Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen announced today the complete repertoire and casting for Boston Ballet’s one-night-only, all-star performance, Night of Stars, which takes place Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 7pm. This performance marks the start of Boston Ballet’s premiere season in its new home, The Boston Opera House, and the beginning of a new era for the Company. Night of Stars features the full company, as well as students of Boston Ballet School, the Boston Ballet Orchestra, and internationally renowned guest artists Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg of The Royal Ballet.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Boston into our new home for Night of Stars,” said Nissinen. “This evening is a celebration of dance and music. It’s the perfect way to kick off a new era and new season. Night of Stars has something for everyone – a chance to see contemporary work take the stage with classical technique, to experience the beautiful Boston Opera House, and enjoy the sounds of the Boston Ballet Orchestra in the newly restored orchestra pit.”
The evening will open with an excerpt from Balanchine’s Diamonds, performed by the company last spring and met with rave reviews from The New York Times. The program also features works by Jirí Kylián, Helen Pickett, Marius Petipa and a new work by Boston Ballet principal dancers Melissa Hough and James Whiteside. Boston Ballet’s new company members and seasoned stars will be highlighted in a wide range of works.
This year’s celebrated guest artists are Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg of The Royal Ballet, who will perform the pas de deux from Coppélia.
Cojocaru trained in Kiev before joining The Royal Ballet School in 1998 on a Prix de Lausanne scholarship. She returned to dance with Kiev Ballet for a year before joining The Royal Ballet. Cojocaru was promoted to principal in 2001. Cojocaru has received The Nijinsky Award, the Prix De Lausanne, and the gold medal in the Nagoya International Ballet Competition, among other international prizes and awards.
Kobborg entered the Royal Danish Ballet School in 1988 and shortly after became an apprentice with the company. He joined the Royal Danish Ballet in 1991 and was promoted to principal in 1994. Kobborg joined The Royal Ballet in 1999 after having performed with the company as a guest artist. Among numerous distinguished prizes and awards, Kobborg was nominated for the Benois de La Danse and the Laurence Olivier Award.
The complete Night of Stars programming follows:
Casting and repertoire subject to change.
Diamonds (excerpt)
Music: P.I. Tchaikovsky
Choreography: George Balanchine
Dancers: Company
Harlequinade (excerpt)
Music: Riccardo Drigo
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Dancer: Whitney Jensen, Jeffrey Cirio, Isaac Akiba
Zero Hour
Music: Antonio Vivaldi
Choreography: Melissa Hough and James Whiteside
Dancers: Melissa Hough and James Whiteside
The Little Humpbacked Horse (excerpt)
Music: Rodion Shchedrin
Choreography: Aleksandr Radunksy
Dancer: Larissa Ponomarenko
Giselle (Act II pas de deux)
Music: Adolphe Adam
Choreography: after Marius Petipa and Jean Coralli, staged by Maina Gielgud
Dancers: Erica Cornejo and Nelson Madrigal
Eventide (excerpt)
Music: Phillip Glass
Choreography: Helen Pickett
Dancers: Company
Afternoon of a Faun
Music: Claude Debussy
Choreography: Vaslav Nijinsky
Dancers: Altan Dugaraa and Lorna Feijóo with Company
Rose Adagio
Music: P.I. Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Dancer: Misa Kuranaga, Yury Yanowsky, Sabi Varga, Jaime Diaz, Bo Busby
Petite Mort
Music: Wolfgang Mozart
Choreography: Jirí Kylián
Dancers: Company
Coppélia (pas de deux)
Music: Leo Delibes
Dancers: Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg
Courtesy of The Royal Ballet
Défile
Dancers: Company, Boston Ballet II and Boston Ballet School students
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 are on sale now. 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 are 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.
