Former Principal Dancer Alessandra Ferri to Lead ABT's ROMEO AND JULIET Next Summer

Alessandra Ferri, a former Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre, will return as a Guest Artist to dance the role of Juliet in the Company's production of ROMEO AND JULIET at the Metropolitan Opera House, it was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. In her first return to the ABT stage since her retirement in June 2007, Ferri will perform Juliet opposite Herman Cornejo as Romeo on Thursday, June 23, 2016.

"I am so pleased to have Alessandra dance this role," said McKenzie. "It so rarely occurs that an audience can revisit the career of a favorite artist in real time."

Born in Milan, Ferri trained at Teatro alla Scala Ballet and The Royal Ballet School in London. She joined The Royal Ballet in 1980 and became a principal dancer in 1983 before joining American Ballet Theatre in 1985 as Principal Dancer. With ABT, she has danced the title roles in Giselle and Manon, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Titania in The Dream and leading roles in Pillar of Fire, Les Sylphides, Gaîté Parisienne and Fall River Legend. She has performed as a guest artist with La Scala in Milan and with companies around the world. Ferri retired from American Ballet Theatre in 2007, dancing the role of Juliet in ROMEO AND JULIET.

Following her retirement from ABT, Ferri was named Director of Programming at Spoleto Festival. In 2013, she choreographed and danced The Piano Upstairs at Spoleto and starred opposite Cornejo in Chéri for Signature Theatre. Most recently, she danced the lead in Woolf Works with The Royal Ballet. Ferri's awards include the Prix de Lausanne in 1980, the Sir Laurence Oliver Award in 1982 and Benois de la Danse in 2000. In 2006, she was made a Cavaliere della Repubblica (the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic).

Subscriptions for American Ballet Theatre's 2016 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House go on sale October 26, 2015. For more information, visit www.abt.org.

Photo by Lucas Chilczuk