Boston Ballet embarks upon its 47th season on September 19, 2009 at the company’s new home theatre, The Boston Opera House, in Boston’s Theatre District. Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen’s fall programming includes the fourth annual Night of Stars featuring the talents of the entire company, the classic and critically acclaimed Giselle, the World Passions program complete with new works and a world premiere, and the 42nd season of Boston’s beloved holiday tradition, The Nutcracker.
“I’m excited to set our dancers on a new stage and welcome audiences to The Boston Opera House,” said Nissinen. “This is an exhilarating time for the company – we have fresh talents entering the Company, a renovated orchestra pit, exciting repertoire this season, and a great home with fantastic sightlines and ambiance to showcase it all.”
Boston Ballet commences its inaugural season at The Boston Opera House with Night of Stars, a thrilling program that showcases the entire company in varied repertoire with internationally renowned guest artists Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg from The Royal Ballet. Boston Ballet’s all-star roster will shine especially bright with five new principal dancers, Kathleen Breen Combes, Pavel Gurevich, Melissa Hough, Misa Kuranaga and James Whiteside. Additionally, Nissinen will display the breadth of Boston Ballet by featuring the Company and Boston Ballet School students in a grand défile.
Two weeks later, Boston Ballet opens Giselle, its first full-length ballet in The Boston Opera House with the renovated orchestra pit, now truly befitting of the talents of the Boston Ballet Orchestra. Maina Gielgud’s acclaimed production of Giselle is the crowning achievement of the Romantic era of ballet. The season continues with World Passions, a thrilling mixed repertory program featuring a new version of Paquita by Pino Alosa after Marius Petipa, Viktor Plotnikov’s Rhyme, Jorma Elo’s Carmen/Illusions and a World Premiere by Helen Pickett. The beloved Boston tradition, The Nutcracker, returns for the holiday season on November 27 for its 42nd consecutive year.
All performances are held at The Boston Opera House.
Night of Stars
September 19, 2009
Night of Stars, a spectacular showcase of Boston Ballet’s exciting and varied repertoire, opens the 2009-2010 season at The Boston Opera House. The evening features the talents of the entire company, including Boston Ballet’s Principal dancers and rising stars. Following the 2008 Night of Stars, Matthew Reed Baker of Boston Magazine wrote, “I’ll wax like a rhapsodic moon over Boston Ballet’s Night of Stars. It was the most thrilling performing arts experience I’ve had this year. [It] was as moving as it was exhilarating.” This unique evening provides audiences with a taste of the upcoming season, the talents of Boston Ballet and is the first opportunity for the company to welcome Boston audiences to its new home theater. This year’s Night of Stars will include works by Helen Pickett, George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, Vaslav Nijinsky, and Jirí Kylián as well as a performance by guest artists Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg from The Royal Ballet.
Giselle
October 1-11, 2009
Music: Adolfe Adam
Production and Staging: Maina Gielgud
Choreography: After Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa
Maina Gielgud’s production of Giselle takes the stage at The Boston Opera House for the first time to open the Company’s season. When Giselle was last presented, critics raved and The Boston Globe wrote, “This is a ‘Giselle’ that stays with you long after you leave the theatre. You’ll be chilled to the bone, but also warmed to the heart.” Set to Adolphe Adam’s score, Giselle is the most poetic of all nineteenth-century full-length works. Giselle, choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, received its triumphant world premiere in Paris on June 28, 1841 and soon became an international success. The ballet underwent a dramatic transformation when Marius Petipa staged the ballet in Russia twice in the 1880s and again in 1899. It is Petipa’s Giselle that has served as a model for most twentieth-century productions.
World Passions
October 22-November 1, 2009
Paquita – BOSTON BALLET PREMIERE
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Choreography: Pino Alosa after Marius Petipa
Rhyme
Music: Frederic Chopin
Choreography: Viktor Plotnikov
WORLD PREMIERE
Music: Arvo Pärt
Choreography: Helen Pickett
Carmen/Illusions
Music: Rodion Shchedrin
Choreography: Jorma Elo
An evening of variety and innovation by four international choreographers, World Passions will please audiences with its contrasts and display the versatility of the company. The program includes the world premiere of Pino Alosa’s new version of the Petipa classic, Paquita, a quick, bright work with Spanish influence. A set of new works, by rising talents Viktor Plotnikov and Helen Pickett, are at the center of the evening. Plotnikov, a former Principal dancer with Boston Ballet, choreographed Rhyme for the 2008 Night of Stars. Rhyme, a pas de deux set to Chopin, is a play on light and darkness which Plotnikov describes as “telling a poem with two bodies.” Pickett’s world premiere is a passionate, sensual pas de deux. This will be her third commission for Boston Ballet following Etesian and Eventide. World Passions closes with Jorma Elo’s Carmen/Illusions, a stunning revision of the original, premiered by Boston Ballet in 2006.
The Nutcracker
November 27-December 27, 2009
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Mikko Nissinen
Following the opening of The Nutcracker last season, Karen Campbell wrote in The Boston Globe, “The Nutcracker provides a sugar rush into the holiday season. The company’s version of this beloved classic sports vivid, imaginative scenery, captivating special effects, substantive choreography and exquisite dancing.” Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, features the Company and more than 250 children from Boston Ballet School, hailed last year as “adorable, focused and disciplined” handling serious pattern and partner work with “impressive aplomb.” This holiday tradition has showcased Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet School’s artistry, technique and love for dance for more than 40 years and continues to delight Boston audiences. The cherished Tchaikovsky score will be performed live at The Boston Opera House by the Boston Ballet Orchestra in the newly renovated orchestra pit.
2009-2010 Season Tickets
New subscriptions for the 2009-2010 season and tickets for The Nutcracker are on sale now. Tickets for the 2009-2010 season go on sale August 18, 2009. All 2009-2010 tickets may be purchased through Boston Ballet by phone at 617.695.6955 or in person at the box office at 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, Mon–Fri, 9am-5pm and Sat, 11am-6pm (Sat hours Sept–May only). Subscriptions and all tickets will be available for sales online 24 hours a day at www.bostonballet.org. Prices for season ballets and Night of Stars start at $25. Prices for The Nutcracker start at $35. Discounted group tickets (10 or more for season ballets and 20 or more for The Nutcracker) are available by calling Boston Ballet’s Group Sales at 617.456.6343. Contact the Boston Ballet Box Office at 617.695.6955 or visit www.bostonballet.org for details.
Since 1963, Boston Ballet has been one of the leading dance companies in the world on stage, in the studio and in the community. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Executive Director Barry Hughson, the Company maintains an internationally acclaimed repertoire and the largest ballet school in North America, Boston Ballet School.
Boston Ballet maintains a repertoire of classical, neo-classical and contemporary works, ranging from full-length story ballets to new works by some of today's finest choreographers. Boston Ballet's second company, Boston Ballet II, is comprised of pre-professional dancers who gain experience by performing with the Company and independently, presenting lecture-demonstrations and special programs to audiences throughout the Northeast.
Boston Ballet School, the official school of Boston Ballet, has a long-standing dedication to excellence and access and reaches more than 10,000 students ages 2-adult each year through Boston Ballet School classes, Summer Dance Workshop, Summer Dance Program, Citydance, Taking Steps, and Adaptive Dance. The wide array of dance programs are held at four studio locations in Boston, Newton, Norwell and Marblehead, as well as community centers and in Boston Public Schools.
