On your toes in New York

New York's Metropolitan Opera Theatre at the Lincoln Centre is gearing up for arguably the most spectacular event on its yearly calendar.

May 14th will see the start of the acclaimed American Ballet Theatre's (ABT's) annual Met Season, where the finest dancers of the company bring classics to life on stage.

The opening night will see a gala of spectacular costumes and set designs as a backdrop to the movements of the ensemble.

Between this night and June 14th, audiences can enjoy such classics as Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake and Cinderella.

Theatregoers will also be magically transported to exotic destinations such as India, in the Russian classic La Bayadere, and the enchanting Paris in Kenneth MacMillan's Manon.

The Sleeping Beauty will have its premiere during the ABT's Met Season, with it being performed for the first time on June 1st.

Launched in 1939, the ABT was given the status of national living treasure one year later.

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