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A Master Choreographer’s New Ballet to Bach’s Legendary Music.

Bach’s unfinished masterpiece, The Art of the Fugue, stands as one of classical music’s greatest works. Now, internationally acclaimed Ukrainian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky creates a new ballet set to this iconic score.

Ratmansky, one of today’s most sought-after choreographers, is deeply rooted in the classical ballet tradition, yet his works are filled with fresh and original ideas. After several years away, he returns to Denmark with The Art of the Fugue, an entirely abstract, almost cosmic ballet in five acts, danced to Bach’s musical masterpiece.

The Art of the Fugue

Royal Danish Opera

These are the opening words used by Chariton of Aphrodisias, who describes himself as “clerk of the lawyer Athenagoras”, in his prose romance of Callirhoe and Chaereas, whose joyous wedding is followed by all manner of conflicts, disasters, abductions and dangers before they are finally reunited.

Kallirhoe

Vienna State Opera

A program distinguished by its variety opens with Balanchine’s Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée,’ choreographed to a Stravinsky symphonic suite. Kyle Abraham’s When We Fell was originally filmed and streamed during the pandemic, and here makes its live debut. Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Chiaroscuro, a ballet for six dancers from 1994, evokes the artistic term of its title through the interaction of light and shadow as well as diverging tempos, while Alexei Ratmansky’s Odesa features three couples, their interplay infused with hints of drama, and a corps de ballet, and is set to incidental music from the Russian film Sketches to Sunset that alternates between the ruminative and the rambunctious.

EPSG:4326

Eclectic NYCB

Lincoln Center

The ever-growing breadth of the repertory is illustrated in this program highlighting the work of three current dancemakers. Alexei Ratmansky’s Solitude debuted in the winter of 2024 to broad acclaim. Somber in its beauty, this elegiac ensemble work, with a moving lead role depicting a grieving father, is a rare dance set to the music of Gustav Mahler. Ratmansky, Russian-born but raised in Kyiv, dedicated this singular ballet “to the children of Ukraine, victims of the war.” The program also includes ballets from Caili Quan and Justin Peck, which debuted in the fall and winter, respectively.

Contemporary Choreography

A pair of Jerome Robbins ballets set to the music of Bach are featured alongside works by Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon. Robbins’ A Suite of Dances features a single male dancer—Mikhail Baryshnikov originated the role—interacting with the onstage cellist, creating a mood of friendly companionship. Brandenburg, Robbins’ final ballet, danced to four of the famed concertos of the title, is a series of pas de deux that evoke strikingly contrasting moods. Wheeldon’s After the Rain Pas de Deux has become one of his signature works, a transfixing dance that contains hints of spirituality and transcendence despite its seeming simplicity.

Innovators & Icons II

Jerome Robbins’ intimate knowledge of Chopin’s piano works illuminates the delicate beauty of In the Night, set to the composer’s nocturnes and featuring the romantic interplay among three couples set against a backdrop evoking a starry night sky. Balanchine’s ever-popular leotard ballet Symphony in Three Movements ranks among the most exhilarating dances he created to the music of Stravinsky, with its driving energy matching the fierce pulse of the score. Rounding out the evening is a world premiere from Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, his eighth dance commissioned by the Company.

Innovators & Icons

Ballet West presents "Pictures at an Exhibition," a captivating triple-bill that showcases the brilliance of contemporary ballet through the works of three renowned choreographers. This performance features George Balanchine's "Serenade," a heart-melting ballet set to the enchanting music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The program continues with Alexei Ratmansky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," an intimate suite of dances inspired by Modest Mussorgsky's evocative piano compositions, performed live by Dr. Vera Oussetskaia-Watanabe. The evening culminates with Christopher Wheeldon's "Within the Golden Hour," a ballet that draws inspiration from Vivaldi, with music by Ezio Bosso. This trio of ballets promises a mesmerizing experience, blending classical and contemporary elements to create a rich tapestry of movement and music. The live accompaniment by the Ballet West Orchestra adds an additional layer of depth and emotion to the performance, making it a must-see for ballet enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre

Created in pandemic times by Alexei Ratmansky for ABT Principals James Whiteside and Isabella Boylston, Neo challenged the dancers to reclaim their stamina after months of isolation. This pas de deux is being presented in live performance for the first time. Alternately playful and daring, fevered and sensuous, the choreography is matched by the bold yet delicate sounds of the shamisen, the Japanese stringed-instrument which accompanies them in a piece by composer Dai Fujikura.

A sun-drenched 'feel good' ballet! This is how you can easily characterize Alexei Ratmansky's internationally acclaimed Don Quixote . The Russian American top choreographer created this new version of the famous ballet classic for the National Ballet in 2010, resulting in a production that radiates pleasure, positive energy and the Spanish temperament.

Don Quixote

National Opera & Ballet

A trio of classic dances by Balanchine joins a favorite from Alexei Ratmansky. Mozartiana, one of Balanchine’s late works, weaves an elegiac spell with its austerely beautiful black costuming and pellucid classical choreography. Two dances set to Stravinsky, the elegant, neoclassical Monumentum pro Gesualdo and the spiky, arrestingly unique Movements for Piano and Orchestra, always make for a stimulating pairing. 

Balanchine + Ratmansky

A sparkling end to the ballet season: that is what the National Ballet Academy guarantees again this year, with its end-of-year production Dansers van Morgen.  Accompanied live by the Ballet Orchestra, all pupils and students of the school present themselves in an extremely diverse and energetic program. And especially because of the tenth anniversary of the Junior Company of the National Ballet, the program will be expanded this year with a festive and vibrant performance by this youth ensemble .

Dancers of Tomorrow 2024

Not only is he the most important classical ballet choreographer of our time, St. Petersburg-born Alexei Ratmansky is also one of the biggest critics of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After rehearsing his Giselle with the United Ukrainian Ballet, which was hastily founded in The Hague (2022), the National Ballet now presents two of his most successful and imaginative ballets in Stravinsky Fairytales : his dazzling Firebird and the European premiere of the poetic The Fairy's Kiss . Both set to the masterful music of Igor Stravinsky 

Stravinsky Fairy Tales

A classic Jerome Robbins ballet pointing the way toward the future combines with three works from contemporary choreographers. Glass Pieces is Robbins’ electrifying 1983 ballet to music by the iconic contemporary composer Philip Glass. Alexei Ratmansky employed a classic 19th-century piano composition from Mussorgsky to create a ballet that translates the music into the choreographer’s distinctive 21st-century idioms. Gianna Reisen’s Play Time, which debuted at the 2022 Fall Fashion Gala, is set to a score by Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Solange Knowles. And Red Angels, from the late choreographer Ulysses Dove, has remained a staple in the Company repertory since its debut in 1994.

Contemporary Choreography I

The sold-out New York Times Best in Dance smash hit makes a triumphant return to the Miami City Ballet repertoire!

Following its North American premiere in our 2021/2022 season, this “crisp and refreshingly clean” (The New York Times) sophisticated interpretation of Swan Lake, lovingly reconstructed by the renowned Alexei Ratmansky, will enchant audiences once again

Miami City Ballet Presents Alexei Ratmansky’s Swan Lake

Alexander W. Dreyfoos Concert Hall

A world premiere ballet by Alexei Ratmansky, who joins the Company as artist in residence this season, forms the centerpiece of this program. Jerome Robbins’s Opus 19/The Dreamer casts an elusive spell with its imagery of a nocturnal journey into the mysteries of the mind, with a muse-like figure haunting the imagination of the dreamer of the title. The program concludes with Balanchine’s iconic leotard ballet Symphony in Three Movements, a dance alive with electric energy.

This trio of works shines a light on some of the world premieres that PNB’s New Works Initiative has created in recent years. Donald Byrd’s haunting Love and Loss premiered in 2019, Alexei Ratmansky’s stunning tribute to his homeland of Ukraine, Wartime Elegy, followed in 2022, and inventive Australian choreographer Danielle Rowe will create something brand new for PNB dancers this November. Come bask in the glory that is new works at PNB!

Love & Loss

Seattle Center

On the banks of the mighty Ukrainian river, the Dnipro, the young soldier Sergiy arrives home from the battlefields of war. Upon his return, Sergiy realizes he no longer loves his fiancée, Natalia, but is attracted to Olga, a village beauty who is betrothed to another man. Rivals are challenged, brawls ensue, and escapes are made in this ballet exploring both happiness and heartbreak.

On the Dnipro

This brilliant, quicksilver romp dashes by with spinning leaps, gravity-defying jumps and whip-fast turns at an almost comically impossible speed, but its heart is a dreamy, moving double pas de deux that is simply delectable.

Dancer, Choreographer

Alexei Ratmansky

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 18, 2025 - Jan 12, 2026

Kallirhoe · Wiener Staatsoper

Past events

1 - 18 Nov, 2025

The Art of the Fugue · Det Kongelige Teater

Oct 18, 2025 - Jan 12, 2026

Kallirhoe · Wiener Staatsoper

About

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