MOVING STORIES: AN ABT FILM FESTIVAL to Premiere This Week

Celebrating the creativity of ABT dancers, American Ballet Theatre presents Moving Stories: An ABT Film Festival. Presented over two nights, Wednesday, September 30 and Thursday, October 1 at 7:00pm ET, Moving Stories features eight short films created by ABT artists. The films, varying from three to 11 minutes in length, will be available for viewing on ABT's YouTube Channel. Four films will premiere each evening, followed by roundtable conversations with the filmmakers. The hour-long programs are hosted by ABT Principal Dancer Misty Copeland and Emmy Award-winning producer Leyla Fayyaz (Life in Motion Productions).

Filmmakers contributing to the Company's first-ever film festival include current ABT dancers Claire Davison (Dans Tes Rêve), Zhong-Jing Fang(Perception), Erica Lall (The Thread of Navigation), Duncan Lyle (Alone Together), Jose Sebastian (Sillage), Eric Tamm (Le Tré Cortegé), Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside (Swan Lake), and former ABT dancer Alexandre Hammoudi (Transonata). All films were created in May and June 2020, as dancers sheltered in place and maintained strict COVID-19 health and safety precautions.

"Moving Stories is a testament to the creativity and innovation of ABT's dancers," said ABT Artistic Director Kevin Mckenzie. "While the Company cannot deliver epic stories on majestic stages, ABT's dancers are telling intimate stories on screens large and small. Moving Stories is a tribute to the 'Theatre' aspect of our Company name. We look forward to sharing this exciting new content with the world."

Produced and edited by creative director Henry Evans and Zipline Media, Moving Stories: An ABT Film Festival will benefit the ABT Crisis Relief Fund. Viewers will be able to donate to the fund directly through ABT's YouTube channel while watching the event. The ABT Crisis Relief Fund provides ongoing assistance to ABT's artists - dancers, production crew, rehearsal pianists, artistic staff and education faculty - during the COVID-19 health crisis.