In the Dutchess County Spotlight

The Richard B. Fisher Center is thrilled to welcome the return of American Ballet Theatre from October 5 - 7. Performances are set for Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and matinees on both Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. The program features three works from well-known American choreographers. The program includes Antony Tudor's The Leaves are Fading, Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room and Jose Limon's The Moor's Pavane. In addition, the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra will accompany each performance.

Each program presents an amazing story and speaks to the essence of the human spirit. Antony Tudor's The Leaves are Fading is a haunting meditation on youthful romance and time's bittersweet passing. Tudor has chosen primarily from Antoni­n Dvorak's little-known work, Cypresses for string quartet, together with other chamber music for strings written by the composer in the 1880s. Set to Dvorak's ravishing score, this was one of Tudor's last ballets, and it remains one of the major works in the choreographer's remarkable canon.

Having been set to music by Philip Glass, Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room embodies geometric patterns and freeform motion in her choreography, which demands talent and strength one might find in an Olympic gymnast's search for perfection.

Jose Limon's The Moor's Pavane demonstrates the passion and dramatic arc of Shakespeare's Othello, in one act. In the style of a high Renaissance court dance, the legend is about the hapless Moors, Othello's wrongly suspected wife, and Othello's treacherous friend and his wife. The four characters portray the tragedy of Everyman, and the ballet is timeless in its implications. Limon chose the music of Henry Purcell, from "Abdelazer," "The Gordian Knot Untied," and the pavane from "Pavane and Chaconne for Strings."

Recognized as one of the premier dance companies in the world, American Ballet Theatre brings the highest quality dance and dancers to audiences across the globe. American Ballet Theatre principal dancers performing are Roberto Bolle, Herman Cornejo, Marcelo Gomes, Julie Kent, Veronika Part, Xiomara Reyes, Polina Semionova, Hee Seo, and Cory Stearns. Kevin McKenzie is the company's artistic director. 

The tickets are $20, $30, $40, and $50. To purchase tickets call the Fisher Center box office at 845-758-7900, or go to http://fishercenter.bard.edu .

Getting there: The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts is located at  Annandale-on-Hudson, NY  12504-5000