Originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet, and performed in Boston in 2024, Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon was received with rave reviews and sold-out houses. It is a powerhouse ballet featuring 54 dancers on stage dancing in synergy as though they are one living being. Set to Max Richter’s rendition of  Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Pite’s choreography draws on human emotion from her own life experiences. Audiences have described the ballet as mind-blowing and like nothing they have ever seen before.

“Pite’s epic evocation of the natural world and humanity’s connection to it is the largest work Boston Ballet has ever tackled.”
–The Boston Globe

“Creation for me is like looking through a lens. It’s a way to see the world in greater detail and clarity; it’s a magnified experience. It is the act of making that sharpens my awareness and connects me most deeply to the natural world and all the brutality and beauty it contains. The Seasons’ Canon is a gesture, an offering. It is as much my way of coping with the vastness and complexity of the natural world as it is a way of giving thanks for it.”
–Crystal Pite

Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. In a choreographic career spanning 35 years, Pite has created more than 60 works for companies such as The Royal Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, the Paris Opera Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada. Her bold and original vision has earned her international acclaim and inspired an entire generation of dance artists.

Jorma Elo created Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) set to Stravinsky’s iconic score for Boston Ballet in 2009. The ballet, originally choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, made its groundbreaking debut in 1913 in Paris with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. It was reported to have caused riots among Parisian audiences on opening night.

Like its predecessor, Elo’s Le Sacre du Printemps evoked passionate reactions from Boston audiences. Elo’s version evolves the traditional themes of ritualistic dance and showcases high energy and bold risk-taking from Boston Ballet dancers accentuated by shimmering flames on stage. It is set to Stravinsky’s ground-breaking 1913 score that is known for redefining 20th-century music. The complex score challenged established norms with its dissonant harmonies and unconventional orchestration and stands today as a landmark of musical modernism.

“Many companies tend to do the same style most of the time. Boston Ballet dancers are very quick with responding to different styles, so whatever I want to do, they’re ready. And then, of course, I have had the pleasure of working with them for years. It’s a privilege to build on people’s lives, bodies, and thoughts, and that’s different and far deeper than with other companies where I go to work for the first time.”
–Jorma Elo

Jorma Elo is one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world. He has created works for companies including American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, and Bolshoi Ballet, among many others. After a 15 year career with Nederlands Dans Theater, Elo was appointed Resident Choreographer of Boston Ballet in 2005, where he has created many world premieres, including Plan to B (2004) and Le Sacre du Printemps (2009).