Mikko Nissinen Meredith Max Hodges Artistic Director Executive Director Hart Artistic Director’s Chair

Assistant Artistic DirectorRussell Kaiser

Ballet MastersShannon Parsley Larissa Ponomarenko Anthony Randazzo

Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo

Principal DancersPAULO ARRAIS KATHLEEN BREEN COMBES ANAÏS CHALENDARD LIA CIRIO

PETRA CONTI ERICA CORNEJO ASHLEY ELLIS SEO HYE HAN LASHA KHOZASHVILI MISA KURANAGA JOHN LAM ERIS NEZHA

SoloistsISAAC AKIBA MARIA BARANOVA RACHELE BURIASSI JI YOUNG CHAE PAUL CRAIG

RIE ICHIKAWA FLORIMOND LORIEUX DALAY PARRONDO IRLAN SILVA SABI VARGA PATRICK YOCUM JUNXIONG ZHAO

Second SoloistsDIANA ALBRECHT RODDY DOBLE CORINA GILL LAUREN HERFINDAHL ADDIE TAPP

ArtistsMARIA ALVAREZ DAWN ATKINS HANNAH BETTES EKATERINE CHUBINIDZE DANIEL COOPER

CARALIN CURCIO EMILY ENTINGH SAMIVEL EVANS BRETT FUKUDA ANDRES GARCIA MAMUKA KIKALISHVILI SEUNG HYUN LEE SO JUNG LEE ALEXANDER MARYIANOWSKI NINA MATIASHVILI LEAH MCCALL

KATHRYN MCDONALD DREW NELSON BORIS RICHIR LAWRENCE RINES ALEC ROBERTS MARCUS ROMEO REINA SAWAI MATTHEW SLATTERY DESEAN TABER ERIK THORDAL-CHRISTENSEN ELIZABETH WALKER SARAH WROTH

Associate Director of Boston Ballet II Peter Stark

BOSTON BALLET IISam Ainley Angela Bishop Derek Drilon Thomas Harrison Sage Humphries Graham Johns

Abigail Merlis Clay Murray Erin O’Dea Christian Pforr Gabriela Schiefer Bella Ureta

Children’s Ballet Mistress Melanie Atkins

Principal Guest Conductor Music Director Emeritus Beatrice Jona Affron Jonathan McPhee

Senior Principal Company Pianist Principal Solo Pianist Freda Locker Alex Foaksman

E. VIRGINIA WILLIAMS, FOUNDER

BOSTON BALLET 19 CLARENDON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02116 TEL 617.695.6950 FAX 617.695.6995 BOSTONBALLET.ORG

BIO: MIKKO NISSINEN, Artistic Director

Hart Artistic Director’s Chair

Mikko Nissinen was appointed Artistic Director of Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet School in 2001. Nissinen began his dance training at age 10 with the Finnish National Ballet School, and launched his professional dance career at age 15 with the Finnish National Ballet. He continued his studies at The Kirov Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia, graduating in 1980. Nissinen danced professionally for 19 years with the Finnish National Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Basel Ballet, and as a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet. His vast repertoire ranged from classical to contemporary works, and he performed as a guest artist with many companies and partners for numerous international galas.

Nissinen directed the Marin Ballet in San Rafael, California from 1996 to 1998, and Alberta Ballet in Calgary, Canada from 1998 to 2001, also serving as Alberta Ballet’s Executive Director from 1999 to 2000.

As Artistic Director of Boston Ballet, Nissinen has defined the Company’s image, cultivating a dynamic collection of classical, neo-classical, and contemporary repertoire, ranging from full-length classical ballets, to masterworks by George Balanchine, to new works and world premieres by some of the finest contemporary choreographers today. In 2016, Nissinen and Boston Ballet established a long-term partnership with William Forsythe, allowing the Company to cultivate a rich collection of his work.

This three-part repertoire balance has established the Company as one of the leading dance organizations in the U.S., acclaimed for its excellence, artistic innovation, and versatility. Under Nissinen’s regime, The Boston Globe called Boston Ballet’s transformation one of the “biggest arts stories of the decade.”

For Boston Ballet, Nissinen has choreographed Raymonda Act III (2006) and Swan Lake (2004), and the Company has performed his The Nutcracker since 2004. This award-winning production was re-envisioned and re-choreographed in 2012, receiving critical acclaim. In 2014, Nissinen introduced his new production of Swan Lake, hailed as “luminous” by The Wall Street Journal.

Nissinen serves as Artistic Director of Boston Ballet School, the largest ballet school in North America, and he served as Executive Director of Boston Ballet in 2008 for a year and a half. His broad knowledge of dance, its history, and arts organization business leadership make him a popular presenter at conferences and universities worldwide. He was a fellow at the 2002 Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders in the Arts at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a member of the New York Choreographic Institute’s Artistic Committee and an advisory board member of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. He is the recipient of the 2007 United Nations Association of Greater Boston Leadership Award, the Finlandia Foundation’s 2008 Arts and Letters Award, and Boston’s Guide for the Arts 2009 Ambassador for the Arts Award.

BIO: MEREDITH MAX HODGES, Executive Director Meredith Max Hodges joined Boston Ballet as Executive Director in 2014, and leads the company in partnership with Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. Hodges has a wide range of experience that combines both the not-for-profit arts and the for-profit management industries. Prior to joining Boston Ballet, Hodges served as Executive Director of Gallim Dance, a New York-based contemporary dance company that tours worldwide to venues that include Guggenheim Works & Process, the Spoleto Festival and the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris, France. At Gallim, she worked in partnership with Artistic Director Andrea Miller to increase performance activity and the company’s artistic profile, while significantly increasing revenue. At the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Hodges worked in a variety of roles, most recently as a Project Director leading strategic development, membership and technology initiatives. She has also worked as a Senior Associate Consultant with Bain & Company here in Boston and New York, consulting for clients in multiple industries, including private equity and consumer products. Hodges is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, and is an Arts Professional-in-Residence at Harvard University. She has been a panelist at the Dance/USA Annual Conference, gave a TED Talk at TEDxBroadway 2016, and lectures on arts entrepreneurship at The Juilliard School.

BIO: JORMA ELO, Resident Choreographer Finnish-born Jorma Elo was appointed Resident Choreographer of Boston Ballet in 2005, and he is one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world. Elo has created works for companies that include American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Bolshoi Ballet, Boston Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Basel Ballet, and Norwegian National Ballet, among others. Elo trained with the Finnish National Ballet School and the Kirov Ballet School in Leningrad. He danced professionally with Finnish National Ballet and Cullberg Ballet, and joined Netherlands Dance Theater in 1990, where he enjoyed a 15 year career. As Resident Choreographer of Boston Ballet Elo has created many world premieres, including Carmen, Le Sacre du Printemps, Plan to B, Brake the Eyes, Bach Cello Suites, and the full length Elo Experience. Elo’s From All Sides debuted in 2007 for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, to a commissioned score from Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer-in- Residence, Mark Anthony Turnage, conducted by Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen. Vienna State Opera Ballet premiered his full length A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2010. Finnish National Ballet premieres Elo’s full length Alice in Wonderland in October 2016. Elo choreographed and performed in the Finnish television film Nijinsky Invisible Power in 2007. He is also a skilled designer of costumes, lighting and video effects for his ballets. Elo was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland, one of Finland’s highest honors, in 2015. He was awarded the prestigious Benois de la Danse prize for best choreography in 2011, for his production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, commissioned by Vienna State Opera Ballet and Slice to Sharp, a new version of the ballet created for the Stanislavsky Music Theatre. The Finnish Government awarded Elo with the 2012 Dance Artist Prize. The Helsinki International Ballet Competition (2005) awarded Elo their Choreographic Prize and he is the recipient of the Prince Charitable Trust Prize and the Choo-San Goh Choreographic Award in 2006. One/end/One, created for Houston Ballet in 2011, was supported by the first-ever Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance. He was nominated for a 2008 Isadora Duncan Dance Award. Elo has been featured in Esquire, Dance and Pointe Magazines.

BIO: Artistic Staff RUSSELL KAISER, Assistant Artistic Director Russell Kaiser was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Seattle, Washington. He began his dance training at age five and entered the School of Pacific Northwest Ballet at age 13, under the direction PNB’s Founding Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell. In 1984, Kaiser entered School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, where he studied with Stanley Williams, Andre Kramarevsky, and Richard Rapp under full scholarship. In the Fall of 1985 Kaiser began his 11-year performing career with NYCB where he danced the works of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, August Bournonville, Peter Martins, John Taras, Twyla Tharp, and Richard Tanner, among others. Kaiser was an original cast member in Robbins’ West Side Story Suite and Ives, Songs and Martins’ Ash, Fearful Symmetries, Reliquary, and The Sleeping Beauty. Kaiser toured internationally to France, Japan, Denmark, Scotland, and Greece. He also appeared in multiple PBS broadcasts of “Dance in America” and “Live From Lincoln Center.” At the invitation of Peter Martins, Ballet Master in Chief of New York City Ballet, Kaiser became a Ballet Master for NYCB from 1995 – 2009 where he worked with Mr. Martins on the creation of over 30 works. Kaiser was also responsible for maintaining works by Balanchine, Robbins, Martins, Christopher Wheeldon and Eliot Feld, among others. In addition he assisted with the programming of performances and taught company class. Kaiser has staged the works of Balanchine, Robbins, Martins, and Tanner on companies around the world including Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse, Pennsylvania Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and Atlanta Ballet. Kaiser joined Boston Ballet in 2009 as Assistant Artistic Director. SHANNON PARSLEY, Ballet Master and Artistic Coordinator Shannon Parsley, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, joined the artistic staff in 2006 in her third role with Boston Ballet. Parsley previously performed as a dancer in the Company and then went on to teach as a full time faculty member and Children’s Ballet Mistress in Boston Ballet School. She began her dancing career with the Fort Worth Ballet, followed by Miami City Ballet where she was promoted to soloist in 2001. Parsley joined Boston Ballet in 2002 while continuing to dance as a soloist with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Some of her many principal and soloist roles include George Balanchine’s Emeralds, Who Cares?, Agon, Duo Concertant, La Source, Divertimento No. 15, Apollo, and the revival of Divertimento Brillante. In addition to her vast Balanchine repertoire, she has also performed works by Sir Frederick Ashton, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Marius Petipa, and Rudolf Nureyev. In 2005, she danced at the Kennedy Center Honors in recognition of Suzanne Farrell. In 2006, Parsley traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet to dance leading roles in Balanchine’s Don Quixote, as well as stage the children in the production. In 2006, she was invited by The Balanchine Trust to stage George Balanchine’s Serenade for the North Carolina School of the Arts. Parsley began her career as a ballet mistress working with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. In addition, Parsley also works as the Artistic Coordinator for Boston Ballet communicating with each department and creating the daily schedules for the Company. LARISSA PONOMARENKO, Ballet Master Larissa Ponomarenko joined Boston Ballet’s artistic staff as Ballet Master in 2011, and is a graduate of Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg. After working with Donetsk Ballet in Ukraine, she danced with

Mississippi Ballet and Tulsa Ballet before joining Boston Ballet as a principal dancer in 1993.

Ponomarenko danced with Boston Ballet for 18 years. Her versatile repertoire includes Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Tatiana in Onegin, Kate in the Taming of the Shrew, the title roles in Giselle and Cinderella, Medora in Le Corsaire, Swanhilda in Coppélia, Nikiya in La Bayadère, and countless others. Ponomarenko has also performed a wide repertoire of Balanchine works including Symphony in C, Who Cares?, The Four Temperaments, Diamonds, Emeralds, Mozartiana, La Valse, Divertimento No. 15, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Serenade. She has danced works by John Cranko, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Kenneth MacMillan, Antony Tudor, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, and Twyla Tharp, among others. Over the years, Ponomarenko has worked closely with Boston Ballet Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo and has served as a muse for many of his ballets. She has also created roles in original works including Rhyme, choreographed for her by her husband, Viktor Plotnikov.

Ponomarenko has appeared internationally in galas and as a guest artist with English National Ballet in London, NBA Ballet Company in Tokyo, Opera Theatre of Rome, and Teatro Comunale of Florence in Italy. She was nominated for the Benois de la Danse award in 2005 and is a recipient of the E. Virginia Williams Inspiration Award.

ANTHONY RANDAZZO, Ballet Master Anthony Randazzo first trained in Michigan with his mother, Marjorie. He continued his training at The National Ballet School of Canada under the direction of Betty Oliphant. Invited by Alexander Grant, he joined the National Ballet of Canada and worked with esteemed artists such as Celia Franca, Erik Bruhn, Peter Schaufuss, Glen Tetley, Robert Desrosiers, Danny Grossman, and Constantin Patsalas.

In 1987, Helgi Tomasson invited Randazzo to join San Francisco Ballet. He became a Principal in 1988. He was featured in a wide range of repertoire, and his partnership with Evelyn Cisneros is highly acclaimed. Randazzo was named, “San Francisco Ballet’s premiere danseur noble” by the San Francisco Chronicle. In 1997 Randazzo returned to the National Ballet of Canada to work as Artist-in-Residence, retiring 18 months later.

Randazzo performed leading roles in ballets by George Balanchine, Sir Frederick Ashton, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Paul Taylor, Jerome Robbins, Rudolf Nureyev, John Cranko, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, and Harald Lander. He originated roles in creations by Helgi Tomasson, James Kudelka, David Bintley, Mark Morris, and Val Caniparoli. He was well known for Principal roles in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, and La Sylphide.

Mikko Nissinen invited Randazzo to join the artistic staff at Boston Ballet in 2002. He staged Jorma Elo’s Plan to B and Brake the Eyes for Cincinnati Ballet and Opera Nova, and James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons for Slovak National Theatre. Randazzo is an Honorary Member of Cecchetti International.

PETER STARK With students dancing in every major American ballet company and in several European companies, Peter Stark has developed a legacy as a renowned ballet teacher and coach. He has coached multiple gold medal winners for International Ballet Competitions (IBC). Peter’s students have also gone on to win the Princess Grace Awards, the Prix de Lausanne, and the New York finals of Youth America Grand Prix, where Stark was honored as outstanding teacher in 2014. Stark’s mentor, Fernando Bujones, hired him as Assistant to the

Artistic Director at Ballet Mississippi and later as School Director at Orlando Ballet. Stark is the founding artistic director of Next Generation Ballet (NGB) in Tampa, a pre-professional company for serious young dancers that has garnered an international reputation. He joined Boston Ballet in 2015. After beginning his performing career with New York City Ballet and Boston Ballet, Stark went on to become a leading dancer with The Washington Ballet. He was featured in a PBS telecast of Washington Opera's La Rondine starring José Carreras. Stark trained at the School of American Ballet, dancing works by George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, and Ralph Lemmon. In addition to his dance training, Stark studied business administration at Strayer University in Washington, D.C. Stark continues to judge dance internationally and has served on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. Stark has received many prestigious honors throughout his teaching career, including Florida Arts Educator of the Year, "Peter Stark Day" in the city of Orlando, Florida, and he has been featured on the cover of Dance Teacher Magazine.

THE HISTORY OF BOSTON BALLET

Boston Ballet’s internationally acclaimed performances, world-class school programs, and ground-breaking community outreach programs have made the institution a leader in its field and one of the major dance companies in the world with a 53-year history of promoting excellence and access to dance. The Company, made up of 68 dancers and 18 nationalities, performs a diverse and acclaimed repertoire ranging from full-length classical ballets to masterworks by George Balanchine, and new works and world premieres by today’s finest contemporary choreographers. Boston Ballet School is one of the largest ballet schools in the world, with education programs taking place throughout New England and pre-professional training of the highest caliber. Boston Ballet is the major center for dance in New England. The company performs its full season at the historic, 2,500 seat Boston Opera House and resides in a state-of-the-art facility in Boston’s South End designed by architect Graham Gund. Boston Ballet also has national and international touring engagements including, 2014 Lincoln Center, 2014 Kennedy Center, 2013 London, England, 2012 Helsinki, Finland, 2010 and 2007 Spain, 2010 Ottawa, Canada, and 2008 Seoul, Korea, as well as performances at the Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Process series, the Fall for Dance festival at New York City Center, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Spoleto Festival USA, and The Kennedy Center’s Ballet Across America series in 2008 and 2013. Boston Ballet is committed to maintaining a repertoire that combines timeless classics such as Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, August Bournonville’s La Sylphide, Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake, and John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, with the imaginative visions of today's most innovative choreographers including Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo, as well as William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Mark Morris, David Dawson, Christopher Wheeldon, and Helen Pickett. In 2009, The New York Times hailed Boston Ballet’s repertoire as “one of the most eclectic in the country,” and in 2010 as having dancers that are “striking by national and international standards.” Boston Ballet’s award-winning The Nutcracker, choreographed by Nissinen, is a tradition in New England. Over 40 performances employ the talents of the entire company and more than 240 Boston Ballet School students who perform in the production every year. In 2009 Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker was voted ‘Best-Loved Nutcracker Production in the U.S.’ Boston Ballet is a leading source of arts education and cultural enrichment to New England and the world through Boston Ballet School, led by Nissinen and Boston Ballet School Director Margaret Tracey. Boston Ballet School reaches more than 5,000 students at locations in Boston, Newton, and Marblehead for ages two through adult, at all experience levels. Boston Ballet School offers intensive and pre-professional training with internationally renowned faculty through year-round and summer dance programs. Boston Ballet’s Department of Education and Community Initiatives (ECI) provides programming, events, and activities that connect the community to dance, make ballet relevant, and help cultivate a new generation of life-long arts advocates and participants. ECI reaches over 4,000 individuals in the community to cultivate a love of dance and the arts through our education programs, community events, workshops and performances. ECI dance education programs include Citydance (for third graders in area public schools), ECI on Location (for individuals ages 10-adult at local schools and community sites), and Adaptive Dance (for individuals with

disabilities ages 2-adult.) Other offerings include Community Workshops, subsided ticketing, and creative partnerships. Boston Ballet’s rich history begins in 1963, as the first professional repertory ballet company in New England founded by E. Virginia Williams. Boston Ballet’s national and international reputation developed under the leadership of Artistic Directors Violette Verdy (1980-1984), Bruce Marks (1985-1997), and Anna-Marie Holmes (1997-2000). Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen was selected to lead Boston Ballet in September 2001. A dedicated group of Trustees is led by Board Chair Jack Meyer. Throughout its history, Boston Ballet has been a leader in the arts. In 1979, Boston Ballet opened the Nervi Festival in Italy, and in 1980 was the first American dance company to perform in the People's Republic of China. The Company made its London premiere in 1981, with a full-length production of Swan Lake. In 1983, Boston Ballet presented Don Quixote on Broadway with Rudolf Nureyev as special guest artist, after touring the United States, Mexico, France, and Italy. Boston Ballet collaborated with choreographer Mark Morris for the first time in 1986. In May 1990, Natalia Dudinskaya and Konstantin Sergeyev, along with then-assistant artistic director Anna-Marie Holmes, staged a new production of Swan Lake featuring Boston Ballet dancers performing the leading roles with dancers from The Kirov Ballet and The Bolshoi Ballet. This historic production attracted international attention. In recent years, the Company has continued to add the best classical, neo-classical and contemporary works to its repertoire. Boston Ballet Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo has created 12 world premieres for the company and in 2009 Boston Ballet became the first American company to perform Jiří Kylián’s Black and White as well as his Bella Figura in 2010. Additionally, the company has made great strides with the creation of Adaptive Dance, an acclaimed program for individuals with disabilities. The first of its kind, the Adaptive Dance program has been a national model for dance education with sister programs at various dance companies and schools across the U.S. Boston Ballet’s achievements, coupled with the generous and prestigious support of local and national funding sources, have brought Boston Ballet to the forefront of the international dance scene.

COMPANY REPERTOIRE 2002 – 2017

CHOREOGRAPHY TITLE MUSIC Pino Alosa Paquita Minkus Karole Armitage Bitches Brew Davis Frederick Ashton La Fille mal Gardée Hérold/Lanchbery Cinderella Sergei Prokofiev George Balanchine Apollo Stravinsky

Ballo della Regina Verdi Concerto Barocco Bach Coppélia Delibes Diamonds Tchaikovsky Divertimento No. 15 Mozart Duo Concertant Stravinsky

Episodes von Webern Emeralds Faure The Four Temperaments Hindemith Jewels Faure, Stravinsky,

Tchaikovsky A Midsummer Night’s Dream Mendelssohn Monumentum pro Gesualdo Stravinsky Movements for Piano & Orchestra Stravinsky Mozartiana Tchaikovsky Prodigal Son Prokofiev Rubies Stravinsky Serenade Tchaikovsky Stars and Stripes Sousa

Symphony in C Bizet Symphony in 3 Movements Stravinsky Theme and Variations Tchaikovsky La Valse Ravel Kammermusik No. 2 Hindemith

Christopher Bruce Rooster The Rolling Stones Val Caniparoli Lady of the Camellias Chopin

Lambarena Johann Sebastian Bach, Traditional African music

Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion* Bartók Jeffrey Cirio fremd Chopin, Field, Bender, Twin

CHOREOGRAPHY TITLE MUSIC

Lucinda Childs Ten Part Suite* Corelli Florence Clerc La Bayadére Minkus Les Sylphides Chopin John Cranko Onegin Tchaikovsky

Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev The Taming of the Shrew Stolze after Scarlatti

David Dawson The Grey Area Lanz, Bach Alexander Ekman Cacti Haydn, Beethoven,

Schubert, Stein, Mahler

Jorma Elo Sharp Side of Dark* J. S.Bach

Plan to B* Biber Carmen* Bizet

Carmen/Illusions* Bizet Break the Eyes * Mozart, Euverink

In On Blue* Ysaye, Herrman Le Sacre du Printemps* Stravinsky

Elo Experience* von Biber, Glass, Herrmann, Martynov, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Ysaÿe

Sharper Side of Dark* J.S Bach Awake Only* J.S Bach C. to C. (Close to Chuck) Reborn* Philip Glass Bach Cello Suites* J.S.Bach

Sorella Englund La Sylphide Løvenskjold Michel Fokine Le Spectre de la Rose Weber William Forsythe In the middle, somewhat elevated Willems The Second Detail Willems The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude Schubert Artifact Crossman-Hecht Bach Maina Gielgud Giselle Adam James Kudelka Cinderella Prokofiev Jiří Kylián Bella Figura Foss, Pergolesi,

Marcello, Vivaldi and Torelli

Falling Angels Reich

CHOREOGRAPHY TITLE MUSIC

No More Play Webern Petite Mort Mozart Sarabande Bach Sechs Tänze Mozart Wings of Wax J.S. Bach, Philip

Glass Tar and Feathers W.A. Mozart Symphony of Psalms Igor Stravinsky

Harald Lander Etudes Czerny Ivan Liška Le Corsaire Adam Delibes José Martinez Resonance Liszt Peter Martins Distant Light* Vasks Barber Violin Concerto Barber Léonid Massine Gaite Parisienne Offenbach Sabrina Matthews ein von viel Bach Wayne McGregor Chroma Joby Talbot Mark Morris Maelstrom Beethoven Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes Thomson

Up and Down* Glazunov Heather Myers Gone Again* Schubert John Neumeier Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler Mahler Bronislava Nijinska Les Noces Stravinsky Vaslav Nijinsky Afternoon of a Faun Debussy Mikko Nissinen The Nutcracker Tchaikovsky

Raymonda (Act III) Glazunov Swan Lake* Tchaikovsky

Rudolf Nureyev Don Quixote Minkus Marius Petipa The Sleeping Beauty Tchaikovsky Paquita Deldevez, Minkus Helen Pickett Etesian* Bach, Beethoven

Eventide* Nyman, Garbarek, Glass

CHOREOGRAPHY TITLE MUSIC

月夜 Tsukiyo* Pärt

LAYLI O MAJNUN* Pärt Tabula Rasa* Pärt

Viktor Plotnikov Rhyme* Chopin Swan Saint Saëns Jerome Robbins Afternoon of a Faun Debussy Antique Epigraphs Debussy Fancy Free Bernstein The Concert Chopin Twyla Tharp In the Upper Room Glass Antony Tudor Dark Elegies Mahler Rudi van Dantzig Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev Hans van Manen Black Cake Tchaikovsky, Janáček, Stravinsky, Mascagni, Massenet Christopher Wheeldon Polyphonia Ligeti

Norbert Vesak Belong Syrinx Yury Yanowsky Smoke and Mirrors Vidal

Leonid Yakobson Pas de Quatre Bellini Rodin Debussy, Prokofiev,

Berg Lila York Celts Ruyle, Whelan, Celtic

Thunder Dan Ar Braz Petr Zuska D.M.J. (1953-1977) Dvořák, Martinů,

Janáček * World Premiere

BOSTON BALLET II Boston Ballet II (BBII) is the exciting second company program in residence at Boston Ballet, under the direction of Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of Boston Ballet and Peter Stark, Associate Director of Boston Ballet II. Members of BBII are young dancers of outstanding ability, ages 16-21, who are challenged to improve artistically and technically so they may reach their full potential. The two-year program bridges the divide between the final year of schooling and professional careers with major dance companies and offers dancers a full range of performance opportunities in addition to further skill development as artists. BBII members gain professional experience and train with Stark, Nissinen, and Artistic Staff, as well as with guest choreographers, stagers and directors from distinguished American and international companies. A major part of their performance education is understudying and appearing regularly on stage with Boston Ballet. BBII also performs its own repertoire throughout the Greater Boston Community. Annual engagements in local K-12 academic schools extend BBII’s performance opportunities as well as Boston Ballet’s outreach efforts. BBII’s daily schedule is structured alongside the framework of the main company’s rehearsals. Weekly classes are varied; with the full company, men’s and women’s and BBII-only classes, taught by Boston Ballet Artistic Staff and faculty. When free from company obligations, BBII dancers are also required to attend classes offered by Boston Ballet School’s Trainee Program to expand upon their technique and broaden their fundamental skills. BBII members receive a weekly stipend, full health and dental benefits, and a shoe allowance for performance purposes. They also have full access to health and wellness services, including Pilates and Gyrotonic training, as well as care provided by the company’s full-time physical therapy staff. BBII members have gone on to professional dance careers in numerous American and international companies, including The Royal Ballet of London, Nederlands Dans Theater, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Alberta Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Houston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Additionally, BBII alumni fill Boston Ballet’s ranks; in the current season, 36% of the company dancers are former BBII members. Auditions for BBII are held annually. For more information on the audition process, please visit bostonballet.org.

BOSTON BALLET SCHOOL

Boston Ballet Founder E. Virginia Williams opened a ballet school in 1953 with the vision of establishing the highest quality dance education facility in the region. The program was officially incorporated as Boston Ballet School in 1979 and since then has grown from a small, regional dance studio into the largest ballet school in North America.

Boston Ballet School, the Official School of Boston Ballet provides dance education and ballet training for over 5,000 students annually, and operates three state-of-the-art dance facilities: Our original home in the South End of Boston, in the MetroWest town of Newton, and in the North Shore Community of Marblehead.

Through the vision of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen, and under the leadership of Director Margaret Tracey, it is Boston Ballet School’s goal to inspire and sustain a love of dance through continuous education. The breadth and depth of the dance education that the School provides, coupled with the expertise of its faculty and connection to a world-class company, makes Boston Ballet School a unique model among dance schools.

Boston Ballet School provides dance education and ballet training through four core programs, designed with a progressive, age-appropriate curriculum for toddlers to adults. The School runs its programs 50-weeks per year and each program has both a school-year (37-week) and summer session.

1. With an age-appropriate movement curriculum, the Children’s Program introduces children to the joy of dance and provides a foundation for the further study of ballet. (For children 16-months to age 7).

2. The Classical Ballet Program, for ages 8 to 18, provides a comprehensive dance education through a progressive ballet curriculum from Elementary through Advanced Graduate levels.

3. The audition-only and highly competitive, Pre-Professional Program is a rigorous training program designed to prepare students for a professional performance career with Boston Ballet, and in the ballet industry. The program attracts talented students from around the world, who compete, along with upper level BBS students, for the few open spots in this program each year.

4. The Adult Dance Program offers open classes in ballet, a number of five or ten-week Workshops designed for both beginner and experienced students, and master classes taught by master faculty or Boston Ballet Company members. It is recommended that true ballet beginners attend the Intro to Ballet Workshops prior to partaking in open classes.

The School’s annual Next Generation performance showcases the Pre-Professional students on the cusp of entering the professional dance world and celebrates emerging talent and youth in the arts in Boston. Boston Ballet School is dedicated to providing the highest quality of comprehensive dance education for all and, creating the next generation of versatile and well-rounded dancers for Boston Ballet and the field. For more information on the audition process, please visit http://www.bostonballet.org/school.

BOSTON BALLET’S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & COMMUNITY INITIATIVES (ECI)

The mission of Boston Ballet’s Department of Education and Community Initiatives (ECI) is to work with our community to make ballet accessible and relevant to everyone. ECI’s vision is to cultivate and educate a new generation of life-long arts advocates and participants through our commitment to education, collaboration, inclusion and innovation. Each year, we connect with over 4,000 individuals in our community to cultivate a love of dance and the arts through our education programs, community events, workshops and performances. All of our programs and initiatives include individuals with multiple learning styles and abilities. We promote movement exploration in a safe, supportive environment that encourages social and emotional growth. Our highly-qualified faculty have extensive backgrouns in teaching and dance education. Our curriculum integrates the arts with core academic learning standards and incorporates multiple styles of dance that reflect our diverse community. Our education programs include: • Citydance – Established in 1991, Citydance annually provides up to 3,000 third grade students from over

70 Boston Public Schools with a tuition-free introduction to dance education. Our approach cultivates an appreciation of movement, enhances cultural awareness, and fosters creativity and self-expression.

• Adaptive Dance – Established in 2002, Adaptive Dance provides creative movement instruction for up to

130 individuals with disabilities ages 2 through adult. Classes are taught by Boston Ballet faculty and supported by licensed physical therapists and professional musicians. Students can engage and explore in a safe and supported studio environment as they develop movement, musicality, and personal/social growth.

• ECI On Location – ECI on Location offers movement instruction to local school and community sites for

students in grades 3 and up. Schools and organizations can choose specific areas of focus based on the unique needs of the population they serve. Offerings include Taking Steps (for girls) Boys in Motion (for boys) and Mix’d Rep (mixed gender programming for all ages and all abilities).

Our community programs and projects include: • Community Workshops – Boston Ballet’s Community Workshops offer participants exciting “behind the

scenes” experiences, exploring the many sides of Boston ballet. Our workshops encourage participants to “rethink ballet” as they explore the varied facets of our organization from movement to marketing. Workshops are designed for school groups, youth organizations, corporations and more.

• Community Engagement – ECI provides additional opportunities for members of our community to engage with Boston Ballet through subsidized ticketing and creative partnerships.

Visit www.bostonballet.org/community for more information.

BOSTON BALLET, Institutional Quotes

“There is a strong case to be made that Boston Ballet, under the direction of Mikko Nissinen, has not so stealthily ascended to the supreme position of American ballet companies.” (Michael Levin, The Huffington Post, May 20, 2016) “Today’s Boston Ballet makes the case for redrawing the map of American ballet. Nissinen has put Boston at the center of that map.” (Michael Levin, The Huffington Post, May 20, 2016) “Between its equally complementary productions, Boston Ballet spins something to charm most any dance fan this month – and that extends to one extreme or the other for adventurous neophytes as well as aficionados.” (Paul Robicheau, The Improper Bostonian, May 10, 2016) “extraordinary dancers”

Alan Helms, Dance Tabs, 5/18/15 “…Boston Ballet company performs with tremendous precision and strength, holding up the material of the late 20th century programs with their skill especially.”

Caitlin Malcuit, The Backstage Beat, 5/16/15 “Artistic director, Mikko Nissinen and the entire Boston Ballet are to be congratulated for fostering a company that is dancing so well, and for the continual search for works that offer challenging roles, not to mention educating as well as entertaining the home-town audiences.”

Iris Fanger, The Patriot Ledger, 5/16/15

“movements of exquisite delicacy” Alan Helms, Dance Tabs, 5/5/15

“stunning in its technical athleticism and creative partnering” Merli V. Guerra, The Arts Fuse, 3/24/15

"superb cast" Jeffrey Gantz, The Boston Globe, 2/27/15

“The troupe has the world’s finest current production of “The Sleeping Beauty,” at least two of America’s best classical ballerinas (Kathleen Breen Combes and Misa Kuranaga, wholly unalike), a staging of Balanchine’s “Jewels” with (as seen in 2009) several exhilarating points of text and style absent from New York City Ballet’s, and many other productions that make me wish I had time to visit Boston more often.” The New York Times, 6/30/2014 “Boston Ballet is flawless” Bachtrack, 5/11/14 “The speed and energy of the group is dazzling and the company shines as a collective.” London Dance, England, July 2013 “Elegant and theatrically striking.” The New York Times, 1/1/2013

“Nothing less than brilliant.”

The Boston Globe, 10/26/2012 "Masterful technique and expression." Turun Sanomat, Finland, 9/9/2012 “The company is unified, with great artistic talent and an international reputation.”

Danza Ballet, Spain, 6/14/2010 “A dazzlingly eclectic talent from our time.”

The Ottawa Citizen, Canada, 1/29/2010 “Pure and simple, presenting exquisite details.”

The Korea Times, Korea, 8/31/2008 “A lesson of quality, intelligent and beautiful.”

ABC Madrid, Spain, 2007 “[Boston Ballet] dancers are striking by national and international standards. The company’s repertory is at least as diverse as any other American troupe’s. It is a rare dancer who can serve idioms so opposed with equal skill.”

The New York Times, May 2010 "[This is] a company in the very first rank. We are accustomed to Boston having one of the great symphonies of the world. The town has now gotten itself a ballet company that meets that standard."

Dance Magazine 2009

“Boston Ballet’s repertory is one of the most eclectic in the country.” The New York Times, March 2009

“Boston Ballet is huge, encompassing four locations, 1,400 students, an acclaimed summer program and numerous divisions. The school’s highly organized pyramid structure accommodates students of all skill and commitment levels and Boston Ballet School broadly extends itself through community outreach and multiple locations.”

Dance Teacher Magazine, November 2009 “Mikko Nissinen has expanded the company’s school to make it the biggest ballet school in North America, recruited top dancers from around the world, and expanded the troupe’s repertoire. This year, the Ballet moved into the Opera House and “Nutcracker” ticket sales were so hot scalpers wanted a piece of the action.”

Boston Globe, December 2009 “Under Mikko’s direction Boston Ballet has flourished. He’s doing it right: the company is once again a serious, viable and high-quality organization; real dancing by real people. Boston is a lucky town.”

Mark Morris, Boston Globe, September 2008

"The dancing was of extraordinary caliber. Boston Ballet looks like a coherent group. Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen has worked miracles with the company, and done so in a way that seems to satisfy his audiences...and the dancers as well."

Dance International, Spring 2008

"This company, it seems, can do almost anything.” The Boston Globe, October 2007

“Boston Ballet’s artistic director Mikko Nissinen has repositioned the acclaimed dance company to be a soaring, world-class artistic force.”

Where, March 2006 For additional press coverage, please visit http://www.bostonballet.org/news/in-the-news.html