Alexei Ratmansky Joins American Ballet Theatre as Artist in Residence
September 11, 2008
Alexei Ratmansky. Photo by Kevin Ng.
Alexei Ratmansky has accepted an artist in residence position with American Ballet Theatre. The five-year agreement is set to begin in January 2009, ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie announced yesterday.
“I am delighted to have Alexei as part of ABT,” said McKenzie. “It will be extraordinary to have such an incredibly creative artist working with our dancers on a regular basis. During the 1940’s and ’50’s, Ballet Theatre was home to a stable of choreographers that worked regularly with the company. As a result, many great works were created. I’m confident that having Alexei ‘in-house’ will result in the creation of wonderful new works that are unique to American Ballet Theatre.”
Ratmansky is currently artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet. Earlier this year, he confirmed that he would not extend his contract with the company after it expired at the end of 2008. Ratmansky has been a prolific choreographer and his work has been in high demand by companies around the world. He choreographed 24 ballets for the Bolshoi repertory alone. In February, he declined an offer by the New York City Ballet to become their resident choreographer, a position previously held by Christopher Wheeldon. At the time, he told the New York Times, “I want to choreograph more at different places—and to concentrate on that—because directorship really takes two-thirds of my time.”
Ratmansky has been artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet since 2004. Under his stewardship, the company was named “Best Foreign Company” in 2005 and 2007 by The Critics’ Circle in London. He also received a Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for The Bright Stream in 2006 and a Golden Mask Award for Best Choreographer in 2007 for the Bolshoi production of Jeu de Cartes.
“It will be wonderful to work with Kevin McKenzie and the brilliant dancers of American Ballet Theatre,” Ratmansky said. “I am also looking forward to focusing exclusively on my creative work, without the administrative responsibility of being an artistic director, and to a complete change of environment.”
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