Last seen at the venue in 1992, The Stuttgart Ballet returns to Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. with their production of John Cranko’s Onegin. This event is even more notable as 2025 marks the diamond jubilee of this balletic interpretation of Alexander Pushkin’s 1825 novel in verse Eugene Onegin.
Tchaikovsky’s score will fill the Opera House between October 8 and 12, 2025, opening the 2025-2026 ballet season at the Kennedy Center.
“The Stuttgart Ballet and John Cranko’s Onegin were a staple of Kennedy Center ballet programming in the 1970’s and 80’s.
The timeless relevance of Cranko’s choreography and Pushkin’s storytelling made this ballet an instant classic, and to be able to welcome this glorious company back to the Center decades later, especially as the work celebrates its 60th anniversary, is such a special moment for Washington audiences.”
– Jane Raleigh, Director of Dance Programming for The Kennedy Center
The Stuttgart Ballet Returns to Kennedy Center Performing Onegin

Despite its creation in 1965, Cranko’s work still resonates in the present. A romantic tale revolving around the unrequited love between Tatiana, a country girl, and Onegin, an urban aristocrat, themes such as social class disparity and gender conflicts are conveyed through the choreographer’s storytelling.
Featured Photo of The Stuttgart Ballet‘s Elisa Badenes and Friedemann Vogel in John Cranko’s Onegin. Photo by Roman Novitzky. Courtesy of The Kennedy Center.