American Ballet Theatre на фестивале Абу-Даби 2026 в Абу-Даби

Birthday Offering

Choreography by FREDERICK ASHTON

Music by ALEXANDER GLAZUNOV

(“Concert Waltz No.1,” “Ruses d’Amour,” and excerpts from “The Seasons” and “Scène de Ballet”)

Arranged and Orchestrated by ROBERT IRVING

Costumes by ANDRÉ LEVASSEUR

Lighting by STEVEN SHELLEY

Staged by HELEN CRAWFORD

Birthday Offering is performed by arrangement with The Frederick Ashton Foundation and is one of over 100 ballets created by Frederick Ashton (1904–1988).

These performances are presented as part of the Ashton Worldwide 2024–2028 festival. For further information, visit frederickashton.org.uk

Music by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, U.S. and Canadian agent for Schott Music, publisher and copyright owner.

Costumes executed by Barbara Matera, Ltd.

Birthday Offering was created for The Royal Ballet on the occasion of its 25th Anniversary, receiving its premiere at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on May 5, 1956.  It entered the repertory of American Ballet Theatre on October 25, 1989, at the Jesse H. Jones Hall in Houston, Texas.

This is, in every sense, a celebration: a ballet created in 1956 to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, the company that, only months later, would receive its Royal Charter and become The Royal Ballet. It is a tribute from Ashton to the ballerinas who had shaped the company’s identity, and an affectionate homage to the classical tradition from which it had grown.

Set to a selection of Glazunov’s music arranged by Robert Irving, the ballet is conceived as a display of seven ballerinas and their partners, each given a variation tailored to her particular gifts: speed, lyricism, attack, or serene poise. Ashton, often regarded as the most musical of choreographers, weaves these contrasting personalities into a single, gracious whole, crowned by a pas de deux for the leading couple.

In this sense, Birthday Offering looks back to the imperial grandeur of Petipa while speaking with the clarity and refinement of the English style. It calls for the utmost precision and elegance from every dancer and remains one of the most radiant tributes ever made to the art of the ballerina.


INTERMISSION


Nuages

Choreography by JIŘÍ KYLIÁN

Assistant to the Choreographer: GLEN EDDY

Music by CLAUDE DEBUSSY(“Trois Nocturnes”)

Costume Design by JIŘÍ KYLIÁN

Light and Adapted Décor Design by JIŘÍ KYLIÁN

Light and Décor Supervision by BRAD FIELDS

Décor design (original concept) by WALTER NOBBE

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. World Première April 30, 1976, Stuttgart, Germany

Stuttgarter Ballett

This is a ballet set to the first of Debussy’s three orchestral Nocturnes, completed in 1899. The composer described the piece as an evocation of the unchanging sky, with clouds drifting slowly and solemnly before dissolving into soft greys touched with white. It is music concerned less with event than with atmosphere, light, and the passing of time.

Kylián created the work in 1976. He responds to Debussy with a duet of remarkable intimacy and restraint. The two dancers seem to drift, merge, and separate like the shapes they evoke, their movement unfolding in long, suspended phrases that mirror the music’s shifting harmonies. The partnering is fluid and continuous, so that the dancers appear weightless, carried by currents rather than steps.

This is an abstract meditation rather than a narrative, a visual poem in which movement and sound become one. In its quiet concentration, Nuages reveals Kylián’s singular gift for uniting poetic imagery with deeply expressive dance.


Trio Élégiaque

Choreography by BRADY FARRAR

Costumes by MARK ERIC

Lighting by BRAD FIELDS

Lead 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.

This is a ballet set to music born of grief. Rachmaninoff composed his Trio élégiaque No. 2 in the final weeks of 1893, in the immediate aftermath of the death of Tchaikovsky, his revered mentor and the composer who had championed him from his earliest years. Written for piano, violin and cello, it is a haunting tribute to Tchaikovsky, and its expansive first movement, to which this ballet is set, explores themes of memory, longing and loss.

It is fitting that this work should come from a young artist at the start of his own creative journey. Brady Farrar, a member of American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet and an up-and-coming choreographer, made his choreographic debut with the Company this fall. He brings three couples together in a shifting landscape of relationships, as the dancers meet, part and find one another again, much as the three instruments converse, answer and lament.

In this sense, Trio élégiaque is a meditation on the complexities of connection and separation, and on the memories that linger between people long after they have moved apart. It adds a compelling new voice to ABT’s repertoire and offers audiences the rare privilege of witnessing a new work at the moment of its creation.


INTERMISSION


Paquita

Choreographed by NATALIA MAKAROVA after MARIUS PETIPA

Restaged by NATALIA MAKAROVA and NANCY RAFFA

Music by LUDWIG MINKUS

Orchestrated by JOHN LANCHBERY

Sets and Costumes by JOSE VARONA

Lighting by ALEX NICHOLS,

Based on original design by ROBERT THOMSON

By arrangement with Theodore Presser Company, agents for Editions Mario Bois, publisher and copyright owner.

Paquita was first seen in Paris in 1846 and was brought to St. Petersburg the following year by the young Marius Petipa, marking the start of his extraordinary career in Russia. Set in Spain during the Napoleonic occupation, it tells the story of a spirited Gypsy girl who saves the life of a French officer and is finally revealed to be of noble birth, free at last to marry the man she loves.

In 1881, Petipa returned to the ballet and added a new Grand Pas to music by Ludwig Minkus for the wedding celebrations. It is this sumptuous showpiece that has endured, long after the rest of the ballet faded from the stage, and it represents classical ballet at its most regal. In a spirit of festivity, the ballerina, her partner, and a glittering ensemble of soloists display the full splendour of the imperial style, culminating in a coda of dazzling virtuosity.

Great dancers have always been drawn to Paquita, and Natalia Makarova, herself one of the legendary ballerinas of the Kirov, staged this celebrated version for American Ballet Theatre in 1984, where it has remained a jewel of the company’s classical repertoire.

American Ballet Theatre

American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is recognised as one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope and outreach. Founded in 1940, ABT is the only major cultural institution that annually tours the United States, performing for more than 300,000 people. The company has also made more than 30 international tours to 45 countries as perhaps the most representative American ballet company and has been sponsored by the United States Department of State on many of these engagements.

When ABT was launched, the aim was to develop a repertoire of the best ballets from the past and to encourage the creation of new works by gifted young choreographers, wherever they might be found. Under the direction of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith from 1945 to 1980, the company more than fulfilled that mission. Perhaps unmatched in the history of ballet, ABT’s repertoire includes beloved full-length classics from the 19th century, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle; many of the finest works from the 20th century, including Apollo, Les Sylphides, Jardin aux Lilas, Fancy Free, Rodeo, Airs, Push Comes to Shove and In the Upper Room; and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces, including Shostakovich Trilogy and Serenade after Plato’s Symposium. Throughout the curation of this repertoire, ABT has commissioned works by celebrated choreographers of the 20th and 21st centuries: George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon, among others.

In 1980, Mikhail Baryshnikov became Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. Under his leadership, numerous classical ballets were staged, restaged and refurbished and the company experienced a strengthening and refining of the classical tradition. In 1990, Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith succeeded Baryshnikov and immediately established an agenda that was dedicated to maintaining the great traditions of the past while pursuing a vital and innovative future.

In October 1992, the former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Kevin McKenzie was appointed Artistic Director. McKenzie, steadfast in his vision of ABT as American, was committed to maintaining the company’s vast repertoire and to bringing the art of dance theatre to the great stages of the world.

Former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Susan Jaffe was named Artistic Director in December 2022. Jaffe is dedicated to preserving the beauty and depth of classical ballet while moving the company artistically into the future, expanding ABT’s audience and exploring diverse choreographers and styles.

In keeping with ABT’s long-standing commitment to bringing the finest in dance to the widest international audience, the company has recently enjoyed triumphant successes with engagements in Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, Paris, Muscat, Shanghai and Seoul. On 27 April 2006, the United States Congress honoured ABT by recognising its service as ‘America’s National Ballet Company’.

• Tickets: Bring your entry tickets, either in print or digital form on your phone, for a smooth entry experience.
• Valid Photo ID: Carry a valid photo ID like your passport for identity verification.
• Cash and Card: Have some cash for small purchases; many vendors also accept cards.
• Open Mind and Adventurous Spirit: Come with enthusiasm and an open mind to embrace new experiences and create lasting memories.

• Illegal Substances: Absolutely no illegal substances are allowed on the premises.
• Weapons: Weapons of any kind, including items that could be used as projectiles, are strictly prohibited.
• Restricted Items: Do not bring laser pointers, permanent markers, felt-tip pens, scissors, or aerosol canisters.
• Drones: Drones or any other remote-controlled devices are not allowed.
• Illuminating Objects: Glow sticks, LED signage, and similar illuminating objects should be left at home.

• Early Arrival: Please arrive at the venue at least 30 minutes before the start of the performance to ensure a smooth experience. 
• Seating: Please remain in your assigned seat as indicated on your ticket.
• Timely Attendance Clause: If you do not arrive before the show begins, the organizers reserve the right to release and reassign your seat to accommodate other guests.
• Late Arrival Policy: Guests arriving late will be admitted only during a break/interval (if applicable). Original seats are not guaranteed, and an alternative seat may be offered, subject to availability.
• Camera Policy: The use of mobile phones, cameras, and recording devices is strictly prohibited. Phones must be kept on silent. No photography is allowed inside the theatre during the performance.
• Liability Disclaimer: The organizers are not responsible for any injuries, illnesses, fatalities, or loss/damage to personal belongings related to or arising from the event. Attendance is at your own risk.
• Media Consent: By attending the event, you consent to the recording of your image and/or voice, which may be used online or offline for promotional and archival purposes.
• Event Information: It is your responsibility to verify the event date, time, location, and age restrictions before attending. Please plan to arrive early to avoid any inconvenience.
• Latecomer Policy: Latecomers may be denied entry, with no eligibility for ticket refunds, exchanges, or compensation. Please arrive on time to ensure an uninterrupted experience.
• Security Inspection: Security personnel may inspect attendees and their belongings upon entry. Dangerous or prohibited items will be confiscated for the safety of all participants.
• Code of Conduct: All attendees must follow a code of conduct that promotes public decency and respect for others. Individuals displaying inappropriate behaviour may be removed without a refund.
• Ticket Terms: All ticket sales are final. No refunds or exchanges are permitted. Please purchase tickets carefully.
• Pricing Information: Ticket prices include VAT where applicable.
• Resale Prohibition: Tickets must be purchased from authorized sellers or platforms. Ticket resale is not permitted.
• Age Restriction: 10+ years old.
• Agreement: By purchasing a ticket and attending the concert, you agree to these terms. Failure to comply may result in removal from the event without a refund. 

By car: There are many ways to reach your destination, including heading northwest on King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street, turning left at 1st Street, taking the 1st exit at the roundabout, turning right, then left, and arriving at the destination on the right. GPS navigation is highly advised.

By public transportation: For the shortest walk, take buses 9, 34, or 69 to the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud St / Emirates Palace Hotel bus stop, followed by a 10-minute walk.  

By taxi: You can easily reach your destination by taking a taxi or by using a ride-hailing app.