American Ballet Theater Plans to Return to Met Opera Stage


After repeated delays brought by the pandemic, American Ballet Theater He plans to go back to the stage. Metropolitan Opera House For the first time in three years, next summer, the company said on Thursday.

The Ballet Theater will present a five-week season starting in June, featuring key elements of the repertoire such as “Don Quixote” and “Swan Lake”, as well as new works such as Alexei Ratmansky’s “Of Love and Rage” and a new ballet by the artist. . alonzo king, first for the company.

Company leaders hope a return to the Met will mark a return to normalcy after the coronavirus forced the cancellation of two seasons and cost the Ballet Theater millions of dollars in anticipated ticket revenue and tour fees.

“We really need to be the antidote to the madness out there,” said Kevin McKenzie, the company’s artistic director, in an interview. “We represent human perfection – what man can achieve as a creative being. The world needs this.”

McKenzie said the recent spread of new strains of the virus is worrying, but the company has shown it can safely host performances by maintaining strict rules, including mandatory vaccinations for audience members and performers.

“What we’re starting to understand is that we need to plan these protocols for the rest of our lives and we don’t think it will get any better,” McKenzie said. “And then it will be a wonderful surprise.”

The season opens with the gala performance of “Don Quixote”, in which a different lead takes place on each act, on June 13. Two more full-length ballets will be presented: the Tchaikovsky classic “Swan Lake,” staged by McKenzie after Petipa; and Kenneth MacMillan’s “Romeo and Juliet” set to Prokofiev.

The season also includes the New York premiere of “Of Love and Rage,” a new all-night ballet scheduled for release in 2020. King’s new dance has been set to music by jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran.

Also on the calendar are George Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations” and Jessica Lang’s “Zigzag” consists of songs recorded by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, which the Ballet Theater featured at its fall premiere.

The coming year will be a year of transition for the Ballet Theatre. In January, Janet Rollé, general manager of Beyoncé’s entertainment firm, to assume the role of the chief executive and executive director.

McKenzie will step down as artistic director at the end of next year after thirty years. He said he hopes a successor will be chosen before the summer season.



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