KATHERINE DUNHAM

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRETHE OTHER INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AMERICANBALLET COMPANY IS ABT.IT HAS A MUCH BROADER STYLISTIC BASE THAN NYCBALLET.ITS MISSION IS TO PRESENT GREAT BALLETS IN ALL STYLES,FROM A NUMBER OF HISTORICAL PERIODS.ABT WAS FORMED IN 1939 WHEN RICHARD PLEASANTBECAME MANAGER OF MORDKIN BALLET.HE WANTED A VERSATILE ENSEMBLE THAT PERFORMS THEGREAT CLASSICS AS WELL AS NEW WORKS BY A VARIETYOF CHOREOGRAPHERS BALANCING ITS AMERICANCREATIONS WITH OTHERS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN.ABT HAS BEEN THE MAJOR AMERICAN SHOWCASE FOR THEGREAT CLASSICS AND HAS CONTRIBUTED ENORMOUSLYTO THE BALLET REPERTORY OF OUR TIME.