$25 digital access
Run time 52 minutes
“For what I do, and for the language I use, the stage is needed.”
—Alexei Ratmansky in The New York Times
One of the great dance companies in the world, American Ballet Theatre (ABT) makes a much-anticipated return to City Center for a night at the ballet with works by acclaimed choreographer and ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky—filmed live on the City Center stage.
ABT Live from City Center | A Ratmansky Celebration showcases many of the company’s renowned dancers in excerpts from The Seasons, Seven Sonatas, and The Sleeping Beauty, and the World Premiere of Bernstein in a Bubble—set to the music of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. This new piece, Ratmansky’s first since March 2020, was recently created during a quarantined “ballet bubble” in Silver Bay, New York.
City Center has been an important home to ABT throughout the company’s 81-year history, hosting them first in the 1940s and most recently as the home of their regular fall seasons and frequent performances in Fall for Dance.
Produced by American Ballet Theatre, New York City Center, and Nel Shelby Productions.
Safety for our artists, staff, and crew is our first priority. All rehearsals and performances are executed in strict adherence to rigorous health and safety protocols under guidance from medical consultants and in accordance with all government and union guidelines.
Top photo: American Ballet Theatre's Patrick Frenette, Skylar Brandt, and Tyler Maloney in Bernstein in a Bubble
Photos by Christopher Duggan Photography
Read the digital program for ABT Live from City Center here.
“Rose Adagio” from The Sleeping Beauty
Choreography by Marius Petipa, with staging and additional choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, assisted by Tatiana Ratmansky
Music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
Featuring Skylar Brandt, Aran Bell, Patrick Frenette, Blaine Hoven, Tyler Maloney
Princess Aurora dances with her four suitors in one of classical ballet’s most challenging scenes. For this 2015 production, Ratmansky reconstructed the ballet from the notations of Petipa’s original choreography.
Seven Sonatas Second Movement
Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky
Music by Domenico Scarlatti
Featuring Herman Cornejo, Luciana Paris, Carlos Gonzalez, Devon Teuscher
The second ballet Ratmansky created as Artist in Residence with ABT, the four solos in this excerpt demonstrate his distinctive compositional style and innate musicality.
The Seasons Pas de Deux
Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky
Music by Alexander Glazunov
Featuring Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside
This tender duet, set to Glazunov’s rich and romantic score, unfolds with the warmth and ease of a late summer day.
Bernstein in a Bubble
World Premiere
Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Featuring Aran Bell, Skylar Brandt, Patrick Frenette, Blaine Hoven, Catherine Hurlin, Tyler Maloney, Cassandra Trenary
Inspired by the quintessentially American spirit of Bernstein’s Divertimento, this new work explores the artistic personalities of ABT’s world-class dancers—an exciting reflection of artistic creativity in these challenging times.
[American] Ballet Theatre’s richness lies precisely in the eclecticism of its repertoire.
—DanceTabs
Ratmansky’s work is filled with beauty from the deep past and is wondrously alive.
—The Wall Street Journal
…the company has enjoyed renewed creative dynamism and a continuation of the performance excellence for which it is known.
—Chicago Sun-Times
Please consider making a gift of any size to help us continue our digital programs and sustain City Center as a theater for all. Your generous support will help us bring extraordinary artists back to the stage, expand our reach to a global arts community, and share an inspiring season when it’s possible to safely reopen our doors.
MAJOR SUPPORT FOR DIGITAL DANCE PROGRAMS AT NEW YORK CITY CENTER IS PROVIDED BY
ADDITIONAL MAJOR SUPPORT
Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation
Sutton Foster | Bring Me to Light
Available now
View on demand through May 31
$35 digital access
Sutton Foster takes over City Center for a concert with her friends Raúl Esparza, Joaquina Kalukango, Kelli O’Hara, and Wren Rivera. Together, they celebrate their connections to the historic theater with performances of music theater favorites from Anyone Can Whistle, Camelot, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Violet, The Wild Party, and more. Learn more.