American Ballet Theatre Announces 2026 Fall Season and 2027 Spring Season at the David H. Koch Theater

2026 Fall Season, October 21-31, to Feature World Premiere by Brady Farrar and Company Premiere of Helen Pickett's Petal

2027 Spring Season, March 4-21, to Feature John Neumeier's Lady Of The Camellias and Company Premiere of Wayne McGregor's Chroma

Box Office Opens Tuesday, September 1

NEW YORK, NY - American Ballet Theatre's 2026-2027 Seasons at the David H. Koch were announced today by Artistic Director Susan Jaffe.

The 2026 Fall Season, scheduled for October 21-31 at the David H. Koch Theater, will include three repertory programs: Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics, Neoclassical Works, and An Elegy and A Dream.

The Company's 2027 Spring Season at the David H. Koch Theater will take place from March 4-21. The Season will include John Neumeier's full-length Lady of the Camellias, as well as the repertory programs Icons of Modern Repertory and Masterworks.

2026 FALL SEASON

Principal Dancers for the 2026 Fall Season include Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Herman Cornejo, Jarod Curley, Thomas Forster, Isaac Hernández, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, SunMi Park, Jake Roxander, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, James Whiteside, and Roman Zhurbin.

Fall Gala

The 2026 Fall Gala will take place on Thursday evening, October 29, at the Koch Theater. For more information on ABT's Fall Gala, please contact the Special Events Office at [email protected].

World Premiere

Trio Élégiaque, choreographed by ABT corps de ballet member Brady Farrar, will have its World Premiere on Wednesday, October 28, as part of the program An Elegy and A Dream. Farrar has choreographed multiple works for ABT Studio Company and Trio Élégiaque marks his inaugural creation for American Ballet Theatre's main Company. Set to the first movement of "Trio Élégiaque No. 2" by Sergei Rachmaninoff, the ballet features costumes by Mark Eric and lighting by Brad Fields.

Company Premiere

As part of Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics, Helen Pickett's Petal will have its ABT Company Premiere on Wednesday, October 21. An electrifying, hopeful work inspired by the radiant hues of gerbera daisies, Petal is staged for ABT by Sarah Hillmer and features music by Philip Glass and Thomas Montgomery Newman, costumes by Nete Joseph, sets by Pickett, and lighting by Brandon Stirling Baker. Petal received its World Premiere by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet on February 1, 2008, at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics

Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics will be given four performances throughout the Fall Season, on the evenings of October 21, 22, 25, and 27. The program will feature Pickett's Petal, Jiří Kylián's Petite Mort, and Natalia Makarova's Paquita.

Petite Mort was originally created by Jiří Kylián for the Salzburg Festival on the second centenary of Mozart's death, incorporating the slow movements of two of Mozart's most beautiful and popular piano concertos. With costumes by Joke Visser and lighting by Joop Caboort, Petite Mort features six men, six women, and six foils and expresses themes of aggression, desire, energy, silence, anarchy, and vulnerability. Petite Mort was given its World Premiere at the Salzburg Festival on August 23, 1991, at the Kleines Festpielhaus, Salzburg, Austria. It was given its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at City Center, New York, on October 30, 2003, and was last performed by the Company in 2023. Petite Mort will be staged for ABT by Elke Scheppers.

Choreographed by Natalia Makarova after Marius Petipa, the grand divertissement from Paquita is a showcase of classical ballet elegance and virtuosity. Set to music by Ludwig Minkus and arranged by John Lanchbery, this production features scenery and costumes by Jose Varona and lighting by Alex Nichols after Robert Thomson. Makarova's staging of Paquita received its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on December 6, 1983, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., led by Martine van Hamel and Patrick Bissell. Paquita was last performed by ABT in 1996.

Neoclassical Works

Neoclassical Works, to be presented October 23-25, will feature Frederick Ashton's Birthday Offering, Kyle Abraham's Mercurial Son, and George Balanchine's Ballet Imperial.

Frederick Ashton's Birthday Offering was created in 1956 for The Royal Ballet's 25^th anniversary and is highlighted by unique solos for seven ballerinas. The ballet received its ABT Company Premiere on October 25, 1989, at Jesse H. Jones Hall in Houston, Texas, featuring Susan Jaffe, Cheryl Yeager, Amanda McKerrow, Julie Kent, Leslie Browne, Alessandra Ferri, and Christine Dunham. Birthday Offering is set to music by Alexander Glazunov, with sets and costumes by Andre Levasseur and lighting by Steven Shelley and will be staged for ABT by Helen Crawford. The ballet was last performed by ABT in 2010.

Mercurial Son, Kyle Abraham's first work for American Ballet Theatre, is driven by Grischa Lichtenberger's electronic score and propelled by swift, intricately layered movement. Mercurial Son features costumes by Karen Young and lighting by Dan Scully. It received its World Premiere at the Koch Theater on October 16, 2024, danced by Cassandra Trenary, Catherine Hurlin, Carlos Gonzalez, Joseph Markey, Ingrid Thoms, Sierra Armstrong, and Andrew Robare.

Ballet Imperial, choreographed George Balanchine and set to Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 2 in G for Piano and Orchestra, with scenery and costumes by Jean-Marc Puissant and lighting by Mark Stanley, evokes the era of Russia's Imperial Ballet with its grandeur. The ballet received its World Premiere by American Ballet Caravan at the Hunter College Playhouse, New York, New York, on May 27, 1941, danced by Marie-Jeanne, Gisella Caccialanza, and William Dollar. The American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere of Ballet Imperial was given on February 10, 1988, at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, danced by Susan Jaffe, Ross Stretton, and Amanda McKerrow.

An Elegy and A Dream

An Elegy and A Dream, scheduled for the evenings of October 28 and 30 and the matinee and evening on October 31, pairs Brady Farrar's World Premiere Trio Élégiaque with Frederick Ashton's The Dream.

The Dream is Frederick Ashton's beguiling retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and its comedy of errors set in the magical woods of Victorian England. This happy ode to the illusory nature of love is set to a spellbinding score by Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by John Lanchbery, with sets and costumes by David Walker and lighting by John B. Read. The Dream received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on April 2, 1964, danced by Antoinette Sibley as Titania, Anthony Dowell as Oberon, and Keith Martin as Puck. The Dream was given its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York on May 24, 2002, danced by Alessandra Ferri as Titania, Ethan Stiefel as Oberon, and Herman Cornejo as Puck. ABT last performed The Dream in 2023.

ABTKids

ABTKids, American Ballet Theatre's one-hour introduction to ballet for families, will be presented on Saturday, October 24 at 11:00 A.M. ASL interpretation will be provided. A limited number of $175 VIP tickets will be available for purchase that include premium seating, a souvenir gift bag, and a post-performance meet-and-greet with an ABT dancer. All other tickets for the ABTKids performance are $30-$40.

Halloween Costume Contest

The evening performance on Saturday, October 31, will feature a Halloween costume contest centered around Frederick Ashton's The Dream. During intermission, audience members are encouraged to gather on the Promenade of the David H. Koch Theater in their best whimsical or eerie costumes for the opportunity to win prizes. No separate ticket is required.

2027 SPRING SEASON

Company Premiere

As part of Icons of Modern Repertory, Wayne McGregor's Chroma will have its ABT Company Premiere on Thursday, March 4. Exploring the human body's ability to communicate extremes of thought and emotion, Chroma features original music by Joby Talbot and his arrangements of music by The White Stripes, with sets by John Pawson, costumes by Moritz Junge, and lighting by Lucy Carter. Chroma received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet on November 17, 2006, at The Royal Opera House in London.

Icons of Modern Repertory

Five performances of Icons of Modern Repertory, March 4-7, will feature George Balanchine's Symphonie Concertante, Alexei Ratmansky's Serenade after Plato's Symposium, and Wayne McGregor's Chroma.

Last performed by ABT in 2018, Symphonie Concertante is set to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Major for Violin and Viola K. 364) with costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by David K. H. Elliott. Symphonie Concertante received its World Premiere by Ballet Society at the City Center Theater in New York on November 12, 1947, with Maria Tallchief, Tanaquil LeClerq, and Todd Bolender in the principal roles. The ballet received its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on January 19, 1983, danced by Cynthia Gregory, Martine van Hamel, and Patrick Bissell.

Serenade after Plato's Symposium is an abstract discourse on love that is widely considered to be one of Alexei Ratmansky's finest creations. Set to music by Leonard Bernstein, the ballet features scenery and costumes by Jérôme Kaplan and lighting by Brad Fields. Serenade after Plato's Symposium received its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on May 16, 2016, at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Lady of the Camellias

The 2027 Spring Season will include eight performances of John Neumeier's Lady of the Camellias, March 12-18. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas fils, Lady of the Camellias centers on the tragic love affair between French courtesan Marguerite Gautier and the young Armand Duval. Set to music by Frédéric Chopin, the ballet features scenery and costumes by Jürgen Rose and original lighting design by Neumeier, reconstructed by Jim French. It is staged for ABT by Kevin Haigen and Laura Contardi. Lady of the Camellias was given its World Premiere by Stuttgart Ballet at the Württembrg Staatstheatre, Stuttgart, Germany, on November 4, 1978. It received its ABT Company Premiere on May 25, 2010, at the Metropolitan Opera House with Julie Kent as Marguerite and Roberto Bolle as Armand. Lady of the Camellias was last performed by ABT in 2011.

Masterworks

Masterworks, scheduled for March 19-21, will include George Balanchine's Apollo, Frederick Ashton's Rhapsody pas de deux, Jiří Kylián's Nuages, and Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room.

Last performed by the Company in 2019, George Balanchine's Apollo is set to music by Igor Stravinsky and follows the young god as he is guided by the muses of poetry, mime, and dance. The ballet was given its World Premiere by Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes at the Theatre Sarah Bernhardt in Paris on June 12, 1928. Apollo was first performed by American Ballet Theatre on April 25, 1943, at the Metropolitan Opera House, with André Eglevsky as Apollo, Vera Zorina as Terpsichore, Nora Kaye as Polyhymnia, and Rosella Hightower as Calliope

Rhapsody was one of Frederick Ashton's final and most challenging works, and this pas de deux is notable for its expansive lyricism and emotional sweep. Rhapsody was created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lesley Collier and received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet on August 4, 1980, at the Royal Opera House in London. The pas de deux received its ABT Company Premiere on October 25, 2025, at the Koch Theater, danced by Léa Fleytoux and Herman Cornejo. Set to Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," the Rhapsody pas de deux features costumes by William Chappell and lighting by Brad Fields.

One of Jiří Kylián's earliest works, Nuages is a pas de deux unique in its humanity and intimate partnering. Nuages is set to music by Claude Debussy and features costumes, light, and adapted décor by Kylián, based on original décor designs by Walter Nobbe, with light and décor supervision by Brad Fields. Nuages received its World Premiere by Stuttgart Ballet on April 30, 1976, at Staatstheater Stuttgart, danced by Birgit Keil and Jonas Kage. Nuages received its ABT Company Premiere on May 12, 2014, at the Metropolitan Opera House, danced by Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes.

Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room is a ballet in nine parts, featuring bold, kinetic movements set to music by Philip Glass, with costumes by Norma Kamali and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. In the Upper Room was given its World Premiere by Twyla Tharp Dance on August 28, 1986, at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, and received its American Ballet Theatre Premiere on December 10, 1988, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California. In the Upper Room was last performed by ABT in 2024.

ABT for All

The 2027 Spring Season will include the inaugural presentation of ABT for All on Saturday, March 6, a sensory-friendly performance in a warm and welcoming environment for neurodivergent individuals with sensory processing needs. Audiences will enjoy a hosted, one-hour program featuring highlights from the Company's repertoire, including performances by ABT Studio Company and students from the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Audiences are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy ABT activity areas, including movement workshops with ABT Teaching Artists, touch tables, and more. All tickets are $25.

AUDIENCE PROGRAMS

Post-Performance Celebrations

During the Fall and Spring Seasons, the Company will celebrate through a series of post-performance toasts. Admission is extended to that evening's ticketholders with the purchase of an additional reception ticket for $98.

2026 Fall Season

Wednesday, October 21: ABT Premiere of Helen Pickett's Petal and Return of Natalia Makarova's Paquita

2027 Spring Season

Thursday, March 4: ABT Premiere of Wayne McGregor's Chroma

Friday, March 12: Return of John Neumeier's Lady of the Camellias

ABT Masters Series

The Fall and Spring Seasons will include two ABT Masters Series programs. Designed for adults ages 20 years or older with beginner to advanced-beginner ballet experience, the day begins at ABT's 890 Broadway studios for body conditioning, ballet technique, and a 90-minute repertoire workshop. That evening, participants will attend a pre-show talk before watching the corresponding performance at the David H. Koch Theater. The daylong experience can be purchased for $350 and will take place on Saturday, October 31 (The Dream) and Saturday, March 13 (Lady of the Camellias). For more information, visit abt.org/ABT-Masters-Series.

TICKET POLICIES

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre's 2026 Fall Season and 2027 Spring Season at the David H. Koch Theater will go on sale beginning Tuesday, September 1 at 12:00 P.M. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 212-496-0600, in person at the Koch Theater box office, or online at ABT's website. Tickets start at $40. During each season, ABT will offer audience members the opportunity to exchange tickets up until Noon the day of the performance at no charge, minus any difference in ticket price. We regret that there are no refunds or cancellations.

Member Advance Sale will begin Monday, July 27 at 12:00 P.M. Visit ABT's website to learn more and become a member.

ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

American Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT's repertoire includes full-length classics from the nineteenth century, the finest works from the early twentieth century, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America's National Ballet Company®.

Leadership support of ABT's New Works Initiative is provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

Commissions and presentations of new works by women choreographers are supported by the ABT Women's Movement, sparked by funding from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Champion support for ABT Women's Movement is provided by Jenna Segal.

A special thanks to Denise Littlefield Sobel for her leadership gifts to the ABT Today Fund and ABT RISE, which are advancing the Company's mission to create a more vibrant and welcoming future for ballet.

ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of The Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

The Company Premiere of Petal is made possible in part with support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

This production of The Dream is generously supported through an endowed gift from Anka Palitz, in memory of Clarence J. Palitz, Jr.

The World Premiere of Trio Élégiaque is made possible in part with support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Symphonie Concertante is generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

Lead sponsors of ABT's Ratmansky Project-Avery and Andrew F. Barth, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, and the Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Fund-helped to make possible the production of Serenade after Plato's Symposium. Additional major funding was provided through an endowed gift of The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

Lady of the Camellias is generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

For more information, please visit https://www.abt.org.

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