November 22, 2024 will see the culmination of a 10-day choreographic workshop at American Ballet Theatre‘s 890 Broadway Studios. The 2024 ABT Incubator will continue the mission of nurturing creative talent from within the company and feature six choreographers from within the ranks.
After an audition held in June and adjudicated by Susan Jaffe (ABT Artistic Director), Jose Sebastian (ABT dancer and Incubator Director), Clinton Luckett (ABT Associate Artistic Director), Sascha Radetsky (Artistic Director of ABT Studio Company), and Stella Abrera (Artistic Director, ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School), the following will be granted mentorship, studio time, and a stipend to choreograph on their fellow dancers:
- Madison Brown
- Claire Davison*
- Zhong-Jing Fang*
- Camila Ferrera
- Melvin Lawovi*
- Duncan Lyle*
“It is always thrilling to watch artists stretch themselves and explore new terrain, and that’s what it is all about. ABT Incubator is an ABT gem dedicated to the mission of creating opportunities for these emerging artists to hone their craft. I feel privileged to be a part of it.”
Jose Sebastian, Director of ABT Incubator
Sebastian has helmed the project since 2020, succeeding then ABT Principal Dancer David Hallberg who helped establish the initiative in 2018.
Jaffe adds, “It is encouraging to see our dancers lean into their classical training in creating new pieces. There is something beautiful in their efforts to keep ballet new, fresh, and relevant, while still honoring the tradition and the technique of the art form.”
2024 ABT INCUBATOR CHOREOGRAPHERS
Madison Brown, originally from Wellington, Florida, was an ABT National Training Scholar from 2018-2021, joined the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in 2021, and joined ABT Studio Company in January 2022. She became a member of the corps de ballet in July 2024.
Claire Davison, born in Boulder, Colorado, joined the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in 2010 upon receiving the Ron and Toby Altman scholarship. She joined ABT as an apprentice in November 2012 and the corps de ballet in June 2013. Davison has created three works for ABT’s choreographic workshops: Mais Oui, Dansez! (2014) for The Innovation Initiative and Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (2019) and Eve (2022) for ABT Incubator.
Zhong-Jing Fang, born in Shanghai, China, joined ABT as an apprentice in April 2003, became a member of the corps de ballet in January 2004, and was promoted to Soloist in September 2018. Fang has created three works for ABT Incubator, including The Final Frame (2011), An Observation of the Dress Code (2019), and The Unforeseen (2021).
Camila Ferrera, from Hoboken, New Jersey, attended the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in 2018, before which she had attended ABT summer intensives for five years. She joined the corps de ballet in March 2022.
Melvin Lawovi, who is from Toulouse, France, joined American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in January 2018, became an apprentice with the main Company in December 2019, and joined the corps de ballet in September 2021. He created Soirée Nocturne for ABT 2021 Incubator.
Duncan Lyle, was born in Melbourne, Australia, and joined the corps de ballet of American Ballet Theatre in 2012. Lyle created The Same Cage for ABT 2018 Incubator in.
*previous participants in other ABT Incubator editions
Featured Photo for the 2024 ABT Incubator of American Ballet Theatre’s Courtney Shealy, Tyler Maloney, and Carlos Gonzalez. Photo by J.J. Geiger.
