Alexey Ratmansky: new appointment

A couple of months after Alexei Ratmansky's contract with the American Ballet Theater is due to end, namely in September 2023, his five-year contract with the New York City Ballet will come into force. Ratmansky receives the title of Artist-in-Residence, permanent guest artist. The City Ballet press office has just announced this. The contract involves creating a new ballet each season, as well as working with the company to bring back to the stage the six ballets that Ratmansky created for the City Ballet in previous years, from 2006 to 2020. The ballets are one better than the other: Russian Seasons (Seasons "), Concerto DSCH, "Namuna", "Pictures at an Exhibition", "Odessa", "Voices".

The New York City Ballet tried to sign Ratmansky 14 years ago, but couldn't offer him enough scheduling flexibility. ABT immediately seized the initiative, and certainly did not regret it: Ratmansky created almost two dozen magnificent performances for ABT, including such masterpieces as “Shostakovich Trilogy” or Bernstein’s Serenade based on Plato’s Symposium, as well as new versions of “Firebird”, "The Nutcracker" and "Sleeping Beauty", which greatly improved the technical and creative equipment of the troupe.

Now the roles have changed. Ratmansky is rightfully considered one of the greatest contemporary choreographers. His name on the poster guarantees the interest of the public and critics. Meanwhile, the company created by Balanchine is in need of renewal, and those who now run it, including Justin Peck and Wendy Whelan, recently danced in Ratmansky’s ballets themselves, working with him on new roles. They especially understand how much important and interesting a contract with Ratmansky can bring to the New York City Ballet. The public can only rejoice that new works by Ratmansky will continue to appear regularly on the New York stage.

Posted by Maya Pritzker