ABT Studio Company Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Return to NYU Skirball For Spring Moves, Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 P.M.

Performances to Include Repertory Works,New York City Premieres by Houston Thomas and Madison Brown, and a World Premiere by Brady Farrar

NEW YORK, NY - ABT Studio Company: Spring Moves is returning to NYU Skirball for two performances on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 P.M. The two-night engagement will feature a World Premiere by ABT dancer Brady Farrar; the New York City Premieres of original choreography by Houston Thomas and ABT dancer Madison Brown; works by Yannick Lebrun and ABT Principal Dancer James Whiteside; George Balanchine's Tarantella; Jerome Robbins's Interplay; Gerald Arpino's Birthday Variations pas de deux; and the iconic Black Swan pas de deux from Kevin McKenzie's Swan Lake.

Originally founded as ABT's Dance Repertory Company in 1970 and re-established in 1995, ABT Studio Company celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year. Led by ABT Studio Company Artistic Director Sascha Radetsky, the central mission of ABT Studio Company is to prepare its pre-professional dancers - currently ages 17-22 - for careers at American Ballet Theatre or other leading ballet companies worldwide. Nearly 85% of current American Ballet Theatre dancers are alumni of ABT Studio Company, including 16 Principal Dancers and 8 Soloists. Each season, ABT Studio Company commissions new works from emerging and established choreographers and engages the broadest possible ballet audience by performing varied repertory in a range of venues around the globe. ABT Studio Company's 2024-2025 season includes performances in 19 cities around the United States and will conclude with two performances in London on June 10-11 as part of The Royal Ballet and Opera's Next Generation Festival.

"Spring Moves offers a balance of classic and newly commissioned works that highlight the exceptional talent and blazing passion of our young dancers, who, after a season of touring coast-to-coast around the country, can't wait to dazzle their home audience," said Sascha Radetsky, ABT Studio Company Artistic Director.

ABT Studio Company dancers performing in Spring Moves are Max Barker, Maximilian Catazaro, YeonSeo Choi, Elijah Geolina, Ptolemy Gidney, Daniel Guzmán, Paloma Livellara, Kayla Mak, Aaron Marquez, Viktoria Papakalodouka, Sooha Park, and Natalie Steele.

ABT Studio Company performances at NYU Skirball include New York City Premieres of the following ABT Studio Company commissions:

U Don't Know Me by Houston Thomas, with music by Avro Pärt, "explores the intricate dance between first impressions and their often-unseen repercussions," says Thomas.

Crimson Flame by ABT dancer Madison Brown, with music by Philip Glass, "embodies the energy, unpredictability, and transformative nature of fire, evoking both its destructive force and its capacity to illuminate," shares Brown.

The performances will also feature the following World Premiere, also an ABT Studio Company commission:

Beyond the Silence by Brady Farrar, with music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, "explores a relationship hanging in the balance," describes Farrar.

Lighting for all new works is designed by ABT Studio Company Production Manager Audrey Schultz.

Additional repertory works presented by ABT Studio Company at NYU Skirball will be More Than Nothing by James Whiteside, Human by Yannick Lebrun,Tarantella by George Balanchine, Interplay by Jerome Robbins, Birthday Variations pas de deux by Gerald Arpino, and the Act III pas de deux from Kevin McKenzie's Swan Lake.

Program Subject to Change.

Tickets start at $55, fees included, can be purchased online and at the NYU Skirball box office at 566 LaGuardia Place. Student tickets are $25 and can be purchased with a valid student ID in person at the NYU Skirball box office (566 LaGuardia Place. In-person box office hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6pm, closed most university holidays).

For more information about ABT Studio Company, please visit ABT's website and follow @abtstudioco on Instagram.

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®.

American Ballet Theatre recognizes the following donors for their extraordinary giving in support of ABT Studio Company: Maria-Cristina Anzola, Sofia Elizalde, James M. and Nora C. Orphanides, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and The Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund.

Additional support provided by Edward "Chip" Beam in loving memory of John and Jack, Patricia R. Morton and four anonymous donors. ABT gratefully acknowledges the Weinstein family for their leading support of The Nancy B. and Skippy Weinstein ABT Apprentice Program in 2025.

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 the ABT Women's Movement is provided by Jenna Segal.

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.

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.

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