AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

The longtime American Ballet Theatre star dancer is one of only a few female artistic directors.

If you are part of the world of the performing arts, The Children’s Ballet of San Antonio is holding open auditions for the stage production of Sleeping Beauty on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Dance Center of San Antonio.

One of the most acclaimed ballet choreographers in the world, Alexei Ratmansky is stepping down from his perch at American Ballet Theatre.

The former ballerina's vision for American Ballet Theatre could bring the acclaimed company into the 21st century.

Placeholder while article actions loadSusan Jaffe, the former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre who spent eight years as dean of dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and now leads Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, will become ABT’s artistic director at the end of 2022, the company announced Monday. Jaffe then became a teacher in the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, adviser to the board chairman and director of repertoire. Yet directing the 84-dancer company, with a $42 million annual budget, “is going to be a large job,” Jaffe acknowledged. That night also happened to be the opening night of Russian luminary Mikhail Baryshnikov’s first program as ABT director. We need to make changes.”AdvertisementShe pointed to her recent work at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, which she joined in 2020.

American Ballet Theatre has named its first new artistic director in 30 years.

The acclaimed ballet company can make history and look to the future by naming a woman of color as its leader.

Artem Datsyshyn, a former soloist at the National Opera of Ukraine, died in hospital, reports say.

"I think that the audiences are ready, they've missed us, and they're eager to come back," ABT Executive Director Kara Medoff Barnett told CNBC on Friday.

With studios and theaters still closed because of COVID, James Whiteside, principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, brought his portable Harlequin dance mat to Brooklyn's Prospect Park with his friend, tap artist Demi Remick, for an infectious tap demonstration. Whiteside also provides kids with dance mats of their very own through his #takethefloor2021 initiative. For more info:

"A Night at the Ballet," an event to support the performing arts community during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be streamed on YouTube December 17-20. The 60-minute program, presented by Live Arts Global, will feature dancers from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Mariinsky Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and former stars of the Alvin Ailey company performing excerpts from "Don Quixote," "The Nutcracker," "Romeo and Juliet" and more. Live Arts Global co-founder and ballerina Melanie Hamrick said, "The past year has been challenging for many of us in the dance and theater community. "'A Night at the Ballet' is an opportunity to appreciate the classics, while also providing financial support to artists and crew," she said. Click on the video player below to watch a message from Melanie Hamrick, and a sneak peek from "A Night at the Ballet": an excerpt of "After the Rain," performed by Unity Phelan (New York City Ballet soloist) and Calvin Royal III (American Ballet Theatre principal dancer):Hamrick, a choreographer and former dancer with American Ballet Theatre, co-founded Live Arts Global with Christine Shevchenko (a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre), and Joanna DeFelice, a choreographer, former ballerina and contemporary artist.