The American Ballet Theatre Studio Company will bring ballet’s past and future to the Rialto for one night only

Dance and the notion of time are inextricably linked. Dance vanishes almost as quickly as it comes, leaving nothing tangible behind. Still, it possesses the extraordinary capacity to etch itself into memory, creating moments in which the past, present and future coexist.

The Rialto Center for the Arts celebrates this remarkable convergence on Saturday, November 14, with a one-night-only performance by American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, the pre-professional troupe of young dancers in the pipeline to dance for The American Ballet Theatre. There is a particular thrill in watching young artists on the cusp of becoming, when possibility is still limitless and the future has yet to announce itself. By bringing historic and contemporary works to life through the artistry of ballet’s next generation, the evening promises a compelling dialogue between legacy and possibility.

There will be plenty of dance to digest, both old and new. The program offers a glimpse into the playful patriotism of George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes and stages the sweeping romance of the adagio from The Sleeping Beauty. It includes a premiere by Brady Farrar, the youngest choreographer ever commissioned by American Ballet Theatre, and a revival of the first Justin Peck work created for ABT Studio Company, Dig the Say. Rhythm, pomp, humor and romance will share the stage, alongside nods to Marius Petipa, one of classical ballet’s defining architects.

The Rialto is marking milestones of its own: a 30-year marriage to Georgia State University and 110 years as a fixture of downtown Atlanta’s cultural landscape. With these anniversaries in mind, Executive Director Amy Reid developed the 2026–27 season around the notion of time, welcoming familiar artists back while opening the door to new relationships. The ABT Studio Company performance is among the season’s highlights, uniting an honored artistic tradition with the dancers who will carry it forward. And it’s rare for the ABT Studio Company to tour in Atlanta. Yet, dance can still be a difficult sell. Reid remained determined, intent on cultivating an appetite for artistic discovery at the Rialto and encouraging audiences to venture beyond the familiar.

Founded in 1939, American Ballet Theatre has helped shape the course of American dance, its stages graced by generations of extraordinary artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Misty Copeland and Alessandra Ferri. Its Studio Company lets audiences watch that legacy in the making: young dancers poised to become the next custodians of a celebrated tradition, bringing fresh perspectives to an art form steeped in history.

For ABT Studio Company Artistic Director Sascha Radetsky, the occasion carries its own sense of history. A former dancer with American Ballet Theatre and Dutch National Ballet, and perhaps best remembered by film audiences as Charlie, “the one with the piercing eyes,” in Nicholas Hytner’s 2000 film Center Stage, Radetsky now finds himself nurturing the next generation of artists at the very institution that shaped his own career. “There is particular joy,” he says, “in guiding young dancers as they navigate the pivotal transition from student to professional.” Describing the dancers on this tour as precociously focused, driven, talented, passionate and devoid of cynicism, Radetsky is unequivocal: “These dancers are experienced and ready.”

The evening will traverse a range of textures, aesthetics and theatrical demands through repertory traditionally entrusted to more seasoned dancers. Shifting between genres and characterizations is no small feat for any artist, though perhaps younger dancers possess a particular advantage: the openness of an emerging artistic identity. The challenge is not simply to live up to the legends who came before them but to discover how much of themselves they dare bring to the roles. Audiences, in turn, have the opportunity to witness not only the preservation of tradition but its continuing evolution.

Deepening this conversation across generations, the evening begins with a panel discussion featuring current artistic and executive directors alongside current and former dancers. Moderating the discussion is Dance Canvas Founder and Director Angela Harris, long celebrated as a pied piper for the next generation of movement artists. The conversation will explore the intersections of tradition, training, shifting attitudes and artistic longevity. Poignantly, these questions extend well beyond the dance studio. How do we honor what came before us without becoming beholden to it? How do we evolve without abandoning what has shaped us? The answers, or perhaps the questions themselves, may resonate with anyone navigating the passage of time.

The past has shaped these dancers, the future awaits them and, for one evening, audiences have the rare privilege of witnessing the extraordinary space between.

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company at the Rialto Center for the Arts. November 14 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $45.

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Born in Tehran, Iran, George Staib is of Armenian descent. He has lived in the United States since the age of 10, when his family was forced to flee the Iranian revolution. He is the artistic director of staibdance and a professor of practice in the dance program at Emory University.