NY ballet crowd fetes Cornejo on 20th ABT anniversary

This news has been read 4603 times!

On a night full of balletic leaps, the most joyous came during curtain calls, when iconic American choreographer Twyla Tharp bounded into the arms of dancer Herman Cornejo to celebrate his 20th anniversary on the New York stage.

Cornejo, a dashing figure with a mop of dark hair and a breathtaking leap himself, has been a favorite of New York ballet audiences ever since he set foot on the American Ballet Theatre stage as a teenager from Argentina two decades ago.

On Saturday night at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, the company honored his milestone with showers of confetti, garlands of flowers and a special ballet choreographed by Tharp, “A Gathering of Ghosts”.

The evening began with Cornejo, all in white, performing the title role in George Balanchine’s “Apollo”, debuting in the classic role at the seasoned age of 38. It proved a perfect match for his dramatic sensibilities and his physical gifts of a feather-light jump and superb control. Dancing opposite him as Terpsichore was ballerina Misty Copeland, a longtime and frequent partner.

Next came a short film in which Cornejo, as narrator, introduced himself. “Dance has given me a beautiful way of living,” he said, noting how he first became enamored with ballet as an 8-year-old boy in Buenos Aires, when he saw a production of “Spartacus”. (AP)

This news has been read 4603 times!