American Ballet Theatre : All-American Celebration

ALL-AMERICAN CELEBRATION Repertory Program — American Ballet Theatre
With all the exuberance and pizzazz of the American spirit, America's National Ballet Company© performs this one-time-only mixed repertory program featuring  three thrilling ballets by a Who's Who of American choreography -- Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor and Jerome Robbins -- at Chicago's majestic Civic Opera House.

THE BRAHMS-HAYDN VARIATIONS
Choreography by Twyla Tharp
Music by Johannes Brahms
ABT's World Premiere: Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, March 2000

Twyla Tharp has choreographed more than one hundred thirty-five dances, five Hollywood movies (including HAIR, AMADEUS and RAGTIME), directed and choreographed three Broadway shows (including MOVIN' OUT), written two books and received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, The Kennedy Center Honors and many grants including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. Her ABT commissioned ballet, The Brahms-Haydn Variations, for thirty dancers was called a "a certifiable gem, destined to take its place alongside Balanchine's Theme and Variations as a neo-classical milestone," (The Star-Ledger).

COMPANY B
Choreography by Paul Taylor
Music: Songs Sung by the Andrews Sisters
ABT Company Premiere: New York, October 2008

Even though this dance is set to the lighthearted and fun loving tunes of the Andrews Sisters, the brilliant choreographer Paul Taylor explores not only the jitterbug, waltzes and polkas that were the social dance scene in 1940s America, but also he skillfully mixes the dances with images of the Gis during WWII, sensitively expressing the trepidation of War and the powerful emotions that surround living within its reality.   The dance focuses on such poignant dualities, set to such beloved songs as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,"  "Tico-Tico" and "Bei Mir Bist du Schön."
 

FANCY FREE
Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Music by Leonard Bernstein
ABT's World Premiere: Metropolitan Opera House, New York, April 1944

When Jerome Robbins' first ballet, Fancy Free was premiered in1944, it proved to be one of the most exciting evenings in the history of Ballet in America, marking the emergence of so many new American talents. Jerome Robbins, a original member of American Ballet Theatre, had created the choreography while on a coast-to-coast tour with the company, working closely through correspondence with a young, unknown composer in New York. The composer, Leonard Bernstein, sprang into national prominence shortly before the premiere of Fancy Free when he stepped in at the last moment and, without rehearsal, conducted the New York Philharmonic as a substitute for the ailing Bruno Walter. The last of the triumvirate of twenty-five year old collaborators was Oliver Smith whose set for the ballet was the first of a series of brilliant designs executed for American Ballet Theatre's contemporary repertory. Following the success of the ballet, it was translated into a musical comedy entitled On The Town, which in turn was adapted for the screen with Gene Kelly as the star.  Fancy Free with its youthful and zestfully modern sprit has become the trademark of American Ballet Theatre.