Leading choreographer Alexei Ratmansky to depart ABT in June
Entertainment
Ratmansky, who has held the title of artist in residence at ABT for 13 years
NEW YORK (Web Desk) — Alexei Ratmansky, one of the most acclaimed choreographers in the world, is reportedly stepping down from his perch at American Ballet Theatre.
Ratmansky, who has held the title of artist in residence at ABT for 13 years, will leave at the end of his contract in June 2023. The company hailed his many contributions but said it did not have word on what Ratmansky might do next.
The 54-year old choreographer is known to global audiences — he’s created works for countless companies and is the former artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet — for his prolific talent and deeply varied repertoire. That includes putting a fresh spin on old classics like “The Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker” and creating new works like the whimsical “Whipped Cream” or “Songs of Bukovina,” set to Ukrainian folk songs.
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, to a Russian mother and a Ukrainian father, Ratmansky grew up in Kyiv and his parents still live there. He was choreographing in Moscow when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and left the country immediately. In September, the MacArthur “genius grant” recipient presented “Wartime Elegy” at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, dedicated to the people of Ukraine. On opening night, he unfurled a Ukrainian flag during curtain calls and held it aloft.
