Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen announced today programming and casting for Boston Ballet’s sixth annual Night of Stars performance at The Boston Opera House. Night of Stars, on Saturday, October 29 at 7:30 pm, will launch the 2011-2012 season - Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen’s 10th Anniversary year with the company.
“Night of Stars is always a momentous occasion for Boston Ballet,” said Nissinen. “This year the performance will be a special occasion for me to celebrate with the company as I begin my 10th season with Boston Ballet. Night of Stars will feature the broad range of repertoire the company is known for as well as guest artist Jennifer DePalo. It’s not often you can see a ballet by Jorma Elo on stage with the works of George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, and Martha Graham. The evening is sure to be a showcase of the company’s diverse repertoire and capabilities.”
The evening will open with an excerpt from Jorma Elo’s Double Evil, last presented as part of the Elo Experience program, which was met with rave reviews in spring 2011. Marius Petipa’s Carnival in Venice, excerpts from Boston Ballet’s world premiere production of La Bayadére presented in fall 2010, and a preview of Florence Clerc’s Les Sylphides will continue the evening. Guest artist Jennifer DePalo of Martha Graham Dance Company will dance three works including Ted Shawn’s Serenata Morisca and Martha Graham’s Lamentation and Satyric Festival Song.
The evening will also include Jerome Robbins’ Antique Epigraphs, George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and an excerpt from William Forsythe’s The Second Detail. Night of Stars will close with a Défilé featuring the entire company, Boston Ballet II, and more than 75 students of Boston Ballet School.
Guest artist for Night of Stars, Jennifer DePalo, studied dance at Boston Conservatory. DePalo is a principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company. She has been has been hailed by The New York Times as a “stand out” and “immeasurably exuberant”. DePalo has also performed as a principal for Ballet Hispanico and Buglisi/Foreman Dance. She is an honored recipient of the Princess Grace Award for Artistic Excellence.
Programming and Casting for Night of Stars:
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Double Evil
Music: Philip Glass
Choreography: Jorma Elo
Dancers: Lia Cirio, Sylvia Deaton, Dalay Parrondo, Rie Ichikawa, Isaac Akiba, Paulo Arrais, Lasha Khozashvili, Yury Yanowsky
Carnival in Venice
Music: Cesare Pugni
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Dancers: Adiarys Almeida, Joseph Gatti, Keenan Kampa, Paul Craig, Kimberly Uphoff, Artyom Maksakov, Ashley Ellis, Boyko Dossev, Ekaterine Chubinidze, Bradley Schlagheck
Serenata Morisca
Music: Mario Tarenghi
Choreography: Ted Shawn
Dancer: Jennifer DePalo
Golden Idol (excerpt from La Bayadère)
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Choreography: Florence Clerc
Dancer: Jeffrey Cirio
Indians (excerpt from La Bayadère)
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Choreography: Florence Clerc
Dancers: Sarah Wroth, Sabi Varga, Altan Dugaraa and company
Les Sylphides Pas de Deux
Music: Frederic Chopin
Choreography: Florence Clerc
Dancers: Lorna Feijóo, Nelson Madrigal
Lamentation
Music: Zoltan Kodaly
Choreography: Martha Graham
Dancers: Jennifer DePalo
The Second Detail (excerpt)
Music: Thom Willems
Choreography: William Forsythe
Dancers: Kathleen Breen Combes, Lia Cirio, Tiffany Hedman, Brittany Summer, Rachel Cossar, Whitney Jensen, Erica Cornejo, James Whiteside, Bradley Schlagheck, Paul Craig, Bo Busby, John Lam, Isaac Akiba, Robert Kretz
Antique Epigraphs
Music: Claude Debussy
Choreography: Jerome Robbins
Dancers: Kathleen Breen Combes, Lia Cirio, Erica Cornejo, Corina Gill with Kimberly Uphoff, Kelsey Hellebuyck, Emily Mistretta, Alison Basford
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux
Music: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Choreography: George Balanchine
Dancers: Misa Kuranaga and James Whiteside
Satyric Festival Song
Music: Imre Weisshaus
Choreography: Martha Graham
Dancers: Jennifer DePalo
Défilé
Music: Hector Berlioz
Dancers: Full Company, Boston Ballet II, Students of Boston Ballet School
2011-2012 Season Tickets
Individual tickets, subscriptions, Group Sales tickets, and individual tickets for The Nutcracker are on sale now. Subscriptions and individual tickets are available online 24 hours a day at www.bostonballet.org, by phone at 617.695.6955, and in person at the box office at 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, Mon–Fri, 9:30am-5pm. Tickets start at $25 for season ballets and $35 for Night of Stars and The Nutcracker. Group Sales tickets for parties of 10 or more are available through the box office at 617.695.6955.
About Boston Ballet
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 dancers who gain experience by performing with the Company and independently, presenting special programs to audiences throughout the Northeast.
Boston Ballet School, the official school of Boston Ballet, has a long-standing dedication to providing excellence and access to dance education. It reaches more than 10,000 students, ages 9-month to adult each year through its four core programs: Children’s Program, Classical Ballet Program, Adult Dance Program and Pre-Professional Program. Boston Ballet’s award-winning community outreach initiatives include Citydance, Taking Steps, and Adaptive Dance. The wide array of dance programs are held at three studio locations in Boston, Newton, and Marblehead with additional programs throughout New England, as well as at community centers and in the Boston Public Schools.
Boston Ballet gratefully acknowledges the following institutional partners:
State Street Corporation, 2011 Presenting Sponsor, The Nutcracker
The Boston Foundation
Massachusetts Cultural Council
National Endowment for the Arts
