American Ballet Theatre

You can usually tell how healthy a ballet company is by the degree of your interest in the middle ranks of the dancers—the not-yet stars, the up-and-comers.  read more »

Danny Elfman, the film composer who has written endearingly creepy scores for The Simpsons and dozens of Tim Burton movies like Edward Scissorhands (and whom some of us incidentally still think of as the ringleader of 1980's new-wave band Oingo Boingo), has been commissioned write for a ballet in production at the American Ballet Theatre.

The New York Sun reports:

American Ballet Theatre's spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House will include a new work by choreographer Twyla Tharp, the company announced yesterday. Ms. Tharp has choreographed 15 pieces for ABT. Her most recent ballet for the company, "The Brahms-Haydn Variations," was in 2000.

Ms. Tharp's new ballet, which will receive its world premiere on June 3, will be set to a commissioned score by Danny Elfman, known primarily for his compositions for film and television, including scores for "Chicago," "Edward Scissorhands," and "The Simpsons." It will mark Mr. Elfman's first composition for ballet.

Joel Lobenthal at The New York Sun wrote:

American Ballet Theatre's first-night galas, which have been on the upswing during the past few years, backslid Tuesday night at the opening of its annual City Center season. The programming was stolid. The personnel were needlessly restricted, and the performances should have been better. ABT's galas in recent years have included novelty items, often pairing the dancers with noted classical musicians. This time there were no special occasion pieces.