The Kennedy Center Presents American Ballet Theatre in WHIPPED CREAM and More

Returning for its annual Kennedy Center engagement, American Ballet Theatre (ABT) brings two different programs to the Opera House stage,January 30-February 4. Whipped Cream, the acclaimed all-new, evening-length work from world-renowned choreographer and ABT Artist-in-Residence Alexei Ratmansky, makes its D.C. premiere February 1-4, while a program of repertory works, January 30 and 31, includes the D.C. premieres of Ratmansky's Serenade after Plato's Symposium and Benjamin Millepied's I Feel the Earth Move. Jerome Robbins's Other Dances and Christopher Wheeldon's Thirteen Diversions are also part of the program. The first evening of the repertory program features the original cast from I Feel the Earth Move including Devon Teuscher, Misty Copeland, Hee Seo, David Hallberg, Herman Cornejo, and Cory Stearns. Further principal casting is below. All performances will be accompanied by the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

Alexei Ratmansky's Whipped Cream

Premiered in March 2017, the delightful production of Whipped Cream is based onthe two-act ballet with libretto and score by Richard Strauss. Originally created as Schlagobers (German for "Whipped Cream"), the ballet was first performed in 1924 at the Vienna State Opera. A tale of a young boy who overindulges at a Viennese pastry shop and falls into a whimsical delirium, the production features vibrant sets and costumes by pop surrealist Mark Ryden.

A Program of Repertory Works

As a nod to the worldwide Leonard Bernstein at 100 celebration, Ratmansky'sSerenade after Plato's Symposium, which premiered in 2016, is a meditation on love with seven male dancers and one female, set to Bernstein's 1954 violin concerto. Wheeldon's Thirteen Diversions features four principal dancers and 16 corps de ballet members performing to Benjamin Britten's Diversions for Piano (Left Hand) and Orchestra. Part of ABT's centennial celebration of the famed choreographer Jerome Robbins, Other Dances pays homage to Chopin's romanticism with two dramatic dancers in a series of folk-infused dances. Recently premiered in October 2017, Millepied's I Feel the Earth Move, the choreographer's latest work for the company, is set to music by Philip Glass, including a selection from his opera Einstein on the Beach.

About American Ballet Theatre

Since its inception in 1939, American Ballet Theatre has developed an unequalled repertoire spanning 19th-century classics, early 20th-century masterpieces, and acclaimed contemporary dances. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope, and outreach. ABT is the only major cultural institution that annually tours the United States, performing for more than 300,000 people. The Company has also made more than 30 international tours to 50 countries as perhaps the most representative American ballet company and has been sponsored by the U.S. State Department on many of these engagements. Over more than 75 years, the Company has appeared in a total of 139 cities in 50 countries, and has appeared in all 50 states of the U.S. In keeping with ABT's long-standing commitment to bring the finest in dance to the widest international audience, the Company has recently had triumphant successes with engagements in Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Paris, and Beijing. On April 27, 2006, by an act of Congress, American Ballet Theatre became America's National Ballet Company®. The Company has performed at the Kennedy Center annually since the Center's opening in 1971.

Funding Credits:

American Ballet Theatre's engagement is made possible through generous endowment support of

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund.

Support for Ballet at the Kennedy Center is generously provided by

Elizabeth and C. Michael Kojaian.

Ticket Information

Tickets start at $49. Tickets can be purchased at the Kennedy Center box office or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600. Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

Performance Schedule

A Program of Repertory Works

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.

Whipped Cream (Strauss/Ratmansky) D.C. Premiere

Thursday, February 1, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, February 2, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 3, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 4, 2018 at 1:30 p.m.

with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra

PRINCIPAL CASTING (subject to change):
* = first time in the role

Tuesday, January 30
Serenade after Plato's Symposium: Cirio, Gomes, Hoven, Royal, Shayer, Simkin, Whiteside, Teuscher
Other Dances: Boylston, Lendorf*
I Feel the Earth Move: Teuscher, Copeland, Seo, Hallberg, Cornejo, Stearns
Thirteen Diversions: Lane, Gorak, Boylston, Gomes, Abrera, Forster, Brandt, Zhang

Wednesday, January 31
Serenade after Plato's Symposium: Zhang, Hammoudi, Forster, Sebastian, Maloney, Scott,

Gorak, Seo
Other Dances: Lane*, Cornejo*
I Feel the Earth Move: S. Williams, Trenary, Hurlin, Hoven, Simkin, Hammoudi
Thirteen Diversions: Hurlin, Sebastian, Copeland, Davis, Murphy, Hoven, Giangeruso, Hammoudi

Thursday, February 1
Whipped Cream: Simkin, Abrera, Hallberg, Lane

Friday, February 2
Whipped Cream: Klein*, Seo, Stearns, Trenary

Sat., Feb. 3 matinee
Whipped Cream: Shayer*, Teuscher, Gomes, Brandt

Saturday, February 3 evening
Whipped Cream: Cirio, Murphy, Whiteside, Copeland

Sunday, February 4 matinee
Whipped Cream: Simkin, Boylston, Lendorf, Lane

For more information about the Kennedy Center visit www.kennedy-center.org.

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