CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S
2008 NEW YORK CITY CENTER SEASON

Additional Pas de Deux to Include
Flames of Paris Performed by Sarah Lane and Daniil Simkin


Casting for American Ballet Theatre’s 2008 season at New York
City Center was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

American Ballet Theatre’s Fall 2008 season will open on Tuesday,
October 21 at 6:30 P.M. with a Gala performance highlighted by the pas de
deux from Antony Tudor’s Romeo and Juliet (Romeo’s Farewell), danced by
Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg, Time, a solo choreographed by Craig
Salstein and performed by Michele Wiles, and the New York City Company
Premiere of Paul Taylor’s Company B. The program will also feature the pas
de deux from Act III of Don Quixote, an excerpt from Jiři Kylián’s Overgrown
Path and a performance of George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations.

The World Premiere of Lauri Stallings’ Citizen on Wednesday,
October 22, danced by Paloma Herrera, Isabella Boylston, Nicola Curry, David
Hallberg and Blaine Hoven, will highlight the first week at New York City
Center. Sarah Lane, Devon Teuscher, Melissa Thomas, Cory Stearns and Sean
Stewart will debut in the ballet at the Sunday, October 26 matinee. A work
for five dancers, Citizen is set to music by Max Richter with costumes by
April McCoy and lighting by Ryan J. O’Gara.

Other debuts for the first week include Cory Stearns in Theme
and Variations on Wednesday, October 22, and Jose Manuel Carreño (The Young
Man from the House Opposite), Veronika Part (Eldest Sister) and Sarah Lane
(Youngest Sister) in Pillar of Fire at the matinee on Saturday, October 25.

The Revival Premiere of Twyla Tharp’s Brief Fling on Tuesday,
October 28, led by Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo, will highlight ABT’s
second week at NY City Center. Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes will debut
in the leading roles on Wednesday, October 29. Set to music by Michel
Colombier and Percy Grainger with costumes by Isaac Mizrahi, Brief Fling
received its World Premiere in 1990 and was last performed by ABT in 1991.

The Revival Premiere of Antony Tudor’s Jardin aux Lilas on
Wednesday, October 29, will be led by Julie Kent, Cory Stearns, Kristi Boone
and Roman Zhurbin. On Thursday, October 30, Melissa Thomas, Thomas Forster,
Veronika Part and Vitali Krauchenka will dance these roles for the first
time. With music by Ernest Chausson, this production of Jardin aux Lilas
was staged by Kirk Peterson and features scenery and costumes by Peter
Cazalet and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. Jardin aux Lilas was first
performed by Ballet Theatre during the Company’s inaugural season in 1940
and was last performed by ABT in 2001.

Several pas de deux have been added to performances during the
second week of ABT’s NY City Center season, including Flames of Paris on the
evening of Tuesday, October 28, and the matinee on Sunday, November 2,
danced by Sarah Lane and Daniil Simkin. With choreography after Vasily
Vainonen and music by Boris Asafiev, the pas de deux from the full-length
Flames of Paris was first performed by ABT in 1972. Xiomara Reyes and
Gennadi Saveliev will debut in the pas de deux from Antony Tudor’s Romeo and
Juliet (Romeo’s Farewell) on Thursday, October 30, and Michele Wiles and
David Hallberg will perform George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux at
the matinee on Saturday, November 1.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2008 Fall Season at New
York City Center, priced from $25-$110, are available online at www.abt.org
<http://www.abt.org> or by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212. Performance-only
tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s Opening Night at NY City Center are
priced from $30 to $135. NY City Center is located on West 55th Street
between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City.




AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
NY City Center - Fall 2008


FIRST WEEK

Tue. Eve., Oct. 21, 6:30 P.M. GALA PROGRAM
THEME AND VARIATIONS – Herrera, Gomes
ROMEO AND JULIET (Romeo’s Farewell) – Murphy*, Hallberg*
TIME - Wiles
OVERGROWN PATH Excerpt – Kent, Saveliev, Matthews
DON QUIXOTE Pas de Deux – Reyes, Carreño
COMPANY B (New York City Company Premiere) - Company

Wed. Eve., Oct. 22, 7:30 P.M. BAKER’S DOZEN – Company
CITIZEN (World Premiere) – Herrera, Boylston, Curry, Hallberg,
Hoven
THE LEAVES ARE FADING – Kent, Gomes
THEME AND VARIATIONS – Wiles, Stearns*
Thurs. Eve., Oct. 23, 7:30 P.M. THE LEAVES ARE FADING - Reyes, Saveliev
OVERGROWN PATH (New York City Company Premiere) –
Company
THEME AND VARIATIONS – Lane, Cornejo

Fri. Eve., Oct. 24, 8 P.M. OVERGROWN PATH – Company
PILLAR OF FIRE – Murphy, Hallberg, Gomes, Bystrova, Butler
COMPANY B – Company

Sat. Mat., Oct. 25, 2 P.M. BAKER’S DOZEN – Company
CITIZEN – Herrera, Boylston, Curry, Hallberg, Hoven
PILLAR OF FIRE – Kent, Saveliev, Carreño*, Part*, Lane*
THEME AND VARIATIONS – Wiles, Stearns

Sat. Eve., Oct. 25, 8 P.M. THE LEAVES ARE FADING – Reyes, Saveliev
OVERGROWN PATH – Company
COMPANY B – Company

Sun. Mat., Oct. 26, 1:30 P.M. THE LEAVES ARE FADING – Kent, Gomes
BAKER’S DOZEN – Company
CITIZEN – Lane*, Teuscher*, Thomas*, Stearns*, Stewart*
THEME AND VARIATIONS – Murphy, Hallberg

(more)



FIRST WEEK (cont.) – Page2

Sun. Eve., Oct. 26, 7 P.M. BAKER’S DOZEN – Company
CITIZEN – Lane, Teuscher, Thomas, Stearns, Stewart
PILLAR OF FIRE – Wiles, Hallberg, Gomes, Bystrova, Butler
COMPANY B – Company

SECOND WEEK

Tue. Eve., Oct. 28, 7:30 P.M. BALLO DELLA REGINA – Murphy, Hallberg
FLAMES OF PARIS Pas de Deux – Lane*, Simkin+
OVERGROWN PATH - Company
BRIEF FLING – Reyes*, Cornejo*

Wed. Eve. Oct. 29, 7:30 P. M. COMPANY B - Company
JARDIN AUX LILAS – Kent, Stearns*, Boone*, Zhurbin*
BRIEF FLING – Herrera*, Gomes*

Thurs. Eve., Oct. 30, 7:30 P.M. BALLO DELLA REGINA – Wiles, Hallberg
ROMEO AND JULIET (Romeo’s Farewell) – Reyes*, Saveliev*
JARDIN AUX LILAS – Thomas*, Forster*, Part*, Krauchenka*
COMPANY B - Company

Fri. Eve., Oct. 31, 8 P. M. ALL-TUDOR CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
CONTINUO - Company
JARDIN AUX LILAS – Kent, Stearns, Boone, Zhurbin
ROMEO AND JULIET (Romeo’s Farewell) – Reyes, Saveliev
JUDGMENT OF PARIS – Moore, van Hamel, Mathis, McKenzie,
Barbee
PILLAR OF FIRE – Murphy, Hallberg, Gomes, Bystrova, Butler

Sat. Mat., Nov. 1, 2 P.M. BALLO DELLA REGINA – Kajiya, Cornejo
TCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX – Wiles, Hallberg
JARDIN AUX LILAS – Kent, Stearns, Boone, Zhurbin
BRIEF FLING – Herrera, Gomes

Sat. Eve., Nov. 1, 8 P. M. BAKER’S DOZEN - Company
CITIZEN – Herrera, Boylston, Curry, Hallberg, Hoven
PILLAR OF FIRE – Kent, Saveliev, Carreño, Part, Lane
BRIEF FLING – Reyes, Cornejo

Sun. Mat., Nov. 2, 1:30 P. M. BALLO DELLA REGINA – Murphy, Hallberg
FLAMES OF PARIS Pas de Deux – Lane, Simkin
JARDIN AUX LILAS – Thomas, Forster, Part, Krauchenka
COMPANY B – Company

(more)








SECOND WEEK (cont.) – Page 3

Sun. Eve., Nov. 2, 7 P. M. BALLO DELLA REGINA – Wiles, Hallberg
ROMEO AND JULIET (Romeo’s Farewell) – Murphy, Saveliev
OVERGROWN PATH - Company
BRIEF FLING – Herrera, Gomes

-30-


*Editors please note: First time in a role
Tues. Eve., Oct. 21 – Murphy, Hallberg in the Romeo and Juliet (Romeo’s Farewell)
Wed. Eve., Oct. 22 –Stearns in Theme and Variations
Sat. Mat., October 25 – Carreño (Young Man From the House Opposite), Part (Eldest Sister), Lane
(Youngest Sister) in Pillar of Fire
Sun. Mat., Oct. 26 – Lane, Teuscher, Thomas, Stearns, Stewart in Citizen
Tue. Eve., Oct. 28 - Lane in the Flames of Paris pas de deux; Reyes, Cornejo in Brief Fling
Wed. Eve., Oct. 29 – Stearns (Her Lover), Boone (An Episode in His Past), Zhurbin (The Man She
She Must Marry) in Jardin aux Lilas; Herrera, Gomes in Brief Fling
Thurs. Oct. 30 – Reyes, Saveliev in the Romeo and Juliet (Romeo’s Farewell); Thomas (Caroline), Forster
(Her Lover), Part (An Episode in His Past), Krauchenka (The Man She Must Marry)

+Editors please note: First time in a role with ABT
Sun Mat., Oct. 26 - Simkin in Flames of Paris pas de deux

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE ANNOUNCES
PRE-PERFORMANCE TALKS EXPLORING
THE WORK OF ANTONY TUDOR,
OCTOBER 23, 24 AND 29

Talks Offered Free to Ticketholders


Continuing its centennial tribute to Antony Tudor, American
Ballet Theatre will offer a series of free 30-minute, pre-performance talks
on the main stage at New York City Center on Thursday, October 23 at 6:15pm,
Friday, October 24 at 6:45pm and Wednesday, October 29 at 6:15pm. Former
ABT dancers Kathleen Moore, Eliot Feld, Kirk Peterson and Artistic Director
Kevin McKenzie will be among those discussing the life and works of the late
choreographer. Additional guest speakers will include Anna Kisselgoff,
former chief dance critic for The New York Times; Sally Bliss, executive
director of the Antony Tudor Trust; and Roslyn Anderson, rehearsal director
for Nederlands Dans Theater I. The pre-performance talks feature open
seating and are offered free to ticketholders of that evening¹s performance.

American Ballet Theatre¹s pre-performance talks will emphasize
the following topics: Thursday, October 23 - Tudor¹s Influence on Dancers
with Kathleen Moore and Kevin McKenzie; Friday, October 24 - Tudor¹s
Influence on Choreographers with Eliot Feld, Kirk Peterson and Roslyn
Anderson; Wednesday, October 29 - The Creative Periods with Anna Kisselgoff
and Sally Bliss.

American Ballet Theatre¹s Tudor Centennial Celebration at New
York City Center runs October 21 through November 2. For tickets, please
call New York City Center CityTix at 212-581-1212 or visit ABT¹s website at
www.abt.org <http://www.abt.org> .

I have to admit to being a bit taken aback by ABT having Michelob Light as a sponsor. While I think I've seen champagne companies as sponsors before, having a beer company sponsor doesn't seem to mesh with ballet, nor the often underage audience.

Nor is Michelob exactly the shining light of fine beer - it's pretty much run of the mill, junky beer. Not the image I'd want to have for a fine ballet company...

Kate

In the New York Times, Alastair Macaulay reviews the Tuesday, October 21, 2008 gala performance that opens ABT's City Center season:

NY Times

Alastair Macaulay reviews the Wednesday, October 22 performance, which includes Twyla Tharp's "Baker's Dozen," the premiere of a new work by Lauri Stallings ("Citizen"), Tudor's "Leaves Are Fading," and Balanchine's "Theme and Variations" in the New York Times:

NY Times

Hilary Osterle reviews the opening gala and one subsequent performance in the Financial Times:

Financial Times

Alastair Macaulay is enthusiastic about several works in ABT's City Center season in The New York Times:

NY Times

In the Wall Street Journal, Robert Greskovic talks about the Tudor works that are part of the City Center season:

Wall Street Journal

Robert Johnson's review in the New Jersey Star-Ledger:

Star-Ledger

Clive Barnes with a brief review of Daniil Simkin's performance of "Flames of Paris" and the revival of Twyla Tharp's "Brief Fling" in the New York Post:

NY Post

Alastair Macaulay reviews the Fall Season at City Center in the New York Times:

NY Times

Joan Acocella reviews the Tudor Celebration that was part of ABT's City Center season in The New Yorker:

New Yorker