American Ballet Theatre principal Marcelo Gomes to perform with Sarasota Ballet

Iain Webb, director of the Sarasota Ballet, has long admired Marcelo Gomes, a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.

But after his recent performance at the Sarasota Ballet's Celebration of Two Worlds, Webb says Gomes' artistry onstage planted seeds for an idea.

Gomes, one of the most in-demand male dancers in the classical ballet world, will join the Sarasota Ballet March 10 through 11 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall as a guest artist in the company's production of "A Tribute to Ashton." 

Gomes will perform in Sir Frederick Ashton's poignant two-act love-story ballet, "The Two Pigeons," which will join "Scènes de ballet" in the company's tribute to the late British ballet choreographer.

“Here is a young man — a beautiful dancer and an amazing artist — just perfect for the role of the young man in 'The Two Pigeons,'” said Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri, in a release.

This will be Gomes' first performance of "The Two Pigeons," but having performed in Ashton's "Cinderella," "Sylvia," "The Dream" and "La Fille mal gardée" with ABT, Gomes is familiar with the choreographer's style, and he says he looks forward to the opportunity. 

“This is a ballet I’ve wanted to dance for a very long time," said Gomes in a release. "And having the opportunity to work with Margaret (Barbieri) and Iain (Webb) on it, particularly considering their relationship and experience working first hand with Ashton, made this a project I simply couldn’t refuse.” 

Gomes, a sought-after, critically acclaimed dancer in the ballet world, has performed as a guest dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Dutch National Ballet and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. A native of Brazil, he has danced with ABT since 1997 and has performed in every full-length ballet in the company’s repertoire, as well as worked with some of ballet's most well-known choreographers.