American Ballet Theatre, an internationally celebrated cultural institution founded in 1940 and dedicated to preserving the legacy of classical dance, was designated as America’s National Ballet Company by an Act of Congress. It’s only fitting, then, that the renowned company is making a stop near our nation’s capital.
As part of its Across America Tour, which visits eight U.S. cities over 21 days, ABT is bringing its talented artists to Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg on July 19 for two outdoor performances, one at 5 p.m. and another at 8 p.m. Each 50-minute performance will take place on a custom-built 40-foot-by-76-foot stage on the resort’s grand lawn; the repertoire features La Follia Variations, Don Quixote Pas de Deux, Let Me Sing Forevermore, and Indestructible Light. Tickets include a suggested donation amount of $10, $25, and $50, with an option for an open-ended donation, and all proceeds will go to the Middleburg Community Center’s Art Program. Overnight resort packages give guests VIP seating access for two and a Champagne amenity.
“We’re honored and excited to be one of just eight stops on this incredible tour,” Sheila Johnson, founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts said in a statement. “I am always looking for ways to integrate the arts into the programming we offer at Salamander Resort & Spa, and believe these performances will provide a truly one-of-a-kind experience for our guests.”
ABT Across America is an homage to the cross-country tours that the company did in the 1940s and 1950s. Starting in Lincoln, Nebraska, the dancers, cast, and crew will cross the United States in a caravan of six sleeper buses and three production trucks, with 20 dancers and 28 support crew. The tour will travel across 14 states for a total of 3,100 miles, also stopping in Iowa City, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Charleston. The series concludes on July 21 with a performance at Rockefeller Center in New York City, where ABT offered its first public performances in 1940.
For more information about these performances and other summer offerings at the 340-acre equestrian-inspired luxury resort, visit its website.
Feature image by Erin Baiano, courtesy Vail Dance Festival
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