One of New York’s summer cultural calendar highlights was the return of American Ballet Theatre to the Metropolitan Opera House for its June-July 2026 Summer Season.
The five-week engagement brought together four major full-length ballets — Swan Lake, Onegin, a new production of Don Quixote, and Sylvia — combining beloved classics, dramatic storytelling, and a highly anticipated new staging.
Leading the roster were Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Herman Cornejo, Thomas Forster, Isaac Hernández, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Cory Stearns, Devon Teuscher, James Whiteside, and Roman Zhurbin.
Swan Lake (June 17–21 and July 13–18)
ABT opened its summer engagement with Swan Lake, Kevin McKenzie’s acclaimed production, returning for performances during opening week before closing the season with an additional July run. Based on the choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s immortal score, the production remains one of the company’s signature classics.
Onegin
Onegin returned for seven performances, once again showcasing one of ballet’s greatest dramatic works. This engagement carried special significance as Principal Dancer Cory Stearns planned his farewell performance with American Ballet Theatre on Saturday, June 27, dancing the title role that has become one of his defining interpretations. Unfortunately, due to injury and surgery, Mr Stearns was not able to perform.
New Production of Don Quixote
One of the season’s biggest attractions was the world premiere of a new staging of Don Quixote by Artistic Director Susan Jaffe and Susan Jones. Based on the choreography of Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky, the production features new scenery and costumes by Santo Loquasto with lighting by Natasha Katz.
Sylvia
Sylvia returned for five performances beginning July 9. Set to Léo Delibes’ lyrical score, the ballet offers audiences the opportunity to experience one of the twentieth century’s finest classical works, with designs by Christopher Ironside and Robin Ironside and additional designs by Peter Farmer.
Beyond the Performances
The Summer Season also featured special events. Misty Copeland hosted ABTKids, introducing young audiences to ballet through a family-friendly performance on Saturday, June 27, accompanied by a pre-performance workshop.
Adult dance enthusiasts could participate in the ABT Masters Series, immersive day-long programs combining ballet technique, repertory workshops, artist discussions, and an evening performance.
Throughout the season, ABT also hosted celebratory evenings honoring ballet legend Irina Kolpakova, the company’s conductors, Pride Night, and guest artists.
Performances took place at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, one of the world’s premier venues for opera and ballet.
For more information about the ABT visit the American Ballet Theatre official website.
Editors’ Note
We were delighted to see Skylar Brandt and Herman Cornejo take the stage as Kitri and Basilio in Don Quixote. The production remains as entertaining, funny, and charming today as ever, which explains why it continues to captivate audiences more than a century after its creation. The ballet offers a wonderful showcase not only for its leading dancers and soloists, but also for the entire corps de ballet, allowing each performer the opportunity to display personality, artistry, and technical brilliance. Brandt and Cornejo delivered a performance filled with strength, precision, and breathtaking bravura, earning enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience. This is a production that continues to delight, and one that is unquestionably worth seeing.
