Recognised as one of America's national treasures, few ballet companies equal American Ballet Theatre for its combination of size, scope, and sheer skill. The company's vast repertoire takes in all of the great full-length ballets of the 19th century as well as modern classics and new commissions. At Sadler's Wells the company presents two programmes which showcase this extraordinary versatility.
Programme One includes two UK premieres – Alexei Ratmansky's Seven Sonatas and Benjamin Millepied's Everything Doesn't Happen at Once. The programme also includes Twyla Tharp's Known By Heart pas de deux and for the first time, ABT will present George Balanchine's Duo Concertant, set to music by Stravinsky.
Opening Programme Two is Balanchine's classic Theme and Variations, set to music by Tchaikovsky, plus Antony Tudor's beautiful Jardin aux Lilas (Lilac Garden), which was premiered by Ballet Rambert in 1936, and Paul Taylor's Company B, performed to songs sung by the Andrews Sisters.
Booking now: London Sadler's Wells, London EC1 (0844 412 4300), 1-6 February.
Photo credit: Stella Abrera, Gennadi Saveliev in “Seven Sonatas”; by Gene Schiavone
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
