Veronika Part of American Ballet Theater Announces Her Retirement

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Veronika Part, the Russian-born ballerina who has been a principal dancer with American Ballet Theater since 2009, will retire from the company at the end of this season.

Her final performance will be on Saturday afternoon alongside the soloists Blaine Hoven and Arron Scott in George Balanchine’s “Mozartiana,” part of Ballet Theater’s “Tchaikovsky Spectacular,” which is closing its spring season at the Metropolitan Opera.

A former dancer with the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, Ms. Part, 39, joined Ballet Theater in 2002 as a soloist. Seven years later, after nearly leaving the company for fear of a stagnating career, she was promoted to principal dancer — a milestone that warranted an appearance on late-night TV, a rarity for the world of ballet, on David Letterman’s show.

Her repertory with Ballet Theater has included leading roles in Frederick Ashton’s “Sylvia,” Alexei Ratmansky’s “The Nutcracker” and Balanchine’s “Prodigal Son.” She has performed as both Princess Aurora and the Lilac Fairy in Mr. Ratmansky’s staging of “The Sleeping Beauty,” and recently danced Odette and Odile in “Swan Lake.”

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