American Ballet Theatre's “ABT Across America" on the Hancher Green -- July 4.
Sunday, July 4, 8 p.m.
Hancher Green, 141 East Park Road, Iowa City IA
Dancers from one of the country's most prestigious professional companies are set to celebrate the Fourth of July on the lawn of Iowa City's Hancher Auditorium, with the Hancher Green hosting the outdoor presentation ACT Across America, a brand-new concert event boasting the exquisite talents and choreography of the American Ballet Theatre.
Revered as a living national treasure since its founding in 1939, American Ballet Theatre is considered one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Though located in New York City, ABT annually tours the United States – performing for 300,000 people annually – and is the only major cultural institution to do so. The company has made more than 30 international tours to 45 countries in order to share American ballet with the world, and on many of these engagements ABT received sponsorship from the State Department of the United States Government.
In the Autumn of 1939, ABT was launched with the mission of developing a repertoire of the best ballets from the past, and the creation of new works by gifted choreographers, wherever they might be found. Under the direction of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith, the company more than fulfilled this mission. Perhaps unmatched in the history of ballet, ABT’s repertoire includes full-length classics from the 19th century including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle; such noted works from the early 20th century as Apollo, Les Sylphides, Jardin aux Lilas, and Rodeo; and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces including Airs, Push Comes to Shove, and Duets. Throughout the curation of this exquisite repertoire, ABT has also commissioned works by choreographic geniuses of the 20th century, among them George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, and Twyla Tharp.
Mikhail Baryshnikov became Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre in 1980, succeeding Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith. Under his leadership, numerous classical ballets were staged, re-staged, and refurbished, and ABT strengthened and refined the classical tradition. In 1990, Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith succeeded Baryshnikov and established an agenda dedicated to maintaining the great traditions of the past while aggressively pursuing a vital and innovative future. In October 1992, former American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Kevin McKenzie was appointed Artistic Director, a position he continues to serve in today. And on April 27, 2006, by an act of Congress, American Ballet Theatre was designated America’s National Ballet Company.
Performed without an intermission, Hancher's ABT Across America performance on July 4 will feature Lauren Lovette’s La Follia Variations, a work for eight dancers set to music by Francesco Geminiani; Jessica Lang’s Let Me Sing Forevermore, a pas de deux blending ballet and jazz vocabulary set to songs sung by Tony Bennett; Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Indestructible Light, a celebration of American jazz; and another classical pas de deux from ABT’s extensive repertoire.
The 8 p.m. ABT Across America performance on July 4 will be preceded by a free 4 p.m. demonstration event in which dancers from American Ballet Theatre will teach some basic movements, as well as share some of the choreography on display later that night. Admission to the evening performance is $5 plus a $5 handling fee per order, and more information and reservations are available by visiting Hancher.uiowa.edu.
