In Autumn 2024, American Ballet Theatre presented new productions with music by Isobel Waller-Bridge and Dai Fujikura.

Isobel Waller-Bridge: Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment, Isobel Waller-Bridge's first ballet commissioned by American Ballet Theatre, received its world premiere at David Koch Theater in New York on October 30. With choreography, co-direction, and treatment by Helen Pickett, Crime and Punishment is based on Dostoevsky’s psychological thriller and is the first full-length ABT ballet scored and choreographed by women.

Dai Fujikura: Neo

Alexei Ratmansky's Neo, set to music composed by Dai Fujikura, received its Company Premiere by the American Ballet Theatre at David Koch Theater in New York on October 19. The piece was originally created for ABT Principal Dancers James Whiteside and Isabella Boylston in a 2021 digital performance presented by The Joyce Theater in New York.

About Neo

Until now, I have never written for the shamisen. For me personally, Japanese instruments are the cliché music we hear in Japanese restaurants outside of Japan, or what we see on New Year’s Day television programs in Japan. When Honjoh Hidejiro commissioned this work, I realized I needed to do extensive research to be able to write for the shamisen. I worked closely with Hidejiro, as he would be the player who would premiere this piece, and we exchanged ideas through lots of Skype sessions as well as emails, with me sending him portions of written music and then listening to his recordings. "neo" is a part of shamisen. For some reason, I had a rather cartoon or comic book-like image about the instrument. Like some ninja or samurai who plays shamisen, and a part of the shamisen is a samurai sword, or something (yes, I watch too many movies and too much TV). In particular, though, my attraction to the shamisen was the concept of adding "noise" to the sound, which is unthinkable in western classical music. I loved it. I immediately thought of it as a bit like distortion with an electric guitar. So I treated this piece like a guitar solo in rock concert. I hope you are cheering and screaming when he finishes this piece, like you would in a rock concert.