A favorite dancer in the U. S. since 1995, Angel Corella will retire from American Ballet Theatre this spring. Audiences have been elated by his exuberance, his astounding leaps and pirouettes, and his warmth in classical roles from the Slave in Le Corsaire to all the prince roles. He has also created roles in works by Tharp, Wheeldon, Stanton Welch, and Mark Morris. Companies where he has been a guest artist include the Kirov Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The Australian Ballet, and La Scala.

In Dance Magazine's cover story on him in November 1995 (cover below), Elizabeth Kaye wrote: "In class other dancers gather around him when he does 20 pirouettes from a single preparation."

For his farewell performance on June 28, he will dance Swan Lake with Paloma Herrera. (I hope Nina Ananiashvili comes to his farewell, because I have a fabulous memory of Corella at her farewell.)

Corella will continue to lead Corella Ballet, both as artistic director and as principal dancer. The company, now known as Barcelona Ballet, appears at NY City Center, April 17–20.