This death of legendary artist Prince shocked music fans worldwide this week. With numerous news items highlighting the eccentric performer’s various proclivities, an oft-overlooked aspect of his vast artistic understanding was a reverence and love for ballet.
It was announced Tuesday that the American Ballet Theatre has placed Kara Medoff Barnett, an executive from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, as the company's next executive director. Barnett will succeed ABT's longtime ED Rachel Moore, who parted with the theatre last year.
Misty Copeland made headlines earlier in the summer by being named the first African-American prima ballerina at the American Ballet Theater. Now, she's commanding some of the highest prices on Broadway. Ever since the announcement that Copeland would take over for New York City Ballet principal dancer Megan Fairchild in 'On the Town,' ticket prices on the secondary market have continually been on the rise.
Misty Copeland may be on a cloud of grandeur. But, now, her year is nearly bursting at the seams. After becoming the American Ballet Theatre's first ever black female principal dancer, as of recently she will make her Broadway debut in On the Town.
In light of the LGBT community's victory in the Supreme Court and the banning of the confederate flag from several large retailers comes another sign of progress in the United States. Misty Copeland, a dancing phenom, has risen to the highest ranks of the American Ballet Theatre, becoming the first African-American female principal dancer in all its 75-year history.
No doubt, you've heard Elliot Goldenthal before. Be it early efforts scoring Gus Van Sant's 'Cocaine Cowboys,' mid-career cues care of Joel Schumacher's 'Batman' reboot or his exquisite contributions to the five feature films of his partner Julie Taymor, yes, Goldenthal's music is heard most often on the big screen. Having studied under American compositional royalty like Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, though, Goldenthal is hardly some Hollywood hack.
With it's 75th Anniversary season underway, the American Ballet Theatre kicked off another year with a most impressive performance of "Othello." An internationally renowned company, it's been stated that it will lose three stars from its lineup at the end of this term: Paloma Herrera, Xioamara Reyes and Julie Kent. The three principal dancers, indeed, will have to bid a tearful goodbye after their final performances. Herrera and Reyes have already danced their last steps in Giselle on Wednesday while Kent will follow suit in Romeo and Juliet on June 20.
On Friday, May 15 at 9:00 p.m. EST, THIRTEEN's 'American Masters Series' on PBS will premiere Ric Burns' new documentary,' American Ballet Theatre: A History.' THIRTEEN's own award-winning staff is joining forces with Emmy and Peabody-winner Ric Burns to create a new documentary about the American Ballet Theatre, in honor of the company's 75th anniversary. Classicalites, you're in for a glorious look at ABT over the last three-quarters of a century.
Misty Copeland recently sat down with the TODAY show to talk about her Brisbane debut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, her children’s book Firebird and her ongoing struggle to fit in as an African-American ballerina.