American Ballet Theatre’s in-house choreographic program, ABT Incubator, is scheduled for April 11-22, 2022, with new works to be created about ABT dancers by four choreographers. The workshop was announced today by the artistic director of ABT Kevin McKenzie.
Led by American Ballet Theater dancer Jose Sebastian, ABT Incubator 2022, to be held at the company’s New York studios, will feature new works by ABT dancers Claire Davison and Courtney Shealy, and choreographers Raymond Pinto and Quinn Wharton. Participating choreographers were chosen in November 2021 through an audition process, with selections made by McKenzie, Sebastian, ABT Associate Artistic Director Clinton Luckett, choreographer Gemma Bond and ABT Artistic Director Studio Company Sascha Radetsky.
ABT Incubator choreographers will receive resources to create new work about American Ballet Theater dancers, including studio space, stipend, collaborators, panel discussions and mentors.
“One of the cool things about this year’s group of talented creators is their range of experiences,” Sebastian said. “For some it will be their first time, for others a second adventure, and some are more seasoned. This alone guarantees an exciting ABT Incubator season.”
Claire Davison (her) began her ballet training at Boulder Ballet School and completed summer programs at Boston Ballet School, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, School of American Ballet and San Francisco Ballet School . She was a finalist in the 2009 Youth America Grand Prix competition. Davison joined the American Ballet Theater Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in 2010, was named a principal company apprentice in 2012, and appointed to the corps de ballet in June 2013. Her repertoire with ABT includes Berthe in Giselle, Good Fairy in Harlequinade, Madame in Manon, Nounou and Fée Dragée in Casse-Noisette, the Queen Mother in Swan Lake and a starring role in Deuce Coupe. Davison participated in ABT’s Innovation Initiative in 2014 and ABT Incubator in 2019.
Her choreographic credits include One of Us (2019) for Boulder Ballet and Por Ti for Kaatsbaan Culture Park Summer Festival 2021. In 2021, Davison was a selected choreographer for New York Theater Ballet’s Lift Lab. This year, she will choreograph a ballet on American repertoire balletset to music by Fleetwood Mac and created a solo show, “Crash Test Dummy”.
Raymond Pinto (he/they) is an artist and choreographer based in the tri-state area. They graduated from The Juilliard School with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and have danced professionally for companies in North America and Europe. They are YoungArts Laureates and Princess Grace Award recipients. They hold a master’s degree in performance studies from NYU. Their work has been presented at the Royal Ballet of Flanders, the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, the Cue Art Foundation, MoMA PS1, the Venice Biennale and the Judson Memorial Church. In an ever-changing world, they look forward to continuing to create works that resonate with the social and political values of our contemporary times.
Courtney Shealy (her) trained with the Northwest Florida Ballet for nine years. She has also trained with Boston Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive. She received third place at the 2014 Youth America Grand Prix Semi-Finals for the Senior Classic and Contemporary categories. Shealy joined ABT Studio Company in September 2015, apprenticed with the main company in August 2016 and joined the corps de ballet in January 2017. Her repertoire includes Aya and Lead D’Jampe at La Bayadère, the Canteen Keeper and dance Spanish in The Nutcracker, Lead Czardas in Swan Lake and a starring role in Deuce Coupe. She created Plangon in Of Love and Rage and a starring role in A Time There Was.
Quinn Wharton (he/him) is a professional choreographer, photographer and filmmaker. He received his early training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, West Hawaii Dance Theater and the North Carolina School of the Arts. He joined the San Francisco Ballet (SFB) in 2005. With the SFB, he interpreted principal roles and created roles in works by William Forsythe, Marc Morris, Christophe Wheeldon, Paul Taylor, Wayne McGregor, Val Caniparoli and Helgi Tomasson. Wharton has also started a photography and film business for dance and technology companies in the Bay Area, including LINES Ballet, Airbnb, Square, Inc, Google and San Jose Ballet. In 2012 he joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, working with Mats Ek, Glen Edgerton, Robyn Mineko Williams, Penny Saunders and Alonzo King. After leaving Hubbard Street, Wharton created films for the Rolex Arts Initiative and the Bolshoi Ballet. He has lectured at Stanford and the Booth School of Business on human movement and its potential for leadership.
For more information, please visit: www.abt.org/abtincubator
ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATER
The American Ballet Theater is one of the largest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve and expand the great repertoire of classical dance for the widest audience possible. Based in New York, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to tour extensively, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 US states, 45 countries and more than 480 cities worldwide. ABT’s repertoire includes complete 19th century classics, the finest early 20th century works and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by act of Congress, ABT was named America’s National Ballet Company®.
Learn more about ABT.org and follow ABT dancers at @abtofficial on Instagram, on Twitter at @ABTBallet and on Facebook at @AmericanBalletTheatre
Comments are closed.