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A comical tale of fairies, mismatched lovers, and a mischievous sprite, Sir Frederick Ashton's enduring one-act ballet "The Dream" has delighted audiences since its premiere in 1964. Set to the ethereal music of Felix Mendelssohn, the ballet is a charming interpretation of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." "Ashton's genius soars typically to the heights of poetic metaphor," raved THE NEW YORK TIMES. "Charm is making a comeback in New York this spring," enthused THE WASHINGTON POST. The NEW YORK OBSERVER described the ballet as "so fluent, so charged, so natural," that "you know you're in the hands of a master." To celebrate the centennial of Ashton's birth, DANCE IN AMERICA presents American Ballet Theatre's acclaimed staging, starring Ethan Stiefel, Alessandra Ferri, and Herman Cornejo in a one-hour production.
The Royal Ballet premiered Ashton's work in April 1964 as part of a program of three ballets created to honor the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. Sir Frederick Ashton was born in Ecuador in 1904 and was inspired to pursue dance after seeing the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova perform. Find out more about the choreographer who became synonymous with English ballet in the essay by writer Laura Jacobs. In Dialogue, dancer Alessandra Ferri reminisces about first dancing Ashton for her Royal Ballet debut, impressions of the choreographer, and preparing for the role of Titania for this ABT production. Get an overview of the ballet in the synopsis, which includes a link to a video excerpt of the Nocturne pas de deux.
Additional support for DANCE IN AMERICA: "THE DREAM" WITH AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE was provided by Lewis S. Ranieri, Movado, The Lillian Goldman Programming Endowment, Victor and Sono Elmahleh, William J. Gillespie, and the Morris S. and Florence H. Bender Foundation.
Top banner photos: Herman Cornejo as Puck; Ethan Stiefel as Oberon and Alessandra Ferri as Titania; Julio Bragado-Young as Bottom with Alessandra Ferri as Titania (all photos by Marty Sohl -- Thirteen/WNET). |
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ABT premiered the ballet in 2002 with Ethan Stiefel as Oberon (photo by Marty Sohl -- Thirteen/WNET). |
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Alessandra Ferri dances the role of Titania (photo by Marty Sohl -- Thirteen/WNET). |
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This program is available on VHS and DVD. |
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