#TBT: Ashley Tuttle and Ethan Stiefel in Bruch Violin Concerto

May 24, 2017

In the midst of American Ballet Theatre’s annual eight-week long season at the Metropolitan Opera House, so much focus is on the company’s rising stars. But it’s always fun to look back at some of our ABT favorites from years past.

We love this full-length film of the third movement of Clark Tippet’s 1987 Bruch Violin Concerto starring Ashley Tuttle and Ethan Stiefel. In case that’s not enough, Julie Kent, Robert Hill, Paloma Herrera, Keith Roberts, Yan Chen and Angel Corella join the leads on stage in a flurry of jewel-colored tutus.

Tuttle sparkles onstage in all pink, her movement both crisp and fluid. Don’t miss her solo at 2:25 as she plays with musicality and seamlessly switches between turns and jumps in attitude, of course landing gracefully in Stiefel’s arms for an arabesque press lift at 2:47.

A voiceover at the end of the clip asks the dancers to name the single most important quality for a dancer to possess. Their answers? Determination, freedom, personality, passion, desire, honesty, to be yourself on stage, versatility and a sense of humor, among others. Overall, timeless advice for us all to live by. Happy #ThrowbackThursday!

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