Misty Copeland, Paloma Herrera, Gillian Murphy & Sarah Lane in Alexei Ratmansky’s ‘The Bright Stream’. Photo: Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre.
Don’t miss the ballet event of the year: the West Coast premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s The Bright Stream at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles later this week (July 14-17). Ratmansky, artistic heir to both Petipa and Balanchine, former Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Theatre and now Artist in Residence at American Ballet Theatre, has resurrected this 1935 comic Soviet ballet (which was banned by Stalin, who must not have had a sense of humour) and transformed it into a witty and stirring ensemble romp. There is something for everyone in this ballet – virtuoso dancing, madcap comedy, a charming score by Shostakovich, brilliant set design, cross-dressers (including men who show off some impressive pointework), and a man dressed as a dog riding a bicycle. Catch your favorite ABT stars:
Thursday – Paloma Herrera, Marcelo Gomes, Gillian Murphy, Cory Stearns
Friday – Veronika Part, Alexandre Hammoudi, Stella Abrera, Blaine Hoven
Saturday matinee – Paloma Herrera, Marcelo Gomes, Gillian Murphy, Cory Stearns
Saturday evening – Julie Kent, Jose Manuel Carreno, Isabella Boylston, Daniil Simkin
Sunday matinee – Xiomara Reyes, Alexandre Hammoudi, Isabella Boylston, Daniil Simkin
This looks fabulous! If only I could get to Los Angeles!