Birthday Offering

About this event

Birthday Offering is a one-scene ballet created by Frederick Ashton in 1956 for the 25th anniversary of the Sadler's Wells Ballet, shortly before the company received its royal charter and became The Royal Ballet. The work was created for seven leading ballerinas, with each dancer receiving a solo tailored to her individual qualities and artistry. It uses Alexander Glazunov's orchestral music, arranged and orchestrated by Robert Irving. The visual team comprises Andre Levasseur for costumes and Steven Shelley for lighting, with Helen Crawford credited as stager for the current ABT presentation. The staging draws on the Russian Imperial ballet tradition associated with Marius Petipa and Ninette de Valois, with drapes, chandeliers, standing candelabra and golden costumes creating a courtly palace setting. ABT presents the work within its Fall 2026 Neoclassical Works program.