Brooklyn Mack to Debut With American Ballet Theatre in "Le Corsaire"

January 6, 2019

American Ballet Theatre announced today that Brooklyn Mack, a former Washington Ballet star, will join the company as a guest for its spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House. Currently an in-demand international guest artist, Mack will dance in three performances of ABT’s Le Corsaire this June.

Known for his powerful, show-stopping bravura, Mack first made waves on the international ballet competition scene, winning medals at Jackson, Helsinki and Varna (where he won gold). After dancing with the Joffrey Ballet, ABT’s Studio Company and Orlando Ballet, he joined TWB, where he stayed for nine years. During that time he was nominated for the prestigious Benois de la Danse award and launched a high-profile guest-artist career, performing in Moscow, Paris, Havana and with the English National Ballet (where he also performed Le Corsaire—check out this rehearsal footage below with Bolshoi legend Irek Mukhamedov).

Many were surprised when Mack announced that he was leaving TWB last September. He later told The Washington Post that he and TWB artistic director Julie Kent could not come to an agreement over his salary, workload and guesting schedule. Mack has wasted no time since then, dancing with Tiler Peck at New York City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival, as well as guest performances with the State Ballet of Georgia and Hong Kong Ballet (now led by Mack’s former boss Septime Webre, who left TWB in 2016).

This June marks Mack’s ABT debut, and his performances will bring welcome diversity to the season’s male casting. Mack is set to dance the role of Ali at the matinee on Wednesday, June 12, and the central role of Conrad on the evenings of June 13 and June 15.