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I agree that this kind of repertory is ABT at its best. I'm glad the company looked well.

Did anyone from CD see this? I'm curious to here another opinion of the show.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE¹S CULINARY PAS DE DEUX
AT THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM IN NEW YORK CITY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26 AT 7:00PM


American Ballet Theatre will present the twelfth annual Culinary
Pas de Deux at The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Monday evening,
February 26, 2007 at 7:00 P.M. Dining and dancing will be on the evening¹s
menu as ABT¹s dancers perform a sampling of pas de deux from Twyla Tharp¹s
Sinatra Suite, Jírí Kylián¹s Petite Mort and Laura Gorenstein Miller¹s Milk
Pool. Top chefs from New York City¹s finest restaurants will provide the
culinary offerings, alongside wine tastings by several premier wineries.

Dan Levy of Brasserie Aix, Vito Gnazzo of Il Gattopardo, Mauro
Marciaoni of Osteria del Circo, Larissa Raphael of Telepan, Stephen
Lewandowski of Tribeca Grill and Ari Nieminen of Water¹s Edge will be among
the chefs who will prepare the evening¹s tastings. A silent auction
featuring luxury items, unique behind-the-scenes ABT experiences, culinary
offerings, and distinctive travel and sports packages will be conducted
throughout the evening. The silent auction is chaired by Vivian Barral
Chambers and Irene Shen.

The Culinary Pas de Deux, which benefits ABT¹s Spring Season at
the Metropolitan Opera House, is co-chaired by Corinne Ball, Cheryl Katz,
Peg Ranieri and Jerry Ruotolo. Vice Chairs are Janice Berman and Susan F.
Sosin. Underwriting sponsors are AllianceBernstein, Ranieri & Company and
Wachovia Securities.

Tickets for the 2007 Culinary Pas de Deux are priced at $450 and
can be purchased through American Ballet Theatre¹s Special Events Office by
calling 212-477-3030, Ext. 3239. The Hammerstein Ballroom is located at 311
West 34th Street at 8th Avenue. For more information, please visit
www.abt.org <http://www.abt.org/> .

Congratulations to Craig Salstein on his promotion to soloist!

1/31/2007 - Craig Salstein has been promoted to the rank of Soloist with American Ballet Theatre effective March 1, 2007, it was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director.

Born in Miami, Florida, Salstein began his training at the Ballet Academy of Miami at the age of eight and continued his training with the Miami City Ballet. In 1995, he was the Grand Champion of Ed McMahon’s Star Search on television. He trained with The Joffrey Ballet, the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive as a National Training Scholar. In 1999, he joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet.

Salstein joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in 2000 and was promoted to the corps de ballet of ABT in April 2002. Salstein’s repertory with the Company includes the Bronze Idol and the Head Fakir in La Bayadère, the first sailor in Fancy Free, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, the Joker in Jeu de Cartes, the Beggar Chief in Manon, the Nutcracker-Prince in The Nutcracker, a Groom in Petrouchka, Bernard and the Saracen Dancer in Raymonda, the Champion Roper in Rodeo, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, the Neapolitan Dance in Swan Lake, Eros and a Goat in Sylvia, the Devil in Three Virgins and a Devil and leading roles in Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, Glow – Stop, Gong, In the Upper Room, Sechs Tänze, Sinfonietta and Symphonic Variations. He created the role of Sin in Sin and Tonic, a leading role in Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison and a featured role in Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra.

Press release on cast changes in Chicago with a glaring error. I have e-maile the press agency responsible to inform that Talinn is not and has never been in Russia. It was part of the USSR, but was and is in Estonia.


American Ballet Theatre Announces Cast Changes for Romeo and Juliet
AT THE CIVIC OPERA HOUSE, MARCH 21-25, 2007

Viacheslav Samodurov, Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet,
To Perform Romeo on March 22 and march 24

herman cornejo and gillian murphy to debut in title roles
during chicago engagement


March 14, 2007 - Due to illness and injury, American Ballet Theatre (ABT)
has announced cast changes and additions for its Chicago engagement of the
romantic classic Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by
Sir Kenneth MacMillan, at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, in
Chicago, March 21-25, 2007.

The casting for the roles of ³Juliet,² ³Romeo,² and ³Mercutio² in Chicago is
as follows: Julie Kent, Angel Corella, and Craig Salstein (Opening Night,
Wednesday, March 21 at 7 p.m.); Paloma Herrera, Viacheslav Samodurov, and
Jesus Pastor (Thursday, March 22 at 2 p.m.); Xiomara Reyes, Angel Corella,
and Carlos Lopez (Thursday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m.); Gillian Murphy*, David
Hallberg, and Craig Salstein (Friday, March 23 at 8 p.m.); Xiomara Reyes,
Herman Cornejo*, and Carlos Lopez (Saturday, March 24 at 2 p.m.); Paloma
Herrera, Viacheslav Samodurov, and Jesus Pastor (Saturday, March 24 at 8
p.m.); and Gillian Murphy, David Hallberg, and Craig Salstein (Sunday, March
25 at
2 p.m.). *Gillian Murphy will make her debut as ³Juliet² on March 23 at 8
p.m. Herman Cornejo will make his debut as ³Romeo² on March 24 at 2 p.m.
All casting is subject to change.

Guest artist Viacheslav Samodurov of The Royal Ballet - Great Britain's most
prestigious ballet company ­ will join ABT in the role of ³Romeo² for two
performances only, Thursday, March 22 at 2 p.m., and Saturday, March 24 at 8
p.m. Born in Talinn, Russia, Viacheslav Samodurov trained at the Vaganova
Ballet Academy and joined the Maryinsky Ballet in 1992, where he toured
extensively and was promoted to principal in 1998. In 2000, he joined the
Dutch National Ballet as a principal, where he expanded his repertory to
include works by Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, William Forsythe,
Hans Van Manen, Jerome Robbins and Rudi Van Dantzig. Samodurov joined The
Royal Ballet in 2003 and has danced the pas de deux Voices of Spring, Romeo
in Romeo and Juliet, the Prince in Cinderella and The Nutcracker, Orion in
Sylvia, Colas in La Fille mal gardée, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Lescaut
in Manon, and Albrecht in Giselle. The Chicago engagement of Romeo and
Juliet will be Samodurov¹s first appearance with American Ballet Theatre.

Sir Kenneth MacMillan's masterful interpretation of William Shakespeare's
enduring romantic tragedy entered ABT¹s repertoire in 1985 and has since
become one of the Company¹s signature productions. Against the sumptuous
setting of Renaissance Italy, MacMillan weaves a dance tapestry rich in
character nuance and sensuality, and Sergei Prokofiev's stirring music
underscores the lyric beauty and passion of this beloved ballet's
star-crossed lovers.

The principal roles in Romeo and Juliet are widely considered to be the
ultimate test of dramatic ability, at once demanding both consummate
artistry and technique, while giving leeway for individual interpretation.
ABT¹s dancers, who hail from around the world, each bring distinctive
qualities to these roles, creating a unique audience experience for every
performance.

Each performance of MacMillan¹s Romeo and Juliet will feature American
Ballet Theatre¹s 85+ member company, accompanied by a live 65-member
orchestra performing the classic Prokofiev score. The production includes
scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting by Thomas Skelton.

An Opening Night Gala, to benefit American Ballet Theatre, will take place
Wednesday evening, March 21, featuring a pre-performance Gala reception at
5:30 p.m., prime seating for the 7:00 p.m. performance of Romeo and Juliet,
and a post-performance champagne toast on stage with the dancers. ABT¹s
Opening Night in Chicago is co-chaired by Sonia Florian and William
McIntosh. Information and tickets for the Chicago Opening Night Gala,
priced from $400, are available by calling (212) 477-3030, extension 3245.
For performance-only tickets, please call (312) 902-1500.

Tickets for performances of American Ballet Theatre¹s Romeo and Juliet,
which range in price from $23 to $103, can be purchased by calling (312)
902-1500; by visiting the Civic Opera House box office; or on-line at
www.ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com/> . Groups of 15 or more
can receive discount pricing by calling (312) 922-2110, ext. 357. A limited
number of student rush tickets, priced at $20, will be available on the day
of each performance at the Civic Opera box office and through Ticketmaster.
Students must present a valid ID.

For more information on American Ballet Theatre¹s presentation of Romeo and
Juliet at the Civic Opera House, March 21-25, 2007, please call (312)
902-1500 or visit http://www.abt.org/performances/chicago.asp.

Hedy Weiss reviews the March 21, 2007 performance of ABT's Romeo & Juliet at the Civic Opera House in Chicago in the Chicago Sun-Times:

Chicago Sun-Times

Sid Smith in the Chicago Tribune:

Chicago Tribune