Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, performances will begin in October 2014 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Casting and additional details about Little Dancer will be announced at a later date.

"Part fact, part fiction, and set in the harsh backstage world of the Paris Opera Ballet," Little Dancer, according to the Kennedy Center, is "inspired by the young ballerina who posed for Edgar Degas and became, inadvertently, the most famous dancer in the world. Torn by her family’s poverty, her debt to the artist and the lure of wealthy men, Marie struggles to keep her place in the ballet corps—a girl on the verge of womanhood, caught between the conflicting demands of life and art."

Ahrens and Flaherty said in a statement, “It feels as if our Little Dancer is about to step off her pedestal at the National Gallery of Art and spring to life on stage. We're delighted to be returning to the Kennedy Center with a brand new musical.”

“I am happy the last major musical production of my tenure at the Kennedy Center will be a new work with such a talented creative team,” stated Kennedy Center president Michael M. Kaiser. “I look forward to working with Lynn, Stephen, and Susan in the months ahead.”

For more information about the Kennedy Center, visit www.kennedy-center.org.