American Ballet Theatre (ABT), America’s National Ballet Company,® returns to North Carolina for the first time in over 50 years with the romantic masterwork Giselle. This engrossing tale of unrequited love, revenge, and forgiveness has been an “enduring classic” (The New York Times) for nearly 200 years because of the exquisite and exacting dancing it requires of its entire ensemble. In the hands of ABT, one of the world’s leading ballet companies, Giselle is transcendent – an unmissable evening of stunning artistry.
ABT was founded in the fall of 1939 with dual aims of developing a repertoire of the best ballets from the past and supporting the creation of new works by gifted young choreographers. 80 years later, ABT is one of the world’s preeminent classical ballet companies, a world-touring ambassador for the art form, a committed choreographic commissioner, and an energetic leader in ballet education and outreach. All of these qualities animate Duke’s historic multi-year institutional collaboration with ABT, which culminates with this run of performances by American Ballet Theatre at DPAC.