season - Boston Ballet

oston balletMIKKO NISSINEN Artistic Director2008 2009seasonMelissa Hough and John Lam by Gene Schiavone

OCTOBER 10, 2008Altankhuya Dugaraa by Gene SchiavoneONE NIGHT ONLYFriday, October 10, 2008CINDERELLACINDERELLABack byPopularDemandOctober 16–26, 2008SUN M T W TH F SAT12 13 14 15 16 17 1819 20 21 22 23 24 2526 27 28 29 30 312pm7pm 8pm 2 & 8pm2 & 7pm7pm^ 7pm 8pm 2 & 8pmLorna Feijóo by Angela Sterling

BLACK + WHITEJiří Kylián’sBLACK AND WHITEFebruary 12–15, 2009SUN M T W TH F SAT1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 13 1415 16 17 18 19 20 212 & 7pmAll-PremiereProgram7pm 8pm 2 & 8pmFalling Angels by Eric AntoniouJEWELSGeorge Balanchine’sJEWELSFebruary 26–March 8, 2009SUN M T W TH F SAT2/2122 23 24 25 26 27 283/1 2 3 4 5 6 72pm8 9 10 11 12 13 142pmCompanyPremiere7pm 8pm 2 & 8pm7pm 8pm 2 & 8pmMelanie Atkins in Rubies, choreography by George Balanchine,© The George Balanchine Trust. Photo by Eric Antoniou

THE SLEEPING BEAUTYTHE SLEEPING BEAUTYBostonEncoreApril 23–May 3, 2009SUN M T W TH F SAT4/18 19 2019 20 21 22 23 24 2526 27 28 29 30 5/1 232pm2pm7pm 8pm 2 & 8pm7pm 7pm 8pm 2 & 8pmRie Ichikawa and Heather Myers by Angela SterlingBALLETS RUSSESDiaghilev’s BALLETS RUSSESCENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONMay 14–17, 2009SUN M T W TH F SAT1 23 4 5 6 7 8 910 11 12 13 14 15 167pm 8pm 2 & 8pm17 18 19 20 21 22 232 & 7pmAll-PremiereProgramThe Faun (Nijinsky), costume design for Ballets Russes, 1912.©Art Media/HIP/The Image Works.

Mikko NissinenArtistic DirectorHart Artistic Director’s ChairArtistic AssociateTrinidad VivesBallet Masters Assistant Ballet Master Resident ChoreographerAnthony Randazzo and Artistic Coordinator Jorma EloPino AlosaShannon ParsleyPrincipal DancersERICA CORNEJO LORNA FEIJOONELSON MADRIGAL CARLOS MOLINA LARISSA PONOMARENKOROMAN RYKINE YURY YANOWSKYSoloistsMELANIE ATKINS KATHLEEN BREEN COMBES JAIME DIAZ PAVEL GUREVICHMELISSA HOUGH RIE ICHIKAWA MISA KURANAGA JOHN LAMHEATHER MYERS JARED REDICK SABI VARGA JAMES WHITESIDECorps de BalletALISON BASFORD BO BUSBY PAUL CRAIG BOYKO DOSSEVALTANKHUYAG DUGARAA KRISTA ETTLINGER MEGAN GRAYTIFFANY HEDMAN KELSEY HELLEBUYCK ROBERT KRETZ LORIN MATHISTEMPE OSTERGREN DALAY PARRONDO JOSEPHINE PRA BRADLEY SCHLAGHECKTANNER SCHWARTZ KIMBERLY UPHOFF LUCIANA VOLTOLINI MARK WAXHEATHER WAYMACK SARAH WROTHDirector of Boston Ballet IIBonnie MathisBoston Ballet IIIsaac Akiba Rachel Cossar Sylvia DeatonEmily Mistretta Caitlin Peabody Yoshiya Sakurai Brittany SummerMusic Director and Principal ConductorJonathan McPheeBeatrice H. Barrett ChairAssociate ConductorMark ChurchillPrincipal Company Pianist/Solo PianistFreda LockerE. VIRGINIA WILLIAMS, FOUNDER

BIO: MIKKO NISSINEN, Artistic DirectorHart Artistic Director’s ChairMikko Nissinen is recognized internationally as an accomplished dancer, teacher and artisticdirector. He assumed the position of artistic director of Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet School inSeptember 2001. Nissinen holds the Hart Artistic Director’s Chair, a position partially endowedby a generous gift from Mary Hart Cogan.Born in Helsinki, Finland, Nissinen began his dance training at age ten with The Finnish NationalBallet School, and launched his dance career at age 15. In 1978, he won First Prize at TheNational Ballet Competition in Kuopio, Finland. The following year he continued his studies atThe Kirov Ballet School. Nissinen went on to dance with Dutch National Ballet, Basel Ballet andSan Francisco Ballet, where he held the position of principal dancer for ten years, until he retiredfrom the stage in 1996. During Nissinen's performance career his vast repertoire ranged fromclassical to contemporary works. As a guest artist, he danced at numerous international galas andwith many different companies and partners.Nissinen was appointed artistic director of the Marin Ballet in San Rafael, California in 1996.Two years later he was appointed artistic director of Alberta Ballet, in Calgary, Canada. UnderNissinen’s leadership, Alberta Ballet’s global visibility, national stature, performance scheduleand touring and were increased.As artistic director of Boston Ballet, Nissinen has defined the Company’s image with classicaland neo-classical works, ranging from full-length ballets including Cranko’s Onegin, Ashton’s LaFille mal gardée, Nureyev’s Don Quixote, Sergeyev’s The Sleeping Beauty and Bournonville’sLa Sylphide, to masterworks by George Balanchine, to new works and world premieres by someof the finest contemporary choreographers including William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, JamesKudelka, Peter Martins, Mark Morris, Val Caniparoli, David Dawson, Christopher Wheeldon,Helen Pickett, and Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo. Under Nissinen’s direction, Boston Ballettoured internationally for the first time in 16 years, receiving major critical acclaim on their 2007tour to seven festivals in Spain.Nissinen has received extensive media coverage, including a cover story in Dance magazine anda profile on CNN Worldwide. He was a fellow at the 2002 Executive Program for NonprofitLeaders in the Arts at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Nissinen appointed former NewYork City Ballet principal dancer Margaret Tracey as Associate Director of Boston Ballet Schoolin 2007.For Boston Ballet, Nissinen choreographed The Nutcracker in 2003, Swan Lake in 2004, andRaymonda, Act III in 2006. He has juried the Prix de Lausanne, Benois de la Danse, Japan GrandPrix and the Helsinki International Ballet Competition, and his knowledge of dance history hasmade him a popular presenter at conferences. Nissinen is a member of the Artistic Committee forthe New York Choreographic Institute. He is an advisory board member of The AlbertSchweitzer Fellowship, and Armitage Gone! Dance. Nissinen is the recipient of the FinlandiaFoundation’s 2008 Arts and Letters Award and the 2007 United Nations Association of GreaterBoston Leadership Award.

BIO: JONATHAN MCPHEE, Music Director and Principal ConductorBeatrice H. Barrett ChairBoston Ballet Music Director Jonathan McPhee has received critical acclaimfor shaping the musical style and direction of the Boston Ballet Orchestra.In addition to his work at Boston Ballet, he is Music Director for the LexingtonSymphony and the Longwood Symphony Orchestra.McPhee is equally at home as a conductor of ballet, opera, and symphony orchestras. Hehas conducted for many of the world's most distinguished dance companies andorchestras. A small sampling includes appearances with New York City Ballet, TheRoyal Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, The Australian Ballet, Martha GrahamDance Company, The Joffrey Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Some of theOrchestras he has conducted include the Hague Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony,the National Philharmonic Orchestra in London, Boston Pops and the BergenPhilharmonic in Norway. Recent guest conducting appearances include the PortlandSymphony, Nashua Symphony and Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife.McPhee's arrangements and compositions, published by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., are inthe repertoires of ballet companies and orchestras around the world and have beenrecorded by several orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra. His editionsof Stravinsky's Firebird and Rite of Spring are the only reduced orchestrations of theseworks authorized by the Stravinsky Estate.McPhee's best-selling recording of The Nutcracker with Boston Ballet Orchestra has soldover 70,000 copies. He has also recorded Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping BeautyProkofiev’s Romeo & Juliet with Boston Ballet Orchestra. An educational advocate formusic and ballet, his work with WCRB Classical on "Kids Classical Hour" resulted in a1998 Gabriel Award.Born in Philadelphia, McPhee holds a B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School and anL.R.A.M. from the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. He was a student ofSixten Ehrling, Rudolf Kempe, Leonard Brain and Thomas Stacy and had master classeswith Sir Georg Solti and James Levine at Juilliard.McPhee’s position as music director is supported in part by the Beatrice H. BarrettPerformance Fund.8/14/2008

BIO: JORMA ELO, Resident ChoreographerIn just a few short years, Finnish-born Jorma Elo has become one of the most soughtafterchoreographers in the United States and Europe. Elo, who was named ResidentChoreographer of Boston Ballet in 2005, was singled out as a “talent to follow” by AnnaKisselgoff in her 2004 Year in Review for The New York Times. It was an astuteobservation. He has since created numerous works in the US and internationally,including Slice to Sharp for New York City Ballet, Glow-Stop and C. to C. (Close toChuck) for American Ballet Theatre, Double Evil for San Francisco Ballet, Carmen forBoston Ballet, 10 to Hyper M for Royal Danish Ballet, Offcore for Finnish NationalBallet and Pointeoff for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. His From All Sides debuted in January2007 for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, to a commissioned score from ChicagoSymphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer-in- Residence, Mark Anthony Turnage, and thepiece was conducted by Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen.Elo trained with the Finnish National Ballet School and the Kirov Ballet School inLeningrad. Prior to joining Netherlands Dance Theater in 1990, he danced with FinnishNational Ballet from 1978 through 1984 and Cullberg Ballet from 1984 to 1990.Elo has also received commissions from Basel Ballet, Ballet Debrezen (Hungary),Alberta Ballet (Blank Snow and L’Apres Midi d’un Faune/Spectre de la Rose),Norwegian National Ballet (Cut to Drive, Brake-Green), Finnish National Ballet (Happyis Happy, Twisted Shadow, Two Fast), Stockhom 59° North (in my DREAM team),Netherlands Dance Theatre 1 (1 st Flash and Plan to A), Staatstheater Nurnberg (Slice toCore), Ballet X (Scenes View 2). For Boston Ballet, Elo has created four worldpremieres: Sharp Side of Dark (2002), Plan to B (2004), Carmen (2006), Brake the Eyes(2007), and In On Blue (2008). He is also a skilled designer of costumes, lighting andvideo effects for his ballets.The 2005 Helsinki International Ballet Competition awarded Elo a choreographic prizeand he is the recipient of the Prince Charitable Trust Prize and the Choo-San GohChoreographic Award in 2006. Dance Magazine (April, 2007) featured Elo on their coverwith a corresponding article, and Pointe Magazine named him a Dance VIP of 2006.8/14/2008

BIO: Ballet MastersTRINIDAD VIVES, Artistic AssociateTrinidad Vives, from Madrid, Spain, began her training with Carmina Ocana, LuisFuente, and Victor Ullate. She was a first-prize medal and scholarship winner at the Prixde Lausanne competition and joined the Hamburg Ballet at the age of 17 where she was asoloist for six years. She was principal dancer with the Basel Ballet, Dusseldorf Ballet,and English National Ballet in London. Vives received her teaching diploma from theRoyal Conservatory of Dance in Madrid and began teaching at the Houston BalletAcademy in 1994. At Houston Ballet, she was promoted to assistant to the artisticdirector in 1998 and was named associate artistic director in 2001. Vives has staged BenStevenson’s full-length productions and guest taught for several companies, includingBoston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet. Most recently, Vives assistedBoston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen in staging the Company’s new Swan Lakeand was invited to be a guest ballet mistress with Les Ballets de Monte Carlo.ANTHONY RANDAZZO, Ballet MasterA native of Michigan, Anthony Randazzo received his early dance training from hismother Marjorie. At age 14 he attended the National Ballet School in Toronto. Anthonydanced with the National Ballet of Canada and San Francisco Ballet achieving the rank ofprincipal. As a dancer, Anthony performed a wide variety of roles representing a broadrange of styles. Randazzo danced the leading role in many full-length productionsincluding Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Romeo and Juliet, and The Merry Widow aswell as numerous one act ballets during his 18 year performing career. Mr. Randazzodanced works by many internationally recognized choreographers including Balanchine,Ashton, Forsythe, Morris, Kylian, Taylor, Robbins, Nureyev, Cranko and McMillan.Randazzo became a Ballet Master at Boston Ballet in 2002 at the invitation of MikkoNissinen. As Ballet Master, Mr. Randazzo teaches company class, coaches and rehearsesthe dancers of the company, stages works and assists guests with setting of new orexisting works. Anthony is involved in the preparation of all full length productionspresented by the company. He is also responsible for rehearsing many of the one actballets presented by Boston Ballet.PINO ALOSA, Ballet MasterPino Alosa began his studies at a private dance school in Rome. He continued his trainingwith Victor Litvinoff, Margarita Trayanova, Tuccio Rigano (Rome Opera Ballet), RobertStrajner, Walter Venditti (La Scala of Milan), Ricardo Nunez (San Carlo of Naples) andEcole Superieure de Danse Rosella Hightower in Cannes. He also studied with DavidHoward and Stanley Williams in New York. He has performed as a soloist and principalwith Italian and international dance companies, including Louis Falco Dance Company,

Grand Théâtre de Genève, Teatro La Fenice (Venice), Teatro La Scala, Teatro Petruzzelliof Bari, Aterballetto of Reggio Emilia, Compagnia del Balletto Classico, CompagniaArtedanza and Compagnia Italiana di Danza Contemporanea of Rome. His solo RainMan won the Vignale Danza International Competition in 1992. For six years (1996-2001) Alosa was ballet master at the Bordeaux Opera Ballet, directed by Charles Jude(formerly of Paris Opera Ballet). At Boston Ballet, Alosa coaches principal and soloistsfor season performances and acts as assistant to visiting choreographers. Alosa staged theCompany Défilé for the 2007 Night of Stars Gala.BONNIE MATHIS, Director of Boston Ballet IIBonnie Mathis was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she received her early ballettraining. She went on to study at the Julliard School with Antony Tudor and MaggieBlack. Adept at a variety of styles, Mathis performed with the Harkness Ballet, The PaulTaylor Dance Company, The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, American Ballet Theatre,where she became a principal dancer, and Nederlands Dans Theatre under Jiří Kylián.She also appeared in summer stock, at Radio City Music Hall, and was in the originalcast of Hello, Dolly! on Broadway. When her performing career ended, Mathis foundedBallet Arts Minnesota, where she was artistic director for fifteen years. Mathis has been amember of the faculty at the University of Minnesota, taught at American BalletTheatre’s summer sessions, and was on the faculty of Martine van Hamel’s ExtremeBallet Workshop at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center before coming to Boston in2006.SHANNON PARSLEY, Assistant Ballet Master and Artistic CoordinatorShannon Parsley is a native Texan and joins the artistic staff in her third role with theorganization, having performed as a dancer in the Company and a teacher in BostonBallet School. She began her dancing career with the Fort Worth Ballet, followed by theMiami City Ballet where she was promoted to soloist in 2001. Ms. Parsley joined BostonBallet in 2002 while continuing to dance as a soloist with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet.Some of her many principal and soloist roles include Balanchine’s Emeralds, WhoCares?, Agon, Duo Concertante, La Source, Divertimento #15, Apollo and the revival ofDivertimento Brillante. In addition to Ms. Parsley’s vast Balanchine repertoire, she hasalso performed works by Sir Frederick Ashton, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Marius Petipa,and Rudolph Nureyev (Giselle, Myrta). In 2004, she danced at the Kennedy CenterHonors in recognition of Suzanne Farrell. She has also appeared as a guest artist withAngel Corella in Cadiz, Spain. In 2005, Ms. Parsley traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland withthe Suzanne Farrell Ballet to dance leading roles in Balanchine’s Don Quixote, as well asstage the children in the production. She was invited by the Balanchine Trust to stageSerenade for the North Carolina School of the Arts. Ms. Parsley has also assisted on thestaging of the children for the 2006-2007 Boston Ballet production of A MidsummerNights Dream and the staging for the 2007-2008 production of Concerto Barocco.

THE HISTORY OF BOSTON BALLETBoston Ballet, founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams, was the first professionalrepertory ballet company in New England. The Ballet’s national and internationalreputation developed under the leadership of Artistic Directors Violette Verdy (1980-1984), Bruce Marks (1985-1997), and Anna-Marie Holmes (1997-2000). Today, theCompany is one of the major ballet companies in North America and among the topcompanies in the world. Current Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen was selected to leadBoston Ballet in September 2001. Under his exceptional artistic direction, Boston Balletmaintains an internationally acclaimed repertoire of classical, neo-classical andcontemporary works, ranging from full-length story ballets to masterworks by GeorgeBalanchine, to new works and world premieres by some of today's finest contemporarychoreographers.Throughout its history, Boston Ballet has been a pioneer. In 1979, Boston Ballet openedthe Nervi Festival in Italy, and in 1980 was the first American dance company to performin the People's Republic of China. The Company made its London premiere in 1981, witha full-length production of Swan Lake. In 1983, Boston Ballet presented Don Quixote onBroadway with Rudolf Nureyev as special guest artist, after touring the United States,Mexico, France, and Italy. The Company collaborated with choreographer Mark Morrisfor the first time in 1986, performing his Mort Subite at the PepsiCo Festival in Purchase,New York. The following year Boston Ballet was the first ballet company to perform atthe prestigious BESSIE Dance and Performance award ceremony at City Center in NewYork. Boston Ballet was the first major dance company to commission works fromcontemporary choreographers Mark Morris, Susan Marshall, Ralph Lemon, and ElisaMonte.In May 1990, Natalia Dudinskaya and Konstantin Sergeyev, along with then-artisticdirector Anna-Marie Holmes, staged a new production of Swan Lake featuring BostonBallet dancers performing the leading roles with dancers from The Kirov Ballet and TheBolshoi Ballet. This historic production attracted international attention and broughtBoston Ballet to the forefront of the international dance scene. In recent years, theCompany has added Michael Corder's award-winning Cinderella, the American premiereof Le Corsaire, and John Cranko's Onegin, The Taming of the Shrew and Romeo &Julietto its repertoire.The Company made a triumphant debut at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., inJanuary 1990. In July 1991, Boston Ballet toured throughout Spain. During the Summerof 2007, the Company completed a second tour of Spain to audience and critical acclaim.

Boston Ballet’s most recent touring included back-to-back performances at the SpoletoFestival USA and The Kennedy Center’s Ballet Across America series in Spring 2008.The Company embarked on its first tour to Korea in the summer of 2008.Boston Ballet's primary performance venue is the 3,600-seat Wang Theatre in Boston,Massachusetts. Boston Ballet's month-long production of The Nutcracker is performed atThe Opera House. Boston Ballet’s full season performances and acclaimed production ofThe Nutcracker will move to The Opera House for the 2009-2010 season.Boston Ballet is committed to maintaining a repertoire that combines timeless classicssuch as The Sleeping Beauty, La Sylphide, Swan Lake, and Romeo and Juliet, with theimaginative visions of today's most innovative choreographers.The Company does much more than just offer performances. Boston Ballet operates anaffiliate school with more than 3,000 students; in addition to dance classes for ages 2through adult, the Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education offers numerous educationaland outreach activities for the community. Programs include Boston Ballet School,Education and Outreach, Summer Dance Workshop, Summer Dance Program, Citydance,Taking Steps, Dance Lab, and Adaptive Dance.The Company’s headquarters at 19 Clarendon Street in Boston’s South Endneighborhood is one of the largest and best-equipped dance spaces in the country.Designed by renowned architect Graham Gund, this five-story, 60,000-square-footbuilding is an important hub for dance in New England. Boston Ballet School is curentlyhoused in three facilities; Boston’s South End Studios, Newton Studio in MetrowestBoston, and Norwell Studio, South Shore. A fourth location, in Marblehead MA, isscheduled to open in January, 2009.The Company's achievements, coupled with the generous and prestigious support of localand national funding sources, have dramatically strengthened Boston Ballet’s position asa world-class ballet company within the local, national, and international artscommunities.

BOSTON BALLET SCHOOL FACT SHEETBackground: Boston Ballet School, which celebrated its 50th year in 2004, was foundedby E. Virginia Williams whose vision was to establish a world-class dance educationalfacility in the region. The program was officially incorporated as the Boston BalletSchool in 1979 and since then has grown from a small, regional dance studio into aworld-class dance education institution that now also encompasses Young DancersSummer Workshop, Summer Dance Program, DanceLab, Citydance, Adaptive Dance,and Taking Steps.Enrollment: Students aged nine and older with previous ballet training, are required totake a placement class to determine the level of study best suited to their abilities. Groupplacement classes are typically held at each studio in May for September enrollment. Facilities & Locations: Each of Boston Ballet School’s three locations set the stage fora positive, educational dance experience. Basic ballet classes for students of all ages areoffered in the Ballet’s South End Boston studios, in the MetroWest studios in Newton,and in Norwell on the South Shore. A fourth location, in Marblehead MA, is scheduled toopen in January, 2009. Each state-of-the-art facility is temperature-controlled forcomfort, and each features convenient dressing rooms and lounges.Staff and Faculty:Boston Ballet School's renowned reputation and direct affiliation withBoston Ballet continues to attract some of the most highly trained professional danceteachers in the world. Many of the instructors employed by the School have enjoyedcelebrated performance careers both nationally and abroad. The collective wisdom andexperience of the entire staff encourages the exploration of innovative and effectiveteaching methods that help students learn in a lively, stimulating environment.Principals: Tamara King, MetroWest Studio, Jared Redick, South Shore StudioAssociate Director, Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education: Margaret TraceyContact Information: BOSTON BALLET SCHOOL19 Clarendon StreetBoston, MA 02116(617) 456-6264Announcement: Select Boston Ballet School students will perform in this year’sNutcracker with the Boston Ballet. Tickets for the production are on sale now!

BOSTON BALLET IIBoston Ballet II (BBII) is the exciting pre-professional program in residence at BostonBallet. Under the direction of Bonnie Mathis, members of BBII are young dancers ofoutstanding ability who are challenged to improve artistically and technically so they mayreach their full potential. BBII dancers are trained in their own daily ballet class, as wellas taking class with the company.BBII members have the opportunity to gain professional exposure and train with BostonBallet’s artistic staff and artistic director, as well as with guest choreographers anddirectors from distinguished American and international companies.To continue their development in dance, BBII dancers are also required to take classeswith the Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education, whenever free from companyrehearsals or obligations. BBII offers invaluable professional experience by performingits own programs and by touring to schools throughout New England and appearing inthe Young Audiences of Massachusetts program: an exciting series designed to introduceballet to new audiences and develop audience appreciation for ballet as an art form. Anindispensable and important part of their training is to gain performing experience byunderstudying and appearing regularly with the Boston Ballet.BBII members have gone on to professional dance careers in many American andinternational companies, including Boston Ballet, Netherlands Dance Theatre, CincinnatiBallet, Tulsa Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Houston Ballet, and American BalletTheatre.BBII members receive a weekly stipend, full health and dental benefits, and a full shoeallowance. They also have access to Pilates and Gyrotonics training, as well as theCompany’s full-time physical therapy staff.Auditions for BBII are held each year, information can be found onwww.bostonballet.org. For additional information please contact Company ManagerKirsten Hwang at 617.456.6203 or khwang@bostonballet.org

BOSTON BALLET, Institutional Quotes"[This is] a company in the very first rank. We are accustomed to Boston having one ofthe great symphonies of the world. The town has now gotten itself a ballet company thatmeets that standard."- Dance Magazine"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 ina 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“Mikko Nissinen, Boston Ballet’s artistic director, can be credited with the sudden JormaElo trend in this country. None of us had heard of him before Mikko brought him toBoston as resident choreographer. But now he is everywhere.”– Dance Magazine, September 2007“Boston Ballet’s artistic director Mikko Nissinen has repositioned the acclaimed dancecompany to be a soaring, world-class artistic force”–Where, March 2006“Mikko Nissinen made 2005 the year of Boston Ballet. Never in nearly 25 years that thiscritic has covered the company has its corps, as well as its principals, danced at such ahigh level of execution and synchronization.”– New England Entertainment Digest, March 2006“Since Mikko Nissinen took over as artistic director of Boston Ballet, he has been tryingto convince audiences to give sincere consideration to contemporary ballet. ‘FallingAngels’…is undeniable proof his efforts haven’t been in vain.”– Boston Herald, March 2005“Lavish production standards, technical brilliance, respect for tradition and above all,good taste. There are the things that Boston Ballet artistic director Mikko Nissinen valuesmost when it comes to the great classical ballets of the last 19 th century.”– Boston Herald, May 2005

2007-2008 PRESS QUOTES“The critics have been unanimous in praising the high level of dancing.”Iris Fanger, Dance International, Spring 2007“Boston Ballet becomes one of the few eminent companies to promotechoreographic innovation as an end in itself.”Alastair Macauley, The New York Times 3/10/08“Mikko Nissinen has worked miracles with the company, and done so in a waythat seems to satisfy his audiences… and the dancers as well.”Theodore Bale, Dance International Spring 2008THREE MASTERPIECESCONCERTO BAROCCO | DARK ELEGIES | IN THE UPPER ROOM“The quiet heart of the evening, Antony Tudor’s moving one-act ballet DarkElegies… a superb addition to the company’s repertoire.”Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe 5/16/08“[Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room] was… thrilling; not just the most exciting danceof the year, but perhaps the most exciting artistic event of the year, period. In theUpper Room is the kind of dance you never forget.”Tom Garvey, The Hub Review 5/19/08SWAN LAKE“Larissa Ponomarenko in the dual role of Odette/Odile, could literally make yourheart sing – and later weep. Nissinen works magic with the corps as a whole. Theyshine as the swans protecting their Queen, executing their unison moves withimpeccable timing.”Thea Singer, The Boston Globe 5/2/08NEXT GENERATIONTÉSSERA | EVENTIDE | GONE AGAIN | IN ON BLUE

“With the company’s provocative new ‘Next Generation’ program last weekend,Nissinen put his convictions front and center. The risk paid off nicely, not just for theart form, but for audiences as well.”“With his distinctly postmodern aesthetic, Elo has contributed some of the company’smost intriguing ballet…. In on Blue is perhaps the strangest of the bunch – strange,yet utterly compelling”Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe 3/10/08“Boston Ballet becomes one of the few eminent companies to promote choreographicinnovation as an end in itself. Most companies tend cautiously to package premiereswithin programs that also feature old favorites, and it takes courage to schedule a billthat consists of nothing but the new. Boston Ballet has done this and gone one further:the three ballets here that are not by Mr. Elo are all by female choreographers.”“The program also had unity. In a singular stroke, surely without precedent, all fourchoreographers opened the evening by dancing, in Mr. Elo’s Téssera.”Alastair Macauley, The New York Times 3/10/08ROMEO AND JULIET“The company’s splendid new production…hits jackpot. This one is the wholepackage-elegant dancing, eye-popping pageantry, and vivid storytelling.”Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe 2/16/08“Boston Ballet’s adaptation is quiet and delicate, yet bold and sophisticated.”Katrina T. Lallier, The Boston Metro 2/28/08THE NUTCRACKER 2007“Timeless score plus world-class ballet troupe plus Boston’s most sublime theaterequals holiday perfection.”Jed Bottlieb, The Boston Herald 11/23/07“Through the decades, there have been hundreds of re-interpretations of TheNutcracker in Boston, but Boston Ballet’s version remains the most professional andelegant-and the only one with Tchaikovsky’s score played live by full orchestra.”Theodore Bale, The Boston Herald 11/28/07“For a child, there is no better introduction to the world of ballet than The Nutcracker.It’s colorful and accessible, with a child-centric story fueled by Tchaikovsky’sexquisite score. And Boston Ballet’s production is one of the most beloved around,marrying substantive choreography with eye-popping production values.”Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe 12/4/07LA SYLPHIDE“Boston Ballet danced this August Bournonville classic…in sweet and spunky detail.The production as a whole was clear, brisk and well rehearsed, from the leads on

down to the lively child performers from the company school. Robustness seems tobe the key to the style of Mikko Nissinen.”Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times 10/23/07“The company opened its season with a confident performance of Sorella Englund’sstaging of La Sylphide… Boston Ballet looked stunning.”Theodore Bale, Dance International Spring 2008SERENADE“Serenade unfolded at a clip that Balanchine would probably have admired, withoutblurring any of the eloquent subtext of the choreographer’s first American ballet.”Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times 10/23/07“George Balanchine’s Serenade is…one of the greatest works of 20 th century ballet,and Boston Ballet gave it a thrilling, exacting interpretation. Everything about [this]season-opener indicates we’re in for a sensational season.”Theodore Bale, The Boston Herald 10/20/07NIGHT OF STARS GALA 2007“Boston Ballet sparkles in its annual ‘Night of Stars’ benefit. Mikko Nissinen, artisticdirector of the Boston Ballet, has turned gala-making into something of an art. Thiscompany, it seems, can do almost anything.”Thea Singer, The Boston Globe 10/13/07“This fascinating and comprehensive programme had an old-fashioned spirit,spanning repertory from 1836 to the present…The dancing was of extraordinarycaliber. Boston Ballet looks like a coherent group.”Theodore Bale, Dance International Spring 2008SPAIN TOUR“Boston Ballet has presented a work well done, a lesson of quality, in an intelligentand beautiful program that allows one to see the different facets of the great classicaldance reformist, Balanchine. The three pieces are extraordinary, the lyricism ofSerenade the self-assurance of Who Cares? and the perfect depiction of The FourTemperaments find a perfect answer in the Boston Ballet Company”ABC (Madrid)“Serenade had stupendous moments; The Four Temperaments was pure strong dance,and was the most brilliant performance of the evening.”El Mundo (Madrid)