Regional Dance Feature: FIREBIRD (American Ballet Theatre at Segerstrom in Costa Mesa)

FIREBIRD SWOOPS INTO SEGERSTROM

In honor of Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ 25th Anniversary Season, American Ballet Theatre will present the world premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s production of Firebird, the classic 1910 Igor Stravinsky ballet, originally choreographed by Michel Fokine at the Ballets Russes in Paris. This event is not to be missed and will play March 29-April 1. Company soloists Misty Copeland, Natalia Osipova and Isabella Boylston will perform the titular role in Costa Mesa.

A former ballet dancer himself, Ratmansky trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School and was its artistic director before becoming artist in residence at ABT. Fresh on the heels of creating three new ballets – the Nutcracker for ABT, Lost Illusions for the Bolshoi, and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet at the National Ballet of Canada, the indefatigable star choreographer shows no signs of slowing down. This is ABT’s fourth production of The Firebird, but based on Ratmansky’s previous efforts, this outing may prove to be the most exciting yet. The NY Times hailed his unorthodox version of The Nutcracker as “a production like no other; made with complete theatrical authority from first to last, it shows many aspects of Mr. Ratmansky: satirist, storyteller, dramatist, and poet.”

Also announced for the program is the West Coast premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s Thirteen Diversions and the Center premiere of Merce Cunningham’s Duets. One of the world’s top ballet troupes, ABT is the company that has appeared at Segerstrom Center more than any other. There will be free informative preview talks which will be held one hour prior to each performance.

photos of Duets and Thirteen Diversions by Gene Schiavone © American Ballet Theatre

Firebird
ABT at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa (Regional Theater)
scheduled to end on April 1
for tickets, visit http://www.SCFTA.org