ABTKids Guide Cover Image: Scene from Harlequinade Capture your memories with Photo: Rosalie O’Connor First Time ABT by taking photos in front of the theater, in the lobby and of your favorite dancer taking at the Ballet? a bow at the end of the ballet! Here are some tips to best enjoy today’s performance: Arrive a little early. Turn off your phones. Give yourself time to enter the theater, It’s hard to appreciate all of the hard find your seats and read your program. work of the dancers and designers if Make sure you use the restroom and you are looking at the screen of a get a drink of water before the show device. Please turn off all phones and starts. If you leave your seat during the tablets before the ballet begins. Also, show, you may not be allowed back please do not take any photos while to your seat until intermission, and it the dancers are performing—flashes would be a shame to miss any of the can be dangerous for the performers amazing dancing. and disruptive to those around you. Whisper. Applaud! At the ballet, you will see many Applause is how audiences show amazing things that you will appreciation for the artistry of the definitely want to discuss with your performers. In ballet, there are many neighbor. Try to remember all those times to practice your clapping. After a magical moments and discuss short variation, or solo dance, a dancer during intermission or following the may finish dancing and take a small performance. If you see something so bow. Sometimes at the end of the AMAZING and just can’t keep it inside, ballet when dancers take their final please make sure that you practice bow, audience members shout “Brava” your best whisper and quietly share for the ballerinas and “Bravo” for the so you do not distract the audience male dancers to show appreciation around you. and admiration. Save your snacks for intermission. Ask Any Questions. Live performances are different Upon arrival, you will meet members from going to the movies. Although of the theater staff, including: ticket everyone loves a big bucket of takers, ushers and security. If you have popcorn, any small noises or smells any questions or need any help, please could become distracting for the speak with any of these staff members. performers and audience members. Have Fun! Please finish all food and drink Don’t forget to enjoy yourself. Ballets before entering the theater. can be dramatic, they can be romantic 2 and they can even be funny. 3 Welcome to Welcome, Kids, to Lincoln Center. Thank you for bringing your parents • ABT dancers come from to the ballet! 15 countries and 25 states, American plus Washington, D.C. My name is Kara Barnett, and I am the Executive Director of American • The youngest dancer in the Ballet Theatre. (Being Executive company is 20 years old. Director means that I run the This year, ABT performs in company, along with Kevin McKenzie, • Orange County (CA), Washington, Ballet our amazing Artistic Director.) Like D.C, Minneapolis (MN), Iowa City many of you, I took ballet classes as (IA), Chicago (IL) and Wolf Trap a child. I grew up in North Carolina (VA). Last year, we performed and started dancing at age three. Swan Lake in Singapore and I had posters of ABT dancers on Whipped Cream in Hong Kong. Theatre! my walls, and now, like you, I have the opportunity to watch these • ABT has a big warehouse in phenomenal dancers on the stage! New Jersey where all of our sets and costumes live. I have three daughters, ages 9, 7, and 3. All three are students at ABT’s • ABT’s rehearsal studios are not at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Lincoln Center. They are on 19th and the youngest is in our ABTots Street and Broadway, which is also program. Our favorite family outing where ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy every year is ABTKids, and we also Onassis School is located. love watching Whipped Cream, If you enjoy today’s performance, Harlequinade and The Sleeping don’t forget to yell “BRAVO!” during Beauty together. the bows. And please ask your As you watch today’s performance, parents to check out www.abt. here are a few facts I thought you org/familyprograms to sign up to might like to know: receive information about ABT family programs year-round. • American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is America’s National Enjoy your ABT Adventure today, Ballet Company. and please return soon! • ABT is almost 80 years old. Our 80th birthday is January 11, 2020. Best wishes, Kara Photo: Gene Schiavone 4 5 In 1940, Ballet Theatre emerged onto the Eight American cultural landscape with a unique, exciting vision of a ballet company that functioned like an art museum. Just as a museum presents paintings by different artists to showcase a wide range of beauty and art, the Company would present ballets by diverse choreographers to showcase all the variety the ballet world had to offer. The Company preserved many of the great European masterpieces ‘60s ‘70s ‘80s and was at the forefront of helping to lay the In 1967, ABT performed This decade marked The Company committed Decades foundation for new American works. its first full-length ABT’s arrival as one to commision and present classical Russian ballet: of the world’s major post-modern works by Swan Lake. This success classical companies, and choreographers such led to future full-length dancers from around as Twyla Tharp, Mark productions such the world took notice. Morris, Paul Taylor and of American as Don Quixote, International stars Merce Cunningham. La Bayadère and Mikhail Baryshnikov, The Sleeping Beauty. Erik Bruhn, Natalia Makarova, Rudolph Nureyev and Carla Fracci all performed with the Company during this period. ‘10s Ballet In 2013, ABT launched the Project Plié initiative to further expand its diversity ‘40s ‘50s ‘90s and inclusion efforts and Lucia Chase and Richard The company traveled In 1992, former ABT increase awareness of Pleasant (co-founders) the world extensively Principal Dancer Kevin the lack of diversity in the assembled many of and, at the request of McKenzie became classical ballet community. the world’s finest President Eisenhower, Artistic Director. Under ‘00s In 2018, the ABT Women’s choreographers and added “American” to his leadership, ABT Alexei Ratmansky Movement began; it dancers. Dance pioneers its name. The dancers was recognized as (former Artistic Director supports the creation, Michel Fokine, Eugene of American Ballet having “the most of the Bolshoi Ballet) Theatre Loring, Antony Tudor, Theatre became cultural unquestionably joined ABT as Artist exploration and staging Jerome Robbins and ambassadors for impressive roster of in Residence; he has of new works by female Agnes de Mille were the United States. male dancers in any choreographed 16 choreographers. founding members ballet company.” ballets for the Company of Ballet Theatre. in his first 10 years. Scene from: Fancy Free. Photo Photo Credits: Natalia Makarova in Swan Lake, photo by Kenn Duncan; by Maurice Seymour; Touring as In the Upper Room, photo by Marty Sohl; Kevin McKenzie with “American” Ballet Theatre Photo by Julie Kent and Ethan Stiefel, photo by Rosalie O’Connor; 6 Walter E. Owen; Scene from Swan Alexei Ratmansky, photo by Gene Schiavone; Jessica Lang 7 Lake. Photo by Martha Swope and Michelle Dorrance, photo by Rosalie O’Connor Can you name all of the countries America’s where ABT’s dancers were born? 56 3 5 3 National 4 2 3 2 3 2 Ballet 3 2 3 2 1 On April 27, 2006, by an act of ABT ‘s dancers come from all Company Congress, American Ballet Theatre over the world, drawn to ABT became America’s National Ballet for its repertoire, artistry and Company®. ABT is the only ballet camaraderie. In 2019, ABT’s company to perform in all 50 states dancers hailed from 15 countries and 45 international countries. and 25 states, plus Washington, D.C.! In 1957, with encouragement from President Eisenhower, the company’s name was changed from Ballet Theatre to American Ballet Theatre. But what does it mean to be America’s National Ballet Company? What does it mean to be American? 8 Answers can be found in rear of booklet 9 DANCER’S JOURNEY Hee Seo Hee Seo in Romeo and Juliet Up close with ABT Photo by John Grigaitis Hee Seo and Roberto Bolle in Swan Lake Principal Dancer Hee Seo Photo by Gene Schiavone My journey with dance began when I was 12 years First Ever Role: My first role was How many pairs of pointe shoes do old in my hometown, Seoul, Korea. I was taking Red Riding Hood in The Sleeping you go through in a week? I think swimming lessons with my two brothers and Beauty when I was 12. I probably go through 10 pairs Hee Seo Photo by Gene Schiavone decided I didn’t want to swim anymore. My mom per week. First Role with ABT: Ballet Imperial said I needed to do some type of activity, so she by George Balanchine. There are four Favorite Ballet? Swan Lake put me into a ballet class. groups, and I was the first girl to lead Most Challenging Ballet? Swan Lake I’ve only participated in three competitions in one of the groups. I was supposed my life, but each one was an important step on to take my cue from the conductor Do you prefer playing Odette my journey. My first competition was when I was to start, but I was too nervous to do or Odile? I say this because I just 12.