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The virtuosity of male dancing at American Ballet Theatre today is unprecedented in the history of American ballet, thanks to an unrivaled cadre of international talent gathered by artistic director Kevin McKenzie. In this unique performance documentary, DANCE IN AMERICA travels home with Jose Manuel Carreño (Cuba), Angel Corella (Spain), Vladimir Malakhov (Ukraine), and Ethan Stiefel (United States), exploring the dancers' personal backgrounds and formal training. In addition, viewers are treated to a work specially created for the four dancers by acclaimed choreographer Mark Morris, set to music by Robert Schumann. Revealing behind-the-scenes glimpses of the rehearsal process with Morris and the dancers culminate with a performance of the work in its entirety.
American Ballet Theatre (ABT), which debuted in January 11, 1940 with a performance of "Les Sylphides" at Center Theater in New York City, has been home to numerous superlative dancers -- Erik Bruhn, Nora Kaye, Alicia Markova, Natalia Makarova, Jerome Robbins, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, to name just a few. However, as Kevin McKenzie, ABT's artistic director, reveals in DANCE IN AMERICA: BORN TO BE WILD: THE LEADING MEN OF AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE, having four great male dancers working simultaneously is quite unusual. In writer Gia Kourlas' essay, read about the strengths and talents of each of ABT's current male superstars and how choreographer Mark Morris came to construct a new ballet for them. Get an introduction to each dancer through the Multimedia Presentation: Meet the Leading Men of American Ballet Theatre, which offers a biography, photos, and a video excerpt of a dance performance (The free RealPlayer plug-in is required to view the video clip.).
Special funding for this program was provided by the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust and the Morris S. and Florence H. Bender Foundation.
A videocassette of the program can be purchased from WNET Video Distribution.
Top banner photos: Angel Corella as Conrad's Slave in ABT's 1999 production of "Le Corsaire"; Jose Manuel Carreño, Ethan Stiefel, Vladimir Malakhov, and Angel Corella (photo by Don Perdue); Vladimir Malakhov. |
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Vladimir Malakhov, Jose Carreño, Ethan Stiefel, and Angel Corella (photo by Howard Schatz). |
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Choreographer Mark Morris. |
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