Those Italian teens Romeo and Juliet may be the touchstone tale of tragic young love, but choreographer Alexei Ratmansky draws from an earlier Greek story of doomed romance in Of Love and Rage, his latest for American Ballet Theatre. Derived from a first-century Greek novel, the plot centers on a woman who realizes her beauty, stealthily backed by her brains, are her only power and makes use of both in a story rife with love, betrayal, forgiveness and all the familiar ballet emotions that the title strongly suggests won’t end “happily ever after.”

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American Ballet Theatre, Of Love & Rage (photo by Erin Baiano)

Ratmansky has provocatively chosen music by Aram Khachaturian, who provided the sweeping score for the ballet Spartacus, and an ABT visit is always a chance to see beautiful dancers. Scheduled casting is at the website.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa; Thu.-Fri., March 5-6, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., March 7, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Sun., March 8, 1 p.m.; $29-$189. scfta.org.

 

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