ABT Studio Company, the junior company of American Ballet Theatre, is comprised of future stars of the ballet world ages 17 through 21. They hail from all over the world. Nearly 80 percent of current dancers in American Ballet Theatre are alumni of ABT Studio Company, including eight soloists and 14 principal dancers—among them Misty Copeland, Isabella Boylston, and Calvin Royal III. This performance at the Smothers Theatre of Pepperdine University strikes me as a great opportunity to take in the classical vernacular as it evolves toward high-level virtuosity and artistry.
ABT Studio Company has a rep of classical and neoclassical, and contemporary works:
ew York City premieres by Houston Thomas and ABT dancer Madison Brown alongside ballets by Yannick Lebrun, ABT Principal Dancer James Whiteside, and ABT apprentice Brady Farrar; George Balanchine’s Tarantella; Jerome Robbins’ Interplay; Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations pas de deux; and the iconic Black Swan pas de deux from Kevin McKenzie’s Swan Lake.
American Ballet Theatre Studio Company | Pepperdine University Smothers Theatre | Thurs March 13