Beauty and the Beast

American Repertory Ballet presents its highly anticipated world premiere of Beauty and the Beast choreographed by Resident Choreographer Kirk Peterson. The full-length ballet, set to music by Tchaikovsky, will be played live by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Nell Flanders. 

Choreography by Kirk Peterson
Music by Tchaikovsky

Belle - Nanako Yamamoto
Beast - Journy Wilkes-Davis

"I first saw the Cocteau film years ago, and the impact of that film immediately made me think that this could be a ballet."
- Kirk Peterson

Kirk Peterson - Choreographer

Kirk Peterson had a long and distinguished career with American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet. He was also a principal dancer with London Festival Ballet, Harkness Ballet, and the National Ballet of Washington. Peterson served as Artistic Director of the Hartford Ballet for five years. As a choreographer, his work has been seen with San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Washington Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, BalletMet, San Francisco Opera and The Royal Ballet School. Mr. Peterson was resident choreographer for Cincinnati Ballet for six years and he is also a repetiteur for the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust. He is currently Resident Choreographer at American Repertory Ballet.

Nell Flanders - Conductor

Nell Flanders is the assistant conductor of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. She has led performances with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chelsea Symphony, Mannes Orchestra, Peabody Symphony Orchestra and the Queens College Orchestra, among others. During 2016-17 she served as cover conductor with the Peabody Opera Theater, a role she also filled with the Buffalo Philharmonic for part of their 2014-15 season. Deeply committed to educating the next generation of musicians and music lovers, Ms. Flanders leads the Symphony Orchestra at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division where she also teaches conducting and violin lessons and coaches chamber music.
 

This performance has been generously funded in part by the late David A. Tierno and his wife Enea, with additional support from Duncan and Nancy MacMillan and The Edward T. Cone Foundation.

Ballet image by Lois Greenfield