ABT Forward, Mar 16-19, Segerstrom Hall

ABT Forward will be highlighted by the World Premiere of a new work by Alonzo King, his first for ABT. King’s new ballet will feature a commissioned score by jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran. King’s new work features sets and costumes by Robert Rosenwasser and lighting by Jim French.

The program also includes Jessica Lang’s ZigZag, which celebrates the legendary career of Tony Bennett, using both his recordings, including s duet with Lady Gaga, and his visual artwork to highlight the authentic humanity of his vocal performances.  The program is completed with ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky’s Bernstein in a Bubble to Leonard Bernstein’s Divertimento, which will be performed live by the Pacific Symphony.

American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie said, “This is an opportunity to see work by three contemporary masters of their craft. A classic taste in music and dance vocabulary (Leonard Bernstein/Alexei Ratmansky) is complemented by the iconic American voice of Tony Bennett and Jessica Lang’s fun and whimsical movement, followed by a World Premiere from Alonzo King to a commissioned score from American jazz pianist Jason Moran. Literally, this will be American artists reflecting America through the lens of inventive genius.”

Alonzo King has been called a visionary choreographer, who is altering the way we look at ballet.  King calls his works “thought structures” created by the manipulation of energies that exist in matter through laws, which govern the shapes and movement directions of everything that exists.  Named as a choreographer with “astonishing originality” by The New York Times, his company Alonzo King LINES Ballet is currently celebrating its
40^th anniversary season.

Jessica Lang’s ZigZag celebrates the legendary career of Tony Bennett.  It received its World Premiere on October 26, 2021 at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City.
A work for 14 dancers, ZigZag features costumes by Wes Gordon (creative director for Carolina Herrera), scenery by Emmy and Tony Award winner Derek McLane, and lighting by Nicole Pearce.

Lang said, “ZigZag celebrates the legendary career of Tony Bennett as a singer and visual artist,” said Lang. “With 11 songs carefully selected from Bennett’s masterful catalog of recordings spanning more than seven decades, and scenic elements that incorporate his art, ZigZag will highlight the unwavering quality and genuine humanity of his vocal performances. My approach to ZigZag will be to deliver a balance between physical intricacy and visual simplicity, to convey art as entertainment, and to highlight the physically brilliant range of the American Ballet Theatre dancers.” ZigZag is Lang’s fourth work for ABT.

Alexei Ratmansky’s Bernstein in a Bubble is inspired by the variety, charm, and quintessentially American spirit of Leonard Bernstein’s Divertimento. Bernstein in a Bubble is an exciting reflection of artistic creativity in these challenging times, featuring costumes by Moritz Junge and lighting by Brad Fields. Created during the pandemic in January and February 2021 in Silver Bay, New York, the ballet received its digital World Premiere at ABT Live from City Center | A Ratmansky Celebration on March 23, 2021.

Sarah Crompton in The Guardian said, “Bernstein in a Bubble is a piece full of swift shifts of mood and tone, from blowsy brass to melancholy strings. Ratmansky’s choreography gloriously catches the same mercurial spirit. It’s full of sumptuous, unexpected movements: an exit in silence for a woman lifted high, smiling; a throw where the ballerina is immobile, legs crossed in the air.”

Single tickets for ABT Forward start at $39 and are now available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, or by calling (714) 556-2787.  For inquiries about group ticket discounts for 10 or more, call the Group Services offices at (714)755-0236.

ZigZag is co-commissioned by Abu Dhabi Festival.

Partnership between Segerstrom Center for the Arts and American Ballet Theatre

American Ballet Theatre and Segerstrom Center for the Arts are in a three-year partnership of the co-presented annual production of Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker that continues with World and West Coast Premieres and engagements each spring through 2024, combining the resources of America’s National Ballet Company® and one of the nation’s leading presenters of dance.

Since 2015, ABT has wowed Southern California audiences at Segerstrom Center for the Arts with annual holiday engagements of The Nutcracker for over 63 performances.  Segerstrom Center and ABT have a robust long-standing relationship. At the Center, ABT gave the World Premiere of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Swan Lake in 1988. In 1999, the ABT production of Le Corsaire was taped for broadcast on PBS’s Dance in America, winning an Emmy Award. In 2003, The Dream was also taped at the Center for broadcast on Dance in America. In 2008, ABT co-commissioned Twyla Tharp’s Rabbit and Rogue with Segerstrom Center for the Arts, which received its World Premiere in New York and its West Coast Premiere at the Center.

Other ABT productions at the Center have included the West Coast Premiere of Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie’s production of The Sleeping Beauty in 2007, the World Premiere of a new production of Firebird by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, and three additional ballets by Ratmansky including the West Coast premiere of The Nutcracker in 2015, the World Premiere of Whipped Cream in 2017, the West Coast Premiere of Harlequinade in 2019, and the World Premiere and co-commissioned production Of Love and Rage in 2020.

The Center presented Uniting in Movement in April of 2021, a unique dance project bringing 18 ABT dancers together for safe collaboration and an exhilarating performance of new works by Jessica Lang, Lauren Lovette, and Darrell Grand Moultrie.

In March 2023, American Ballet Theatre will give the North American Premiere of Like Water for Chocolate at the Center. From the award-winning team of choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and composer Joby Talbot, with costumes by Bob Crowley, this
co-production with the Royal Ballet is inspired by Laura Esquivel’s bestselling novel of the same name.

ABT and the Center’s partnership in 2024 will include a third World Premiere. Details to follow at a later date.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE is one of the great dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, engaging and inspiring audiences for eight decades in 50 US states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT’s extraordinary dancers hail from 15 countries and 23 US states. ABT’s repertoire includes full-length classics from the nineteenth century, the finest works from the early twentieth century, and diverse and dynamic contemporary work by the leading choreographers of today. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America’s National Ballet Company®.

SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence, offering unsurpassed experiences and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance as well as a diverse array of inspiring arts-based education and community engagement programs.  Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County’s largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D: Arts School for All (previously named School of Dance and Music for Children with Disabilities).

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, featuring international ballet and dance companies, national tours of top Broadway shows, jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, and free performances on its plaza, such as outdoor movie screenings, concerts, community, and cultural festivals.

Segerstrom Center is a leader among the nation’s performing arts centers for providing education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. The Center’s programs reach hundreds of thousands of students each year in five Southern California counties. The CDI supports flagship artistic programming and a wide range of projects that celebrate innovation, nurture creativity, and engage audiences of the future. The Center Without Boundaries develops partnerships with non-cultural organizations to help them in their own efforts to respond to the ever-changing needs of the community.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale. Each contributes greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons performed at the Center.

In addition to Segerstrom Center for the Arts as a presenting and producing institution, it also identifies the beautiful 14-acre campus that embraces the Center’s own facilities as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award^®-winning South Coast Repertory and the Orange County Museum of Art.

ABT Forward
March 16–18, 2022, 7:30pm
March 19, 2022, 2:00pm/7:30pm
Segerstrom Hall. Tickets start at $39.

Bernstein in a Bubble
Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky
Music by Leonard Bernstein (Divertimento)
Performed live by Pacific Symphony
Costumes by Moritz Junge
Lighting by Brad Fields

World Premiere by Alonzo King
Choreography by Alonzo King
Music by Jason Moran
Scenery and Costumes by Robert Rosenwasser
Lighting by Jim French
Rehearsal Assistant: Meredith Webster

ZigZag
Choreography by Jessica Lang
Songs sung by Tony Bennett with a special duet with Lady Gaga
Creative Associate: Kanji Segawa
Scenery by Derek McLane, incorporating artwork by Tony Bennett
Costumes by Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera
Lighting by Nicole Pearce

In person and Phone-
The Box Office
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-2787

Monday 10am–2pm
Tuesday through Friday Noon–5pm
Closed Saturdays and Sundays

Tickets start at $39
Online – SCFTA.org
Group Sales – (714) 755-0236

Audience Advisory: Our updated COVID-19 policy requires ticket holders to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to attend all indoor performances and events at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. “Fully vaccinated” means your performance is at least 14 days after your final vaccine dose. To enter the theatre, please bring a photo ID (for guests over 18 years old) and proof of vaccination, either your physical vaccination card, a picture of your vaccination card, or a digital vaccination record. Most California residents may request a digital vaccination record at myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov

Any ticket holders (including those under age 12) without proof of being fully vaccinated can present a negative COVID-19 test (PCR taken within 48 hours or antigen taken within 6 hours) of the performance. Along with their ticket, attendees will need to bring either documentation of a negative COVID-19 test result, emailed result, or picture of results showing a negative diagnosis as well as the date and their name. At-home tests will not be accepted.

Masks (over the mouth and nose) are required at all times for all ticket holders (ages 2 and up) regardless of vaccination status in all indoor spaces. Disposable 3-ply surgical masks, N95, KN95, or KF94 masks are recommended.

Performance ticket holders who do not comply with these policies will not be admitted.