The Bermuda Festival's penultimate offering tonight at the Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts will provide a rare treat for dance aficionados.

Entitled 'A Gala Evening of Ballet', it will combine the artistry of two outstanding ballet companies The American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet and feature their principal dancers and soloists.

The programme will include some of renowned choreographer George Balanchine's pieces, as well as new works, among them a Tchaikovsky pas de deux; a Minkus pas de quatre; Balanchine's 'Apollo' a piece regarded as his artistic coming of age and the entire cast in 'Mad about the Boy'.

The American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is recognised as one of the world's great dance companies. Few can equal it for its combination of size, scope and outreach.

Founded in 1940, the ABT has appeared in a total of 126 cities in 421 countries during its 60-year history, as well as all 50 US states.

When the company was launched initially, its aim was to develop a repertoire of the best ballets from the past, and to encourage the creation of new works by gifted young choreographers, wherever they might be found.

The ABT repertoire, perhaps unmatched in the history of ballet, includes all of the great full-length ballets of the 19th century, such as 'Swan Lake', 'The Sleeping Beauty' and 'Giselle'; the finest works from the early part of the 20th century, among them 'Apollo', 'Les Sylphides', 'Jardin aux Lilas', and 'Rodeo'; and such acclaimed contemporary masterpieces as 'Airs', 'Push Comes to Shove', and 'Duets'.

In acquiring such an extraordinary repertoire, ABT has commissioned works by all of the great choreographic geniuses of the 20th century, including George Balanchine; Jerome Robbins, who became the Company's assistant director in 1948; Agnes de Mille, and Twyla Tharp.

Past artistic directors include the legendary Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. The present incumbent, Kevin McKenzie, remains steadfast in his vision of ABT as 'American'. He is committed to maintaining the Company's vast repertoire, and to bringing the magic of dance theatre to the great stages of the world.

The New York City Ballet, another of the world's foremost dance companies, is unique in US artistic history. Solely responsible for training its own artists and creating its own works, it was the first ballet institution in the world with two permanent homes: the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. New York City Ballet was Lincoln Kirstein's idea.

He envisioned an American ballet where young native dancers could be trained and schooled under the guidance of the world's greatest ballet masters to perform a new, modern repertory. When he met George Balanchine in London in 1933, Kirstein knew he had found the right person for his dream, and Balanchine went to America in 1933 to help start the school, which was to serve as the incubator of their American ballet.

After the Second World War Kirstein and Balanchine formed a new company, Ballet Society. Its performance at New York's City Center for Music and Drama so impressed the Center's chairman that the ensemble was transformed into the New York City Ballet. Its goal was to produce and perform a new ballet repertory which would re-imagine the principles of classical dance, and the rest is history.

Today, the Company has approximately 90 dancers, making it the largest dance organisation in America. It has an active repertory of more than 150 works, principally choreographed by Balanchine, Robbins and Peter Martins.

Since 1990, Ballet Master in Chief Mr. Martins has retained sole responsibility for the Company's operations. While Balanchine and Kirstein shaped the history of 20th century dance, New York City Ballet remains committed to the preservation of Balanchine's ideals under his leadership.

Curtain time is 8 p.m.

For ticket information see websites www.bermudafestival.org or www.bdatix.bm For ticket purchases only telephone 232-2255. For general information about the Festival telephone 232-8499. For in-person ticket purchases, visit BDATIX ticket centres at: the iStore, 46 Reid Street, Hamilton (open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and Fabulous Fashions, Heron Bay Plaza, Southampton (open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).