre's 2022 Fall season will open on Thursday, October 20 with the full-length ballet Whipped Cream. Choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, the ballet features scenery and costumes by artist Mark Ryden and lighting by Brad Fields. Whipped Cream, with a libretto and score by Richard Strauss, is based on the two-act ballet originally created as Schlagobers, which premiered at the Vienna State Opera in 1924. Ratmansky's production received its World Premiere by ABT on March 15, 2017 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California danced by Daniil Simkin (The Boy), Stella Abrera (Princess Tea Flower), David Hallberg (Prince Coffee), and Sarah Lane (Princess Praline). Whipped Cream will be given five performances through Sunday, October 23.

Repertoire Honoring Kevin Mckenzie

The season will also highlight works that honor Kevin Mckenzie's career with ABT by showcasing ballets with special significance to him as both an artist and as Artistic Director. Returning for the first time since 2015, Jiří Kylián's Sinfonietta will be given three performances through Saturday, October 29. Set to music by Leoš Janáček, Sinfonietta features scenery and costumes by Walter Nobbe and lighting by Kees Tjebbes. The ballet was given its World Premiere in Charleston, South Carolina by the Nederlands Dans Theater on June 9, 1978 and received its ABT Company Premiere at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on January 25, 1991. Sinfonietta will be staged for ABT by Roslyn Anderson and Glenn Edgerton.

Frederick Ashton's The Dream will be given its first of three performances during ABT's 2022 Fall season on Wednesday evening, October 26. Staged for ABT by Susan Jones, The Dream is set to music by Felix Mendelssohn and features sets and costumes by David Walker and lighting by John B. Read. The Dream received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on April 2, 1964, danced by Antoinette Sibley as Titania, Anthony Dowell as Oberon, Keith Martin as Puck, and Alexander Grant as Bottom. The Dream was given its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York on May 24, 2002, danced by Alessandra Ferri as Titania, Ethan Stiefel as Oberon, and Herman Cornejo as Puck. ABT last performed The Dream in 2014.

Alexei Ratmansky's The Seasons returns for three performances beginning Wednesday,
October 26. Set to a score of the same name by Alexander Glazunov, the ballet features costumes by Robert Perdziola and lighting by Mark Stanley. The Seasons, created to commemorate Ratmansky's 10th anniversary as ABT Artist in Residence, received its World Premiere on May 20, 2019 at the Metropolitan Opera House.

A work for seven dancers, Children's Songs Dance by Jessica Lang will be given two performances during the Fall season. Set to selections from Children's Songs by the late American jazz composer Chick Corea, the ballet was created on ABT Studio Company in January 2020 during a residency at The Pocantico Center in Tarrytown, New York. The work was first seen on screen as part of ABT Studio Company Spring Festival, a program of filmed performances that aired online in June 2021. The ballet is scheduled to receive its ABT Company Premiere on August 9, 2022 as part of Lincoln Center's BAAND Together Dance Festival. This production of Children's Songs Dance for the 2022 Fall season will feature new costumes by Jillian Lewis and lighting by Nicole Pearce.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre's 2022 Fall season, starting at $30, are available beginning Tuesday, September 6 at 10:00 A.M. in person at the Koch Theater box office, by phone bycalling 212-496-0600, and online. During the 2022 Fall season, ABT will offer audience members the opportunity to exchange their tickets or receive refunds free of charge up until Noon on the day of performance. Based on CDC and New York State guidelines at the time of performance, entry requirements for both adults and children may include valid proof of vaccination with a CDC approved COVID vaccine, mask usage, and more.

ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

American Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT's repertoire includes full-length classics from the nineteenth century, the finest works from the early twentieth century, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America's National Ballet Company®.

Photo credit: Gene Schiavone