American Ballet Theatre (ABT) brought its 2026 Fall Season to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City from October 21–31, presenting three repertory programs that combined contemporary choreography, classical ballet, and beloved masterworks. The season featured Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics, Neoclassical Works, and An Elegy and A Dream, alongside a special Fall Gala, Angels and Demons, honoring acclaimed stage and screen artist Cynthia Erivo.
Among the season’s highlights was the world premiere of Trio Élégiaque, choreographed by ABT corps de ballet member Brady Farrar. The programs also included the company premiere of Helen Pickett’s Petal, Jirí Kylián’s Petite Mort, Natalia Makarova’s Paquita, and works by Frederick Ashton, Kyle Abraham, and George Balanchine.
Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics
Fresh Visions and Timeless Classics brought together three distinctive works: Helen Pickett’s Petal, Jirí Kylián’s Petite Mort, and Natalia Makarova’s staging of Paquita.
Petal
Helen Pickett’s Petal made its American Ballet Theatre company debut on October 21. Inspired by the radiant hues of Gerber daisies, the work offered an electrifying, hopeful exploration of movement and color. Staged for ABT by Sarah Hillmer, it featured music by Philip Glass and Thomas Montgomery Newman, set design by Pickett, costumes by Nete Joseph, and lighting design by Brandon Stirling Baker, after original lighting by Todd Elmer.
The ballet originally premiered with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet on February, 2008, at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Petite Mort
Created by Jirí Kylián for the Salzburg Festival in 1991, Petite Mort incorporated the slow movements of two of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s piano concertos. The work featured six men, six women, and six foils, using sharply defined movement and striking stage imagery to explore aggression, desire, energy, silence, anarchy, and vulnerability.
With set design by Kylián, costumes by Joke Visser, and lighting by Kylián and Joop Caboort, the ballet received its world premiere at the Kleines Festspielhaus in Salzburg, Austria, on August 23, 1991. For ABT, it was staged by Elke Schepers and Shirley Esseboom.
Paquita
Natalia Makarova’s staging of Paquita, after Marius Petipa, offered a showcase of classical ballet elegance and virtuosity. Set to music by Ludwig Minkus, arranged by John Lanchbery, the grand divertissement featured scenery and costumes by Jose Varona and lighting by Alex Nichols, after Robert Thomson.
Christine Shevchenko and Joo Won Ahn led the opening-night performance on October 21. Devon Teuscher and Aran Bell took on the roles on October 22, while Chloe Misseldine made her debut in the role on October 25.
Makarova’s staging premiered with American Ballet Theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on December 6, 1983, led by Martine van Hamel and Patrick Bissell. The production was restaged for ABT by Makarova and Nancy Raffa.
Neoclassical Works
Presented October 23–25, Neoclassical Works brought together Frederick Ashton’s Birthday Offering, Kyle Abraham’s Mercurial Son, and George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial. The program spanned three distinctive choreographic approaches, from classical celebration to contemporary movement and the grandeur of the Imperial Russian ballet tradition.
Birthday Offering
Created by Frederick Ashton in 1956 for The Royal Ballet’s 25th anniversary, Birthday Offering was distinguished by its individual solos for seven ballerinas. Hee Seo and Thomas Forster led the October 23 performance, while Devon Teuscher and Joo Won Ahn made their debuts in the featured roles at the October 24 matinee.
Set to music by Alexander Glazunov, the ballet featured costumes by Andre Levasseur and lighting by Steven Shelley. Helen Crawford staged the work for ABT. Its company premiere took place in Houston, Texas, on October 25, 1989, featuring Susan Jaffe, Cheryl Yeager, Amanda McKerrow, Julie Kent, Leslie Browne, Alessandra Ferri, and Christine Dunham. ABT had last performed the ballet in 2010.
Mercurial Son
Kyle Abraham’s Mercurial Son, his first work for American Ballet Theatre, brought a contemporary sensibility to the program. Driven by Grischa Lichtenberger’s electronic score, the ballet unfolded through swift, intricately layered movement.
Staged by Stephanie Terasaki, the work featured costumes by Karen Young, costume design supervision by Caitlin Rain, and lighting by Dan Scully. It received its world premiere at the David H. Koch Theater on October 16, 2024, performed by Cassandra Trenary, Catherine Hurlin, Carlos Gonzalez, Joseph Markey, Ingrid Thoms, Sierra Armstrong, and Andrew Robare.
Ballet Imperial
George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G for Piano and Orchestra, evoked the grandeur of Russia’s Imperial Ballet through expansive choreography and a rich classical vocabulary.
Chloe Misseldine, James Whiteside, and Yoon Jung Seo led the October 23 performance, with SunMi Park making her debut in a leading role at the October 24 matinee. The production was staged by Colleen Neary, with stage and costume design by Jean-Marc Puissant and lighting by Mark Stanley.
The ballet premiered with American Ballet Caravan at Hunter College Playhouse in New York City on May 27, 1941. American Ballet Theatre presented its company premiere in Chicago on February 10, 1988.
An Elegy and A Dream
Presented on the evenings of October 28 and 30, as well as at matinee and evening performances on October 31, An Elegy and A Dream combined Brady Farrar’s world premiere Trio Élégiaque, the company premiere of Jae Man Joo’s Flight, and Frederick Ashton’s enchanting The Dream.
Trio Élégiaque
Choreographed by ABT corps de ballet member Brady Farrar, Trio Élégiaque marked his first creation for the company’s main ensemble. Set to the first movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Trio Élégiaque No. 2, the ballet explored loss and memory in a layered tribute to Rachmaninoff and his friend and mentor, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The October 28 world premiere featured Devon Teuscher, Aran Bell, Léa Fleytoux, Joseph Markey, SunMi Park, and Thomas Forster. Chloe Misseldine, Jarod Curley, Catherine Hurlin, Michael de la Nuez, Sierra Armstrong, and Calvin Royal III made their debuts in the roles on October 30.
The production featured costumes by Mark Eric and lighting by Brad Fields. The world premiere was made possible in part through support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Flight
Jae Man Joo’s Flight was a solo work that merged poignant movement with the haunting accompaniment of Johann Sebastian Bach. Exploring human strength and psychological tension, the ballet featured lighting by Joo and Michael Korsch.
Originally premiered by Complexions Contemporary Ballet in 2012, Flight had previously been performed by Herman Cornejo at The Joyce Ballet Festival: UNITE in 2024. Cornejo performed all four presentations during ABT’s fall engagement.
The Dream
Frederick Ashton’s The Dream offered a beguiling interpretation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, transporting audiences into the magical woods of Victorian England. Blending comedy, romantic confusion, and theatrical enchantment, the ballet celebrated the illusory nature of love.
Set to Felix Mendelssohn’s music, arranged by John Lanchbery, the production featured sets and costumes by David Walker and lighting by John B. Read.
Catherine Hurlin made her debut as Titania on October 28, alongside Daniel Camargo as Oberon and Jake Roxander as Puck. The October 30 performance featured Hee Seo as Titania, Isaac Hernández as Oberon, and Takumi Miyake as Puck.
The ballet premiered with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, on April 2, 1964. American Ballet Theatre first presented The Dream in 2002, with Alessandra Ferri as Titania, Ethan Stiefel as Oberon, and Herman Cornejo as Puck. ABT last performed the ballet in 2023.
Angels and Demons: American Ballet Theatre’s 2026 Fall Gala
Adding a theatrical flourish to the Halloween season, American Ballet Theatre presented its 2026 Fall Gala, Angels and Demons, on Thursday, October 29, at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. Announced by Artistic Director Susan Jaffe, the gala honored acclaimed stage and screen artist Cynthia Erivo.
Curated by Jaffe and hosted by Principal Dancers Thomas Forster and James Whiteside, the one-night-only program explored the contrast between light and dark, the ethereal and the mischievous, through a varied selection of ballet excerpts and performances.
Highlights included Daniel Camargo in the company premiere of Frederick Ashton’s Dance of the Blessed Spirits, pas de deux from The Dream with Catherine Hurlin and Isaac Hernández, and Sylvia with Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III. The program also featured excerpts from Alexei Ratmansky’s Whipped Cream, August Bournonville’s La Sylphide, danced by Hee Seo and Joo Won Ahn, and Enrique Martínez’s Coppélia, with Skylar Brandt and Roman Zhurbin.
The evening continued with Herman Cornejo and Léa Fleytoux in Michel Fokine’s Le Spectre de la Rose; Jake Roxander, Devon Teuscher, SunMi Park, Sierra Armstrong, and Tyler Maloney in Agnes de Mille’s Three Virgins and a Devil; and Chloe Misseldine and Aran Bell in the Act III pas de deux from Kevin McKenzie’s Swan Lake.
The gala’s grand chairs were Sloan Lindemann Barnett, Emily Blavatnik and Laila Blavatnik, and Julia Koch and Mary Julia Koch.
About American Ballet Theatre
Founded in 1940, American Ballet Theatre is one of the world’s leading dance companies. Its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience.
Headquartered in New York City, ABT has toured extensively across all 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and more than 480 cities worldwide. Its repertoire encompasses nineteenth-century full-length classics, early twentieth-century masterworks, and acclaimed contemporary creations. In 2006, an act of Congress designated ABT America’s National Ballet Company®.
For more information, visit www.abt.org.